Extract brews don't attenuate quite the same. Residual sweetness is going to be part of the game. There are some ways around this. Doing a partial mash and only putting in some of the extract at the start of the boil is the easiest. Doing a big ### starter for any batch is another.I've been slowly drinking my first batch. It's good, but a little sweet. Hope to bitter it up next time around.
this is my local homebrew shop. AFAIK, their prices are reasonable. All of the extract recipe packages include cracked adjunct grains as well as the three hop additions, in pellet or leaf form. All ingredients seem fresh to me, and look like they are put together in-house.Where is the best place to get good quality/priced ingredient kits from? Any brands I should look at or stay away from?
5 gallon. Preferably half grain, not quite ready for full grain yet. Also not ready to piece together my own recipe/kit.
TIA
Me and my roommates were talking about getting into this the other day.My dad is retired now and has a lot of free time on his hands. Thinking about buying him the equipment needed to get started on this.
Any recommendations?
Does Mr Beer suck? Or Coopers? Or one of these?
I have the starter kit with one glass carboy from your third link and it has served me well through a few batches now. It has what you need to do extract brewing--when you brew from a can of pre-cooked syrup--but will be lacking if he wants to do an all grain brew from scratch. Extract is easier for a beginner brewer anyway, so I would recommend going that route. I know a few people who burned out going the all grain route.I would also recommend getting him Charlie Papazian's "Joy of Home Brewing." It's a very digestable how-to for a beginning brewer and it has a lot of good recipes.My dad is retired now and has a lot of free time on his hands. Thinking about buying him the equipment needed to get started on this.
Any recommendations?
Does Mr Beer suck? Or Coopers? Or one of these?
I think its a tough call as a gift, because it depends how much he wants to get into the hobby. As with most hobbies, there is a massive spectrum of time and expense one can invest in homebrewing, and most people who stick with it slowly ramp up their equipment and dedication. The two Amazon links are basically stove-top kits that most semi-serious homebrewers would not likely want to use to make their beer. However, I see that the comments on those two are very positive, so maybe those are the best option. I got started with a neighbor and invested about $300 initially to buy a kit like some of the ones on the Midwestsupplies.com link above. He'll need a brew pot and a propane burner in addition to what's in these standard kits (will be about $100 or so more). That's for the minimum equipment to make a 5 gal. extract batch (he'll also need bottles, when its ready). He'll also need a book of some sort or a friend who knows what to do - its not real complicated, but really helps to have someone who has done it before.My dad is retired now and has a lot of free time on his hands. Thinking about buying him the equipment needed to get started on this.
Any recommendations?
Does Mr Beer suck? Or Coopers? Or one of these?
He does not really need that... he could always just use the biggest pot he has, boil on the stove, and top up with water when done to reach his intended volume.CletiusMaximus said:I think its a tough call as a gift, because it depends how much he wants to get into the hobby. As with most hobbies, there is a massive spectrum of time and expense one can invest in homebrewing, and most people who stick with it slowly ramp up their equipment and dedication. The two Amazon links are basically stove-top kits that most semi-serious homebrewers would not likely want to use to make their beer. However, I see that the comments on those two are very positive, so maybe those are the best option. I got started with a neighbor and invested about $300 initially to buy a kit like some of the ones on the Midwestsupplies.com link above. He'll need a brew pot and a propane burner in addition to what's in these standard kits (will be about $100 or so more). That's for the minimum equipment to make a 5 gal. extract batch (he'll also need bottles, when its ready). He'll also need a book of some sort or a friend who knows what to do - its not real complicated, but really helps to have someone who has done it before.Disco Stu said:My dad is retired now and has a lot of free time on his hands. Thinking about buying him the equipment needed to get started on this.
Any recommendations?
Does Mr Beer suck? Or Coopers? Or one of these?
I started out with a similar kit and brewed on my stovetop with a big pot that I already had. I brewed many beers with that kit and that is the main reason to avoid kits like Mr. Beer. If your Dad does get into brewing he won't be using the Mr. Beer kit for long because you can brew better beer and twice as much with a standard kit than with Mr. Beer. I know three people that have the Mr Beer kit and none of them used it more than a couple times.He does not really need that... he could always just use the biggest pot he has, boil on the stove, and top up with water when done to reach his intended volume.CletiusMaximus said:I think its a tough call as a gift, because it depends how much he wants to get into the hobby. As with most hobbies, there is a massive spectrum of time and expense one can invest in homebrewing, and most people who stick with it slowly ramp up their equipment and dedication. The two Amazon links are basically stove-top kits that most semi-serious homebrewers would not likely want to use to make their beer. However, I see that the comments on those two are very positive, so maybe those are the best option. I got started with a neighbor and invested about $300 initially to buy a kit like some of the ones on the Midwestsupplies.com link above. He'll need a brew pot and a propane burner in addition to what's in these standard kits (will be about $100 or so more). That's for the minimum equipment to make a 5 gal. extract batch (he'll also need bottles, when its ready). He'll also need a book of some sort or a friend who knows what to do - its not real complicated, but really helps to have someone who has done it before.Disco Stu said:My dad is retired now and has a lot of free time on his hands. Thinking about buying him the equipment needed to get started on this.
Any recommendations?
Does Mr Beer suck? Or Coopers? Or one of these?
P.S. That basic starter kit @ midwest for $60 is a pretty good deal. You may be able to piecemeal it a bit cheaper, but for a gift, I think it is a great way to go.
The Charlie Papazian is considered by many to be the "bible" of homebrewing and it is a very good book and is recommended. It does seem a bit outdated to me though.I suggest John Palmer's "How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time" as an alternative. You can get the latest revision at Amazon but even better you can get the 1st edition for FREE online: LinkThe Football Freak said:I would also recommend getting him Charlie Papazian's "Joy of Home Brewing." It's a very digestable how-to for a beginning brewer and it has a lot of good recipes.
anyone?I'm looking to you guys:Did this thread die because everyone moved to TBS? I'm on my 4th batch (extract) and have lots of questions.
Lately I've been reading about aeration. I use the "rock the carboy for 5 minutes before pitching" method now, but am thinking about adding one of these to my Christmas list ---> http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/mark...ion-system.html
Any advice on this? Most of my beers are of the big Belgian high alcohol variety.
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Update?I'd like to try this. I have a recipe from a 1713 book on beekeeping, but it's not very easy to understand. ("[M]ix [a solution of honey and water] in your Copper, and then boil it an hour and Scum it well, which Scum you may strain thro' Hippocrates's Sleeve, or a taper bag, made of Swan-skin, with a Hoop at the broad end, letting the narrow end come to a point.... When your Mead is almost cold, Tun it up, Clay it down, and let it stand still till it is fine, and old enough to drink, which sometimes will be sooner than other, according to the time of Year, and Weather that comes upon it after making.")I'm going to make a mead here this weekend. Notexcited about the incredibly long fermentation period of the mead though....can be up to a year. Anyone here made a mead before? I'm using a recipe out of the Papazian book.
My MIL and FIL do wine and mead. Mead they've made is really sweet, not really my style. I missed this thread the first time(s) around. I haven't made beer in about 5 years, but when we moved and cleaned out our storage unit, I found my homebrew kit and decided to make wine.I've got a 5-gal batch of berry wine (Costco 3 berry mix) going right now, just racked it the first time, won't be bottling that batch for another 5 months. I borrowed another carboy from MIL (will plan to buy one more) and will be whipping up a batch of rhubarb/strawberry wine over Memorial Day weekend. Figure I can always have two batches going with three carboys (one for racking every few months as the wine clears). Will be another 6 months to a year after bottling, so I'll have to bump this at a later date.I think wine making is a lot easier than beer making, and bottles are bigger so less horsing around there as well.I'm going to make a mead here this weekend. Notexcited about the incredibly long fermentation period of the mead though....can be up to a year. Anyone here made a mead before? I'm using a recipe out of the Papazian book.
Dough-in with 3.5 gallons of water. After 60 minutes, add 5 quarts of 175 degree water and begin vorlauf. My system only takes about 2 quarts before it clears up, then it's wide open to drain in the kettle. Have another 3.25 gallons of 175 degree water ready for the next batch sparge. You should then get 6.5 gallons to your kettle for the boil.This is foreign to me. Mind you that my exposure to brewing terminology goes as far as Papazian's book.Haus Pale AleJust purchased my supplies, somebody point me to a good 1st batch recipe kit please?
I've also read that extract is good for a first batch and waiting to do all-grain. Is all grain not that difficult?Dough-in with 3.5 gallons of water. After 60 minutes, add 5 quarts of 175 degree water and begin vorlauf. My system only takes about 2 quarts before it clears up, then it's wide open to drain in the kettle. Have another 3.25 gallons of 175 degree water ready for the next batch sparge. You should then get 6.5 gallons to your kettle for the boil.This is foreign to me. Mind you that my exposure to brewing terminology goes as far as Papazian's book.Haus Pale AleJust purchased my supplies, somebody point me to a good 1st batch recipe kit please?
Scroll down to the Extract Version section.Dough-in with 3.5 gallons of water. After 60 minutes, add 5 quarts of 175 degree water and begin vorlauf. My system only takes about 2 quarts before it clears up, then it's wide open to drain in the kettle. Have another 3.25 gallons of 175 degree water ready for the next batch sparge. You should then get 6.5 gallons to your kettle for the boil.This is foreign to me. Mind you that my exposure to brewing terminology goes as far as Papazian's book.Haus Pale AleJust purchased my supplies, somebody point me to a good 1st batch recipe kit please?
One step is a cleaner, not a sanitizer... but I used it for years to sanitize. If that is what came in the kit you will be fine for now.One Step from what I read?SanitizerAlso
THIS is the kit that I purchased. I also plan on buying a turkey fryer and immersion chiller to help speed up processes. Anything missing from this kit that most deem a necessity?
It is not that difficult, it does have a higher start up cost though. If you are set up with extract, do that for a few batches to see how much you really like it - you can always do a partial (mini) mash if you really wanted to.I was an extra brewer for a few years before switching to all grain. A GB of mine made the jump to all grain after his 3rd extract batch. It pretty much just takes longer.I've also read that extract is good for a first batch and waiting to do all-grain. Is all grain not that difficult?Dough-in with 3.5 gallons of water. After 60 minutes, add 5 quarts of 175 degree water and begin vorlauf. My system only takes about 2 quarts before it clears up, then it's wide open to drain in the kettle. Have another 3.25 gallons of 175 degree water ready for the next batch sparge. You should then get 6.5 gallons to your kettle for the boil.This is foreign to me. Mind you that my exposure to brewing terminology goes as far as Papazian's book.Haus Pale AleJust purchased my supplies, somebody point me to a good 1st batch recipe kit please?
What do you mean by "true homebrew kit"? One of the guys I brew with has been perfecting a belgian IPA recipe over the past 2-3 years (going for Houblon from La Chouffe) and has it down cold. I made one this summer using a huge wyeast Ardennes cake from a prior batch. Mashed a bit low and ended up with an extremely dry 12.5 ABV monster which is extremely harsh now but has a chance to be a very interesting beer by this Fall/winter.I'm in the process of making the switch from Mr. Beer to a true homebrew kit. First batch will be a Belgium IPA. Looks like I've got some reading to do first.
All I meant by a true homebrew kit is that I've been using Mr. Beer and the results haven't been too impressive so I decided to find a homebrew store and buy a starter kit. I finished brewing the Belgium IPA and now the wait to see how it turns out.What do you mean by "true homebrew kit"? One of the guys I brew with has been perfecting a belgian IPA recipe over the past 2-3 years (going for Houblon from La Chouffe) and has it down cold. I made one this summer using a huge wyeast Ardennes cake from a prior batch. Mashed a bit low and ended up with an extremely dry 12.5 ABV monster which is extremely harsh now but has a chance to be a very interesting beer by this Fall/winter.I'm in the process of making the switch from Mr. Beer to a true homebrew kit. First batch will be a Belgium IPA. Looks like I've got some reading to do first.
Especially for Belgians, you want a lot of ester formation, which occurs during the growth phase. So a lot of brewers will under-pitch (i.e., not use a huge amount of yeast), so that the yeast has to reproduce a lot. That requires oxygen, so something like you linked is a good idea. It's generally considered nearly impossible to get too much oxygen into your beer pre-fermentation.anyone?I'm looking to you guys:Did this thread die because everyone moved to TBS? I'm on my 4th batch (extract) and have lots of questions.
Lately I've been reading about aeration. I use the "rock the carboy for 5 minutes before pitching" method now, but am thinking about adding one of these to my Christmas list ---> http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/mark...ion-system.html
Any advice on this? Most of my beers are of the big Belgian high alcohol variety.
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Thanks man - some time after posting this comment above, I bought one of these.Especially for Belgians, you want a lot of ester formation, which occurs during the growth phase. So a lot of brewers will under-pitch (i.e., not use a huge amount of yeast), so that the yeast has to reproduce a lot. That requires oxygen, so something like you linked is a good idea. It's generally considered nearly impossible to get too much oxygen into your beer pre-fermentation.anyone?I'm looking to you guys:Did this thread die because everyone moved to TBS? I'm on my 4th batch (extract) and have lots of questions.
Lately I've been reading about aeration. I use the "rock the carboy for 5 minutes before pitching" method now, but am thinking about adding one of these to my Christmas list ---> http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/mark...ion-system.html
Any advice on this? Most of my beers are of the big Belgian high alcohol variety.
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culdeus 134
The Gator 85
Sclaffer 43
Gator Shawn 29
Jaysus 27
coldchill 26
Organized Chaos 25
regularguy 15
Schmegma 15
heckmanm 12
orcinus 11
You can also get a sintered SS "stone" that hooks directly to an oxygen tank. And I know several guys who swear by these (fits on a cordless drill).
relax, don't worry. it will be fine.As I read I don't think my first batch is going to be too steller. I probably did not cool my wort fast enough (about 30+ minutes) and I did not aerate well.
What is a rough cost for all the pieces for something like that?So last Friday, I bought a new house that includes an unfinished basement. My plans are now to build a permanent brewery down there, roughly based on this: electricbrewery. It's gonna take a few years to put it all together, but should be really fun.