Bel Air Brewer

[tuxdisciple]

And so it begins in another nook of the world...

I've been lurking about for awhile, slowly amassing a wealth of questions, and a pint of knowledge... and today I finally brewed. A kit, (Brewer's Best Robust Porter), and some gumption and there is now 5 gallons fermenting in my closet. I also had the help of a friend at work today (I love google talk), who has been home brewing for about a year himself.

Turkey Fryer with the huge, but thin, 30 Qt Aluminum pot (to be replaced whenever I can find some discarded kegs nearby). A soak in some oxyclean to oxidize the pot... 50 ft of copper tubing for my immersion chiller, soaker briefly in vinegar...

I now understand the impatience of the newbie crowd. It's all I can do to not sit in front of the primary and wait for bubbles. My mind is full of fears of bacterial contamination... and I know it's silly, but I won't know better until I've done this a few times!

So... on to plans for the next brew. I have about 1 and 1/2 miles of tasty raspberries that will probably be used for some raspberry wheat for the warmer temps approaching. That's all for this introduction, I hope to contribute my fair share of questions and eventually knowledge.

 

[McKBrew]

Welcome to the forum. The first few brews are a bit stressful for some, but it only gets easier.

 

[fritz_monroe]

Welcome. I'm sure that brew will come along just fine.

And if you discover some discarded kegs, drop me a PM, I could use one and I'm just down the road from you near White Marsh.

 

[Moonpile]

Right on! Good on you for getting started.

The hardest part is the wait.

Have you been to The Thirsty Brewer? http://www.thirstybrewer.com/

Tom is a good source of info as well as equipment and ingredients.

Mark the first Wednesday of the month on your calendar. He does a demo brew which is both a good time and a good chance to ask questions about things from Tom and his many knowledgable customers.

I live in Millersville, but brew in Hamilton (off Harford Road) at a friends house.

What do you mean about 1 and 1/2 miles of raspberries? If you need help gathering them, I'm game.

Cheers!

Moon

 

[tuxdisciple]

Hah! I just got back from Thirsty Brewer today. Tom walked me through brewing a hoegaarden-alike. My buddy and I will probably show up to the June meeting for the brewing group.

The raspberries grow along our drive, and a nearby treeline... about 1 and 1/2 miles of them!

A buddy suggested heading down to the nearby universities near the end of the semester and make them an offer for their keg... since many times the likelihood of them returning them and getting back their deposit on a keg that's been sitting for months is low.