New Kid on the Block

[Sasquatch]

Hi Gang.

I'm brand new to the brewing scene, but things are going well for me... I'm very excited. Currently (happily) using "The Beer Machine" which is handy for about a 2.5 gal batch... I'm ten days away from beer though, so my thoughts drift to getting another rig going to avoid these dark, beerless days. So....

What's the general consensus on the 5gal kits? This is some 60 bottles of beer? It seems a lot. Does it have to be stored cold once bottled? How long will homebrew sit? I'm probably being silly, and will find that 5 gallons of beer disappears inside a month...but I don't want to go to all the trouble of brewing a jumbo batch of beer that I can't deal with either...

Can't wait to hear your thoughts

 

[Dark_Ale]

Hi Gang.

I'm brand new to the brewing scene, but things are going well for me... I'm very excited. Currently (happily) using "The Beer Machine" which is handy for about a 2.5 gal batch... I'm ten days away from beer though, so my thoughts drift to getting another rig going to avoid these dark, beerless days. So....

What's the general consensus on the 5gal kits? This is some 60 bottles of beer? It seems a lot. Does it have to be stored cold once bottled? How long will homebrew sit? I'm probably being silly, and will find that 5 gallons of beer disappears inside a month...but I don't want to go to all the trouble of brewing a jumbo batch of beer that I can't deal with either...

Can't wait to hear your thoughts

5 gal kits are good, although some of us in here make 10, 15, 20 gallons at a time. Yes 5 gallons in around 53 bottles @ 12oz per bottle. Dont forget your gonna loose some of the beer leaving it behind. No it dont have to be stored cold but I would not store it hot 68 to 70 would be good, depending on what you brewed. If your beginning it will disappear in a month, but once you tasted one with good age you will let it sit around a little bit in the bottle. If you dont want to mess with a jumbo batch that you dont like then pick a beer you like and search for the clone, most homebrew shops can help, and search the web there are thousands of recipes. You will notice a very better beer using a kit but I would do some research if you have never brewed a batch from a kit. Homebrew can sit around a long while depending on the alcohol content, hops and ingredients. I believe they say six weeks is when it tast the best, but I drink it after a week or two, but my big beers are sitting on the shelf until christmas.

 

[Kephren]

Hi Gang.

I'm brand new to the brewing scene, but things are going well for me... I'm very excited. Currently (happily) using "The Beer Machine" which is handy for about a 2.5 gal batch... I'm ten days away from beer though, so my thoughts drift to getting another rig going to avoid these dark, beerless days. So....

What's the general consensus on the 5gal kits? This is some 60 bottles of beer? It seems a lot. Does it have to be stored cold once bottled? How long will homebrew sit? I'm probably being silly, and will find that 5 gallons of beer disappears inside a month...but I don't want to go to all the trouble of brewing a jumbo batch of beer that I can't deal with either...

Can't wait to hear your thoughts

Most of us use the 5 gallon kits. They're about the same price as Mr. Beer and the Beer Machine, etc. It doesn't have to be stored cold. It will last 6-12 months or longer. 3 months aging/conditioning will make very good beer. Yes, you're being silly. 5 gallons isn't a lot. Some people brew every week. I brew 5 gallons every two to three weeks. 5 gallons = 40 pints. At 2-3 pints a day, I've finished off five gallons in about 2 weeks give or take. Sometimes I have more than 3 pints, sometimes less. Most of the time, my batch winds up less than 5 gallons due to natural variations in the brewing process. If you are really serious about brewing as a hobby, you'll want a 5 gallon homebrew kit from your homebrew supply store that includes two buckets, some tubing, a bottle filler, spigots, a bottle brush, a book and a batch of beer. That will cost you about $60. Welcome to the brewing world.

 

[Sasquatch]

Thanks for the replies.

Yeah, I think I better get the 5 Gal rig. What I needed was to have someone say "If you drink beer regularly, 5 Gal is not that much."

Kit wise, my local sells for about 28 Cdn, and the B machine kits are 3 for about 35, including shipping... But I'm not really worried about the cost. It looks like homebrew comes out at about 50c a pint anyhow... so the rig and kits pay for themselves after about 2 batches.

I have a chemistry degree, but haven't been in a lab for about 10 years. So this is kinda like old times for me, but the experimental results are a lot more interesting.

 

[andre the giant]

I'd recommend doing 5 gallon batches.

At first it seems like a lot of beer, but in no time you find yourself with 6 bottles of your favorite homebrew left, thinking to yourself, "How am I going to make it without my Oatmeal Stout?" You scramble to get ingredients for your next batch, you brew, ferment, bottle and condition. That takes weeks. That's why I always make 2 batches at a time (sometimes 3).

The beer will keep very well in the dark cool basement. I have kept some homebrew for 2 years and it tastes like, well... beer.

If you're a chemist, you will eventually want to do all-grain. The process of Alpha and Beta amylase <sp> breaking down long chain sugars into sugars that can be consumed by yeast is pretty amazing.

As far as the cost goes. You can't beat the price. I find that with around $15 worth of ingredients, and some of my time, I can make two cases of beer that's every bit as good as something I buy in the store... at twice to three times the price.

Happy brewing.

 

[Sasquatch]

ATG, I'm totally sold. Bought the kit today. Making Baron's Canadian Draught.

 

[andre the giant]

Welcome to the cult.