Homebrewing myths that need to die

[high5apparatus]

Myth: When civilization collapses home brewer's will have a valuable skill.

Reality: We will all be crapping our pants as hard as everyone else, and probably dead.

 

[BreezyBrew]

Myth: Extract twang is real.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I think it's cool to make your own, but "who cares?" Some people, like me, do a lot of Belgian abbey style ales where nearly 100% of the flavor or color comes from candi syrup. I'd rather have the real deal.

Maybe I could have stated that better. I enjoy the process of brewing. I also enjoyed the process of making my own Candi sugar and was proud that I had some control over another aspect of the process. I also think that with some practice (not sure about you but my first batch was the best tasting bucket o nanners I've ever encountered!) you can get really close to the "real thing," might exceed it for your purposes, and might have fun doing it. I brew a lot of Belgian styles too...I love em. But I don't necessarily expect to brew an exact replica of Orval, or Westy, or any other great beer. I do expect that it will taste damn good though.

 

[PDX_T]

The airlock isn't a good gauge of fermentation.

If my airlock isn't bloop bloop'n the morning after yeast pitch, C02 is escaping somewhere else, or fermentation is not happening (enough). Seems like a good tool to gauge activity to me.

I've actually charted the bubbles per minute on several different brews, ales and lagers, at intervals of 8-12 hours. It was a fun experience, for a data head anyway.

 

[homebrewdad]

I've actually charted the bubbles per minute on several different brews, ales and lagers, at intervals of 8-12 hours. It was a fun experience, for a data head anyway.

That's pretty cool. I'm already envisioning a web interface that creates bar graphs on the fly for this...

 

[TyTanium]

I've actually charted the bubbles per minute on several different brews, ales and lagers, at intervals of 8-12 hours. It was a fun experience, for a data head anyway.

Interesting! Did you correct for variances in headspace volume, barometric pressure, temperature and relative humidity?

 

[cfonnes]

Myth: Extract twang is real.

I wonder if I my palet is just very sensitive to extract twang. It has been awhile since I had extract beer, but just the thought of the twang taste is making me pull funny faces.

 

[beersk]

Myth: Kegging is expensive!

Fact: CO2 Tank + Reg + Cobra Tap + Keg + Fittings can be had for under $200 plus applicable taxes and shipping, if you shop around you can often get it for less. This represents a one time investment. Additional kegs can be had for under $60 a pop used if you shop around. Even here in Canada.

Again, if you shop the classifieds, a used fridge can be had for cheap or free.

Recurring costs for CO2 tank fills are easily balanced by not having to purchase caps for bottles (I pay $4-6 per batch for PET caps or $3 for crown, 7-8 kegs off of one 5lb CO2 fill seems to be the going rate, I pay $28 for a 5lb fill, which means its about even at lowest average efficiency)

You'd need 60 12oz bottles for the average 5g batch, so not counting shipping or taxes, that's about $30 on average, then there's inevitable breakage with glass and so forth.


Kegging *is* more expensive than bottling to start. Long term though, especially if brewing frequently kegging makes great sense in both cash and time saved.

I've been mixing it up and bottling the occasional batch lately and am finding that it really does not save much time to keg. Yes, it is faster to get the beer packaged. But when you factor in cleaning the keg, the lines, sanitation, it all just about evens out. It takes me an hour and a half to bottle a batch, including sanitizing bottles and clean up. And kegging takes a half hour to get the keg sanitized, siphon hose sanitized, and rack to keg. But you also need to include the time you take to clean the keg and tap lines after a keg kicks.
Personally, I really enjoy having beer in bottles as well as on tap. Why limit yourself? I don't want to buy a bigger kegerator, not until my current one dies.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Myth: When civilization collapses home brewer's will have a valuable skill.

Reality: We will all be crapping our pants as hard as everyone else, and probably dead.

WRONG!!!

Granted you would have to be one of the survivors, but you would likely be the only one raiding the lhbs and making alcohol after the apocalypse.

 

[reverendj1]

Myth: For a Bud Light clone, you just need to drink good beer and pee in a bottle. I tried this once, and I think it was missing something. The flavor wasn't quite right, and after drinking several I just felt sick, and didn't have a buzz. Also, none of my friends will try my homebrew anymore. I wish people would stop repeating this myth.

 

[MNDan]

That you need to sanitize bottle caps...

 

[jethro55]

Myth: Extract twang is real.

Yeah - not in most cases. Nuther one here - All grain brews have no twang. The same goes for it - not in most cases.

Hypthesis - twang is from too much body. An imbalance of malt versus hop. ?

 

[homebrewdad]

That you need to sanitize bottle caps...

So educate me. Why would one not sanitize the caps?

 

[Totes]

Maltodextrin powders are always 100% unfermentable....

 

[cfonnes]

Maltodextrin powders are always 100% unfermentable....

I never heard the 100% part before.

 

[HAREEBROWNBEEST]

Bottle bombs??? I tried!

 

[HAREEBROWNBEEST]

How about...beer for breakfast is a bad thing?

 

[high5apparatus]

Myth: if you don't drink while brewing, you will offend the yeast and they will refuse to do their job.

 

[DUNKELMONK]

Brewing-your-own costs more when all economic expenditures are figured in (not just exchange of dollars). However, it is worth it to have good beer that is your own to drink or share.

Well said

 

[reverendj1]

How about...beer for breakfast is a bad thing?

I think Founder's Breakfast Stout already debunked this myth.

 

[Leadgolem]

Homebrewing is illegal, like those guys on moonshiners.

 

[scutiger]

Myth: if your beer looks funny while fermenting, it's infected and you should dump it immediately without tasting it.

Myth: infected beer will kill you if you drink it

 

[DenisLemieux]

Your 5 gallon batches must be bigger than everyone else's. There are 640 oz in 5 gallons. If you use 12oz bottles then the absolute most bottles you will need is 54, and that's leaving the last bottle 1/3 full. In my experience I usually end up with right around 2 cases when I bottle a batch. Bottles cost me nothing because I either save them from when I drink commercial beer and/or have my friends save me their bottles. It doesn't take much saving before you have way more bottles than you can reasonably keep around. If you want a free lifetime supply of bottles, go volunteer to steward or judge in a homebrew competition. They always end up with hundreds of empty bottles at the end of the competition and are usually more than happy to give them away.

A gallon is bigger in Canada. An imperial (non-US) Gallon is used by the rest of the world, a 5 Gallon batch will come out to about 66 beer...likely closer 60ish once bottled.

 

[weirdboy]

A gallon is bigger in Canada. An imperial (non-US) Gallon is used by the rest of the world, a 5 Gallon batch will come out to about 66 beer...likely closer 60ish once bottled.

Is Canadian brewing equipment all scaled up to imperial gallons as well? How about the recipes? I ask because I don't think any of the brew kettles, for example, are imperial-based, and I'd have to imagine they use the same buckets and carboys in Canada that we do here in the US. And I haven't seen a lot of threads about scaling recipes to Canadian gallons.

 

[DenisLemieux]

Is Canadian brewing equipment all scaled up to imperial gallons as well? How about the recipes? I ask because I don't think any of the brew kettles, for example, are imperial-based, and I'd have to imagine they use the same buckets and carboys in Canada that we do here in the US. And I haven't seen a lot of threads about scaling recipes to Canadian gallons.

I am just starting out, so this has been a difficult process for me distinguishing between American and Canadian recipes and equipment. The Fermenting buckets I have seen are all listed in Liters (23L being 5 Gallons, as opposed to 18.9L being 5 US Gallons). Recipe kits from OntarioBeerKegs.com are in Imperial gallons but I am not sure about other recipes, I think most people just scale on their own...or make a 5 Gallon US batch.

 

[Totes]

Myth: Your wife supports this hobby of yours


(Don't be fooled by the 2L erlenmeyer for X-mas or the gift certificate to LHBS for your last birthday. It's a front, she's the anti-ninkasi.)

 

[jakenbacon]

I'm thinking of writing an article about homebrewing myths and boogeymen that need to go away. Please feel free to add to this list!

Subjects I have in mind:

Yeast autolysis (get your beer off the yeast cake ASAP)

Hot side aeration

Avoid table sugar or drink cidery beer

Filter every spec of hop material from your kettle or you'll have grassbeer


Give me more!

Hot Side Aeration is not a myth unfortunately.....

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Bottle bombs??? I tried!

I've had a couple bombers explode...might have had more to do with brewing and bottling at 1000' above sea level and then moving to 7800'!!!

 

[cfonnes]

Hot Side Aeration is not a myth unfortunately.....

Please not this again.

 

[ryno84]

Myth: Your wife supports this hobby of yours


(Don't be fooled by the 2L erlenmeyer for X-mas or the gift certificate to LHBS for your last birthday. It's a front, she's the anti-ninkasi.)

I've found out that my wife has turned my "but brewing my own beer saves us money" argument against me. Now she says she needs to buy nicer clothes because they will "last longer" and save us money.