What would you tell yourself?

[AaronBeers]

Thanks ill certainly do that - I'm no stranger too or anything vs doing my own research but it hard to research what you dont know you need to research in the first place! Ive got sevral other hobbies where equipment could be useful in someway to brewing and thing i could set something up to regulate temp of the FV fairly easily

With the oxeygen systems is it something you set running just as the beginning and does it have to be o2? would say 50% o2 be okay?

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah, the temp I replied about is internal fermenter temp, not ambient.

 

[AaronBeers]

Will have to look a lot more into the temps but ive a few ideas all ready of how i could regulate it it!

OH, MOST IMPORTANTLY: Start planning batch number 2 right now!

Batch two already planned and going to pick up supplies on Friday!

 

[Queequeg]

take out another mortage

 

[BrewingTravisty]

Current Me: Hey, man, how's it going? So, uh, I know you are *really* into this new hobby, and there's lots of cool things to learn and make and do, but you should really think about toning it down a bit. You know, especially around the family. I heard through the grapevine that they're getting all about beer stuff. You know, how you keep going on and on about this and that? Maybe just try to hold that inside a little bit more?


Previous Me: What? I can't hear you over how AWESOME this hobby is!

This is a good one lol I'm constantly telling myself before talking to anyone "don't tell them what you learned today about brewing... They just don't realize how amazing it is!"

And then I fail because 5 minutes in I'm like "so I heard about this new wild yeast they found that blah blablah blah, blah blah, blah." and I watch in wonder as their eyes glaze over... And then I continue for the next 30 minutes to talk about the new recipe I'm going to brew this weekend.


And then they realize that I've got 20 gallons of alcohol in some stage of fermentation/aging and another 20 ready to drink and I'm probably going to get at least 3 AA books for Christmas.

 

[Schol-R-LEA]

Don't let the dangly bits fool you, you are a woman after all. Deal with it.

Seeing how I am only just dealing with it now, and still not entirely sure if I am making a mistake or not yet, I think that some early notice would have helped.

 

[unionrdr]

Too late, to turn back now!...So many beers, so little cash...

 

[bucfan1234]

I would tell go back and tell myself:

1. Get a burner, any burner and move the whole operation outside, away from the kitchen. There is less to clean up, your wife will be so much happier and you can smoke cigars while you brew.

2. All grain brewing with full volume boils is really not difficult. You can do it with next to no additional equipment. Its cheaper, and so far, the beer tastes better.

3. You can make a 50' immersion chiller for about $35 or 40 with soft copper from the plumbing supply house, a couple of hose clamps, some cheap vinyl tube and a hose adapter. That means no more buying bags of ice and trying to chill in the kitchen sink for hours on end (which I hated).

4. Just go ahead and buy a cheap used keg, a co bottle, regulator and a picnic tap. You hate bottling and waiting for the bottles to carb, so just forget the whole mess and move on. PS... Northern Brewer has the whole set up for $99 right now. http://www.northernbrewer.com/promotional-categories/keg-systems-for-just-99

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Hello All

I just wondered - If you could talk to yourself at the start of your home brew hobby / life what advice would you give yourself? What the one thing you wished you knew when you first started?

I'd say "Self, do you REALLY think having 6 taps is a good choice when you are the only beer drinker?"

But that is only to save me the embarrassment of proving my wife right.

 

[UndeadFred]

I'd say "Self, do you REALLY think having 6 taps is a good choice when you are the only beer drinker?"

But that is only to save me the embarrassment of proving my wife right.

Heh.. I have two now, with the ability to quickly expand to four (I have three gas manifold positions and four keg positions all full now)... and I'm the only drinker in the house.

I really want to brew again over Christmas break.. but I'll have to bottle and age!

The problem with buying one keg, is that a year later you have seven...

Fred

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

The problem with buying one keg, is that a year later you have 36...

 

[krackin]

"Those braless babes with the see through tops are going to turn you bad, boy". That was back in '73. I was in high school.

I'm still in high school, graduate next year if I'm lucky. My advice is to look at today's 'babes' then look back 40 years.

 

[Tactical-Brewer]

Drink more beer... for research purposes... I swear!

 

[slym2none]

"Buy Apple stock at the end of the 70's and the early 1980's. Later, you'll be able to afford whatever beer you want."

 

[jwalk4]

To Me​

Hey, Dummy!

Don't get the 2 gallon pot for brewing one gallon beers and rationalize your purchase by babbling on about 'less space,' when you really want to make 5.5 gallon beers. You're only going to have even less space when you eventually cave and buy the equipment you really want, only now you'll have less money.

Sincerely,

Me

Me

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Patience. It applies to everything. Period.

 

[bkboiler]

edit: double post

 

[bkboiler]

+1 on buying the right equipment the first time.
a proper sized stainless boil kettle is nice to grow into...
a good hydrometer and thermometer is essential to dial in your equipment and process.
don't worry about getting it all right now tho...it's nice to grow into the hobby slowly, I found it's helped me learn a lot, although learning it the hard way is tough sometimes. the benefit is if you start with one gallon batches then you still have the ferm pail and glass jugs later for extract IPA experiments and cider, mead and wine. nice to have for little fun weeknight brews!

 

[UndeadFred]

Okay, you win. I don't think at the current $50/pop I could afford 36! Since only four fit in the keezer that would be quite the stretch...

But I am starting to use them as fermenters now.. so.....

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Okay, you win.

Nah, I got lucky and came across a whole village of them for the price of the scrap.

 

[Rivenin]

1. temperature control
2. Buy/build a damn wort chiller

 

[grevengrevs]

A few things:
1 - Buy the biggest kettle you can find! (well at least enough to do 10 gal)
2 - Fermentation chamber (made my beer 100x better)
3 - Relax, set it and forget it!

 

[schematix]

No drinking until beer is in the fermenter.

That and start buying bigger clothes because you're going to get extremely fat.

 

[Jwin]

Buy a big kettle
Wake up early
Spray bottle sanitation is way easier and cheaper.
Don't partake in your spoils until flame out of the last batch of the day.
Organize your brew day well.

 

[BrewingTravisty]

Just one thing... Don't do that, it'll hurt.


I'll leave the rest to your imaginations.

 

[Firewalker11]

Go electric right away, get a 15 gallon kettle even for 5 gallon batches, go BIAB right away, dont bother with extracts and buy as many kegs as you can when on sale and DON'T buy class 2 or three...

 

[whip]

What would I tell myself . . . . Hold on to something tight ! ! ! ! It's gonna be a GREAT ride ! ! ! ! WoooooooHooooooooo ! ! ! !

I started with a simple $90 equipment kit for brewing extract kits. And now, 2 larger boil kettles, 2 propane burners, 48 quart mash tun, 15 cases of porcilin capped bottles and untold $$$$ later, I'm still looking at more equipment to brew something bigger !!!

Of course the people here (myself included) are all enablers ! ! ! I have found nothing but great people here willing to freely give their time and knowledge to help a fledgling brewer over the humps.

 

[unionrdr]

A lil sumpthin' mom posted above the wall phone that should always be remembered; Be sure brain is engaged before putting mouth in gear!...how many times have our brains been in the right place, only to realize, " I didn't say it right"?

 

[Clarke]

1)SMaSH beer, lots of SMaSH beer. Learn the process first, you will be surprised at how good a SMaSH beer can be and how different you can make beer just by changing time of certain step of the same ingrediants.

2)Clean and dry your equipment after every use, and put it away.

3)Stay organized, so you are not looking for something when you need it.

4)Don't get drunk on brew day, because by the end of the brew your care level drops and 2&3 go out the window.

5)Learn your system, your system will make different beer than my system from the same recipe, Every brewer and system is different.

6)This is a long term hobby not a short term beer, so don't stress if you mess up, there is more beer to make, and knowing what not to do is just a valuable as knowing what to do, take lots of notes.

7)get ready to make lots of friends, people like beer - who knew

8) enjoy the journey

 

[madscientist451]

I guess another title for this thread could be what I wish I knew then what I know now.
There are a lot of things but I'll boil it down to two.
1. "Brewing" the beer, or the cooking part is important to get right, but fermentation is equally or more important. You need to start with a fermentable wort, but many off flavors can be produced in a poor or incomplete fermentaion.
2. Making a lot of homebrew leads to drinking a lot of homebrew. I was brewing every other week when I started and drinking lots of beer. Adding flab one pint at a time is easy, taking it off isn't so easy.