brewing my first batch of homebrew
 

had anyone here brewed their own beer? i'm mid-process, but any advice/tips from someone who has done this before would be great. i've done a lot of research and tried to educate myself, but i still feel like i'm going into unchartered territories. i guess that's what growing and brewing is all about though...

Sanitation is the biggest mistake. Make sure you sanitize everything and keep it that way.

What equipment are you using? I recommend glass Carboy, 6 gal. This way you don't need the blow off tube, and buckets get all scratched and harbor germs in the scratches.

sanitation advice noted. i brew my own kombucha as well so i know the dangers of contamination.

i have the 6 gal glass carboy. after i cool i simply strain the hops (or pour off the wort carefully) into the glass carboy and throw in some ale yeast to let ferment?

thanks for your help!

nope. is it alcohol?

Sanitation aside since anyone tinkering with any form of preserving should already know.

Ingredients, ingredients, dark bottles, and did I mention ingredients?

With the bottles of course sanitize well too, bottle brushes, bleach formula or whatever is recommended to you by your favorite book or resource. Clean caps (I really do not trust the reusable ones).

Back to ingredients. Everything really matters, not just the hops, the barley, or the yeast, but also the water. I personally find the water and then the yeast type to be the most important, followed by the hops then barley. Specially cause it is mostly water and to top it off tap water can kill, well kill things you want to stay alive at least.

you should use hop bags, and pellets are better than raw hops. Also purchasing a Wort Cooler is a great investment as letting the wort cool is usually when most contamination occurs, so cutting that time down the time it takes to cool helps. Or use an ice bath and just put your pot in the ice bath in the kitchen sink.

I do double fermentation so after 6 days in the primary I transfer the wort to a 5 gal carb by syphoning and being careful to leave the trub (crap on the bottom) in the 6 gal. then ferment for another 6 days. Makes for a more clear beer.

Other good investments are a oxygen wand to aerate the wort before you pitch the yeast, hooks up to a Benzo oxygen tank ($4 for the tank at auto store) and a temperature regulator to make sure your wort stays within the recommended temperature of the particular yeast you are using (usually 65°F - 70°F for ale).

If you don't have a oxygen wand, put a sanitized rubber stopper in the top of the carboy, and roll it back and forth on the floor vigerously for about 1 minutes before pitching the yeast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruno

Try it. It's worth it. You'll be shitting something terrible the next day though. It's still worth it. :2 cents:

aico, one quick question if you're still around. i'm at the boiling stage right now, adding hops in intervals. when i transfer the wort to the glass carboy, do i strain all the hops and seasoning (i tried coriander and a little cinnamon) then or let it settle in the first fermentation process?

Yes you strain the wort, the only thing you want from the hops is the oil, which comes out in the boil, leaving the hops in will not benefit you. The other spices will probably get thru the strainer, but that is ok.

This is why I use a hop bag, you just pull it out of the boil.

What kind of hops did you use and when did you put them in? Bittering hops go in at the beginning of the boil, finishing (aroma) hops go in at the last 5 minutes.

right...that's what i did with the hops (i hope!).

i put in tomahawk hops in towards the beginning of the boil and another kind the local home brewing store guy suggested just now, last five minutes.

i should have bought hop bags, but i used the bag i had to steap some grain at the beginning to add some flavor and color. this will be a learning experience for sure...i can see how people get obsessive about making "the perfect brew". there is so much tweaking to be done...so many variables.

There is no shame in buying a kit for your first couple batches. It still requires all the skill, but, generally will make you a better tasting beer.
Williams Brewing has some really good kits and also great equipment and ingredients. I order most of my stuff from them as there is no local shop where I live.

i see you're in washington. do you remember olympia beer? or oly stubbies? i grew up in olympia so i was pretty bummed when miller bought out the oly brewery.

yeah, we'll see how this batch turns out...i think i'll go with a kit next time to have a control, or something to compare it to.

do you use extract malt or all grain?

Ya I remember Oly beer and Rainer, there was another beer I forget the name, Tumwater Brewery made it and their commericals had a cartoon bear.

I use extract, all grain requires way too much effort.

Hamm's.

thanks for your help! i kept running back and forth to google but it's better to talk to someone that has done it. cheers!

Ya, Hamm's is it.

if you don't already have it this book is a must have, lots of info, and some good recipes in it as well.

Have you looked into that at all? Seems like a valid business idea could be sitting on your own doorstep, I know many smaller areas have such shops that sell beer and wine supplies. They all seem to do very well. Plus hell you could still run your porn business out the back.

Yes, actually I have, not enough brewers where I live. Very small town. Myself and one other here have talked about doing a brewfest of sorts to see if there are any hiding in the woodwork.

I am also looking into selling my beer at the local bar.

Most hobbyists and enthusiast are more than willing to travel a small distance or find you if you have a location. So it rules out one of the great standards for a business being location. Most of the ones I have seen around here or in smaller towns are either in industrial areas or those mini industrial mini malls that look like a row of over sized storage units. Rent is typically beyond cheap and if used as a dual office well tax wise your set.

I know some stuff can go rancid, though yeasts and stuff are stable with refrigeration. Plus hell you know the net so I do not see why you would have to think just locally. I just see to many people not do what they would love to do. Sounds like you love making beer.

that's true. i just drove over 45 minutes to get to my closest brewing supply store. even in LA there's not many.

Also people often want to taste, smell, and touch items when it comes to a obsessive hobby. This is something that you just can not do over the internet, well I suppose you can since lumber liquidators does it :winkwink:
Offer 3 small samples for 10.00 and that 10.00 comes off their first order. That way they could touch, smell, and taste it. (the price is from lumber liquidators and so is the sample quantity)

Where in L.A. do you live? There are a few good ones if you know where to look. My fave is the Home Wine Cheese and Beer shop in Woodland Hills.

One of the best things you could probably do for yourself is join one of the many local home brewing clubs in the Los Angeles area.

Good luck in your brewing venture... it's a grand hobby, and - assuming you stick with it - I'll see you at the Temecula festival, eventually. :-)

i'm already enjoying it immensely! i just googled the temecula homebrewers festival, looks like it was in May in '07, same for '08?

i would love to go. by then, i should have a few more batches under my belt so i won't feel so shy about sharing my brew.

if i go, you can't miss me! i'ma girl with bright pink hair...probably not your average looking homebrewer...tehe, i saw some pix of some pretty grizzly lookin men on their site.

Yeah... The Southern California Homebrewer's Festival is put on in Temecula every year, and while it can get a lil scruffy-looking (a good number of people are camping out there for two days) it's always a blast... just a bunch of good peeps from all walks of life getting together to talk about brewing, and drinking lots and lots of beer.

The only word of caution I have on the thing is that, in an effort to weed out the trouble-causing types, tickets are not sold at the actual event, but you must purchase them in advance by paying your annual dues to be a member of the Southern California Homebrewer's Association... a ticket to the event comes complementary with that membership.

And don't be afraid to share your brew. I understand what you're saying, but the thing I hear most from seasoned homebrewer's after awhile is that they wish they had gotten involved with the homebrewing community and shared their beers more early on... we've all been there, and brewed those beginning batches before... but sharing your beer with seasoned tasters, provided you can take constructive criticism, can be a rewarding venture, as there's a lot of good advice that comes with it.

Having been a professional brewmaster for several years, and a certified beer judge, I'm privy to lots of beer-oriented information pertaining to L.A.... and I always have time for someone new to the craft. Feel free to hit me up on ICQ any time.

Never try adding urine, Budweiser is very protective of this brewing secret and will prosecute.

Check out the guys over at Northern Brewer www.northernbrewer.com they got some great thing and cust serv can assist you during any step, great guys.