Just brewed for the first time in 20 years

[ATLBeer]

Greetings from Atlanta!

Kids are gone and finally have some time to myself, so I stopped by the local brewers store and pulled out the old kitchen equipment.

Forgot how much I liked to cook! Used an old Sierra Nevada extract clone recipe. Looking forward to it.

 

[pvpeacock]

Welcome back. I took about 19 years off (1994-2013) and was surprised at how homebrewing changed over that time. More equipment, more yeasts, more hops and more resources than ever before. The biggest plus to me, however, was kegging. One of the reasons I quit in 1994 was that I hated bottling. Be forewarned, this can become an expensive hobby fairly quickly. Not as expensive as buying Ferraris, private planes or modern art mind you, but it adds up over time when you just need one more piece of equipment to have the perfect set up. I thought owning 4 kegs was enough. Now I own 20+ Enjoy!

 

[ATLBeer]

Expensive? Well I used to race cars, then I built a basement arcade, so unless I start an actual microbrewery, this will be the cheapest hobby I've participated in.

There certainly is more 'stuff' out there than there was in the '90s, and it's great! The internet has made it so accessible too. I remember feeling that homebrewing was an underground cult.

I plan one more extract batch then I'll go all-grain. So any advice on a good BIAB-type system to start researching would be helpful.

Quick question regarding this site - I wanted to private message someone, but there is no option, does that mean they haven't donated or something?

 

[pvpeacock]

If you have the money to spend and the time to brew, it's a great hobby. Nothing like a hobby with lots of gadgets and toys to choose from and use.

All grain is the way to go. However, I don't do BIAB, so I will let someone else weight in on the best set ups.

I don't know the answer about private messages either. Sorry.

 

[Sammy86]

Quick question regarding this site - I wanted to private message someone, but there is no option, does that mean they haven't donated or something?

Welcome back to the hobby!

You need have made a certain number of posts before private messages can be sent.

As far as BIAB-systems i love my Brewzilla 65L. I make double batches (11.5 gals) split into two fermentors and use two different yeasts...one batch-two beers!

Cheers!

 

[HB2 HughBHomeBrew]

I took 20 years off, too, then got back in about year and a half ago. The last brew day was same day my wife found out pregnant with the now 21 year old . Had to start all over and I went for BIAB. Got a 10 gallon Spike Brew Kettle, a bag from BrewinaBag, a 3500 watt induction cooker and do 5 gallon batches.

 

[Brownyard]

Back in the game after 23 years. Kegging, the internet and Star San make things much simpler than the "good old days", that's for sure. Expense is relative of course, just glad I was able to convince my wife to spring for a temp controlled kegerator set up. So much more convenient than bottling.

 

[pvpeacock]

Star San! Forgot about that great improvement over brewing 20 years ago with Bleach.

 

[ATLBeer]

Thanks for the welcome and advice.

I've got a couple of buddies with microbreweries, so very familiar with StarSan!

After reading dozens of threads, I'll be putting an all in one system like Grainfather or Brewzilla on my Xmas list this year.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome back to the hobby, and to the group, from Colorado

Lived in Dunnwoody and Marietta for years.

 

[Nokie]

Welcome back. That’s a long time off. I’m sure things have changed a lot. I took 2 years off and was shocked at the changes.

 

[ATLBeer]

OK, one of the changes I've seen is everyone is worried about oxidation. I don't remember talking about this my last go around.

I did an extract IPA brew last week, fermenting in plastic bucket. I am getting ready to rack it into a carboy, with a couple days of dry hopping next week before bottling. Yes bottles.

This is exactly the way I did it before and my beer was 'always' great. Never had an issue with off tastes.

Is this just people being hyper sensitive and perfectionists or something? I've even seen posts that say don't do a second fermenter due to oxidation risk.

I won't be changing my plan at this point, just thought I'd throw it out here. Brewing is thousands of years old, but this phenomenon seems very recent.

 

[pvpeacock]

That's because oxygen did not exist thousands of years ago....oh, wait.

 

[LittleRiver]

OK, one of the changes I've seen is everyone is worried about oxidation....

I made some simple changes to limit oxygen exposure on the cold side:

• use fermentation gas to purge kegs before filling
• closed transfers
• use a balloon to capture some fermentation gas, to prevent air being sucked in during cold crashing

It's very simple stuff, but it has a very noticeable effect. It's well worth the little effort it takes. I would say the biggest differences are the "brightness" and longevity of flavors and aromas.

It's the difference between bread fresh out of the oven, compared to week old bread.