Thoughts/input for a newbie getting into the hobby

[Bobby_M]

I think it's imperative to give up on the idea of carbonating the beers in the fermenter and then bottling them. It IS something that people do, but it's not an easy process. The beer needs to be nearly freezing. You'll also need a CO2 tank and regulator to make it happen. Once you're at that point you might as well carb and dispense from kegs.

 

[AlbertaBeer]

I think it's imperative to give up on the idea of carbonating the beers in the fermenter and then bottling them. It IS something that people do, but it's not an easy process. The beer needs to be nearly freezing. You'll also need a CO2 tank and regulator to make it happen. Once you're at that point you might as well carb and dispense from kegs.

Like I’ve said, I already have co2 and regulator onhand, so it’s no extra expense to use co2 (already pay rental on the bottle and the gas is super cheap). Again probably not something I’ll get into right away but why not use it if I’ve got it?

 

[Bobby_M]

Like I’ve said, I already have co2 and regulator onhand, so it’s no extra expense to use co2 (already pay rental on the bottle and the gas is super cheap). Again probably not something I’ll get into right away but why not use it if I’ve got it?

Sorry I missed that. I didn't read every post in the thread. I stand by my recommendation unless you plan to have a way to get the fermenter extremely cold prior to bottling.

 

[hotbeer]

We’re cheap lager drinkers (typical canuks lol), but we go through ALOT of beer (hey it’s usually a 10+ man crew throwing back a few pops at the end of the day!)

Like a lot of hobbies, I wouldn't say brewing my own beer is cheaper than just buying it in a store.

However making your own malt from the grain you grow already might give you a slight advantage when you get to that point.

 

[AlbertaBeer]

Sorry I missed that. I didn't read every post in the thread. I stand by my recommendation unless you plan to have a way to get the fermenter extremely cold prior to bottling.

I’d have to do some figuring but I don’t see it requiring a huge amount of btu to drop a 5-10gal batch down cold enough to bottle it. Not to mention we don’t have a super hot climate so generally I’d only be looking at a 20°c temp drop. Even on warmer days my toy shop stays pretty cool.

Definitely something I can deal with fairly easily, I have a fairly decent stockpile of a/c components (compressors/condensers/evaporators/ect), I could put together a chiller system for nothing but a little time and parts off the shelf. I’m pretty sure it would be completely overkill as most of these components are 30,000+btu capable.

But again, not something I’d do right out of the gate, maybe later down the road. Not really a hurdle I’m too worried about

 

[AlbertaBeer]

Like a lot of hobbies, I wouldn't say brewing my own beer is cheaper than just buying it in a store.

However making your own malt from the grain you grow already might give you a slight advantage when you get to that point.

Yea it probably isn’t any cheaper for the most part especially if a guy drops 3k+ on equipment. But if we were able to eventually use nearly all of our own ingredients it would definitely lower cost. Also the 14% increase on liquor tax they’re putting in this week helps the argument

 

[IslandLizard]

Yea it probably isn’t any cheaper for the most part especially if a guy drops 3k+ on equipment.

When I started kegging we were drinking "$30 homebrew pints" for awhile too. And they were well worth it!

But with time it has come down mostly to the cost of ingredients, and some electricity. Buying grain by the sack and hops in 8-16 oz packages keeps that cost down.

When we suggest a new brewer starting with brewing a few kits, we do not necessarily mean extract kits. All-grain kits are offered too by many vendors or piecemeal a few together at a local homebrew store (LHBS).

Many processes in extract brewing are the same as in all-grain brewing, except for steeping certain malts and dissolving malt extract (syrup or powder) vs. producing wort from malt and other grains.

Most ready-to-go kits, both extract and all-grain, come with instructions, alas, usually very basic or even poorly written. All in an effort to make it (look) simple...

My suggestion for reading John Palmer's How to Brew, 4th Ed. before brewing or buying anything was not meant as a deterrent to start homebrewing, or force you to read it. Just keep in mind, it's a wonderful resource and reference for homebrewing.

Aside from it being a long, mostly abstract read, many chapters and topics won't make much sense until you've a brewed a few times, or want to know more of the nitty gritty details of how and what, most of it is all there. You may skip or skim as you see fit.

For a quick overview, there's a free online version of the (fairly old and dated) 1st Edition on the web at: howtobrew.com.

As others have mentioned, if reading isn't your path to quick learning, there are very good and valuable online alternatives. Our forums is among one of those.

Apology note:
I meant to write this last night if it weren't for the electricity in our larger neighborhood to go out. We also had a snapped power line lying in our yard, not sure what exactly caused that.
It all came back on a couple hours ago, and the line is back up.

 

[bwible]

Hey guys, total newbie here for the home brewing. Been doing a bunch of reading and watching videos and all that fun stuff and there’s just so many different ways to do it that it’s hard to decide!

We farm in northern Alberta and I’d like to start brewing with the cereals we grow. Typically on any given year we crop 2 different varieties of malt barley and 1-2 varieties of wheat (I’ve had some wheat beer before and wasn’t really a fan of it, but I’ll try some anyways) so I will have some different ingredients to play with. I haven’t looked much into growing hops in our climate but if they will produce I would definitely grow some hops just to say they came from the property too!

Anyways I’m still up in the air over what kind of equipment I’m going to go with. I’m definitely one of those guys that wants to spend the money up front and do it ‘right’ so it’s not going to be Home Depot buckets, but I also don’t want to throw money away on something unnecessary.

I’ve been thinking about going with a 10.5 foundry as electric brewing is definitely the way I want to go, it sounds like a decent unit and is relatively cheap. I’m thinking about going with a unitank (probably blichmann g4), mostly because I like the idea of being able to ferment, carbonate and then bottle from one unit.

Im pretty well decided on bottling rather than keg, it’s a bit of a pain I’m sure but simpler and more sanitary imo than a dozen dirty and sweaty guys fiddling with a tap lol

Any thoughts, suggestions, input?

I have the smaller Anvil Foundry, the 6.5. I primarily brew 3 gallon batches. I didn’t see anybody mention it, but one consideration for the 10.5 is you probably want a 220v outlet. The 6.5 runs pretty well on regular house current but I’m making a smaller batch.

Most of the recipes out there are based on a 5 gallon batch. You get about 10 bottles per gallon, so a 5 gallon batch will be about 50 bottles. 12 oz bottles. My 3 gallons ends up being right about a case plus a 6 pack each time, which is plenty for me.

I scaled down because I don’t drink it quick enough and I like variety. By the time you brew (4) 5 gallon batches you’ve made 200 bottles of beer. Thats over 8 cases of 4 different beers. Who goes to the store and buys 2 cases of the same beer?

Its also a consideration that you’ll be cleaning, sanitizing, filling, and capping 50 bottles each time. Many of us keg using soda kegs. One keg to clean, sanitize and fill is much easier.

Each of us does something a little different, whether you want to fill bottles, make a freezer conversion for dispense , or buy a kegerator and set it up for homebrew kegs which is very simple to do.

My advice is to figure out how much beer you will go through and how quickly. Will it be mostly you drinking it, how many family and friends do you think you might be supplying, how often do you have people over and/or have parties, etc.

Yeah we’d all love to have a barrel sized brewery, but what good does that do if you have no outlet for the beer and it goes off before you can drink it?

Also what kind of beer do you like and would you like to brew? Temperature control is important and much more so if you want to make lagers. Making lagers is an entirely different process from making ales.

Brewing is also not really a way to save money on beer. Quite the opposite by the time you buy and learn everything its quite an investment of time and money.

Just my thoughts and where I’m at.

 

[GoodTruble]

To clean the fermzilla all-rounders, I rinse with warm (not hot) water and wipe the inside with fragrant free dish soap and paper towels. If you use paper towels (or something soft) you won't scratch it.

 

[AlbertaBeer]

When I started kegging we were drinking "$30 homebrew pints" for awhile too. And they were well worth it!

But with time it has come down mostly to the cost of ingredients, and some electricity. Buying grain by the sack and hops in 8-16 oz packages keeps that cost down.

When we suggest a new brewer starting with brewing a few kits, we do not necessarily mean extract kits. All-grain kits are offered too by many vendors or piecemeal a few together at a local homebrew store (LHBS).

Many processes in extract brewing are the same as in all-grain brewing, except for steeping certain malts and dissolving malt extract (syrup or powder) vs. producing wort from malt and other grains.

Most ready-to-go kits, both extract and all-grain, come with instructions, alas, usually very basic or even poorly written. All in an effort to make it (look) simple...

My suggestion for reading John Palmer's How to Brew, 4th Ed. before brewing or buying anything was not meant as a deterrent to start homebrewing, or force you to read it. Just keep in mind, it's a wonderful resource and reference for homebrewing.

Aside from it being a long, mostly abstract read, many chapters and topics won't make much sense until you've a brewed a few times, or want to know more of the nitty gritty details of how and what, most of it is all there. You may skip or skim as you see fit.

For a quick overview, there's a free online version of the (fairly old and dated) 1st Edition on the web at: HowtoBrew.com.

As others have mentioned, if reading isn't your path to quick learning, there are very good and valuable online alternatives. Our forums is among one of those.

Apology note:
I meant to write this last night if it weren't for the electricity in our larger neighborhood to go out. We also had a snapped power line lying in our yard, not sure what exactly caused that.
It all came back on a couple hours ago, and the line is back up.

Thanks, yea sitting and reading a book isn’t really my thing lol. Reading around forums and watching YouTube tutorials and such are definitely more my style!

Unfortunately where I am it’s a 2h drive one way to the nearest homebrew shop and they really don’t have a lot there, they cater more to the wine side. The nearest one that really has anything for beer gear is a 4h drive one way. So really nothing is close and readily accessible. I can’t just jump in the truck and run to the store and be back in an hour if I’m missing something lol

I have the smaller Anvil Foundry, the 6.5. I primarily brew 3 gallon batches. I didn’t see anybody mention it, but one consideration for the 10.5 is you probably want a 220v outlet. The 6.5 runs pretty well on regular house current but I’m making a smaller batch.

Most of the recipes out there are based on a 5 gallon batch. You get about 10 bottles per gallon, so a 5 gallon batch will be about 50 bottles. 12 oz bottles. My 3 gallons ends up being right about a case plus a 6 pack each time, which is plenty for me.

I scaled down because I don’t drink it quick enough and I like variety. By the time you brew (4) 5 gallon batches you’ve made 200 bottles of beer. Thats over 8 cases of 4 different beers. Who goes to the store and buys 2 cases of the same beer?

Its also a consideration that you’ll be cleaning, sanitizing, filling, and capping 50 bottles each time. Many of us keg using soda kegs. One keg to clean, sanitize and fill is much easier.

Each of us does something a little different, whether you want to fill bottles, make a freezer conversion for dispense , or buy a kegerator and set it up for homebrew kegs which is very simple to do.

My advice is to figure out how much beer you will go through and how quickly. Will it be mostly you drinking it, how many family and friends do you think you might be supplying, how often do you have people over and/or have parties, etc.

Yeah we’d all love to have a barrel sized brewery, but what good does that do if the beer goes off before you can drink it?

Also what kind of beer do you like and would you like to brew? Temperature control is important and much more so if you want to make lagers. Making lagers is an entirely different process from making ales.

Brewing is also not really a way to save money on beer. Quite the opposite by the time you buy everything its quite an investment of time and money.

Just my thoughts and where I’m at.

Like I’ve said, we go through quite a lot of beer around the shop. Even just between myself and a few buddy’s we can go through a lot just having a night hanging out at my house. 48 beer a night is not out of the ordinary, even when we are working full pin and the crew has only one or 2 beer each at the end of the day that’s 24 beer down the hatch. We don’t usually just go down to the liquor store and pick up a box or 2, we literally order a pallet and believe me it doesn’t sit around long enough to go bad when a dozen guys dig into it I figure a 5gal batch is maybe about right, even when we have a small crew around or on the off season it’s still not going to be sitting around for too long and a guy isn’t constantly having to brew to keep up

Now, I’m not looking to supply beer for every thirsty soul around the area. But the more the merrier if everyone likes it. I definitely dont see scaling it up to bbl sized batches or anything!

I have 100amp 240v service in my toy shop where I want to brew so no issue with power

Also like I’ve mentioned we’re all mostly lager drinkers. So that’s what I want to end up brewing in the end, but I’m thinking I’ll start with some ales before we overcomplicate things right away

 

[bwible]

Thanks, yea sitting and reading a book isn’t really my thing lol. Reading around forums and watching YouTube tutorials and such are definitely more my style!

Unfortunately where I am it’s a 2h drive one way to the nearest homebrew shop and they really don’t have a lot there, they cater more to the wine side. The nearest one that really has anything for beer gear is a 4h drive one way


Thanks, yea sitting and reading a book isn’t really my thing lol. Reading around forums and watching YouTube tutorials and such are definitely more my style!

Unfortunately where I am it’s a 2h drive one way to the nearest homebrew shop and they really don’t have a lot there, they cater more to the wine side. The nearest one that really has anything for beer gear is a 4h drive one way. So really nothing is close and readily accessible. I can’t just jump in the truck and run to the store and be back in an hour if I’m missing something lol



Like I’ve said, we go through quite a lot of beer around the shop. Even just between myself and a few buddy’s we can go through a lot just having a night hanging out at my house. 48 beer a night is not out of the ordinary, even when we are working full pin and the crew has only one or 2 beer each at the end of the day that’s 24 beer down the hatch. We don’t usually just go down to the liquor store and pick up a box or 2, we literally order a pallet and believe me it doesn’t sit around long enough to go bad when a dozen guys dig into it

Now, I’m not looking to supply beer for every thirsty soul around the area. But the more the merrier if everyone likes it. I definitely dont see scaling it up to bbl sized batches or anything!

I have 100amp 240v service in my toy shop where I want to brew so no issue with power

Also like I’ve mentioned we’re all mostly lager drinkers. So that’s what I want to end up brewing in the end, but I’m thinking I’ll start with some ales before we overcomplicate things right away

Great, sounds like you are on the right path.

Making lagers takes longer. Figure 2 weeks for your fermentation. Lager yeast likes it cold, around 50 degrees. Thats what stops some people from making them, not having a dedicated fridge or chamber you can control to 50 degrees. Then after fermentation finishes you transfer the beer to another clean and sanitized fermenter and drop the temp to near freezing, 33 or 34 degrees and it sits that way for about a month before you bottle or keg. High level.

Light lagers are also what they call “naked brewing”. You don’t have anything to hide behind or cover up any off flavors like you would say in a hoppy ale or a dark stout. If anything is wrong with your process, you will definitely know. Most people make lagers after they have some experience brewing other things. But I admire your willingness to jump right in. Honestly, you won’t find it that hard after you’ve done it a couple times.

 

[bwible]

The great thing about the Foundry too is you can control the mash temp and even do step mashes - which is another great tool to have for making lagers.

 

[AlbertaBeer]

That’s all kind of the reason I’m looking at the equipment i am looking at. I can chill the g4 and let it do it’s thing in there. Although that is going to tie up that unit until it’s done. So I’d be waiting or having to get another fermenter if I wanted to make batches in between.

I’ve been looking into doing double batching and going with a 14gal unitank as the price difference from the 7g is negligible. Lots of mixed reviews on doing the double batches and when/how to pitch yeast. But the argument usually always comes down to breweries can make it work so why can’t a home brewer! To me this makes more sense to try and double batch once we’ve figured out a recipe and process that works rather than just going to a larger foundry and losing the ability to still do a 2-3gal batch of I want to. I also haven’t really come across anything to say that an oversized fermenter is a bad thing, say if I was to ferment a 3gal batch in a 14gal fermenter. Other than of course the airspace, but again I’ve got co2 already so its nothing to purge the fermenter and remove air

But hey, if there’s an ale that we enjoy maybe I’d stick to making an ale over lager and I’ll just have a really fancy fermenter that I don’t need

 

[GoodTruble]

Cool fermentation may not be a problem most of the year in Alberta.

 

[AlbertaBeer]

Heat won’t be a huge challenge but it’s still going to be an issue. The toy shop stays fairly cool through the summer as long as the overhead door stays closed but it’s still around 70 in there most of the time on average.

 

[Mutant]

Realize that you will be doing lots of cleaning and sanitizing - this is the unfun part of homebrewing.

 

[AlbertaBeer]

Realize that you will be doing lots of cleaning and sanitizing - this is the unfun part of homebrewing.

Honestly it doesn’t deter me, but it also is a reason I want to just jump into stainless gear. Pop in some cip’s and I can they can handle the bulk of the work rather than spending half a day head first into a pot trying to scrub it down

I don’t know if it really makes that much of a difference in brewing but we used to use a lot of plastic and wood in our meat shop and cleanup with stainless is so much easier and faster.

Of course I haven’t brewed yet, but from anything I’ve been reading/watching basically any kind of contamination whether it’s poor washing or even air is going to be detrimental to the quality of the beer. I just want to try and avoid that whole situation as best as I can before I even start

 

[Dave77]

From one newbie to another, I would suggest staritng with a couple of basic kits, and learn the craft as you go. I watched a lot of videos and read a lot about brewing before I started and thought I was ready to go 'all-in' on the most complicated recipe. A friend talked me into starting with an extract kit, and then a simple all-grain recipe. I'm glad I did, because I learned so much just actually doing it - questions that come up while you're in the middle of brewing can't be compensated for with all the videos/reading in the world. But, I do admire your goal of using your own grains - that would be amazing!

And as far as being in a remote area, there are quite a few really good Canadian shops that have online stores. I'm not sure if listing good shops is allowed on the forum, but I can point you in the right direction for a few really helpfuly places I've ordered from.

Cheers!

 

[AlbertaBeer]

From one newbie to another, I would suggest staritng with a couple of basic kits, and learn the craft as you go. I watched a lot of videos and read a lot about brewing before I started and thought I was ready to go 'all-in' on the most complicated recipe. A friend talked me into starting with an extract kit, and then a simple all-grain recipe. I'm glad I did, because I learned so much just actually doing it - questions that come up while you're in the middle of brewing can't be compensated for with all the videos/reading in the world. But, I do admire your goal of using your own grains - that would be amazing!

And as far as being in a remote area, there are quite a few really good Canadian shops that have online stores. I'm not sure if listing good shops is allowed on the forum, but I can point you in the right direction for a few really helpfuly places I've ordered from.

Cheers!

Thanks. I do intend to start with kits. Probably extract to start then all grain kits and basically slowly work my way up to my final goal.

I just want to make sure I’m set up pretty decent to start with so I don’t have any extra complications or have to keep upgrading components to get to my final goal of all grain lager with our own grains.

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being cheap and not buying what I really need right away and eventually having to buy it anyways. now I’m out even more money because I was trying to be cheap, and probably pissed off because what i started with wasn’t exactly ideal. I’m definitely a buy it once and be done kind of person

If you know of any good shops in northern Alberta please don’t hesitate to pm me if you want. Google isn’t anyways the best for finding places, especially some of the little mom and pop brick and mortar shops that are usually the better places to shop! Shipping is usually a killer for most things so I’d prefer to shop as local as possible

 

[MaxStout]

Thanks. I do intend to start with kits. Probably extract to start then all grain kits and basically slowly work my way up to my final goal.

I think that's a great progression into the hobby. While it's not terribly hard to jump into all-grain right away, there's something to be said for starting out with extract kits. You don't have to worry about recipe building, mash, or water chemistry. You can focus on the boil process, hops additions, chilling the wort, pitching yeast, fermentation control and packaging.

Stepping up to all grain kits, you add the elements of controlling mash temps and water chem (the chemistry is not overly complicated and you can easily get into the ballpark).

Next step is creating your own recipes. This is where the fun really begins. You make the beer you want to make, with your ingredients.

 

[GoodTruble]

Also, remember your end game is different than most people posting here, who are looking to brew 3-15 gallon batches of every type of beer imaginable. Your goal is seemingly to brew just 1-2 good beers using your own malt that your friends and co-workers will like and drink a lot. Fun goal/challenge, but remember that difference as to read info and advice. Not all advice is written/given with that end goal in mind.

 

[AlbertaBeer]

I think that's a great progression into the hobby. While it's not terribly hard to jump into all-grain right away, there's something to be said for starting out with extract kits. You don't have to worry about recipe building, mash, or water chemistry. You can focus on the boil process, hops additions, chilling the wort, pitching yeast, fermentation control and packaging.

Stepping up to all grain kits, you add the elements of controlling mash temps and water chem (the chemistry is not overly complicated and you can easily get into the ballpark).

Next step is creating your own recipes. This is where the fun really begins. You make the beer you want to make, with your ingredients.

Yep, I get starting with all grain kits is really not much different but I’m a true believer in starting simple, get the process down pat then she’s hair straight back from there!

Also, remember your end game is different than most people posting here, who are looking to brew 3-15 gallon batches of every type of beer imaginable. Your goal is seemingly to brew just 1-2 good beers using your own malt that your friends and co-workers will like and drink a lot. Fun goal/challenge, but remember that difference as to read info and advice. Not all advice is written/given with that end goal in mind.

Yes that’s been fairly obvious haha. Which by all means were all in it for different things. None of us are real beer connoisseurs here so I’ll be less focused on making every recipe under the sun, but perfecting one or 2 in larger 5-10g batches. But don’t get me wrong i will definitely be doing some experimenting in the off-season when fiddling around with a couple gallon batch is going to keep up to demand

The more I’m thinking about it, the more I want to try and make kegs work though

 

[IslandLizard]

The more I’m thinking about it, the more I want to try and make kegs work though

You're catching on quickly. Think of it being one large bottle to clean, fill, and carbonate.

Us, homebrewers use mostly Corny kegs, not Sanke kegs. The latter being the kegs of trade for commercial breweries.
The main reason is: cleaning of Cornies is much easier. You could check around for good used Corny kegs in local markets. Or just buy a couple new ones.

 

[ExpatPete]

Is that on an audiobook somewhere? I honestly have way too much adhd to sit and read a 600 page book

I am also a new brewer (7th and 8th batches are lagering and bottle conditioning respectively). I strongly second the suggestion to get Palmer's How To Brew book. You don't sit down and read it end to end, I use it as a reference as I prep and on brew day. Chapter 11 "How to Brew Lager Beer" was worth the book by itself.

 

[IslandLizard]

Is that on an audiobook somewhere? I honestly have way too much adhd to sit and read a 600 page book

Not that I know of or have found in web searches.

But there are videos of him addressing several brew processes:
https://www.homebrewersassociation....er/how-to-brew-video-series-with-john-palmer/

 

[T Murph]

@AlbertaBeer you have been given a lot of good info here. I know it is a lot to digest. I urge you seek out several on line videos on homebrewing before starting to build your brewery. I see from your comments that you don't know other local homebrewers but I bet there are some you just haven't found yet. Either way, the knowledge you will gain by watching others actually go through a brew day is immeasurable. It will behoove you to watch others brew be it in person or via videos.

I admire your desire to invest in quality equipment right from the start. You will not regret that decision. Do your research and buy equipment that will last a life time and perform the functions to fulfill your needs. While certain inexpensive plastic fermenters are capable of doing a good job their life expectancy is short in comparison to stainless fermenters. I'm impressed with the fermzilla, it offers a couple of good functions a plastic bucket can never do. But it pails in comparison to a Conical.

Additionally spare yourself the labor, frustration and disappointment with bottles. With a dozen beer drinking buddies a 5 gallon batch (48 - 50 bottles)
will last ONE session. Kegging involves far less labor, is easy to maintain sanitation and taste better (I don't care who says otherwise). Now a 5 gal keg will also only last one session. But it is much easier to produce. As with brewing itself you will learn how to keep the pipe line in motion.

Welcome to the madness we call a hobby! Go ahead, jump in. But remember once you slide off that slippery slope into homebrewing, there is no return.

Cheers

 

[AlbertaBeer]

Unfortunately (we’ll, not really unfortunate lol) I don’t live in a densely populated area so there a no clubs or anything of the sort.

Just a few ‘locals’ that make wine and a couple that make shine lol. Doesn’t seem to be anyone nearby that does beer so I think it’s all on you guys and YouTube for teaching

 

[mac_1103]

Just a few ‘locals’ that make wine and a couple that make shine lol.

So if you ever make a totally undrinkable batch of beer you can distill it instead of dumping it.

 

[AlbertaBeer]

So if you ever make a totally undrinkable batch of beer you can distill it instead of dumping it.

One of the guys that usually makes wine tried a extract beer kit last year, it ended up going over to the still. It was poop lol

 

[beren]

If you have family in populated areas I would highly recommend you keep an eye on craigslist or similar for people selling entire brew setups for real cheap. I check every week or 2 for deals, but if you are in more rural/remote areas that may not be an option.