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Any beer homebrewers here?

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fanboi

Banned
So I have been a homebrewer for some time now and it is the first time I can actually drink beer (these mass produce taste bad and should be tossed into the ocean at the deepest place) since I started making my own.

And this has actually lead me to start my own micro brewing company here in Sweden!

Anyhow, anyone here tried it and have experience from making your own beer?

Some tidbits how to make your own beer:
Well, you can have advance stuff or, you can make it much easier (hey, Egyptians 2000 years ago could do it!).

The process is mashing (day 1) - boiling (day 1) - fermentation (day 1, then let it ferment usually for a week, this depends on what yeast you are using) - bottle - wait (also depending on yeast, and of course style of beer, but minimum three weeks) - drink

Mashing
When you mash you extract the sugar from the malt and create sweet wort, here you need something to mash out to.
So to start the process you add malt into a freeze box at 66C:
Kylv%C3%A4ska.jpg

Let it stand for a while and then you take the contents and put it in a bucket with fake bottom (not sure for the English word here), then you poor water onto the malt bed and let it filter through and extract the sugar, creating sweet wort. To end the process you pour 76C water on the malt.
Bucket with false bottom:
zeqavyny.jpg


Boiling
Boiling is a straight forward process with regular kitchen equipment. It is also here you add the hoops for your beer. The hoops create the bitterness in your beer as well as how you beer will smell, which usually is added very late in the boiling phase.

Fermantation
To ferment you need to have a canister that is air tight with a water lock that contains boiled water. Before you put your boiled wort into the fermentation tank you need to cool it down to around 20C, this is because you don’t want to kill your yeast which you then apply into the tank.
Example fermentation tank:
0075885_l.jpg


Bottling
After the beer has been in the fermentation tank for a week you need to bottle it. Here you take the beer (that now has produced alcohol, yay!) and bottle it. Here you would need glass, caps and capper. You also will need brewing sugar to add into the beer (BEFORE BOTTLING) so that the yeast reactivate itself and start producing carbonic.

Finishing
Now the beer is finishing up and starting to get the characteristics of a beer!

Above is just a short explanation… a lot more… measuring gravity… how to make the beer more clear etc.
 

Yaboosh

Super Sleuth
I homebrewed for a number of years, then became a commercial brewer around the beginning of 2008. Haven't home brewed since around 2011.
 

fanboi

Banned
I homebrewed for a number of years, then became a commercial brewer around the beginning of 2008. Haven't home brewed since around 2011.

Oh? What company do you work for or have you started your own?

EDIT: also explains your avatar! :)
 

Takuhi

Member
I haven't homebrewed in a while because I got frustrated with my inability to get the carbonation right. I'd open a beer and pour it and get a good head but within a few minutes the beer would be flat. Any idea what I'd been doing wrong?
 

fanboi

Banned
I haven't homebrewed in a while because I got frustrated with my inability to get the carbonation right. I'd open a beer and pour it and get a good head but within a few minutes the beer would be flat. Any idea what I'd been doing wrong?

Try to pH stabilize your water during mashing I think it is (it says on the can if you buy it).
Another thing can be to try different malt to get a better head.

I have the same problem when I do it with the Braumeister I am using, got better result when tried with pH stabalizer.

Another thing to try is maltodextrin (called so in Swedish at least) which gives a better body to the beer. Or just add more sugar... just dont explode the bottle :)
 

Allforce

Member
I've done one of those "brew your own batch" things at a local brewery. Cost like 200 bucks and I got 7 cases of 12 22oz bottles of a dark Porter. Basically you choose the beer you want to make from a selection of like 20, and a brew-master walks you through the process all in their industrial brew equipment. I went with friends on my birthday and we just got drunk as we worked since they had their own bar attached to the brewing room.

Then they keep it on hand and have you come back in a few weeks to do the bottling. They printed out all the labels for me as well, I designed my own.

Turned out good but a lot of people don't like dark porters nowadays (and it was STRONG) so I had a bunch of it forever. I really need to do it again sometime since I kept all the bottles. I don't think I'd do it at home
 
Just started with a Mr. Beer kit lmao, thought I don't really considered it homebrewing haha.

Same here, haven't done it in a while though. It's definitely the Play-Doh of brewing kits but I like being able to add stuff in there.

I like to add fruit to whatever I make. The best I've made was their Mexican beer kit that I added puree'd guava to. It came out soooo good.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
We had a thread for a while, but it kind of cratered when the community thing happened.

Its easy, but you'll come to hate the cleaning. Its like 50% cleaning to brew (not by time, but by effort).
 

Calderc

Member
Yep! I actually made the local paper due to it. I brewed a beer to help raise funds fir the football team that I support that went into administration.
 
Same here, haven't done it in a while though. It's definitely the Play-Doh of brewing kits but I like being able to add stuff in there.

I like to add fruit to whatever I make. The best I've made was their Mexican beer kit that I added puree'd guava to. It came out soooo good.

I haven't even thought of that haha.

Did the Pilsner first and did not like it at all.

Then did the Hefe which I thought was pretty damn good.

When do you add the fruit stuff? When you heat it or when you put it in the plastic keg?
 

Vahtra

Neo Member
And this has actually lead me to start my own micro brewing company here in Sweden!

What's the name of the brewery you started?

I actually started homebrewing about 6 months ago and have advanced quite a bit in that short period of time. The fun thing about homebrewing is that you have the freedom to experiment with different tastes. For example I've made a ginger ale, raspberry-cocoa brown ale, currently have an chipotle morita infused imperial stout in a primary fermentor and I'm thinking about brewing a lime and peppermint berliner weisse sometime in the near future. You also get to experiment with new hop varieties, that you otherwise might not get to experience in certain regions. I didn't find any beers that used Waimea hops in the local stores, so I just brewed a Waimea single malt single hop IPA myself.

I've currently marked my bottles with a tie-around label, so I only need to wash the insides of the bottles. Plus I think it looks quite good.
cptPVpE6Z1-i.png


uLwNeZSOwoIL.png


I'm up for changing bottles if anyone's interested. Either beer that I've made myself or local microbrews from Estonia.
 

Ecto311

Member
I got a kit from my cousin years ago and even posted here. Think I discussed it with you too fanboi at the time. Never really got a handle for it and seemed like a ton of work for what it actually turned out. I have all the gear and bottles/caps for doing it again I just can't bring my self to try again since it never really worked right.
 
I've been brewing for about 6 years at this point. It's a great time. Have an Oktoberfest fermenting right now which will be my last beer until I move at the end of the month. Then I will have a garage with a natural gas hookup, another fermenter, and a proper single tier brew stand and the serious brewing will start!
 

DJ_Lae

Member
Just started with a Mr. Beer kit lmao, thought I don't really considered it homebrewing haha.

There's nothing really wrong with that kit - I tried one out cheap last year when I gave away all my brewing supplies prior to moving (I really regret that decision).

It's small, but it's no less functional.
 

fanboi

Banned
What's the name of the brewery you started?

I actually started homebrewing about 6 months ago and have advanced quite a bit in that short period of time. The fun thing about homebrewing is that you have the freedom to experiment with different tastes. For example I've made a ginger ale, raspberry-cocoa brown ale, currently have an chipotle morita infused imperial stout in a primary fermentor and I'm thinking about brewing a lime and peppermint berliner weisse sometime in the near future. You also get to experiment with new hop varieties, that you otherwise might not get to experience in certain regions. I didn't find any beers that used Waimea hops in the local stores, so I just brewed a Waimea single malt single hop IPA myself.

I've currently marked my bottles with a tie-around label, so I only need to wash the insides of the bottles. Plus I think it looks quite good.
cptPVpE6Z1-i.png


uLwNeZSOwoIL.png


I'm up for changing bottles if anyone's interested. Either beer that I've made myself or local microbrews from Estonia.

My brewery is named Ljusdals Bryggeri (www.ljusdalsbryggeri.se).

We are counting on the first bottles being ready late november.
 
I haven't even thought of that haha.

Did the Pilsner first and did not like it at all.

Then did the Hefe which I thought was pretty damn good.

When do you add the fruit stuff? When you heat it or when you put it in the plastic keg?

Some say you should add it at the very end of the prep process when you're sealing it the fermenter. But I've heard other people say, and I agree, that you should add it right in the middle of the fermentation (about 2 weeks in) because if it stays in there for too long the taste fades away. It's the only time you should ever open it during fermentation.

I still want to try to make a batch with with zested orange or lemon peels added.
 

fanboi

Banned
I got a kit from my cousin years ago and even posted here. Think I discussed it with you too fanboi at the time. Never really got a handle for it and seemed like a ton of work for what it actually turned out. I have all the gear and bottles/caps for doing it again I just can't bring my self to try again since it never really worked right.

Oh, well try again! It is really something to succeed!
 
Home brewer here. Been brewing for about 4 years to varrying success. Mostly American ales and pilsners, with some weird experimentation here and there.

Wanted to do a single hop this summer but haven't gotten around to it yet.
 

KrellRell

Member
What's the best way to get into homebrewing. Are those beginner kits worth it (like Mr. Beer)?

I believe the best way is with a wort kit. All that is required is a plastic food grade pail and bottles (or kegs). You put the wort in the pail, dump yeast in and wait a week or two. After that it's ready for bottle or keg. A pretty good and satisfying lead in.
 

belvedere

Junior Butler
I've been all grain brewing for years, though I've slacked here lately. It's been almost a year since I've brewed! I love it and at least in my experience, you get a quality return with a little hard work.
 
I've always wanted to get into this, but all I really enjoy are lambics and flanders red sours, two classes of beers that are as I understand it miserable to produce on your own.
 

Takuhi

Member
Try to pH stabilize your water during mashing I think it is (it says on the can if you buy it).
Another thing can be to try different malt to get a better head.

I have the same problem when I do it with the Braumeister I am using, got better result when tried with pH stabalizer.

Another thing to try is maltodextrin (called so in Swedish at least) which gives a better body to the beer. Or just add more sugar... just dont explode the bottle :)

Thanks for the advice! Now that you mention it, we were using well water so there could have been a really high pH variance. I'll have to try it with tap water and see if it makes a difference.
 

Horns

Member
I used to then I had kids. I still have all the stuff so maybe one day I will again.

Many years ago I got tired of cleaning bottles so I bought a dozen growlers. It made it so much easier.
 
What's the best way to get into homebrewing. Are those beginner kits worth it (like Mr. Beer)?

I would suggest seeing if there's a local homebrew club where you are and seeing if you can stop by for a brew day and just hang out and ask questions. Most people would be more than happy to have someone stop by. It's also a great way to get some really good deals on equipment to start out from people upgrading and selling their old stuff cheap.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
I've been all-grain brewing for a couple years but I've been on a break for a couple months. Its just time-consuming, but I'm gonna do a couple this weekend, I think.
 

AndyD

aka andydumi
Just started with a Mr. Beer kit lmao, thought I don't really considered it homebrewing haha.

That's where I started. Now I use big 5-7 gallon food grade buckets I got from the local Kroger for free. They get all the icing for their cakes in these buckets and they recycle them afterwards, so they gave me 5 or so with nice tight fitting lids and all. Work great. Then I bottle half in bottles, half in glass gallons (the kind you get cheap wine in). The gallons are great to open with neighbors on a hot summer day.

I have had the best success with amber lager type beers, and worst failures with light ale type beers.

Cheers!

5v-CVAPhWmHD4Wn4_48M8VC6VtEdvp9wFvgU-q-V2RnE=w464-h775-no

lclSLhX3JP6fHaj0qW93TiLajR10Oj3WJ_WsoKLjvnPo=w582-h775-no
 

fanboi

Banned
That's where I started. Now I use big 5-7 gallon food grade buckets I got from the local Kroger for free. They get all the icing for their cakes in these buckets and they recycle them afterwards, so they gave me 5 or so with nice tight fitting lids and all. Work great. Then I bottle half in bottles, half in glass gallons (the kind you get cheap wine in). The gallons are great to open with neighbors on a hot summer day.

I have had the best success with amber lager type beers, and worst failures with light ale type beers.

Cheers!

5v-CVAPhWmHD4Wn4_48M8VC6VtEdvp9wFvgU-q-V2RnE=w464-h775-no

lclSLhX3JP6fHaj0qW93TiLajR10Oj3WJ_WsoKLjvnPo=w582-h775-no

Cheers!

bild-2-kopia-3.jpg


thebrick.jpeg
 
Here's my last rye, which turned out darker than I was expecting but was still good:

UT0SBjnl.png


I have had the best success with amber lager type beers, and worst failures with light ale type beers.

Cheers!

Do you lager your beers? I've wanted to, but don't have a refrigerating belt or anything to get it cold enough.
 
I've really been meaning to get into homebrewing. I bought three old kegs a year or so ago with the intention of cutting the top off and turning them into 15 gallon stainless steel kettles. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to it yet. I might need to sacrifice one of the kegs, though, I've got a friend interested giving home distilling a try.
 

Doomsayer

Member
Been brewing for years now.

Making the jump late this year/early next year to commercial systems.

Hopefully going to have a tasting room up and running within the next 2-3 years. We should have a GAF-Homebrew share.

Oh, I brew mainly bacteria/alternative yeast stuff. Bretts, Lacto, Pedio, etc. I did just make a porter with cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate though. Came out... okay, not too happy with it.
 

fat pat

Member
Currently Fermenting - 2 Saison on Brett and an RIS

Recently Bottled and ready - Blueberry Blonde and Galaxy/Nelson/Equinox Pale

Brewing this weekend - Oktoberfest
 
I've been brewing with my dad. It's been pretty great, but obviously during the bottling process the flavour changes... which has been a disappointment for my dad and I as we've often had amazing tasting product pre bottling that doesnt turn out the same calibre. However, I recently got him a Kegging system for father's day and it made all the difference. You have so much more control over the flavour of your beer. I can't go back.
 
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