new from nyc

[littlelord]

hey everyone,
i've learned a lot from these boards. thanks for all the advice.
i've been doing all-grain 1 gal batches in my tiny apt kitchen... but i just joined valley malt's "malt of the month" club so i have 50lb of pale ale malt staring at me right now. looks like i'm moving into 5gal BIAB for my next batch.
thanks again & hello
LL

 

[BirdmanBrewingCo]

Glad to have you around, Littlelord!

 

[Sheldon]

From a former Brooklynite (East New York - projects), welcome and Cheers!

Sheldon

 

[Kegcowboy]

The perfect size for a 5 gallon keg. - Welcome

 

[WayneTree]

Great Site Welcome and Go Sox and Pats and Bruins and Celtics!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I'm brand new myself littlelord and making Mead in Astoria. New York reprahsent! Or something.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Id be interested in how you are making small batch beer in your kitchen, actually... never took the jump over to beer, but that 4 weekish brew time is appealing as get out.

 

[littlelord]

awesome, creamygoodness. i've just been using my stovetop and 2 6qt pots
to brew in. sparging is a pain as is keeping a constant mash temp over the course of an hour... but i do it! i've gotten really high efficiency every time.
i tend to make higher gravity beers since i'm only getting a little more than a
12 pack out of each batch. i learned the basics doing bigger batches with my
brother out in NJ but got lots of great ideas from this place on how to do small
scale brewing. read all the stickies on the beginner's forum and the all-grain forum... and read Papazian's book.
go to www.howtobrew.com and i really recommend you get a 1 gal kit from
Brooklyn Brew Shop :http://brooklynbrewshop.com/store/1-gallon-beer-kits
they have a booth at the brooklyn flea....and also, the Meat Hook in williamsburg is my LHBS of choice. check out their brew section upstairs.
here's my fermentation closet right now... (check out the condom airlock)
the jug on the far right is my first attempt at mead.
LL

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Good stuff! I might hit you up for some pointers next time I have 2 pennies to rub together for brew ingredients .

 

[littlelord]

don't hesitate to ask!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Well now that you mention it ;-).... What got me into makeing JAO style meads was that I liked that I could pick up all equiptment and ingredients within blocks of my apartment (ie grocery store, liquor store for a jug, bodega for that 3 pack of party balloons).

Does this ideology continue to work with beers? Can I for instance pick up some grains at the european food store etc. and make a starter batch? I'm something of a mad scientist as you can see.

 

[littlelord]

well... it's a bit different with beer mostly because your grain needs to be malted first. but you definitely could buy grain and try malting it at home. check out these youtube vids for a quick look at what that entails: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=malting+barley+at+home&aq=1&oq=malting+

also pick up "The Homebrewer's Garden" by Joe & Dennis Fisher. they detail the malting process & have tons of interesting things to try in your beer. everything from basil, lemon balm & thyme to spruce needles and juniper berries. don't be scared off- you don't need to spend a ton of $$$ to make good beer.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Thanks Ill look into that! I'm trying to keep my hands off my meads right now and just let them age/clarify. My patience is lacking I'm afraid...

 

[littlelord]

in case you're looking for something easy & cheap to mess with....everyone on these boards seems to be crazy for this stuff called apfelwein...
check out this mega-thread
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/man-i-love-apfelwein-14860/