Fermenting my first batch using K-mart ingredients...

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

This thread is the bazzarro world of HBT.

Serial man- If you want to brew beer, you should seriously look into "How to Brew" by John Palmer. It is an online book offered for free. The print version is better but I doubt you are willing to pay for the hard copy judging by your posts so far.

Light American lagers are very difficult to make. If your goal is to produce bud light for cheaper than bud light TM, you will be a sad panda. If you want cheap booze (cheaper than BL yikes), buy Skol.

 

[Revvy]

This thread is the bazzarro world of HBT.

No, THIS is the Bazzaro world of hbt.


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/beer-bottle-sanatitation-test-163376/

 

[O_16581_72452_5]

This thread is the bazzarro world of HBT.

Serial man- If you want to brew beer, you should seriously look into "How to Brew" by John Palmer. It is an online book offered for free. The print version is better but I doubt you are willing to pay for the hard copy judging by your posts so far.

Light American lagers are very difficult to make. If your goal is to produce bud light for cheaper than bud light TM, you will be a sad panda. If you want cheap booze (cheaper than BL yikes), buy Skol.

I'm not so much trying to make Bud Light, just something cheap for people to drink. Skol is too expensive, i use Karkov.

$80 per keg though kinda hurts the pockets every time i get bud light (which is the cheapest in town...aside from Busch which is $3 cheaper, but eh, i rather spend $3 more).

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

You should look into cider. Your idea of brewing your own beer is full of the kind of FAIL that makes other failures win the Olympics.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Okay. In all seriousness. The Eden Organic syrup isn't a problem except that you are limited by the color. It's still malt extract so that is actually a nice discovery.

Even the bread yeast isn't the end of the world. Highly unpredictable but, not the end of the world. the problem with it is yeast produce all manner of compounds as byproducts of reproduction that are responsible for a large portion of a beers flavor. This is good is some cases when the "profile" is known and can be downright disgusting when it is not.

But without something bitter to balance the malt you essentially have a fermented malta goya. To many, that is definitely not "Good Drinks".

The How to Brew link is a excellent reference to get some familiarity.

 

[Swooded]

The main stubling block I see here is that you've posted on a Beer Brewing forum & what you're currently making isn't what most (including you most likely) would consider beer once you get to your end product. End of the day, you are going to be producing alcohol - which is one of your goals. You're not, however, going to be producing something that most of the people at your parties are going to be expecting to come out of the keg
I agree with an earlier suggestion, that you look into producing cider. You're looking at a very similar starting point (cheap ingredients, easy to get rolling) but you have a better idea of the end product. Reading your first post actually reminded me of a wiki-how I came accross not to long ago on making "Kool-Aide wine" it's worth checking out if you want to go this route http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Kool-Aid-Wine

Beyond that, I would definitely suggest doing some research on actual beer production & picking up a kit if you're really interested in making actual beer. Either way, if all you're looking for is making alcohol & don't mind needing to mix it for good flavor, you have plenty of directions to go.

 

[O_16581_72452_5]

The main stubling block I see here is that you've posted on a Beer Brewing forum & what you're currently making isn't what most (including you most likely) would consider beer once you get to your end product. End of the day, you are going to be producing alcohol - which is one of your goals. You're not, however, going to be producing something that most of the people at your parties are going to be expecting to come out of the keg
I agree with an earlier suggestion, that you look into producing cider. You're looking at a very similar starting point (cheap ingredients, easy to get rolling) but you have a better idea of the end product. Reading your first post actually reminded me of a wiki-how I came accross not to long ago on making "Kool-Aide wine" it's worth checking out if you want to go this route http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Kool-Aid-Wine

Beyond that, I would definitely suggest doing some research on actual beer production & picking up a kit if you're really interested in making actual beer. Either way, if all you're looking for is making alcohol & don't mind needing to mix it for good flavor, you have plenty of directions to go.

Hmm, that's pretty sweet, i'll give that a whirl some time, thanks.

I know about the bread yeast, but from what little i read, bread yeast is an ale type yeast? But a lot of it can lead to very unpleasant tastes.

Hell i dunno, i'm just excited to see what comes out of what i make. I'll get more creative once i see results i'm sure. Now all i need to do is look harder at K-mart to find their hops.

 

[HickoryMike]

If you are under the age of 14, I applaud your determination to get trashed. If you are older than 14, I feel sad for you. If cheap alcohol is all you really want, Sams sells really big bottles of mouthwash.

 

[COLObrewer]

Hops are sold in the health food stores, loose leaf of unknown variety and alpha acid. I've actually used them for flavoring addition on a batch. I think they use it in tea.

 

[techrunner]

will this do well over time without the hops preservative effect? i just thought that was part of why hops were in there? just curious.

 

[O_16581_72452_5]

If you are under the age of 14, I applaud your determination to get trashed. If you are older than 14, I feel sad for you. If cheap alcohol is all you really want, Sams sells really big bottles of mouthwash.

I'm 24, lol.

I saw that hops tea is sold...I'm reading ginger makes a good substitute for hops?

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

I don't understand the aversion to going to a homebrew store and making actual beer???

 

[Revvy]

will this do well over time without the hops preservative effect? i just thought that was part of why hops were in there? just curious.

It will probably sour in a couple days, if it's not already. Have you ever made a starter in the summer, and noticed the starter beer smells sours after only a day. The yeast is fine, but the beer above is sour and you decant it off beforer pitching the yeast. Some folks add a couple hop pellets.

There's a basic brewing video where they were testing different grain teas, and they had soured pretty quickly because there was no hops in there. It was actually a funny video, watching them realize their experiment went off.

 

[Lordsoth]

I don't understand the aversion to going to a homebrew store and making actual beer???

Lol no doubt. I don't think homebrewing is a good hobby for those who just want a cheap buzz. Go buy some Natty Light or something. What you're presently making is gonna taste far worse than any of the cheapest malt liquors out there. There really is no point of going through all this if you don't want to make actual beer.

 

[Revvy]

I don't understand the aversion to going to a homebrew store and making actual beer???

Maybe he is preparing for the coming zombipocalypse and wants to be able to become king of the sacred barleywater. So he wants to be able to brew with whatever is available? And the grocery store is closer than the lhbs, and therefore he'll have to fight through less zombies to get there.

 

[Lordsoth]

maybe he is preparing for the coming zombipocalypse and wants to be able to become king of the sacred barleywater. So he wants to be able to brew with whatever is available? And the grocery store is closer than the lhbs, and therefore he'll have to fight through less zombies to get there. :d

lol true dat!

 

[billvon]

Lol no doubt. I don't think homebrewing is a good hobby for those who just want a cheap buzz.

Dunno about that. Ted Danyluk tried to make the cheapest beer he could, and ended up at $1.26 per sixpack. That's cheaper than most beer out there, and probably a lot better. (And that's not as low as you can go; you can reuse yeast for example.)

 

[iron_city_ap]

MANY years ago, I brewed a batch with a couple friends. We had 0 clue what we were doing. Somehow, we scrapped together some ingredients, NO sanitation, NO hydrometers.... just a pot and some ingredients. We used baking yeast. The stuff tasted awful. Like putting some wonder bread and water in a blender. We bottled in anything that would hold pressure.... 2 liter bottles, 3 liter bottles, etc.....

We kept the stuff for parties. Well, for after we ran out of the store bought stuff and nobody was in any condition to drive. "bring out the gimp (as we called it) !!!!" calls would start to go out. It turned into somewhat of an event. By that point you aren't really tasting much. I see your point in what you are trying to do here, but there has to be a little better way. In the end, if it sucks you are out, what, $20?

Reminds me of a joke about an old bull and a young bull sitting on a hill......

 

[HickoryMike]

"bring out the gimp (as we called it) !!!!"

Pure greatness!

 

[IrregularPulse]

Why would i be a troll...?

These are usually the kind of posts people post just to get a rouse and the fact that your username appears to be a random assortment of numbers doesn't help either. Sorry. Read John Palmer and visit a homebrew shop. Stop trying to buy brewing ingredients from kmart and visit an online shop.

As long as it's alcohol, chances are, i'll love it.

And this seems to be the point your going for so this forum won't be much help to you. We're about crafting beer, not making hooch. If all you want is alcohol, boil a pound of DME with .5oz of hops for an hour with a couple pounds of sugar, top off to 5G and pitch bread yeast. You'll get drunk. But don't come back here asking why it's gross

 

[O_16581_72452_5]

These are usually the kind of posts people post just to get a rouse and the fact that your username appears to be a random assortment of numbers doesn't help either. Sorry. Read John Palmer and visit a homebrew shop. Stop trying to buy brewing ingredients from kmart and visit an online shop.


And this seems to be the point your going for so this forum won't be much help to you. We're about crafting beer, not making hooch. If all you want is alcohol, boil a pound of DME with .5oz of hops for an hour with a couple pounds of sugar, top off to 5G and pitch bread yeast. You'll get drunk. But don't come back here asking why it's gross

lol, it's all good, i love a good beer too. For my first batch, i just wanted to get the idea of how to make alcohol in general, i learned a huge amount with this crap "beer" i've made. I'm going to keg it tomorrow and let it carbonate to see what i come up with. I didn't see a reason to spend a ton of money on my first batch and have it come out wrong (moldy, skunked, etc). Assuming this does what it should, i'm going to pursue better beer making techniques. Kind of like buying a first car, start out with crap so when it's wrecked it's a shrug rather than a "****!"

I haven't heard of a local brew shop, but we do have a local brewery which might be able to further help me.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Try these online places.

www.brewmasterswarehouse.com
www.northernbrewer.com
www.austinhomebrew.com
All respectable vendors.
Brew Master's and Austin Homebrew's owners are both members here and are great with customer service..

 

[Hang Glider]

lol, it's all good, i love a good beer too. For my first batch, i just wanted to get the idea of how to make alcohol in general, i learned a huge amount with this crap "beer" i've made.

In that case, welcome and good luck. In this forum, we mostly strive to make good beers; often the cost is comparable to store-bought sixers of craft ales ($7.99 or more), so this hobby won't save you any money, really, and you may be loathe to share your good beer with friends that pound down BudLight like water.

Before you go much further at all, read How To Brew. It explains the process well, and you can decide if you want to get into 'real' brewing. Correct sanitation processes, temperature controls, yeast variants, barley and hops options - there really is a lot to this.

 

[O_16581_72452_5]

Try these online places.

www.brewmasterswarehouse.com
www.northernbrewer.com
www.austinhomebrew.com
All respectable vendors.
Brew Master's and Austin Homebrew's owners are both members here and are great with customer service..

Cool, thanks.

And definitely not trying to stir a flame pot, just intrigued by alcohol and want to learn to make my own stuff.

I think my next batch i'm going to go for a coffee beer with a hint of mocha. Sounds yummy.

 

[O_16581_72452_5]

In that case, welcome and good luck. In this forum, we mostly strive to make good beers; often the cost is comparable to store-bought sixers of craft ales ($7.99 or more), so this hobby won't save you any money, really, and you may be loathe to share your good beer with friends that pound down BudLight like water.

Before you go much further at all, read How To Brew. It explains the process well, and you can decide if you want to get into 'real' brewing. Correct sanitation processes, temperature controls, yeast variants, barley and hops options - there really is a lot to this.

Yeah, totally understood, i have a long way to go before i try making a batch of really good stuff.

I really need to get some iodine based sanitizer is what i'm reading, it doesn't require rinsing.

 

[Hang Glider]

iodophor or StarSan, either are good.

 

[O_16581_72452_5]

Kegging it now, went to get a wiff of the batch to see how it smelled and got a face full of CO2. **** felt like wasabi, lol.

After the CO2 smell died off a bit, it's kinda eh. Smells a bit like beer, i guess, lol.

 

[O_16581_72452_5]

Aaaand, i'm drinking it. It wasn't fully fermented, while i was sealing the keg it was pressurizing itself. :|

I have a relief valve though, so it's all good to finish in the keg.

It really doesn't taste half bad IMO. Yeah, it's far from good, but it's definitely drinkable and almost enjoyable, still gotta let it fully carbonate.

I'm going to use the same LME and yeast again. I'll add some more ingredients next time (like ginger i'm thinking).

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Of course it's not done...it's been less than a week!

Read more!!! www.howtobrew.com is free AND worth the time.

Next time add more ingredients...like anything that was suggested in the SEVERAL pages before this one. Hops and real brewer's yeast would be a fantastic start.

If you're only interested in brewing K-Mart hooch, we are not going to be able to help you further.

 

[O_16581_72452_5]

Of course it's not done...it's been less than a week!

Read more!!! www.howtobrew.com is free AND worth the time.

Next time add more ingredients...like anything that was suggested in the SEVERAL pages before this one. Hops and real brewer's yeast would be a fantastic start.

If you're only interested in brewing K-Mart hooch, we are not going to be able to help you further.

It's been the longer part of 6 days, i started around 3pm on Tuesday. I was reading for what i was doing 3-4 days should've been about enough, then another 3 to carbonate...but no big deal, i'll know next time to go longer.

There's definitely alcohol in it, i'm on my 2nd cup and feelin' pretty good.

This is neat as ****, lol.

I'm kinda wanting to shy away from hops though honestly. I keep seeing ginger is a great substitute and there's a few others. It's not cost related, i just like doing things against tradition, i'm weird like that i guess. Coffee in what i made i think would be delicious. It already has a really similar aftertaste to Coffee.