Hi my name is Sean, I am about to get into brewing for a hobby and to pass by time, also to be able to do stuff that will allow my wife and i to be able to spend more time together. Does anyone have any pointers or anything for me? anything is greatly appreciated.
new to brewing
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flars
Well-Known Member
Welcome
Brewing is a lot of fun. There can be frustrations also.
Some quick pointers:
Sanitation is important. Starsan is a great sanitizer.
PBW is a great cleaner.
Never use water with chlorine or chloramine.
Controlling the temperature of the wort is necessary. Look up your yeasts optimum temperature range.
Secondaries aren't necessary except for additions.
A hydrometer for specific gravity readings is a necessary tool.
A good thermometer is needed for partial mash kits.
Keep your beer in the primary until fully fermented and time for the yeast to clean up.
Use a calculator to determine how many yeast cells need to be pitched. Brewers Friend site has a number of useful calculators.
Very important. Some instructions that come with an ingredient kit are generic. They need to be modified especially if they give a timeline for brewing. Yeast work at their own speed. They can't be rushed.
It is great to brew a beer style you like, but not generally available to purchase. Have fun.
Brewing is a lot of fun. There can be frustrations also.
Some quick pointers:
Sanitation is important. Starsan is a great sanitizer.
PBW is a great cleaner.
Never use water with chlorine or chloramine.
Controlling the temperature of the wort is necessary. Look up your yeasts optimum temperature range.
Secondaries aren't necessary except for additions.
A hydrometer for specific gravity readings is a necessary tool.
A good thermometer is needed for partial mash kits.
Keep your beer in the primary until fully fermented and time for the yeast to clean up.
Use a calculator to determine how many yeast cells need to be pitched. Brewers Friend site has a number of useful calculators.
Very important. Some instructions that come with an ingredient kit are generic. They need to be modified especially if they give a timeline for brewing. Yeast work at their own speed. They can't be rushed.
It is great to brew a beer style you like, but not generally available to purchase. Have fun.
bigken462
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Do not under any circumstance let your wife see you trash her kitchen, scratch the counter tops/stove, or spill beer onto the carpet. Give her your credit card, encourage her to go shopping with her friends while you perfect your procedures. Only when you got the steps down should you let her see you brew. Lol
My house was a absolute disaster the first time I brewed. Had there been a wife involved, it would have caused a divorce and I would have been evicted to the doghouse with the pup.
Never underestimate the power of a enraged wife when you destroy her kitchen. lol Aside from that, welcome to the hobby and have fun!!!
My house was a absolute disaster the first time I brewed. Had there been a wife involved, it would have caused a divorce and I would have been evicted to the doghouse with the pup.
Never underestimate the power of a enraged wife when you destroy her kitchen. lol Aside from that, welcome to the hobby and have fun!!!
Hopinista
Well-Known Member
Also, do NOT drink during your first brew day. Trust me on this one 
MarathonMurse
Well-Known Member
SWMBO LOVES brew day at our house. She likes beer well enough, but loves that I end up doing all the dishes, wiping down the counters, and leaving the kitchen crazy clean.
To the OP- get another hobby. This one works best if you have something else to do that lets you forget about your fermentor(s) for weeks at a time.
I'd go through one of the books that you find on Amazon when searching homebrewing at least once before brewing your first batch if you can do it. My friends and I had such an incomplete knowledge of brewing during our first brew that everything took far too long and left us scratching our heads and praying the results would be fine. I'm happy to say that now that is not the case.
If you are starting with extract brews, it will typically take you 3 hours. Plan on twice that for your first batch - it will probably be less. Also, do everything reasonable to maintain constant ideal fermenting temperatures and yeast pitching rates - a pack of rehydrated dry yeast per 5 gallons or a simple yeast starter for wet pack yeasts (always check the best by date!). Those two things alone have contributed to more predictability and reproducibility in my brews than any other thing (except for maybe consistency of grain crush for all-grain brewing).
If you are starting with extract brews, it will typically take you 3 hours. Plan on twice that for your first batch - it will probably be less. Also, do everything reasonable to maintain constant ideal fermenting temperatures and yeast pitching rates - a pack of rehydrated dry yeast per 5 gallons or a simple yeast starter for wet pack yeasts (always check the best by date!). Those two things alone have contributed to more predictability and reproducibility in my brews than any other thing (except for maybe consistency of grain crush for all-grain brewing).
I thank all of you for the pointers and heads ups ha please if you have any more please keep them coming. I would love to learn more about brewing before i actually get started and mess something up.
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Hopinista
Well-Known Member
Messing up is part of the learning process. You will mess up. But you'll learn from it so don't worry
I'd have to say at this point the best/easiest would be a pale ale or cream ale.
Then a pale ale or IPA kit would be good for you. Although the pale ale kits will be cheaper. Prices go up quick on IPA's,since they're still really popular. Then there's AE (All Extract) & E/SG (Extract with Steeping Grains) to consider. Either way,we can help you through it!
dadshomebrew
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I would suggest going with an easy and fast kit that will get you drinking homebrew asap. Something like a cream ale, kolsch, pale ale etc. Ask anyone here, the two weeks waiting for your first beer to ferment and then the 3 weeks to carb are agony.
And start saving bottles.
And start saving bottles.
Also, do NOT drink during your first brew day. Trust me on this one
also watch the one after your first batch is ready
Hopinista
Well-Known Member
Yeah like unionrdr said, start with something simple like a pale ale, or a cream ale, even an American Wheat. Don't overthink it. Just remember to have fun. It's easy to get stressed and it's happened to me in the past. It really ruins the fun in the process. RDWHAHB are good words to live by
Oh yeah,we're all like expectant fathers all over again with that first brew. I was no different. Just ask yooper or revvy.
GHBWNY
Well-Known Member
Hey, and welcome aboard! As flars indicated, having the right basic equipment is a must. SS brew pot, digital thermometer, racking cane & tubing, bottles, crowns and bottle capper (unless you're kegging, of course) are a few more items you might need. You're obviously not afraid to ask questions, which is a good thing. I can only imagine the number of beginners that mess up their first attempt and don't know where to go to find answers and get discouraged and quit. You'll find an answer to every question you'll ever have here at HBTF.
Also, re: what kind of beer to start with, if you have a local homebrew store, they can help you. A lot of folks start with a kit that contains liquid malt extract (LME). The advantage of LME is that a lot of the complicated steps of more advanced brewing have been done for you and put in a can. You'll have a lot to think about during your first brew, so make it easy on yourself just to get the hang of it.
Hopinista
Well-Known Member
You're probably going to start with extract, you can do partial boils on the stove. You won't need a burner to start
I still do partial boils on the stove top,& I've gone from kit-n-kilo brews to pb/pm biab (Partial Boil,Partial Mash Brew In A Bag) in the same 5 gallon SS kettle I started with. But I got aftermarket electric stove heating elements on amazon that go from mash temp to boil in about 18 minutes with 3.5 gallons in it. A 5 gallon stainless steel stock pot is great to start with.
MindenMan
Well-Known Member
Welcome to your new addiction. My first batch was a partial grain and extract Amber Ale. Brew I A Bag "BIAB" kits are fairly easy to do, but remember a few things: after the grain bag is out of the steep water, AND the heat is turned off, then add the extract, stir like crazy, and then turn the heat back on, and stir some more.
I read every home brew book I could get my hands on, and still had terms that I didn't comprehend, but asking questions here was a real lifesaver. Okay, beer saver, but you get the point.
I read every home brew book I could get my hands on, and still had terms that I didn't comprehend, but asking questions here was a real lifesaver. Okay, beer saver, but you get the point.
dadshomebrew
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Not sure what you have yet for equipment but I started with one of these.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits
There are so many home brew specific tools bits and pieces that it was easier (for me) to just get a good kit that came with all the basics. Most homebrew shops will sell something similar.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits
There are so many home brew specific tools bits and pieces that it was easier (for me) to just get a good kit that came with all the basics. Most homebrew shops will sell something similar.
Hopinista
Well-Known Member
I started with the Northern Brewer deluxe kit and was glad I did. Good value and they even give you an extract kit with it
dadshomebrew
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Word. I got the deluxe too. When that box showed up at my door I was like a kid at christmas.
I still have a bottle or too of caribou slobber in my basement. Its probably caribou vinegar by now.
I still have a bottle or too of caribou slobber in my basement. Its probably caribou vinegar by now.
Hopinista
Well-Known Member
Haha that was 5 years ago and I still have fond memories. NB has great customer service, so they're the only online brew shop I buy from. I went with the American Wheat. Which I fermented too high and hated. But you can bet I drank every bottle lol
Also, do NOT drink during your first brew day. Trust me on this one
Haha, when I first started a couple months ago I was told I HAD to drink on my first brew day to appease the beer gods. I probably got too drunk and didn't make as good of a beer as I could have but it was still a lot of fun and I learned a lot. I still drink on brew day.
Hopinista
Well-Known Member
Haha, when I first started a couple months ago I was told I HAD to drink on my first brew day to appease the beer gods. I probably got too drunk and didn't make as good of a beer as I could have but it was still a lot of fun and I learned a lot. I still drink on brew day.
Drinking makes me impatient. Bad for brewing. I abstain until after I pitch yeast. Then it's a free for all
justwingit
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Also, clean as you go, makes the total cleanup at the end way easier
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
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After an oops that turned out (luckily)to be a happy accident,I wait now till yeast is pitched & I'm sitting down to check my gravity reading for my notes.
Hopinista
Well-Known Member
I'm so with you on that. My first three batches would have been way better if I wasn't drinking. My first batch I got impatient while cooling and pitched at 85F
HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
Patience is key, in my opinion, because you really have to take it slow and think ahead. Even small decisions like, "I'm going to cover the fermenting bucket with some aluminum foil after I pour this cooled wort into it" doesn't seem like a big deal, but when you make the mistake to unroll the foil over the open and full fermentor and while you unroll the foil you accidentally drop the box of tin foil in the wort, that's a bad mistake that could easily be avoided with a little patience and thinking. Whoops.
Also, plan ahead big time. I create a detailed checklist for the day - everything from the temperatures you'll need to maintain, to the time of the hop additions, to when to start preparing the fermenting bucket to be clean. This is true when you are thinking of brewing a new homebrew too, because you want to plan ahead to what you are doing - IE. you don't want to start making a Pumpkin ale in mid-October.
Lastly, I would really suggest keeping a good notebook. I take notes on my checklist (see above paragraph) during the brew day, and usually a day later I sit down and write everything I did into a beer journal. Everything from ingredients, to the time it took for me to get my water heated to a boil, to where I placed certain equipment in the kitchen, to when I started cleaning certain items. Small stuff like that helps you become more efficient and learn how to improve. Each time I brew I look back in my journal to see what I did on previous beers, and improve from there.
Have fun. I enjoy a homebrew after each brew day is finished and I have cleaned up.
Also, plan ahead big time. I create a detailed checklist for the day - everything from the temperatures you'll need to maintain, to the time of the hop additions, to when to start preparing the fermenting bucket to be clean. This is true when you are thinking of brewing a new homebrew too, because you want to plan ahead to what you are doing - IE. you don't want to start making a Pumpkin ale in mid-October.
Lastly, I would really suggest keeping a good notebook. I take notes on my checklist (see above paragraph) during the brew day, and usually a day later I sit down and write everything I did into a beer journal. Everything from ingredients, to the time it took for me to get my water heated to a boil, to where I placed certain equipment in the kitchen, to when I started cleaning certain items. Small stuff like that helps you become more efficient and learn how to improve. Each time I brew I look back in my journal to see what I did on previous beers, and improve from there.
Have fun. I enjoy a homebrew after each brew day is finished and I have cleaned up.
flars
Well-Known Member
http://www.northernbrewer.com/start...=NBHomepage&ici=BrewmasterHOMEBREWINGKIT_Tile
Add a hydrometer, required equipment.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/beer-and-wine-triple-scale-hydrometer.html For original gravity measurements.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/lad-grade-hydrometer-980-1-020.html For precise final gravity measurements.
Sanitizer. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/star-san.html
Cleaner. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/powdered-brewery-wash.html
Bench capper. Easier to use than wing capper. Keep the wing capper as a back up.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/super-agata-bench-capper.html
Fermometer to track fermentation temperature.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/fermometer.html
Strainer for removing hop debris during pour into fermentor. Sparging grains for a partial mash recipe.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/double-mesh-stainless-strainer.html
Stirring spoon during boil. Get two. Plastic will not scratch stainless steel.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/28-plastic-spoon.html
Boil kettle.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-Style-22-Quart-Covered-Stockpot/19581118
Pick up food grade buckets from local deli to use for general cleaning and sanitizing.
Some of these items can be found for less on other sites.
Add a hydrometer, required equipment.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/beer-and-wine-triple-scale-hydrometer.html For original gravity measurements.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/lad-grade-hydrometer-980-1-020.html For precise final gravity measurements.
Sanitizer. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/star-san.html
Cleaner. http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/powdered-brewery-wash.html
Bench capper. Easier to use than wing capper. Keep the wing capper as a back up.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/super-agata-bench-capper.html
Fermometer to track fermentation temperature.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/fermometer.html
Strainer for removing hop debris during pour into fermentor. Sparging grains for a partial mash recipe.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/double-mesh-stainless-strainer.html
Stirring spoon during boil. Get two. Plastic will not scratch stainless steel.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/28-plastic-spoon.html
Boil kettle.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-Style-22-Quart-Covered-Stockpot/19581118
Pick up food grade buckets from local deli to use for general cleaning and sanitizing.
Some of these items can be found for less on other sites.
