Hello from IA!

[100LL]

Well i have been making kit wines at home on and off for a few years, and just this past weekend decided to try my hand at beers!
I used the equipment a co-worker has to try an extract brew of a Bavarian Hefeweizen. It's fermenting now and i can't wait to try it.

Seeing his set-up which includes plate chillers, 14 gallon SS conical fermentors, etc, made me want to jump in right away and get all the great gear myself, but living in an apartment has its downsides. Im hoping to learn more of the basics and eventually tackle some all grain brewing where i can tweak the flavors to my liking.

 

[shanecb]

That's where I've been at for years... all-grain brewing in an apartment. You still end up buying some of the great gear, even if you don't have much of the room for it

 

[Cheeto]

Welcome to HBT!

 

[hezagenius]

Welcome fellow Iowan!

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the hobby, and the group, from CO

2.5G stovetop Brew In a Bag is very apartment friendly, not equipment intensive.

 

[100LL]

Welcome fellow Iowan!

Where at? Im living in DSM right now.

Haha my wife says i get a little obsessed, but at least with brewing i can drink my hobby

 

[Gonefishing]

I get obsessed with stuff I do too, so counter to the way I did it, I'd suggest making a few extract and extract with grain brews first before you go all grain. You get the basics well understood that way.

 

[100LL]

That's the plan. I've got a Hefeweizen right now fermenting, and i plan on a few more extract kits.
I'm cheating a bit since im using a co-workers equipment who has it all set up for large batch all grain....makes my trial and error process easy. Who know's maybe he'll sell to me when he springs for the BREWHA 3-1 he's been looking at :rockin:

 

[hezagenius]

Where at? Im living in DSM right now.

I'm in the metro as well. Western part of Clive.

 

[enkamania]

Mount Vernon native, proud Northern Iowa Panther. Welcome aboard

 

[100LL]

I'm in the metro as well. Western part of Clive.

Very nice. Good to see fellow brewers in the area. I plan to bottle my first batch this weekend, hope it turns out.

 

[hezagenius]

Enjoy. If you've never bottled before, be prepared for a mess and for it to take longer than you think.

 

[100LL]

I've been warned. Haha setting aside the spare bathroom for the bottles while they sit. Just in case they decide to let loose.

 

[enkamania]

Bottling is not bad if you have two people doing it. My assistant quit, so I had to go to kegging. Here is a great sticky about bottling

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=94812

 

[Spartan300man]

Was able to stop in at Toppling Goliath brewery somewhere in north-eastern Iowa on a recent fishing excursion. An excellent choice, the beers were fantastic, I bought a few 22 oz for home too!

 

[100LL]

Bottling is not bad if you have two people doing it. My assistant quit, so I had to go to kegging. Here is a great sticky about bottling

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=94812

Hey thanks! I was looking at kegging, but i dont have the space in my apartment for keg fridge....so bottling for now, unless i find some craigslist score and just make space!

 

[100LL]

Enjoy. If you've never bottled before, be prepared for a mess and for it to take longer than you think.

Well the bottling went easier than i expected. I just ran a short 2in length of hose to the bottling wand from the bucket and placed the bucket on a table.
Made the bottle filling easy, and i enlisted a buddies help to cap while i filled.

Tried the beer this past weekend and it turned out ok. I can really tell that there is some hefeweizen quality to it, but i think that the flavors could be stronger. I've been looking and i hear that it's a common extract issue, one that could be solved by making extract with grains, or going all grain.

Overall a good first attempt, and i think that its going to be a fun hobby while i figure it out