How long does it take to become educated?

[BrainPain]

I'm new to this and almost failed chem in high school (did well in everything else) maybe would have done better if it was about beer.

I guess what I'm asking is, how long does it take to realy get this stuff. I'm reading a few home brew books (mostly How to Brew)and puting as much to practice as possible but there is a lot that isnt sinking in and I imagine will come with practice. How long have some of you old heads been doing this and how long till you really felt schooled?

next stop DRUNKEN RANTINGS

 

[mordantly]

well, i can tell you, no matter the subject, you can read and read. but once you "dooooo eeeeeeeeeet!" the action uses other areas of the brain as well as muscle memory. i'm ~3 years into the hobby, and i've definately only licked the surface.

 

[jppostKW]

I am with mordantly i cruise HBT daily looking for new info google constantly etc. I have brewed a batch a week since january and and still learn something new each time. I just now feel comfortable with how changing mash temps and ferm temps will alter your beer for better or worse.

 

[takedown]

I'm very new to this about 8 5gallon batches and there is so so much more to learn but i feel like i am getting the basics down and can put out some quality stuff. take full advantage of the wealth of know how on here and it will help exponentially. after a few batches confidence will sky rocket.

I was at that point when i first started reading the "bible" almost nightly and felt like even after reading the process 10 times not understanding it. do it once and you will learn so much quicker. have fun!

 

[Kirbster]

It is like learning a new trade. There are so many levels that it is hard to know when you become educated. Just learn as much as you can, and try to make as good as beer as you can make!

 

[Chuck_Swillery]

+1 the "doing it" part.

I can read all day, even understand it, but until I put it to practical use its all just book knowledge. You'll put the pieces together...

 

[BrainPain]

Well thats great you all said exactly what I hoped. I'm a defenit hands on learner so I'll keep brewing!

 

[mordantly]

and you get the awesome learning aid known lovingly as "beer," "mead," "sake," or "wine!"

 

[Gildog]

the only thing that brings knowledge in brewing is the number of batches under your belt. my recomendation is to go to 2 2.5 gallon batches instead of 1 5 gallon.

each beer has its own personality. and it will always be a little different.

i recomend brewsmith, brewsmith is your friend.

second, if you have a question, ask it here. no matter how stupid it is, there are alot of beer guru's here that can help you out.

 

[jdp]

E= IX/D

Where E=Experience

Assumptions~
I= Units of Instruction
X=Total batches to date.
D= Intellectual Density (in my case, quite high)

So using myself as an example~

I= 8+/-
X=28
D= at least 50 for me, so...

E=(8)28/50
E=224/50
E=4.48

So...4.48 out of 100 possible is a good solid "F" if I remember my school daze correctly, therefore, one must lower density, and/or increase instruction to become educated.

In 50 years children are going to be studying this theory along side of Einsteins theory of relativity. It shall be called Pinckney's theorum. Unfortunatly by that time I will have lost all of my fame and blown all of my money on investing in a commercial Brew in a Bag, No Sparge, No Chill, malt liquor company to replace the hole in the market left by the failure of Zima.

 

[rico567]

How long does it take to become educated?

A lifetime. This may have been the point of "Life is learning how to die well."

 

[Yooper]

It's a hobby that can grow, but it doesn't have to. You can make great beer out of an extract kit and some steeping grains, and never feel the need to progress into more technical areas. Many brewers do that- and are very pleased with their beer. My first batch was pretty darn good!

Others (like me) are never completely "done" with learning. As soon as I feel confident in one area, I start learning something new. I'm fairly happy with the quality of my beer, but I feel like I could still use a few tweaks to make it better.

I guess it depends on the kind of person you are. If you're the kind of person who gets pretty obsessed, it could be an expensive hobby!

 

[Edcculus]

I found the podcasts on The Brewing Network and Basic Brewing Radio helped a lot. How To Brew can be intense for a new brewer. Palmer is an engineer and sometimes gives too much info for those who don't need that depth. I've never read it, but a local brewer said he liked Dave Miller's book as a better intro to homebrewing. I think it spells things out in simpler terms and tells you why they are important.

 

[thunder]

I'm new to this and almost failed chem in high school (did well in everything else) maybe would have done better if it was about beer.

I guess what I'm asking is, how long does it take to realy get this stuff. I'm reading a few home brew books (mostly How to Brew)and puting as much to practice as possible but there is a lot that isnt sinking in and I imagine will come with practice. How long have some of you old heads been doing this and how long till you really felt schooled?

next stop DRUNKEN RANTINGS

Another great book is "designing great beers" by ray daniels
ray breaks it all down in that book.

 

[Baldy_Beer_Brewery]

I'm new to this and almost failed chem in high school (did well in everything else) maybe would have done better if it was about beer.

If you are brewing extract beers, you can completely ignore that chemistry BS in How to Brew. If you are doing all grain and using primarily modern two row malt you can mostly ignore it. Some times I think I'm the only person on this board that doesn't think that book is the Holy Bible of brewing, but IMHO it is not how to brew, it is some ways to brew. There are too many ways to skin this cat to think it is all covered and covered best in that book.

Do as many others have said and just do it. And have fun while doing it without worrying as much.

 

[Houblon]

The more I brew the better the beer, the better the beer, the more I must brew:rockin:

I call that "The exponential brewing function"

 

[ajf]

I've been brewing for over 35 years, and I am still learning, but that is contributed to by the fact that my forgetting capacity is approaching my learning capacity, so I can learn the same things over and over again.
If you ever get into All Grain, I can recommend New Brewing Lager Beers by Greg Noonan. This book is a mine of great information, even if you never brew Lagers.

-a.

 

[BrainPain]

Very awsome. I can see I joined the right group!

 

[sp1365]

The day that I feel that I have stopped learning is the day I stop brewing. There is always something new to learn or to try. I never want to stop learning.