I was scolded at LHBS today when I told em I don't usually use a secondary

[SkiNuke]

I think those who enjoy this hobby are very opinionated people. Plus they border on obsession with this hobby already. Also, the majority of the general population are unwilling to admit that what they are doing might be wrong. As such, you are going to have a large number of home brewers who do things a certain way and are unwilling to change.

I have noticed at my 2 LHBSs that the people there think that they are doing things the best way possible. And I think they are trying to help, they want people to succeed in homebrewing, they just think that their way is the only way.

As such, trying to educate them could be a lost cause, and you should take what they say with a massive amount of salt. Find what works for you and if you want to try and prove your methodology to others, give them beer.

 

[pjj2ba]

I think those who enjoy this hobby are very opinionated people. Plus they border on obsession with this hobby already. Also, the majority of the general population are unwilling to admit that what they are doing might be wrong. As such, you are going to have a large number of home brewers who do things a certain way and are unwilling to change.

I have noticed at my 2 LHBSs that the people there think that they are doing things the best way possible. And I think they are trying to help, they want people to succeed in homebrewing, they just think that their way is the only way.

As such, trying to educate them could be a lost cause, and you should take what they say with a massive amount of salt. Find what works for you and if you want to try and prove your methodology to others, give them beer.

The problem is there are MANY, MANY, MANY ways to brew a batch of beer. I think there are only a few things that are really truly wrong (eg. no sanitizer, not cleaning etc.) There are general guidelines to follow of course. However, if one is happy with the end product, then by default, they did it the right way - for them. Others might think what they did was wrong, but then, the beer wasn't brewed for them.

Lots of folks are just happy with a drinkable product. That is all they want out of the hobby. Perhaps there are things they could do better, but perhaps they don't want to bother with anything new. Nothing wrong with that, it is their beer and their choice.

Many others enjoy little tweaks here and there in the process and are always trying to improve their beers. We have to keep in mind that everyone's setup is different so what works well for some folks, won't for others. I personally always try to preface my advice with "here is what I do" (and try to add why) and opposed to "you should do it this way"

 

[AZOTH99]

Wholly crap that is genius, simple easy, and you almost can't go wrong. heck I bet someone probably could probably make it work with a carboy as well. Imagine how much easier those would be to clean if someone made a disposable liner for carboys ferment, rack, and throw away the liner.

You can also spend the money on plastic bags that line the bucket that make cleaning as easy as pulling the bag out of the bucket after fermentation and tossing in the trash can...

 

[Stauffbier]

You can also spend the money on plastic bags that line the bucket that make cleaning as easy as pulling the bag out of the bucket after fermentation and tossing in the trash can...

Wow! Great idea! Have you actually done this?

 

[H-ost]

Wholly crap that is genius, simple easy, and you almost can't go wrong. heck I bet someone probably could probably make it work with a carboy as well. Imagine how much easier those would be to clean if someone made a disposable liner for carboys ferment, rack, and throw away the liner.

The small opening of the carboy may prove difficult to pull out a few inches of trub but I would love to hear about how someone made it work if they can.

 

[BrewKnurd]

The small opening of the carboy may prove difficult to pull out a few inches of trub but I would love to hear about how someone made it work if they can.

You could still just pour a little water in, swirl it around, and pour out the trub. Then the liner comes right out and you have a clean carboy.

 

[H-ost]

You could still just pour a little water in, swirl it around, and pour out the trub. Then the liner comes right out and you have a clean carboy.

Nice addition to Homercidal's ingeniousness... I will try this on my next brew and see what happens...

At first I thought someone stole your avatar pic and I thought it was creepy then I realized you just changed your name heh.

 

[sjwelna]

I've gotten increasingly lazy brewing. I used to secondary everything, but eventually I just got annoyed trying to fish the siphon around through that tiny hole and not manage to suck up trub. Nowadays I just let things sit in primary for months until its ready to go into keg, unless I'm dryhopping or aging on oak or something more elaborate. Primary -> keg, crash cools and any yeast drops out to the bottom of the keg. First beer or so it maybe a little cloudy, but after that they tend to get crystal clear. I think my beer tastes good enough for me, and most of my friends who like beer agree too.

-Steve

 

[BrewKnurd]

At first I thought someone stole your avatar pic and I thought it was creepy then I realized you just changed your name heh.

Yes, that would have been quite creepy indeed.

 

[mewellsar]

Understood. I had to think long and hard about which way to go. I like the carboy tradition. I like to see if bubble. I fear scratches.

I just thought it was funny that everybody has an opinion. Even the guy trying to sell all that "unnecessary expensive equipment" or in my case the guy who could care less what he sold.

 

[Nateo]

My German grandma made beer in their washtub. As far as I know she didn't win any homebrewing awards, but she did get drunk. So you can make beer in anything, but whether or not it's good. . .

 

[jfrans84]

I don't normally get a whole lot of of sediment in my beers. When fermentation is complete, and the yeast settles, i rack into my bottling bucket ( the one with the valve on the bottom). I then cold crash It in my mini fridge that is in my shop for about 2-3 days. The fridge sits on my work bench about 3.5 feet off the ground. As you have probably seen the valve is about an 1.5" or so from the bottom of the bucket. So the yeast will be below he valve, No syphoning required. And u do t have to get the bucket out of the fridge stirring the yeast up Again. Plug your Plastic hose up to the valve and pour into the bottom of the keg. Normally all the yeast, that was picked up in the first rack, will settle again quickly and stay at the bottom of the bucket. I always make my batches little more then 5gals so I always end up with a full keg, and that little. I of liquid is no big loss. Thats just how I do it.

 

[SkiNuke]

The problem is there are MANY, MANY, MANY ways to brew a batch of beer. I think there are only a few things that are really truly wrong (eg. no sanitizer, not cleaning etc.) There are general guidelines to follow of course. However, if one is happy with the end product, then by default, they did it the right way - for them. Others might think what they did was wrong, but then, the beer wasn't brewed for them.

I agree that there are many ways to brew beer and that there are very few ways that are wrong, but the same mentality of not wanting to admit that your wrong also goes for not wanting to admit that you are doing something unnecessarily. If someone does something a specific way, for example short primary with a secondary, and then someone tells them they produce better beer with no secondary, the person doing the secondary will begin to worry that they are doing something wrong, until they start to tell themselves that the other guy is missing something by not doing a secondary. Then there will be no changing his mind, unless he tries it himself. Its all about if they start to feel like they are doing something wrong (even if what they do is fine), then they will start to justify why they do what they do.

 

[Xtant]

You're all wrong. My way is the right way.

 

[Calichusetts]

You're all wrong. My way is the right way.

Agreed...as long as your way is my way

 

[Zamial]

I like to remember that 1/2 of LHBS is just BS. Some shops/owners/employees are great, others do not have a clue.

 

[mobly99]

You're all wrong. My way is the right way.

No, everyone is right except you.

 

[Xtant]

No, everyone is right except you.

Katie? I swear you sound like my wife...lol