New to Brewing Weekend

[BillyVegas]

So, a friend and I are planning on delving into the world of homebrewing. About time.

As I investigate more about the process, and the materials needed... I remembered reading some great insight here and now that the time is upon us, I decided to post. It's great theres such great communities of people online dedicated to such things to bounce ideas off of... but enough praising of the internet age.

First things first. I know all you need is a few essential supplies to get started, but would it be out of control to get the deluxe home brew kit from The HomeBrewery?
This is what I was thinking...
The Home Brewery - Deluxe Brewing Kit

Perhaps this isn't the place to buy goods online? You guys know the best places Im sure... maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.

My second question, and main question I suppose, is this. If we were to dedicate time to pumping out 3-4 different types of brew in a weekend, would that be out of control? From what I can tell now with my limited in depth research, the only additional equipment needed would be extra fermenters (be them glass or plastic, but thats another debate I suppose).
Would I be wrong in assuming this?

Also, if 3-4 is a realistic goal, what would you suggest to do to get a nice intro into the world of homebrewing? Initially, I was thinking something along the lines of 3-4 different "Recipes" from THB (The Home Brewery - Premium Beer Making Ingredient Kits) that seemingly have all you need to make that type of beer. I was thinking some nut brown ale, maybe a wheat beer, a lager in there, and a stout for good measure, but then again, these to me are the equivelant of using some kind of pre-mix to make some food at home- removing all elements of personality and creativity? But maybe thats what I need for a introductory weekend... Could I be wrong?

Then I remembered reading the debates on All Grain brewing, and thought maybe that was worth a venture on this noobish weekend instead...

So, what are your thoughts? I'm ready to dedicate the weekend to it and don't mind the challenge, so long as I get a nice variety of brews and some good experience out of it.

Looking forward to your responses...

thanks!

 

[kahunaman]

Welcome Billy...

I'm somewhat new... about 10 batches in. I would recommend a basic kit to get started - and then adding on anything that you might need as you figure out if you need it or not. Buy a homebrew package, and then buy a recipe kit and you're on your way.

Every homebrew store sells these things - both local and online. If you're going to order online, I'd consider austin homebrew - they are very good to the community here, very well priced, and you'll see the owner posting on these forums all the time (which is VERY helpful - believe me.)
Austin Homebrew Supply

As far as volume - you can crank out as much as you want... and yes the only thing you'll need is more primary fermenters (carboys, buckets, etc.) I'll just offer some insight on this though from having a bit of a jump on the process with you.

1. You will make a lot of mistakes the first bunch of times you brew.... but you make fewer and fewer mistakes as you move forward. Making 5 batches at once as opposed to one every few days/weekend will give you 5 batches with the same mistakes. A lot of homebrewing comes from making mistakes, understanding the impact (some impacts are GOOD by the way) and adjusting for it in the future.

2. You have to make sure you sanitze constantly with that level of volume. you dont' want to cross all of these different beers.

3. They will not all ripen at the same time. Some will be done in a few weeks, others will take longer, so doing them all at the same time wont' yeild you 25 gallons of beer on Christmas.

4. I know a lot of guys LOVE allgrain here - but that is (in my opinion) something you work your way into. You seem ready to make a decent investment in time and equipment.... I'd have some fun with it.

5. 4 batches = 20 gallons = about 240 bottles. Just an fyi - unless you've been saving them of course.

Just to reiterate, i'd hit a good homebrew supply, get your basic goods (or deluxe if you want to spend the dough!) and pick up a couple/few recipe kits to get the hang of things. My first few beers were a stout, a hefe, a pumpkin ale (was fall at the time) and a bock (first lager.)

Also - the one thing I wish someone had told me.... get the ales figured out before you do any lagers!

And if you need a book, get palmer's HOW TO BREW.

And if it seems like people overreact about sanitizing... they aren't. Infected beers suck... especially when you dont' figure it out until it's been in the bottle for a month

Good luck!

 

[captianoats]

Wow, a lot of questions... where to start.

1. That looks like a great starter kit. Get some empties and you should be ready to roll. I personally like to go to the LHBS for my supplies, just because the guy that runs it is a wealth of information, but I realize that's not an option for most people.

2. If you're going to want to get 4 different brews going at once, you're going to need a LOT more buckets or carboys, especially if you're going to do a secondary.


3. Those kits don't look bad for a an extract kit. I've used similar kits several times and have been happy w/ the results.

4. If this is you're first brew ever, I would probably shy away from going AG, at least not yet. Not only will you have a lot more costs up front, you'll be pushing it to get 4 brews going in 2 days. I say do a couple extract kits just to get your feet wet and know what to look for. Ask santa for the all grain equipment, and have a happy new year

5. You said you want to try a lager. Just reminding you to make sure you've got a lagering fridge first.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

That kit looks pretty good, a little on the expensive side but if your happy with it. The only thing I would question was the size of the wort chiller, though I'm sure it will work to cool 5 gallon batches it just might take a little longer. (I use a pond pump to recycle water through an ice bath to save water and cool faster).
You also need to consider a space that the temperature can be controlled to optimum level for the yeast being used.
Also, you need to get some bottles or kegging system lined up. I hate bottling so if your budget can handle it, I would recommend kegs. If you want to save some in bottles you can draw some from the keg.
Otherwise, with help I don't see a problem with doing 3 batches in a weekend, but I would recommend doing one, getting it started and getting your process lined up.

 

[RCCOLA]

I've dealt with The Homebrewery before and they do pretty good business.If I were in Ozark,MO or around there I would go in and check them out.One thing I would suggest before diving in too deep is to brew 1 batch and see if you like doing it and make sure you're doing everything right.You don't want to throw a bunch of money at several batches before you get proper technique down.It would be very bad to have a bunch of bad beer before you even knew you were doing something wrong.And you may make 1 kit batch and decide to make your own recipes or save a bunch of money and go all grain.So, just chill, start drinking beer in bottles you can re-cap and brew 1 batch and see how it all comes out.MY $.02

 

[BillyVegas]

Wow- Lots of great feedback here on Saturday evening- always the sign of a great community.

I'll definitely check out Austin Homebrew Supply- I'm all about supporting those who support forums like this... so I'll be heading there in a few to evaluate.

The Deluxe Kit that has all that stuff I was looking at I realize has lots of things- possibly unnecessary- but I'm still evaluating.

Humm.. 240 beers- Not a bad idea. But lots of bottles. Perhaps 1 or 2 beers would be more wise.

I understand the importance of sterilization- and thats going to be the focus of this first round of making the brew- so lets hope I can do it right.

So, If I was to make 2 different types of beer, what would you suggest? Mind you, Im not asking what you prefer or like, but perhaps 2 different styles or methods of brewing I should get my feet wet with... All Grain I suppose I can hold off until I get the full grasp of the more basic approach... but are there any other methods I should try?

I'm excited for this... but I still need to do some more research on the specifics of each step...

 

[RCCOLA]

You could do a canned kit for your first brew(really easy) and then do an extract/steeping grain brew for your second.Check out Midwest Supplies.They sell a 20min. boil kit that would be great for your first brew.

 

[kahunaman]

I would do 2 extracts - but have one with steeping grains and one something simple- say a stout (steeping grains) and something without any grain steeping..

From Austin:
Double Chocolate Stout (its a favorite on these message boards... I have it going right now. its got some grain steeping involved but otherwise not too bad)
Austin Homebrew Supply

And pick something fun.
remember - avoid lagers and bocks till you've done some ales. The temp regulation will confuse things for your first batches.

 

[winzerz]

go to the store and pick a few craft brews to try out

hey you need the bottles anyway

find a style you like and get a kit that makes that style

then learn that waiting is the hardest part

:rockin:

 

[BillyVegas]

So- after some more reading, and finally ruling out all grain as a first brewing options- I see one glaring difference in the "Beginners" brewing methods. LME and DME.

So, If I'm working with LME- which I would assume I'm doing in my first batch- I'm thinking a great test would be to make an identical brew with DME- just so I can get a gauge on the difference in flavors brought to the table with these two methods.

So- your thoughts and perhaps recipe suggestions on doing identical LME and DME brews?

Maybe I'm off and this isn't a good idea or possible, but I think it's a great way to start getting my bearings on the impact of subtleties on these options.

Thought?

 

[ifishsum]

IMO extract is extract, unless you're dealing with old or canned LME there shouldn't be much taste difference. If you have to order your supplies and have them shipped, I'd choose dry because shipping should be less, and you don't have to worry about it's condition so much. If there's a LHBS nearby that sells bulk LME, I'd get that because it's cheaper and usually fresh.

 

[BillyVegas]

The IS a LHBS store near me in Freehold, NJ- but Im yet to visit. I suppose I'll go check it out and see what they have while I'm still investigating all these things.

 

[bmorris1]

Billy,
I use that store as well. Thats where I first brewed, and purchased my starter kit. I have also been getting my extract recipes from there. I've been very happy with the results. I would definitely check out what they have to offer.

 

[BillyVegas]

Allright- Jersey Shore heads... thats what I like to see.

I'll check it out sometime soon- maybe tomorrow before I hit Court Jester in Freehold to meet the Ommegang guys...

 

[kahunaman]

Allright- Jersey Shore heads... thats what I like to see.

I'll check it out sometime soon- maybe tomorrow before I hit Court Jester in Freehold to meet the Ommegang guys...

I went to Ommegang over the summer.
The guys working there were dicks.
no offense or anything, but they really were.

 

[BillyVegas]

Glad I'm not heading up to Cooperstown then... one of their reps is coming to a bar in the area...
The reps are hit or miss... surprisingly the most impressive one so far was the Sam Adams rep... he was pretty knowledgeable and a pretty cool dude. Seemed to know a lot about Sam Adams itself... as opposed to some of these reps who are practically just guys filling in from a temp agency or something it would seem.
I would hope Ommegang would send out some knowledgeable and awesome people to represent... I suppose we shall see.