I'm a newbie and I don't know where to start :/

[Knightshade]

If you can honestly say that you found nothing...me thinks you're not looking hard enough. Not to be a prick...just sayin.

And so I'm not a prick...I'd recommend going on YouTube and looking for a couple of brewers out there doing a live brew day. If you happen to catch an upcoming one...great. Because some of them have live chat sessions and try to answer questions as they're going along. Or...since most record them and then post, just find/watch one for a beer that you think you'd be interested in brewing yourself. You'll pick up some of the language in context and something may spark that will give you enough incentive to do some research on a specific topic.

A couple that I've watched that come to mind are Short Circuited Brewers, Genus Brewing & Beer and BBQ Larry.

 

[IslandLizard]

Yup, I bought RO water for 80 cents, cost me $4 for 5 gallons. Honestly it was worth it to have the gallons handy and I’m going to reuse them for next time to measure out my water ahead of time.

Also, sanitation is important, I think you forgot that.

See my post #30 on using RO water instead. It tends to be (much) cheaper than distilled. If this is more than incidental use, consider installing a small under-counter RO filtering unit for around $100-150. Check with Russ at Buckeye Hydro, he's one of our sponsors.

One thing about jugs/containers of drinking water on shelves, some are chlorinated (instead of UV sterilized)!
If the water used for brewing is chlorinated (smell/taste) the 30 second Campden treatment should be applied.

 

[VTX1300]

IslandLizard, Yes, forgot all about sanitation. My bad. Thanks for mentioning that.

I installed a small RO unit about 2 years ago and it has more than paid for itself. Buying and hauling distilled water from the grocery store was a pain in the a$$. There were times where they were out and that meant a trip to another store in hopes of buying enough for a batch. I have found many more uses for RO water than just brewing. All of our drinking water, coffee water and fish tank water is RO.

 

[DrStrange]

So as it is said in the martial arts community, a 1st degree black belt is merely an advanced beginner.

I'm learning more every day but still do not consider myself more than and hobbyist. Granted I have an understanding wife, a decent budget, and a dedicated space for brewing. Fortune smiled upon me with a new home and a 3 car garage with one bay separate from the other 2 so was allowed to have a brew cave, and profit from sale of previous home got me some new toys (of which I have yet to play with due to work and time - I'm in healthcare so time is a luxury)

I started with buckets, propane and extracts and was able to make some pretty decent brews, according to my friends that were way more advanced. Was this just dumb luck, perhaps. But as others will say as long as you sanitize well and you like your product, then who really cares if your brew is competition worthy.

I was on city water for years and never checked pH, original gravity, final gravity, etc. In the US, the water for the most part is pretty good in the northeast, and bottled water is the biggest scam ever. I had decent luck with what I made without all the measurements and obsessions. Friends asked what's the alcohol content... I shrug and say I do not know (ok the purists are going to flame me right now), but apparently my amateur cavalier method made some very strong brews, and we all got happily snockered. So my guests are happy, I am happy. I'm on a well now so I'd love to get more into the science and control of things and will get there some day.

The "relax and have a homebrew" is 100% on point. The books will give you the science and theory but the reality is to jump in, experiment, and pick what you like. There are plenty of kits that can make really good brews so that is a great place to start. Folks have done the hard part for you - make the recipe, balance the ingredients, get the right amount of hops, etc. Its kind of like golf - the gear/hardware is only a small portion of the process. One can buy the most expensive clubs in the world but still be a **** golfer with fancy toys.

So have fun, and slainte!

 

[oakbarn]

Amen to that. People can go crazy with this hobby. Brew Water. I would say you could make decent beer with any water that tastes good. I had beer early in my life that was made with terrible tasting water, but the beer was good. I still use my tap water today to brew. I do filter it for Chlorine and Chlorimides, but that is about all. City tap water is in a good PH range for brewing. If you were on your own well, you might have issues but I have thought of brewing with "artesian water" from my brother's well.

There are many Myths in Brewing. True Believers do not believe you can make great beer with out doing this:

1. Whatever they thing is paramount.

Ancient Egyptians brewed beer without special yeast, water or temperature control. In fact, the three original German ingredients in beer were:
1. water
2. barley
3. hops

No mention of yeast. There did not even know it existed as such.

Does the beer taste good? That is the only criteria in my mind.

Does that mean I ignore "Science". Perhaps? Or is it "fake news". Some of it is.

Perhaps the two biggest Myths are fermentation temperature and trub in the fermenter.

Both in my mind have been busted because of "errors' over the years. Does that mean I can ferment at 110 DEGREES ? No. But doing a "LAGER" at Ale Temps still produces good beer for the most part. Trub? No big deal. I still ferment Lagers at the preferred temp and do filter the wort lightly before the fermenter, but I do not go crazy if there is an issue (like the filter clogging, I just bypass it). I have accidently fermented lagers (blown Circuit Breaker) at room temp and it only slightly effected the flavor, maybe for the better.

In my mind, there is only one Primary Rule in Brewing that cannot be broken:

1. Sanitize, Sanitize and Sanitize.


That being said, I love Gadgets and Brewing.

 

[3 Dawg Night]

Perhaps the two biggest Myths are fermentation temperature and trub in the fermenter.

I get what you're saying, and I agree on the trub. You can make good beer without controlling fermentation temperature, but I don't think you can make great beer (at least not to style) without it.

In my mind, there is only one Primary Rule in Brewing that cannot be broken:

1. Sanitize, Sanitize and Sanitize.

I am in 100% agreement on this one. This is really the only thing that will turn good beer into bad beer.

 

[Toto's]

You can ask any question except if secondary fermentation is needed because this thread will get on fire!! Lol. Honestly if you know someone who is brewing already and can go see would be the best. Many friends were very excited when they heard i brew beers but when they came on the brew day... well at the end they said it was too much work!!!! Lol
So it's fun but also a lot of work and a hole in the wallet...
But very rewarding when you are having a nice fresh homemade beer

 

[oakbarn]

secondary fermentation? you don't need no stinking secondary! We are on FIRE!