Who is this guy??? lol

[RScottyL]

As mentioned earlier, I got into this by watching CraigTube, as well as Mieces 2Pieces, and seeing how easy it is to start out with very basic equipment.

Anyway, I decided to start making my own videos, in the spirit of CT and M2P:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqSwiIIpFR8]Home Brew - Real Ale - Part 1[/ame]

 

[chefchris]

I'll just place my 2 cents right here.

The thing I'm concerned about is new guys thinking this is the way to do it. Sure, we can all be PC and say, "well if he likes it...", but he's more than liking it, he's making ****ing instructional videos. Let's be honest, that beer has to taste like ****. I don't want new guys that could go very far in this hobby seeing these videos, trying it out and quitting after one batch because it sucks ass.

 

[andysim]

that guy also creeped me out just a tiny bit....l

I'm pretty sure he lives in his mom's basement too.

 

[Hegh]

Well, people on this board made the "I am a homebrewer" video, perhaps we should make some instructional videos on how to *actually* do it.

I know a number of members have posted recordings of how they do it, but has anyone tried to do a real instructional video?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I'll just place my 2 cents right here.

The thing I'm concerned about is new guys thinking this is the way to do it. Sure, we can all be PC and say, "well if he likes it...", but he's more than liking it, he's making ****ing instructional videos. Let's be honest, that beer has to taste like ****. I don't want new guys that could go very far in this hobby seeing these videos, trying it out and quitting after one batch because it sucks ass.

I could not agree more.

Well, people on this board made the "I am a homebrewer" video, perhaps we should make some instructional videos on how to *actually* do it.

I know a number of members have posted recordings of how they do it, but has anyone tried to do a real instructional video?

I've thought about it many times, but with a mediocre video camera and subpar video editing skills I'm concerned about the quality of the finished product.

 

[chefchris]

I could not agree more.



I've thought about it many times, but with a mediocre video camera and subpar video editing skills I'm concerned about the quality of the finished product.

Plus, what if the BN hated it?

 

[McCuckerson]

CraigTube


It was because of CraigTube, that I realized how easy it is to make beer starting out!

He looks like the crypt keeper

 

[ekranzusch]

No hot fusels for this guy...

If you slam it, you don't have to taste it.

I gotta admit, the boiling yet still sealed can of extract... priceless.

 

[chefchris]

Water in one pot, sugar in the second, drink from the third!

 

[RScottyL]

I'll just place my 2 cents right here.

The thing I'm concerned about is new guys thinking this is the way to do it. Sure, we can all be PC and say, "well if he likes it...", but he's more than liking it, he's making ****ing instructional videos. Let's be honest, that beer has to taste like ****. I don't want new guys that could go very far in this hobby seeing these videos, trying it out and quitting after one batch because it sucks ass.

I never thought that when I saw the videos!

Luckily, I had just not watched their videos, but alot of others, as I was doing my research!

I did learn that this is good for people that do want to get into this, are just starting out, and don't necessarily have the finances to get into all grain brewing!

I know the beer won't taste as great as in doing it with all grain brewing, but I am getting the satisfaction of making my own brew....and will eventually move up to all grain!

 

[Kickass]

Sure, there's some bad advice out there. We've been through this discussion before, and it usually winds up getting a bit ugly. The bottom line is that guys like Craig and mieses2pieces enjoy the hell out of what they do, so much so, that they felt compelled to share their experiences. That's actually pretty admirable. Places like HBT exist to help take it to the next level.

Touché, it may not be flawless but there is passion. I feel there is a bit of a disservice but I’ll reserve those comments on account of understanding points of view like yuri’s. Everyone is entitled to brew within their means, after all were all home brewers.

 

[seigex]

I'll just place my 2 cents right here.

The thing I'm concerned about is new guys thinking this is the way to do it. Sure, we can all be PC and say, "well if he likes it...", but he's more than liking it, he's making ****ing instructional videos. Let's be honest, that beer has to taste like ****. I don't want new guys that could go very far in this hobby seeing these videos, trying it out and quitting after one batch because it sucks ass.

My $.02 on your $.02, if people take that video, made ****ty beer, and give up to go on their way to other hobbies, then so be it. For any TRUE DIY'er as i'm sure most people here are in spirit, you have to make something, then learn how to improve upon it.

You can relate this to any hobby, such as remote control cars. You get one of those crappy radio shack or walmart remote control cars with the wire connecting the remote to the car. You decide you want something more intense, so you buy a wireless one, until you move on to gas cars and racing, or even helicopters and planes. This is just a point of entry, and if the person is a real DIY'er he'll find homebrewtalk.com just like all 30,000 of the rest of us did.

 

[ewtotel]

Actually... I'm horribly tempted to try his "method" on some boring Saturday afternoon when I have an empty bucket sitting around. I'm quite curious as to what the results would be.

 

[jacketsfans]

Sure, there's some bad advice out there. We've been through this discussion before, and it usually winds up getting a bit ugly. The bottom line is that guys like Craig and mieses2pieces enjoy the hell out of what they do, so much so, that they felt compelled to share their experiences. That's actually pretty admirable. Places like HBT exist to help take it to the next level.

This sums up my feelings pretty well on the matter. No matter how horrifying his processes and/or final product, people who have a pretty good idea of what they want in the end will gravitate here, just like the vast majority of us.

 

[Hegh]

My $.02 on your $.02, if people take that video, made ****ty beer, and give up to go on their way to other hobbies, then so be it. For any TRUE DIY'er as i'm sure most people here are in spirit, you have to make something, then learn how to improve upon it.

Maybe, but what about this other scenario:

You find this video on YouTube and say, "Wow, that looks easy and cheap, and I'd have beer!" You follow the instructions, you're pretty sure you did everything right, and the end result is... Not what you were hoping for.

This being your only experience with homebrew, you assume that all homebrew tastes about like this, since you don't have the right equipment and ingredients like the big brewers have. You give up and figure that you just have very different tastes than that guy.

Unless there was a link somewhere near that video saying "For more information and better recipes, visit homebrewtalk.com," you would have no reason to believe that anybody could do better without a "real" brewery.

 

[flyangler18]

I'll just place my 2 cents right here.

The thing I'm concerned about is new guys thinking this is the way to do it. Sure, we can all be PC and say, "well if he likes it...", but he's more than liking it, he's making ****ing instructional videos. Let's be honest, that beer has to taste like ****. I don't want new guys that could go very far in this hobby seeing these videos, trying it out and quitting after one batch because it sucks ass.

I agree with you in spirit, but the internet is probably the most democratic medium out there - anyone with a connection and a video camera can self-publish, and YouTube is testament to that. I'm not trying to be PC, but I recognize that no amount of griping and complaining about it on one small corner of the web is going to drastically change that.

People brew for different reasons - for CT and M2P, it's about doing things on the cheap and they are satisfied with the end result. Who am I to tell them different? As large as HBT is, we're not nearly as influential as you seem to think.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

You find this video on YouTube and say, "Wow, that looks easy and cheap, and I'd have beer!" You follow the instructions, you're pretty sure you did everything right, and the end result is... Not what you were hoping for.

This being your only experience with homebrew, you assume that all homebrew tastes about like this, since you don't have the right equipment and ingredients like the big brewers have. You give up and figure that you just have very different tastes than that guy.

Unless there was a link somewhere near that video saying "For more information and better recipes, visit homebrewtalk.com," you would have no reason to believe that anybody could do better without a "real" brewery.

I wouldn't really worry about new brewers who quit after one little failure on their first try...they prob weren't for homebrewing anyway. All it takes is a tiny bit of research/effort to find out that this process is about as scaled-down as it gets. Lots of folks don't make a very good brew on their first try...heck look at the instructions on some HBS-bought kits...some of them are only marginally better. It seems what usually happens is that the person actually makes beer and that in itself feels like an accomplishment.

Where's that super-secret instruction sheet that PBR malt extract used to send in the manilla envelope to those that asked for recipes via mail? As I recall it wasn't the greatest process either but that's what the malt extract manufacturer put in their instructions...and it made beer.

 

[flyangler18]

Here's a novel idea: encourage research, the kind that happens when you pick up a book and read rather than getting your instruction from a quick Google or YouTube search.

I read and reread How To Brew at least twice before making my first batch, I got to know my LHBS owner and I read lots and lots of forum postings.

I don't expect prospective brewers to take it to the extent that I did, but background research is absolutely critical to success.

I want to make the best beer possible, so I take it seriously.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Here's a novel idea: blah blah blah

Here's another one: SHUT IT!

Just because you read How to Brew twice before you started doesn't mean that others are going to so the same. I know that I didn't. I brewed 2 batches before I read anything other than the instructions that came with them (but I did boil), THEN I figured out that I liked doing this and could make pretty good beer so I started doing research on how to make it even better.

The forum complaining about it is irrelevant. What is relevant is that obviously Tx needs to pay more to google so that n00bs don't find bad information before they (hopefully) find information that's at least mediocre.

 

[flyangler18]

Here's another one: SHUT IT!

Good advice. I'll be quiet now...for the time being.

 

[Sigafoos]

Point: Your mom.

Counterpoint: Your mom.

I do agree with both sides: I recently said to my wife that I didn't know why I kept brewing, because my first two batches were crap (well, crap and severely mediocre). I took over six months off, stopped going to HBT, etc. Then suddenly I went back to it. She said 'you kept with it because you love it': I went PM for my third batch, then AG with Ed's Haus Ale for my fourth. I knew I could do better, and I kept at it (though I posted on HBT before I bought my kit, so again I'm in the 'research' minority).

On the other hand, I don't want someone tossing a can of malt extract and a few pounds of table sugar into a bucket and saying it's the same stuff I make. The first time a friend came to my house I handed him a glass of my first AG and he said something like 'Some of my friends make beer but I actually like this.' We've discussed it elsewhere, but the majority of 'homebrewers' probably make <5 crappy extract batches and give up, but not before giving some to all their friends/family/coworkers who come away thinking homemade beer sucks.

Alas.

 

[iddqd]

I'll just place my 2 cents right here.

The thing I'm concerned about is new guys thinking this is the way to do it. Sure, we can all be PC and say, "well if he likes it...", but he's more than liking it, he's making ****ing instructional videos. Let's be honest, that beer has to taste like ****. I don't want new guys that could go very far in this hobby seeing these videos, trying it out and quitting after one batch because it sucks ass.

I agree. If someone watches their videos, brews "the modern way" and gets crappy beer, they might not want to continue homebrewing and tell their friends that homebrewed beer tastes like crap. The only thing we can do about it is make better videos.