I think I got ahead of myself a bit

[Frenchfry35]

Hello, I am so new at this it’s not even funny. A co-worker started me on this. He said go to your beer supply store and buy some premade wort. So I got a blonde(IBU11, ABV 4.8%), fermented it and bottled. 2nd trip to the store I got a red ale( IBU22, ABV 5.1). Then he got me into keggin. Bought an old fridge,3 kegs, 2 CO2 tanks...so far so good right? my co-worker then tells me that there is a sale on a brewzilla 3.1.1. But now I have to make my own wort and don’t know where to start. I want a low IBU( lower than 25) and an ABV above 4.5 but there is a bazillion recipes out there.... I NEED HELP

 

[Knightshade]

Hot dang dude....maybe start simple with a SMASH (Single Malt and Single Hop) beer over at Brewer's Friend?

https://www.brewersfriend.com/search/
or..there is a smash recipe here on the site too.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/manwells-pale-mosaic-smash.420922/

 

[AJinJacksonville]

Do you have the equipment to brew a five gallon extract? Too many variables to advise conclusively haha

 

[Jag75]

I agree with AJ. Look into extract kits . They are simple and a good way to learn about brewing. There are so many things that come with brewing, so take baby steps and you'll know when your ready to jump into all grain . Read John palmer's how to brew . It's free online pdf . A few things to keep in mind . Cleanliness , sanitation, fermentation temp and patience is key .

Welcome to HBT and the hobby .....and the madness lol

 

[Jim R]

Brewing is like anything else in life. You first need to educate yourself. Buy the kindle edition of John Palmer's book and study it (taking notes). There is no faster way to learn this and avoid all the common mistakes. If you do this, you don't even need to start with the simple techniques. I remember when I first started, I took the time to read the 3 best books and went straight to more complicated all grain brewing with great results.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Brew-Eve...=1&keywords=john+palmer&qid=1592959998&sr=8-1

 

[Calder]

Did you buy the Brewzilla? I hope you didn't. If you did, it locks you into brewing with that and nothing else. As someone said, take baby steps and decide for yourself how you want to brew. Maybe you will go down the route of this all-in-one package, but at least understand why you want to go that way.

Buy an extract kit with steeping grains, malt extract and hops next. Then when ready, create your own recipe and buy the separate ingredients. Then start partial mash ....... by then you should have some idea if you want to try an all-grain, or stick with a partial mash + extract.

 

[Frenchfry35]

Do you have the equipment to brew a five gallon extract? Too many variables to advise conclusively haha

Yes, I do have the brewzilla 3.1.1 which can hold 6.5 gallons

 

[KFurk]

Yes, I do have the brewzilla 3.1.1 which can hold 6.5 gallons

There is nothing wrong with the Brewzilla. I’ve had mine a few months and I’m also a new brewer. I have 2 all grain brews under my belt now. First, a Lime Cream Ale which just finished bottle conditioning and I’ve started sharing with my friends and I currently have a Citra Smash in my fermenter.
I agree with starting with a basic smash brew to get the techniques down and move on from there.
DM me with any Brewzilla questions And I can let you know how my first couple experiences went.
Happy brewing!

 

[Barlow1990]

Use malt extract. Its brewing on traing wheels. Its basically a powder that you just pour into the water and boil along with hops and then your wort is ready to chill pitch and ferment.
Just google recipes by beer style example. Extract IPA recipe. Alot of decent ones will come up. Youll also see some that involve using specialty grains in a seperate small mash then adding it to the wort before boiling.
Do this before attempting all grain. Easier to understand the basics first.
Also, buy a book on brewing and read it. That will help you understand the science behind it and why certain things are done.

Sometimes the LHBS (local homebrew store) will have some sample recipes to try out.

 

[rwinzing]

All great advice above. I will also say most online brew shops sell all grain kits. At least this way you take the mystery of making your own recipe out of the mix. Go to one of those stores (Northern Brewer, Midwest Supplies, Williams Brewing, Austin Home Brew) just to name a few. Pick a five gallon kit and order it. It will have all you need. Then do some reading and jump in. You will make mistakes but you will learn a ton. It is a great hobby.

 

[Frenchfry35]

Thank you all for your inputs on this. someone I know told me that you don’t make bad beer, you just end up with better beer than some

 

[bracconiere]

hmm, could start out like i did, before the i-net...just throw **** in a pot and see how it works out.....i started out just knowing that malt steeped at ~150f, turns to sugar then i needed to figure out some way to strain it....at first i did it in a bucket with a big mesh bag, no ball valve or anything.....

 

[wsmith1625]

Do this before attempting all grain. Easier to understand the basics first.

I agree with Barlow1990. Do a couple extract recipes to get the comfortable with hot side practices. It's the same as all grain, but minus the mash. Good luck with whichever path you choose.

 

[Knightshade]

Thank you all for your inputs on this. someone I know told me that you don’t make bad beer, you just end up with better beer than some

I dig this.

I started with a Picobrew, did a couple kits, started manual brewing on it (quickly said screw this...), have MT, HLT, Kettle...ordered an Anvil Foundry a couple days ago. So while I haven't jumped in quite as quick as you, I can relate.

Read a lot, but just get to doing a lot too. You'll make mistakes, but you'll also learn. Go sit with somebody else during their brew day. Wait...that might be a little tough right now. I'm attending a brew day hosted by my LHBS virtually as part of their anniversary celebration this Saturday. There are some you can watch on Youtube as well. You'll pick up little tidbits here and there. Genus Brewing, and Short Circuited Brewing come to mind.

 

[deuc224]

If you have disposable income, go big or go home. But the educate yourself is extremely important. I read and watched so many videos and forums before i purchased my things , I swear i was super ready, wrong. It is a learning process and im still learning but I went all out on equipment to begin with, no regrets.

The people on this forum are super freindly and not as "mean" as other place, someone is always willing to help around here.