Homemade Equipment. Yay or Nay??

[scottmd06]

I was wondering if it's possible to start off with some basic home made equipment such as standard food grade buckets, sterile tubing for siphoning and making an external airlock, and some alternative way to bottle?

I'd like to get away with purchasing only the buckets, tubing, extract, dextrose, and yeast for now but If this is not possible I will spend the money for an Ale Pail on eBay...

What's this balloon airlock method that I haven't seen an explanation for?

 

[powerjb]

you certainly don't have to have a kit. the ale pail is just a food grade bucket with a grommet in the lid for an airlock, i'm sure there are alternatives out there. that said, for the $60 bucks a kit with 2 buckets (one with a spout) an auto siphon, hyrdometer, bottling wand, tubing, capper, etc, you'd be hard pressed to put together your own full set up i think.

you're going ot want a second vessle to bottle from so you can get the beer off the trub. i suppose you could get 2 7 gal food grade buckets, hook a blow off tube to the lid. bottle using the $3 siphon method discribed somewhere in the forum, and store the beer in old soda bottles. That would likely be the cheapest reasonable setup. you dont NEED a hydrometer to make beer, it just helps with watching the process.

good luck!

 

[wilserbrewer]

Absolutely! Don't think for a minute just cause it says "ale pail" on the side of a bucket the brew will taste better. Any clean and sanitized No. 2 pail that has a decent seal will work. You can use plastic soda or seltzer bottles for short term aging, although 12 bucks for a capper is not a bad investment. IMO airlocks are really only needed for longer secondaries.

The baloon method you speak of involves sticking the balloon w/ a pin to create check valve. I have done the same thing by cutting a finger off a latex glove, pricking a hole and sealing a carboy. Basicly gas can vent out through the hole and when there is no pressure the hole is reasonably closed.

IMO the only "home brew" equipment you really need is a racking cane and star san. Sure you could use bleach if you wanted to but for 6-8 bucks star san is woth the $$ considering the $$ spent on ingredients.

 

[scottmd06]

Thanks. I've been saving my Sam Adams bottles for the past week, rinsing them in hot water right after emptying them so I'm hoping to recycle those and spring for some caps and a capper. I just think some of these beginner kits are over priced.. I'm going to look up this $3 siphon method and then head out to find my buckets. There's a brew shop about 4 miles up the road that I will visit later today for my ingredients. Thanks again.

 

[scottmd06]

Whats the racking cane and star san? I haven't run across this at all through the posts and videos I've been reviewing. Thanks!

 

[powerjb]

depending on where you live, you could likely find someone on this board who has a capper and a bottling wand for your first go around. once you get one under your belt you'll get the feel for what you need.

and, i'd recommend doing an extract with a little specialty grain for your first go, that way you get to see the grain side of the process a little.

have fun!

 

[scottmd06]

Would I need to do the painter's straining bag trick with the grain during my wort boil?

I'm in Phoenix, Arizona if theres anyone here that could help me out..

 

[scottmd06]

I just spotted a racking cane online for about $3 but I'm not sure what it's used for..

 

[BrianP]

A racking cane is for siphoning beer between vessels. You hook tubing to one end and start a siphon (not by using your mouth). I prefer an auto-siphon which is easier to use. You can find auto-siphons for sale on all brewing supply sites. You commonly use the racking cane/auto-siphon to rack (cooled) wort from your kettle to your fermenter, or between primary and secondary fermenter, or between fermenter and bottling bucket.

Star-san is a no-rinse sanitizer (highly recommended). You use this to sanitize anything that touches your wort after boiling. The benefit is you don't need to rinse it, unlike bleach and some other sanitizers. Very many brewers here use Star-san.

 

[scottmd06]

For my first batch I'm planning to use canned wheat malt extract. I'm assuming it is pre-hopped, right? Maybe if someone could give me advice on introducing some sweet tasting grain into this recipe? I'd like it to be a a sweet wheat ale. Down the road I'd like to experiment with fruits and I'd like to know how that works.. Would I boil real cherries and introduce them to the mort before fermenting or should I go with the canned fruit purees I've seen?

My goal is to successfully brew my own recipes for a cherry cordial wheat ale, and possibly a cream ale with fresh strawberry and vanilla.. Has anyone here done something similar??

 

[scottmd06]

Damn, I'm going to go crack open a beer. Talking about this stuff is making me THIRSTY! lol I am so excited to start doing this. I'm shocked to learn how long beer has to ferment, I had no clue. It's amazing all the brewers working on brews for christmas now. Does beer mature like wine in this process or does it just become cleaner over time in the primary and then secondary? Thanks again for everyone's help!

 

[scottmd06]

I'm going to go get some buckets from walmart's bakery like another poster did. Will I be able to bottle using the racking cane and how do I avoid sediment if I decide to bottle from my secondary?

 

[beerthirty]

Keep the racking cane off the bottom by an inch or so. with the racking cane you will need a bottling wand. it has a valve that keeps the beer from flowing when lifted of the bottom of the bottle.

 

[scottmd06]

Well I think I'm ready to give this a go. Will the muntons wheat extract be fine for my wort? What else will need to go into my wort? Do I need to add sugar when using canned extract?

 

[carnevoodoo]

Well I think I'm ready to give this a go. Will the muntons wheat extract be fine for my wort? What else will need to go into my wort? Do I need to add sugar when using canned extract?

if you use Muntons, be prepared to come back and ask why your gravity is so high at the end. Go for a different yeast.

 

[scottmd06]

What canned pre-hopped extract is recommended?

 

[beerthirty]

I never have used pre hopped extract. From what I have read about Muntons, definitely use another yeast. The extract is your sugar. Open the can with a can opener so you can scrape the sides with a spatula. Dont boil your steeping grains. Steep at 160* for 20 min before removing them and adding your extract. Stand by it to help prevent boil overs by stirring or lifting the pot from the heat at the beginning of the boil. I sent you a PM

 

[scottmd06]

I'm not sure how to check my pms yet. How do I know what grains to steep and how much? Are you just saying to use two packets of brewers yeast per can of muntons? Thanks!

 

[beerthirty]

did you get any grains with your kit? if not then dont worry about it on this one. if so you only want to steep them then remove them. You dont want to boil your grain, it will cause bitter unwanted flavors. Steeping is what you would do with specialty grains( the ones that add body and aditional flavor to your beer). The malted grains are what is in your extract. From what I have heard of Muntons, their yeast has left something to be desired. I have found an excellent dry yeast to be safale 05(American) or 04(British). Both lend different flavor profiles to your beer.

Edit: for post 11. your instructions say boil to beer in 5 weeks? fermentation can happen in as little as 2 days but time is your friend. all of mine stay in the primary for 3-4 weeks. I dont secondary unless it is a High ABV beer. Conditioning the fermented beer can be done quickly but once again time is your friend 5-6 weeks makes for a better tasting beer. My average beer takes 8 weeks before I tap it, then its gone in 2 weeks. this is why you read about everyones pipeline. once you start drinking homebrew it sucks to have to drink comercial beer while waiting for your beer to be ready.

 

[BrianP]

Your enthusiasm is great, but before you jump right in, I'd suggest doing a little more reading up on the equipment and techniques of brewing. There are some very good extract recipes out there, and following one would be better than just whipping something together.

I'd suggest checking out How to Brew - By John Palmer - It's a great resource and the first couple of chapters will answer a lot of your questions. The later sections have some recipes, plus there are plenty of tried-and-true recipes on this site.

Per one of your earlier posts, brewing doesn't have to take very long. Generally it takes me about six weeks (one week to ferment, two weeks to clear, three weeks in the bottle), however some styles can go even quicker.

Also, for bottling, I'd strongly recommend a bottling bucket and bottling wand. You attach your bottling want to the bottling bucket's spigot. You mix your fermented beer with priming sugar inside the bucket before filling bottles. The wand makes bottle filling much easier since it's spring-activated tip only allows beer to flow when it's depressed by pressing the wand on the inside of the bottle. When you lift the wand off of the bottle's bottom, the flow stops.

But first things first - check out How To Brew and find yourself a recipe for the style of beer you like. You'll be happier with the process and the results.

Good luck with your brewing.

 

[scottmd06]

Thanks for helping out everybody it means alot. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience in my local brew shop today. I went in there to get just the parts I needed and the ingredients to try out my own brew and I was advised not to purchase anything until I had the $146 to buy their complete kit. To me this is very bad salesmanship, because now I'm likely not to return to their business. They should have let me purchase what I wanted, make the profit, and let me return later to upgrade my set up. I even went back about half an hour later to sneak in and out with the bare minimum I needed and another salesperson did the exact same thing. I stressed that I did not want to spend $150 and turn out not being interested in the process, and they insisted: don't buy anything today, come back and buy our kit (which seems quite overpriced for my taste). I will more than likely find myself an Ale Pail kit on eBay for about $50 instead. I was anxious to get the ball rolling and now I'm screwed. I live too far to travel to this business again any time soon, it's the only shop in the area, and I have no income until further notice. I'm very discouraged.

 

[BarleyWater]

Best thing to do, don't give them your business. A lot of people get their stuff online, some of the more popular and well known retailers are...

Austin Homebrew Supply

MoreBeer

Midwest Homebrewing Supplies.

NORTHERN BREWER

There are a ton of others, but I think these are probably the top 4.

 

[scottmd06]

I really want to find my own buckets. Just standard food grade from a restaurant or something. I will be getting the rest of my utensils from a retailer. Thanks!

 

[billtzk]

Go to a bakery that makes frosted cakes. Lot's of grocery stores have bakeries. They buy frosting in large buckets, probably 5 or 6 gallons. These are food grade buckets. You can simply clean them out thoroughly and use them. You'll need to soak them in oxyclean or perhaps in a dilute caustic solution to get the frosting smell out. Unfortunately, a five gallon bucket is a bit small for a primary fermenter. You really need 6 gallon bucket minimum. Seven gallon is better. Five gallon will work for a secondary.

Many restaurants and delis buy pickles in big gray 5 gallon buckets. These are also obviously food grade. Do not be tempted to use one of these. They have a permanent pickle odor that is impossible to eliminate and will most certainly not be good for your beer.

You can buy new unused food safe 6 and 7 gallon plastic buckets fairly cheap from US Plastics. They are in California, so shipping should be fast and cheap to Phoenix.

 

[scottmd06]

I think the bakery buckets are only 5 gallons. I told the salesperson at the shop of this idea earlier and he told me that they are only 5 gallons and don't have enough room for the head of the beer... I just hate the fact that I'm going to need to spend $20-30 for buckets....

 

[scottmd06]

Do they have rubbermaid watercoolers with spigots that are larger than 5 gallons??? This would work, right?

 

[beerthirty]

the five gallon buckets will work fine just put a little less in them.

 

[scottmd06]

I called the corporate office for my local store and their bakery WILL sell me their 5 gallon icing buckets for about a buck they said. I'm excited. Now all I need is some tubing to siphon and create a blow off for. What is the most basic recipe using a bag of dry malt and a little bit of hops?? Thanks!!

 

[hopsalot]

Cheap buckets and Make shift air lock:

home depot buckets and Plastic tubing tied in a loop with a level of water inside and some silicone caulk to seal, worked great for my first brew. Although my beer tastes much better know with legitimate equipment

 

[scottmd06]

lmao I totally thought about the home depot bucket watching my dad grout some tile, but I assumed they weren't food grade and thus: unsafe.

 

[WheeledGoat]

I, too, was completely chaffed at the idea of spending $15 for a BUCKET. I refused, and searched and searched for an alternative.

Then I realized that my father-in-law (who makes his own wine) gets juice in these buckets!!! They're labelled as 6-gallon, but that's how much grape juice is inside. The actual buckets are 6.5gallon, and the exact height and diameter as the "Ale Pail" 6.5gallon. BOOYEAH!

So, hang out at a Winemaking shop and wait until somebody buys some grape juice, and offer them a few bucks for their buckets! They're even food-grade, so there's NO COMPROMISE! They're perfect! (yeah, there's a little smell in them, but scrubbing them out with dish detergent got rid of all traces. The only odor my bucket had was plastic after a simple 3-minute scrubbing with detergent).

 

[WIP]

Thanks for helping out everybody it means alot. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience in my local brew shop today. I went in there to get just the parts I needed and the ingredients to try out my own brew and I was advised not to purchase anything until I had the $146 to buy their complete kit. To me this is very bad salesmanship, because now I'm likely not to return to their business. They should have let me purchase what I wanted, make the profit, and let me return later to upgrade my set up. I even went back about half an hour later to sneak in and out with the bare minimum I needed and another salesperson did the exact same thing. I stressed that I did not want to spend $150 and turn out not being interested in the process, and they insisted: don't buy anything today, come back and buy our kit (which seems quite overpriced for my taste). I will more than likely find myself an Ale Pail kit on eBay for about $50 instead. I was anxious to get the ball rolling and now I'm screwed. I live too far to travel to this business again any time soon, it's the only shop in the area, and I have no income until further notice. I'm very discouraged.

This seems wierd to me. I walk into LHBS' with a list of things I need, hand it to the sales guy and wait for him to gather it (or I get certain things myself). I am by no means a regular there, I have only been there twice. Did you walk in and just ask for "everything you need for your first beer"?

 

[scottmd06]

No, when I did this over a year back I had walked in knowing the exact items I wanted: airlock, sanitizer, yeast, canned extract, hops. I started filling up my shopping cart and they had asked what I was doing, I explained I had food-grade buckets and I was planning to start a brew with the bare minimum.. Jump ahead 13 months, and I just went back and purchased their kit. I couldn't find a job back then so I was too broke to invest in any projects, but now I'm able to afford investing in things like this and went ahead with the commercial equipment. My first brew is on day two, my airlock is bubbling and all is well I hope. I haven't opened the bucket yet (I'm afraid of some how hurting the brew). Thanks guys!

 

[mutedog]

I wouldn't open the bucket unless there is some problem.
What I do is just remove the bung with the airlock and observe the beer though this opening. I can also fit my turkey baster through this hole to get beer out to check the gravity. Generally I don't open my primary fermenter bucket until after I've siphoned the beer out of it into a secondary or priming bucket.