Newbie needs help

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Austin4brew

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I have been an avid beer drinker for quite some time and on my most recent birthday I took the plunge and bought some home brewing equipment. I want to brew my first batch tonight and have everything I need (I think). I was just wondering if any experienced brewmaster out there might point me in the right direction as far as how to start and what to do. I have the receipe and ingredients for an English Brown Ale and am eager to get started. Anybody out there want to help a nervous first timer? Please???:mug:
 
Step 1. Relax.
Step 2. Make sure everything is clean and sanitized, but don't get stressed.
Step 3. Relax.

It's a lot harder to really screw up than most people believe. Hell, if *I* can make a good beer, anybody can.

What are you brewing?
 
You could get 10 replies and probably hear 10 different things that might make you even more nervous! A quick and simple overview of the process can be found at John Palmer's www.howtobrew.com. Good luck and let us know how it went!
 
Hello,

Welcome aboard. I recommend spending a bit of time to read of few posts (search on top right of screen) on this site, and the article below. It will greatly help to make your first beer a good one. It outlines info from beginner to advanced. Cleanliness/sanitation are probably the most important things to get used to when starting.

What type of equipement do you have?

http://www.howtobrew.com/
 
the_bird said:
What are you brewing?

Um, english brown ale, like he said.

Do a bit of reading if you haven't already. Don't brew anything until you have a complete plan in your mind, or better yet written down. Yes, brewing beer is fun and easy, and not worth getting worked up about. BUT you must understand what you're doing and why you are doing it!

Check out www.howtobrew.com and start reading. Delaying the brew for a couple days until you understand more about what you're doing will mean the difference between a fun, rewarding hobby and a dissapointing, messy torture session.

That being said, we're always here to help!
 
Can I be the 4th person in a row to suggest reading www.howtobrew.com ??? :p

Even better, pick up the book version. Take heed to the relax part. It's a fairly simple process. Take your time and make sure eerything that touches the finished beer is clean and sanitized. Good Luck!
 
My first brew was also an English Brown Ale, a brewer's best kit. It was terrific- tasted even better than Newcastle. It's gone now, but now forgotten!

If your kit is a Brewer's Best kit, you'll do fine just by following the instructions. Use a thermometer if you have one, because 150 degrees is hard to judge the first time, as is "boiling". I used an old candy thermometer. After you steep the grains ( if that's your recipe), remove them and turn the heat up and heat it to boiling. Remove it from heat when you add the malt extract (so it doesn't scorch) and stir until dissolved and then turn it back on to high and bring it to a boil. (I scorched mine a little the first time).

The way I see it, one of the most important things is to chill the wort quickly. You can do this by putting ice water in your sink or a bag of ice in the tub and bring the temperature down to 70 degrees from boiling as quickly as possible. I can do this in less than 15 minutes by the ice/sink method. When the water warms up, just put more cold in.

good luck and welcome to the most addicting hobby known to man.

Lorena
 
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