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***OFFICIAL*** Footballguys homebrew thread (1 Viewer)

culdeus

culdeus

Footballguy
Due to my involvment in both BOTM and BIF and what appears to be a 24 month beer or nothing restriction by my wife (squid related) I've developed an expensive and expanding taste in beers.

I'm ready to take this to the next level.

Coldchill who seems to be the FBG expert on homebrew sent me a DVD detailing the process.

I'm looking at the kits and this seems to be the right one. What other equipment would anyone reccomend?

Kit WebpageBrewing Intermediate Equipment Kit List: Instructional Homebrewing Video or DVD •

71 page instructional book

• 6 Gallon Glass Carboy

• 5 Gallon Glass Carboy

• 6.5 Gallon Plastic Fermenter

• 6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot

• 8 Oz. of Easy Clean No-Rinse Cleanser

• two #10 Rubber Stoppers

• 2 Airlocks (Keeps air out of the fermenter)

• 8 Inch Funnel

• Hydrometer (Determines alcohol content)

• Bottle Brush

• Carboy Brush

• Twin Lever Red Baron Bottle Capper

• Bottle Caps

• 2 Liquid Crystal Thermometers

• Bottle Filler

• Fermtech AutoSiphon

• Siphon Tubing

• shutoff clamp

What other stuff is basically mandatory here? Good to have?

What lessons learned do any of you have?

:help:

:banned:

:thumbup:

 
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My advice would be to get out of bottling as soon as possible. I got a tap-a-draft system from Austin Homebrew Supply for around 60 bucks at the end of last year and love it.

 
My advice would be to get out of bottling as soon as possible. I got a tap-a-draft system from Austin Homebrew Supply for around 60 bucks at the end of last year and love it.
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:goodposting: Bottling is a #####. I always wanted to make the jump to kegs, but haven't yet. I prefer to bottle in the 22 oz bombers to cut down on bottling time, but getting away from them altogether is the way to go.

 
The single most important thing in homebrewing is to sanitize anything that will come into contact with your beer.

 
My advice would be to get out of bottling as soon as possible. I got a tap-a-draft system from Austin Homebrew Supply for around 60 bucks at the end of last year and love it.
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So does that thing fit in any fridge laying down?
 
Damn it, culdeus. It's not enough that the BIF has made me broke by introducing me to good beers, now you're gonna make me try homebrewing too. Anyone want to lend me some money?

 
My advice would be to get out of bottling as soon as possible. I got a tap-a-draft system from Austin Homebrew Supply for around 60 bucks at the end of last year and love it.
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So does that thing fit in any fridge laying down?
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It sights right next to the Coca Cola fridge pack in ours. It's just a little bit taller but fits fine.
 
My advice would be to get out of bottling as soon as possible. I got a tap-a-draft system from Austin Homebrew Supply for around 60 bucks at the end of last year and love it.
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So does that thing fit in any fridge laying down?
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Tap-a-draft website
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http://webtrolley.org/mivastore/merchant.m...gory_Code=11165Much cheaper here.
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$65.49 at Austin Homebrew Supply with free delivery. They also sell a combo basic brewing/tap-a-draft kit that you might be interested in although I don't think that they can beat the deal you found on the other website.
 
The single most important thing in homebrewing is to sanitize anything that will come into contact with your beer.
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:goodposting: There are several good sanitizers out there. I like BTF, its a no rinse contact sanitizer. Easy to use. Others probably prefer other products.

The kit you linked to is a pretty good kit.

Bottling is a ##### but is manageable. The biggest recommendation I can make is to rinse your bottles well immediately after you empty them. When I first started brewing, my first 2 cases of bottles were returnable long necks. Very heavy bottles but they had been through the ringer. If you have the cash, buy new bottles for the first batch. If not, warm water with a splash of ammonia will really help get teh labels off. Foil labels like sam adams are a #####. I green scouring pad is useful in scrubbing the residual glue off. Be sure to throroughly rinse. A jet bottle washer is nice for washing and rinsing bottles.

I'll post more later.

 
Agree with those who recommend kegging over bottling.

The only thing I'm not seeing in that pack is a 7 or 13 gallon pot for brewing..?

 
Agree with those who recommend kegging over bottling.

The only thing I'm not seeing in that pack is a 7 or 13 gallon pot for brewing..?
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Pot isn't included it seems. Can get a SS pot anywhere (Target etc.)
 
My advice would be to get out of bottling as soon as possible. I got a tap-a-draft system from Austin Homebrew Supply for around 60 bucks at the end of last year and love it.
Click to expand...
So does that thing fit in any fridge laying down?
Click to expand...
Tap-a-draft website
Click to expand...
http://webtrolley.org/mivastore/merchant.m...gory_Code=11165Much cheaper here.
Click to expand...
$65.49 at Austin Homebrew Supply with free delivery. They also sell a combo basic brewing/tap-a-draft kit that you might be interested in although I don't think that they can beat the deal you found on the other website.
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$54.95 at Northern Brewer (plus shipping, which is under $10 if you use UPS Ground)
 
Agree with those who recommend kegging over bottling.

The only thing I'm not seeing in that pack is a 7 or 13 gallon pot for brewing..?
Click to expand...
Pot isn't included it seems. Can get a SS pot anywhere (Target etc.)
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To do a full boil you'll need a 7-10 gallon pot. But to get your feet wet, you can do partial boils in a 3-4 gallon pot (you may even have one around). In a partial boil you'll boil all the ingredients per the instructions in 2-3gallons of water and then when you add it to the fermenter you'll add water to bring the total up to five gallons. Until your certain that this is a hobby that you want to stay in, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on the brewpot, you can always upgrade later. Then there is the eternal aluminum/stainless steel debate. I have a SS brewpot because I was scared away from aluminum with the stuff I read as I was getting started. Since then I've read that many folks have had success with aluminum and even with enameled pots (like you would use for canning). Look through the forums at Midwest Supplies, Northern Brewer, Brewboard.com and MoreBeer.com, you'll find lots of advice and debate as well as technique pointers and some good recipe ideas. A lot of those guys are all-grain brewers, so keep that in mind. I think you'll want to get some extract batches under your belt before you think of going all grain.

 
I'll throw my weight behind kegging. The main reason my brewing equipment is sitting in the beer room gathering dust is that I *hate* bottling. That Tap-A-Draft system looks like a kickin' system - need to see if it'll fit in the beer fridge.

I use a 20 quart pot and had to be careful when the hot break hit to not coat the stove in wort when I had an electric stove - gas stoves are SO much better for brewing. :thumbup:

 
I'll throw my weight behind kegging. The main reason my brewing equipment is sitting in the beer room gathering dust is that I *hate* bottling. That Tap-A-Draft system looks like a kickin' system - need to see if it'll fit in the beer fridge.

I use a 20 quart pot and had to be careful when the hot break hit to not coat the stove in wort when I had an electric stove - gas stoves are SO much better for brewing. :thumbup:
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:thumbup: I use a turkey frier with a converted keg as my boil kettle. I'll tell you, if you can pick up a cheap turkey frier at Target or something, it will allow you to do full boils. Also, the smell is very strong and the wife/SO may not like it, this will get you outside to brew.I can agree with the others about kegging. When I first started brewing (about 8 months ago), I started kegging into cornie kegs and built a kegerator right off the bat. Now, I try to bottle some of my beers (to give to friends, competitions etc...) and it really sucks compared to kegging.

 
Turkey friers are where it is at.

I have a saison fermenting in my cellar this very moment... oh, and bottleing sucks - but do it for the first several batches in case you decide to leave the brewing for the pros.

 
You will need a vessel large enough to do 7-8 gallon full boils.

That means a turker fryer burner set up

If you want to bottle, I suggest 22oz bottles or Champagne bottles. Wine bottles won't work because they can't handle the pressure. Glass carboys. Auto-siphon. A product to filter your wort. It could be something fancy like a Hop-Stopper or something simple as nylons. These are things I purchased after getting my initial kit. A good discussion group such as homebrewtalk

Good luck!

 
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From Austin Homebrew

$149.99Automatic Free ShippingDeluxe Tap-A-Draft Beer Equipment KitClick to View ImagesThis 2-stage fermentation equipment set up is the same as the deluxe equipment kit with the exception of the Tap-A-Draft system in replace of the capper and caps. The Tap-A-Draft system is the perfect choice if you do not want to deal with the hassle of bottling. This kit works with all Austin Homebrew extract and mini-mash beer recipe kits and canned kits.This kit includes: * 7.5 Gallon Plastic Primary Fermenter * 5 Gallon Glass Carboy * Standard Universal Drilled Stopper * 3/8-Inch Standard Auto-Siphon * 6 Feet of Siphon Hose * 3-Piece Airlock * Nylon Grain Bag * Triple Scale Hydrometer * Floating Thermometer * Spring Loaded Bottle Filler * Cleaner/Sanitizer * Beginner's Homebrew book * The Complete Tap-A-Draft Setup * Toll-Free Technical Support
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Well? They say this thing works fine with 3L bottles. Is it safe to leave beer in empty 3L bottles? What's the difference between this and bottling where it continues to make C02?
 
From Austin Homebrew

$149.99Automatic Free Shipping

Deluxe Tap-A-Draft Beer Equipment Kit

Click to View Images

This 2-stage fermentation equipment set up is the same as the deluxe equipment kit with the exception of the Tap-A-Draft system in replace of the capper and caps. The Tap-A-Draft system is the perfect choice if you do not want to deal with the hassle of bottling. This kit works with all Austin Homebrew extract and mini-mash beer recipe kits and canned kits.

This kit includes:

    * 7.5 Gallon Plastic Primary Fermenter

    * 5 Gallon Glass Carboy

    * Standard Universal Drilled Stopper

    * 3/8-Inch Standard Auto-Siphon

    * 6 Feet of Siphon Hose

    * 3-Piece Airlock

    * Nylon Grain Bag

    * Triple Scale Hydrometer

    * Floating Thermometer

    * Spring Loaded Bottle Filler

    * Cleaner/Sanitizer

    * Beginner's Homebrew book

    * The Complete Tap-A-Draft Setup

    * Toll-Free Technical Support
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Well? They say this thing works fine with 3L bottles. Is it safe to leave beer in empty 3L bottles? What's the difference between this and bottling where it continues to make C02?
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As far as I know, plastic bottles are safer than glass. This kit includes the three 3L plastic bottles that you'll need. Since the tap is providing carbonation, I believe you can technically go straight from secondary fermentation to the fridge if you want. I always wait a week or so. I'm never in that much of a hurry.
 
So, quality wise can homebrew get up there compared to some of the decent craft brews?
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Yes, some of my favorite brews have been home brewed.Some decent comments in this thread already so I won't bog it down reiterating what already was said. I will only add that you will not regret doing this.

It sounds like you are well on your way equiptment wise, just pick out a good recipe and go for it. Most of all, have fun with it. This is not rocket surgery.

:thumbup:

:banned:

 
Since all the people I know drink watered down crap with the exception of my poker group I'm gonna try a Newcastle clone kit at first. Objective being to get a second batch running ASAP.

Then I'll try my hand at a pale ale.

 
During the summer, where do you guys keep your fermenter after you've added the yeast? I don't brew in the summer, I am afraid that my house will be too warm in the summer and it will kill the yeast.

 
So who uses what for cooking? I've got an extra electric stove from when we upgraded the one in the basement apt. I was thinking of setting it up in our basement with a hood, of course. Are electric stoves only sufficient enough for partial boils, or has anyone been successful using one for full boils too?

 
During the summer, where do you guys keep your fermenter after you've added the yeast? I don't brew in the summer, I am afraid that my house will be too warm in the summer and it will kill the yeast.
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No basement, I assume. What temp. do you keep your thermostat set on?
 
During the summer, where do you guys keep your fermenter after you've added the yeast? I don't brew in the summer, I am afraid that my house will be too warm in the summer and it will kill the yeast.
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Cool dark basement, never had any problems.
 
During the summer, where do you guys keep your fermenter after you've added the yeast? I don't brew in the summer, I am afraid that my house will be too warm in the summer and it will kill the yeast.
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No basement, I assume. What temp. do you keep your thermostat set on?
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No basement. House stays around 78.
 
So who uses what for cooking? I've got an extra electric stove from when we upgraded the one in the basement apt. I was thinking of setting it up in our basement with a hood, of course. Are electric stoves only sufficient enough for partial boils, or has anyone been successful using one for full boils too?
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I use the electric kitchen stove and only do partial boils. I bought a propane cajun cooker at Academy Sports for $10 (after coupon) and as soon as I buy a larger brewpot, I'm moving up to full boils. I think it would be very difficult to do a full boil on an electric stove.
 
For those in the MetroWest... (west of Boston...)

http://www.deja-brew.com/

Its a brew on premises place. They have all the supplies,

they do all the hard work, all you do is brew and have fun.

You come in, pick the recipe(s) you want, brew and sample

what others have brewed. Come back in two weeks and

bottle (and drink) what you've brewed. It is nice cause they

do all the hardwork for ya. Like sterlization of the equipment.

 
I did it.

Got the full setup ready to go.

I got talked into starting with a 20 minute kit (which is really a 2hour kit, but whatever) to do the first batch with. This is to get used to the movement from bottle to bottle to bucket to bottles. I'm not sure what sort of kettle I'm going to go with at this point.

So all the stuff for my Babyarm Brown Ale is sitting in my car right now.

I'm gonna try to recruit help from another one of my buddies to pull this off this weekend.

:homer: :banned: :drive: :bowtie: :bowtie:

:tfp:

 
I don't have a clue what that is... but if it does not have hops and yeast don't bother with it.

 
Heard alot aboot sterilization. Here's my basic plan.

I've got a bottling bucket. I plan on sterilizing all the small bits by a dilute bleach solution in the bucket prior to brew day. Then later when bottling comes closer sterilize the bottles in much the same way and then rinse and dry them in the diswasher w/ no soap.

I've heard that caps are more sensitive to bleach because of the waxy seal so I'll find another way to do them.

I bought all the PETE bottled bulk water I could. 3 Gallons worth. I'll boil and let 2 more gallons sit out overnight prior to brew day as well.

Other than that my wife wants to ask the panel is there any way I die doing this?

 
only if you drink the bleach or blow yourself up.

That being said... relax, don't worry, have a (home)brew.

 
I never liked the idea of using bleach. A safer and just as effective sanitizer is One Step.
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What's unsafe about bleach? Just about the most benign product out there and 100% surefire gaurantee to kill anything it comes in contact with.
 
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