I got my first brew done!

[RazzBarlow]

I've been lurking here for a long time, went on hiatus for a bit while my wife and I moved into a new home and now have finally settled down.

I ultimately want to move to all-grain brewing, but decided I didn't want to wait until I got everything together before I started. So, I bought a 5 gal Nut Brown Ale Extract Kit from my LHBS. It was fun, and I can't wait until I get up to All-Grain status.

I had my first blow-off also as it began aggressively fermenting, but because of the reading I had done on here, I didn't freak out about it, just contained the mess and swapped out my fermentation lock for a clean one after it calmed down a little bit.

I very fortunately found a guy who was selling 5 ball-lock corny kegs on Craigslist a while back at a great price (5 for $50.00), so I will be cleaning one up and replacing the seals in preparation for that sweet brown nectar!

Sooooo, the question then becomes...Keezer or brew sculpture first? LOL

 

[unionrdr]

Def keezer in this case. You'll be needing that first.

 

[lowtones84]

Congratulations! Man I wish I had the money for equipment like that.

 

[RazzBarlow]

Congratulations! Man I wish I had the money for equipment like that.

Really? I bought a brew kettle for $20 and have a total of $50 in 5 Corny Kegs. I was given a 5 gal Carboy from a friend who makes wine. I bet I don't have $150 total in everything.

 

[Naptown]

Really? I bought a brew kettle for $20 and have a total of $50 in 5 Corny Kegs. I was given a 5 gal Carboy from a friend who makes wine. I bet I don't have $150 total in everything.

Nice buys. Always makes the brew taste a little sweeter when you find deals like that!

 

[lowtones84]

Yeah, perhaps it's more just a matter of finding the right deals.

 

[iv_hokie12]

That is pretty awesome man and great deals! Here is my advice on going all grain cheap. You won't really be able to keg it, but go to the bakery section of Kroger, and ask if you can have one of their empty 3 gallon icing containers. Clean it out and drill a hole in the top/put a grommet in. Then make or buy a mash tun. You can now make 3 gallon all grain batches assuming your local store has a mill you can use, or if you know a friend.

 

[gmcastil]

Fermentation temperature control should be the first serious upgrade of every homebrewer.

I'm a relatively new brewer, but I'm convinced that proper yeast pitching rates and temperature control during fermentation are more important than anything else to the homebrewer.

 

[RazzBarlow]

Beginning of day 5 and fermentation has slowed significantly. I get a bubble through the ferm lock about every 5-7 seconds or so. Everything looks good. I have a good feeling about this!