Bought equipment!

[BlackBearForge]

Well I bit the proverbial bullet and bought my brewing equipment today (after dithering for a number of years). I now have no excuse not to begin brewing soon. I'm working on an IPA recipe but with Fall approaching I almost want to try a porter instead (hmm, pumpkin porter...).

One thing that may delay me is temperatures, the house often still gets up to 75-78 degrees during the day (around 68 to 70 at night) and I don't really want to brew a Saison right now (despite a friends really tasty offering). I believe a cheap cooler of some kind may be in order! I like projects, though I may have to set a time limit deadline however! lol

 

[Marsdude]

Good luck and welcome to the hobby.

 

[marubozo]

Welcome, and hopefully your wallet can sustain the addiction. I remember spending about $150 on my first kit. A few thousand dollars later, and I still have thousands more in the hopper ready to be spent.

If you don't want to wait for temps to come down, just get one of the keg buckets you can find for like 10 bucks at Walmart or something. Then you can place your fermenter in there with some cold water and/or ice and keep things under control. IMO, that's a far better option than trying to ferment your first few beers in the 70s and then end up fighting with esters the whole time.

 

[BlackBearForge]

If you don't want to wait for temps to come down, just get one of the keg buckets you can find for like 10 bucks at Walmart or something. Then you can place your fermenter in there with some cold water and/or ice and keep things under control. IMO, that's a far better option than trying to ferment your first few beers in the 70s and then end up fighting with esters the whole time.

One of the guys in the local home brew club uses something like that quite successfully and it will probably be my solution as well. I wanted to use the cheapest of the Igloo Cubes but no one seems to carry them though the ones with wheels and the telescoping handle are around.

Thanks for the welcome everyone, I've been learning a lot here.

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

Not to be a buzzkill on the pumpkin porter but if it's your first brew I would recommend staying away from pumpkin, spices, etc. Just keep the recipe simple

If you choices are swamp cool or ferment at 75-78 ambient then swamp it lol.

 

[MrWiggles]

I'm in the same boat as you, my friend. Outside temps ranging from 100-106 (by SWMBO car thermometer) but my buckets are around 72-76* indoors. I understand that is a bit higher than preferred temps for ale yeasts but from what I've gathered, ester adds a fruity note? which I have no problem drinking. I have 2 5gal buckets fermenting away and from the taste of my brown ale's gravity measurement it seems to be coming along just fine. But I would probably recomend a swamp cooler as well seeing as how that is next up on the agenda for my next big investment in homebrewing. I agree with yeast_infection though regarding the pumpkin porter. What is your experience level so far? Are there any LHBS's in your area? Why not test the waters with a pre packaged extract or partial mash kit? I do not mean to discourage any creativity here, but I also believe in KISS(keep it simple,stupid) at least until you have a good enough grasp on the process. (not meant to be disrespectful at all). On the otherhand, I am interested in seeing how any of your prospective brews come out just because I love this hobby just as much as any of us here.
BTW you made the right choice splurging on the brew equipment, it will likely end up in a lifelong hobby of fulfillment and enjoyment and remember RDWHAHB

 

[homebeerbrewer]

First, welcome to the addiction.

You mentioned that you know someone in a brew club, so is it safe to assume you've seen, or even participated in a brew day? MrWiggles has some good advice with the KISS though, until you brew a few batches, from start to finish, get the basics down before tackling the recipe creation. Once you have a good grasp of the techniques, you can venture into the ingredients.

A pumpkin porter sounds interesting though.

 

[BlackBearForge]

Good advice evryone, I've participated in a several brew days with friends so I'm not a total stranger to the process but I need constant reminding to keep it simple (odd that seems to be getting easier, keeping it simple that is, the closer to fifty I get in age, lol).

I am almost certainly going to start with a simple IPA or Pale Ale, either a kit or an extract recipe from Palmer's or Papazian's book though I'm dying to turn a Smuttynose Shoal's Pale Ale clone into a full blown IPA!

 

[Justibone]

Extract is super easy. Like making macaroni.

When you do it yourself, though, you are going to find that it is a lot harder than your experienced friends made it look! You'll worry about everything, kind of like a new parent. The first brew day may not be fun -- it will probably be very stressful. That's alright, that's how it's supposed to be.

My recommendation? Pick a very light beer, low ABV so it's done quick and ready to drink. You'll probably drink your first beer too young anyways, might as well make it one of the better recipes to drink early! Plus, if it's ready to bottle in two weeks you can start your second batch then.

As soon as your first batch is bottled, it will be helpful to put some craft beers in the fridge, maybe even some beers you've never tried before. The novelty will help broaden your palate and also help slake some of your curiosity about your beer. Maybe you'll find a new type you like (how I found out I liked kolsch beers).

As soon as that first batch is in the bottles, it is time to start your next batch! Make that your IPA or some kind of clone, because it may actually stand a chance at surviving until it is actually good.

Welcome to the obsession!

 

[homebeerbrewer]

Good advice evryone, I've participated in a several brew days with friends so I'm not a total stranger to the process but I need constant reminding to keep it simple (odd that seems to be getting easier, keeping it simple that is, the closer to fifty I get in age, lol).

I am almost certainly going to start with a simple IPA or Pale Ale, either a kit or an extract recipe from Palmer's or Papazian's book though I'm dying to turn a Smuttynose Shoal's Pale Ale clone into a full blown IPA!

Hey now, let's keep the age thing out of it... I don't need any reminders...

Follow a recipe exactly at first, then broaden your sights. Brew one or two batches on your own, you'll learn what you need to do in those first couple batches. The more recipes you follow to a T, the more understanding you'll have of your process, as well as what and what not to do as far as ingredients. Bring a few bottles of your beer to the club meetings and ask for constructive criticism. It sounds like you are well on your journey into the addiction...

 

[MrWiggles]

My first batch was an extract recipe (with a small bag of grains simply for flavor) and I certainly had my mistakes on brew day(you can check out my intro thread if you wish) but it all came out fine and I even got a cool name out of it thanks to one of the members here. "Brett's Bareknuckle Brown" ale. Although, I'm not going to lie, for my second batch I ventured into making 'my own' recipe just my reading a few weizen recipes and adding a twist to it. Something still tells me I pitched the yeast while it was still too warm (maybe 78*) but that is the novice in me worrying that I havent seen action in the bucket for 36 hours. On that, weizens or weissbiers have a relatively quick turnaround (from what I've read so correct me if I'm wrong) and are generally ready to drink after a relatively short conditioning period and are meant to be cloudy so there isn't much worry in the cloudiness department. BTW, Justibone, I'm not bragging or anything but I've had Kölsch in Köln(Cologne) fresh from the tap at a local brewpub.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

...BTW, Justibone, I'm not bragging or anything but I've had Kölsch in Köln(Cologne) fresh from the tap at a local brewpub.

Ok, you suck...

Our brew club just had a Kölsch meeting and competition. Some good, and not so good examples of the style. I'll have to try brewing one sometime.