Beginner to beer brewing at home [initial questions]

[flars]

A word of warning, not everything on youtube is a great learning experience.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdUTLHLBYBA[/ame]

 

[smccarter]

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[Gavin C]

Fair enough @smccarter. I would respectfully disagree with you and stand behind what meager advice I have proffered.

 

[Mexibilly]

I started with the midwest starter kit and a 7.5 gallon economy kettle.
I've built upon that since, but with those 2 things, 8oz of StarSan, and an extract kit I got going.
From there it's all you.
HBT is a priceless reference...

 

[smccarter]

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[smccarter]

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[Gavin C]

I absolutely agree.. this guy could have provided a better presentation. He seems to be too opinionated. I've brewed really good extract beers in the past, and still brew wth extract. I have standard recipes that include extract as a matter of fact.

This guy in the video is a moron and a holocaust denier (there is a video of him doing just this) if that sort of thing means anything of importance to you. I would suggest not clicking on the video for fear of giving any added credence to his poisonous existence.

 

[relicdog]

Better advice to a total novice would be to use dry yeast and follow the manufacturer's instructions on rehydration to the letter.

There are a few more steps in the process to achieving excellence I would suggest. This is a gross over simplification in the extreme and just bad advice.

A starter is not needed with dry yeast, 1 gallon batches nor when using fresh slurry. Again tips like this just serve to over complicate things to a new brewer and make the assumption that someone knows what the term "starter" and " stir plate" means.

Even better advice would be to pitch the appropriate amount of yeast needed for proper fermentation like http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html.

I have done about 5 cooper american wheat kits, i have used a yeast starter and have not used a yeast starter and with all other things being equal, i have noticed a huge difference in the quality of my finished homebrew. The beer that was made with the yeast starter is MUCH better. Maybe this has to do with the fact that I am making brews with 1.65 OG+.

It's a small investment (~$40) and it will improve the quality of your brew.

 

[smccarter]

...

 

[tim_s]

Your replies are very thorough but really illustrate your lack of knowledge. That is not meant as a critique but meant to reiterate the point to understand the fundamentals.

Oh not to worry, I understand I have a lot to learn and I appreciate you helping me and educating me through the process. It can be frustrating to teach someone so new but I really appreciate it.

Example: you deduced from prior posts that mash temperature was dependent on heat source. Incorrect.

Example: You are talking about adding a heater to the fermenter. Cooling is what you need, summer coming. Night time fluctuations are minimal with a 5 gallon heat sink.

Thank you for this information and should I buy a cooler?

Example: Your talking about DI water and not ionizing it again. This is just too off base to begin. There are books written on water chemistry pertaining to brewing. Deionized water is useful. I don't use it.

Try to understand the fundamentals before focusing on the details.

That is interesting, DI water can make a human being sick and in a fish tank it is the salts that re-ionize the waters. This is good news and sounds like I have an understandable strategy of removing chloramine from water, which is where this conversation stemmed from.

 

[LegionOfDoom]

You can find a good starter kit for under $100 from any homebrew supplier. I agree with the folks recommending extract to start with. You will get a taste for the process and if you have a big 5 gallon pot you can use that in your kitchen then just top off with water after the boil. A lot of Brewers regret not switching to all grain sooner, but I think you could go extract for cheaper and decide if you like brewing. If you do, everything you have from your first couple batches will be useful in all grain.

Brewing can be expensive. If you only drink craft beer, then in the long run you'll save money. If you only drink cheap mass produced beer, it may be a while before you ever see a return on your investment. Typically, time and space are the biggest investments.

 

[Gavin C]

Regarding the question. Should you buy a cooler?

Many folks use a cooler as a mash tun.

To control fermentation temperatures you need to actively cool the fermenting beer in most instances depending on where you live and the climate. I am in north Texas so cooling fermenting beer is a must. I use a chest freezer with an external thermostat as many do.

A swamp cooler is another way to do it. The fermenting vessel (FV) is placed in a tub with water around it that can be cooled with ice from ones fridge. In the short term this is cheaper but gives you less control. Long term it is not cheaper as you still need to make the ice which of course requires more electricity over time than running a chest freezer at low levels.

In winter or in cooler climates, or with certain styles of beer and yeast heat does need to be supplied. Just to give you an idea here is an internal view of my little fermentation chamber. It allows me to ferment 11 gallons of beer. Usually two 5.5 gallon batches

 

[Gavin C]

A prior poster had been discussing starters for yeast. These grow yeast so that you have a stronger army to ferment the beer. Very useful and I use one frequently. I also use dry yeast ( re hydrated) in some brews.

Again lots of areas to explore. Fun stuff to learn about.

This is a decanted starter. I am measuring the Gravity of the spent starter wort to confirm the yeast bad done their thing.

A Finished Starter (a good oxymoron if ever there was one)

 

[Gavin C]

Water chemistry is also a fun area to explore. Chloramines are present in most people's tap water and needs to removed. This is easily done with Campden tablets. One tablet treats 20 gallons.

The pH of the mash( the process of extracting fermentable sugars from the grain) can be monitored and adjusted. A good pH meter is a prerequisite. There is a resident guru in the brew science forum who recommends 4 types at an affordable price

This is mine.

Again lots of details but I'm not sure they will be much use at this stage.

 

[tim_s]

Regarding the question. Should you buy a cooler?

Many folks use a cooler as a mash tun.

To control fermentation temperatures you need to actively cool the fermenting beer in most instances depending on where you live and the climate. I am in north Texas so cooling fermenting beer is a must. I use a chest freezer with an external thermostat as many do.

A swamp cooler is another way to do it. The fermenting vessel (FV) is placed in a tub with water around it that can be cooled with ice from ones fridge. In the short term this is cheaper but gives you less control. Long term it is not cheaper as you still need to make the ice which of course requires more electricity over time than running a chest freezer at low levels.

In winter or in cooler climates, or with certain styles of beer and yeast heat does need to be supplied. Just to give you an idea here is an internal view of my little fermentation chamber. It allows me to ferment 11 gallons of beer. Usually two 5.5 gallon batches

I have the exact same layout for my chest freezer in my Garage. -- Thank you for sharing.

 

[tim_s]

A prior poster had been discussing starters for yeast. These grow yeast so that you have a stronger army to ferment the beer. Very useful and I use one frequently. I also use dry yeast ( re hydrated) in some brews.

Again lots of areas to explore. Fun stuff to learn about.

This is a decanted starter. I am measuring the Gravity of the spent starter wort to confirm the yeast bad done their thing.

A Finished Starter (a good oxymoron if ever there was one)

View attachment 272325

I along time ago used 2 litre pop bottles to create small amounts of Co2 for a nano planted tank. How did you produce the "starter"?

 

[tim_s]

Water chemistry is also a fun area to explore. Chloramines are present in most people's tap water and needs to removed. This is easily done with Campden tablets. One tablet treats 20 gallons.

The pH of the mash( the process of extracting fermentable sugars from the grain) can be monitored and adjusted. A good pH meter is a prerequisite. There is a resident guru in the brew science forum who recommends 4 types at an affordable price

This is mine. View attachment 272333

Again lots of details but I'm not sure they will be much use at this stage.

pH was a large discussion in my salt water days but I imagine the nitrogen cycle bacteria has a lot of commonalities with the yeast thriving.

 

[ElJefeBrews]

I've found that the RO water I get from the grocery store machine has an exact pH of 7 and a lot of times the grain bill puts me right in range with no adjustments needed And only small adjustments when they are needed. If sure makes things a lot easier

 

[Gavin C]

http://youtu.be/jMhFerNTwbQ

 

[Gavin C]

I've found that the RO water I get from the grocery store machine has an exact pH of 7 and a lot of times the grain bill puts me right in range with no adjustments needed And only small adjustments when they are needed. If sure makes things a lot easier

RO water if used will require mineral additions for optimal yeast health. Calcium in particular is neede in concentrations greater than 50 ppm for optimal yeast health.

The point of using RO water is that it gives you a blank canvas on which to build the desired mineral profile. Other examples of important ions required are
Sodium
Calcium
Magnesium
Sulphate
Chloride

RO water is often ideal for extract batches as the minerals are all in the malt extract from the malt makers water.

Thre is a great water chemistry primer in the brew science section that will be far better than I at explaining. Way beyond my comfort zone of knowledge here I'm afraid. Time to exit stage left for me.

Again, best of luck with your brewing adventure. I wish you every success in your endeavors. Get a kit from northern brewer, or another online retailer and get brewing, learning as you go. Fwiw I love brewing, have found a method that works well for my desires in BIAB, and am just scratching the surface of the craft. I have been brewing for about 1 year. A veritable novice but learning.

 

[ElJefeBrews]

Hu

RO water if used will require mineral additions for optimal yeast health. Calcium in particular is neede in concentrations greater than 50 ppm for optimal yeast health.

The point of using RO water is that it gives you a blank canvas on which to build the desired mineral profile. Other examples of important ions required are
Sodium
Calcium
Magnesium
Sulphate
Chloride

RO water is often ideal for extract batches as the minerals are all in the malt extract from the malt makers water.

Thre is a great water chemistry primer in the brew science section that will be far better than I at explaining. Way beyond my comfort zone of knowledge here I'm afraid. Time to exit stage left for me.

Again, best of luck with your brewing adventure. I wish you every success in your endeavors. Get a kit from northern brewer, or another online retailer and get brewing, learning as you go. Fwiw I love brewing, have found a method that works well for my desires in BIAB, and am just scratching the surface of the craft. I have been brewing for about 1 year. A veritable novice but learning.

I should have stated that any additions that I don't make in the mash go into the kettle. And I second the water chemistry primer tab. I started using that and my beers are coming out way better

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Another vote for small-batch brewing - specifically for all-grain. There's no better way that I can think of to get down to the fundamentals of the steps involved, so that you can master them and learn how the ingredients/steps/characteristics inter-act with each other. I will also second the suggestion of Brooklyn Brew Shop - here is one example of what they will have you brewing immediately, and all-grain:

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/beer-making-mixes/grapefruit-honey-ale-mix

[ame]https://vimeo.com/36299962[/ame]

Other suggestions seem to make things more intricate and complicated than they need to be - when in reality, it isn't all that complicated:

[ame]https://vimeo.com/11354805[/ame]

Just my two cents....

Ron ~

 

[Kharnynb]

Unless you have already bought stuff, then disregard, i would buy:

http://www.beergrains.com/6-Gallon-Fermenting-Bucket/
http://www.beergrains.com/Airlock-Bubbler/
http://www.beergrains.com/auto-siphon-1-2/
http://www.beergrains.com/auto-siphon-clamp-1-2/
http://www.beergrains.com/Bottle-Filler/
Bottlecapper and/or swing-top bottles.
-make a bottle drying rack or buy a bottle tree
-Starsan
-bottle brush
-http://www.beergrains.com/muslin-grain-hop-bag-large/
-http://www.beergrains.com/hydrometer-test-jar-kit/
-http://www.beergrains.com/Floating-Thermometer/
-a good glass measuring cup atleast 1 liter/ 1 quart size.
-a basic electric scale.
-a basic big stirring spoon, just get one from some kitchen store, the ones on the site are horribly overpriced.
-some camden tablets to remove clorinates.

just grab a some basic extract kit you like and try out the base process.
don't worry about water chemistry apart from the camden tablet.
See if you like the process, then you can easily expand to however crazy you want to go.

 

[Canuck137]

You could go "high class extract" method haha, don't use a kit but rather build your own better quality kit so to speak.

Research they type of beer you are interested in and buy the appropriate:

1. Liquid malt extract
2. Dry malt extact
3. Hopps
4. Quality yeast
5. Specialty grains for a boil
6. One or two additives depending on beer type ie. Orange peel, coriander, vanilla bean ect.

I would also suggest keeping it somewhat simple.

You might find that a properly brewed extract beer, with quality ingredients is as good as an all grain beer. I have been brewing only 6 months and have been really happy with the results.

When you make the "kits" with corn sugar and their yeast its just horrible.

 

[Kharnynb]

agreed, i started with cooper kits myself, but used dme instead of sugar and they made good beer, but just going dme+own hops etc is a good middle ground.

 

[tim_s]

Hi Everyone,

Ok - when my paycheque arrives on Monday I am looking to buy the below:

Equipment - http://torontobrewing.ca/index.php/...sic-extract-and-partial-mash-brewers-kit.html
First Brew - http://torontobrewing.ca/index.php/...its/english-brown-ale-extract-recipe-kit.html

Just to get started.

 

[kombat]

Looks good, pull the trigger! If you have any questions, we're here to help.

 

[MadHomebrewer]

I respectfully disagree with both the above posters. Go 1 gallon (to keep it cheap) and all-grain BIAB. Skip extract entirely. Midwest Supply's "Micro Bru" setup is what i started with and couldn't be happier. Brooklyn Brew Shop is another good outfit. This setup is inexpensive and makes great beer with things like pots you probably already have.

Agree 100%, I started with 1 gallon extract kit from northern brewer, but if I had to do over again I would have bought Brooklyn brew shops 1 gal all grain starter kit. The little BBS all grain kits will give you a lot of knowledge on how the whole process works.

And read this: http://www.howtobrew.com/sitemap.html

 

[MattyIce]

Hi Everyone,

Ok - when my paycheque arrives on Monday I am looking to buy the below:

Equipment - http://torontobrewing.ca/index.php/...sic-extract-and-partial-mash-brewers-kit.html
First Brew - http://torontobrewing.ca/index.php/...its/english-brown-ale-extract-recipe-kit.html

Just to get started.

Good decision. Welcome to the madness.

 

[brokendownyota]

I see you're using torontobrewing - also check out Ontariobeerkegs.com, I'm in AB and they are still my supplier of choice.