Support NeoGAF

sharkmuncher · Apr 21, 2010

There seemed to be at least a few people who mentioned they brew their own beer in the recent beer threads so I figured its time for a Home Brew thread!

Snapped some pictures from the beer I brewed last night, some kind of Dunkle-like beer...

The ingredients

After steeping the chocolate malt

1st Hops addition

the Boil

The lemon zest and coriander

and this is how it will sit for the next 2 or so weeks

So homebrew GAF, any brewing stories, discussion, comments about the wonders of home brew?

Siebzehn50 · Apr 21, 2010

As soon as I get out of this dorm this will be one of the first things that I get set up.

WJD · Apr 21, 2010

Mine tastes like horse piss.

Az · Apr 21, 2010

GAF has been on an alcoholic binge recently.

sharkmuncher · Apr 21, 2010

WJD said:
Mine tastes like horse piss.

Might I suggest you refrain from adding horse piss, it tends to produce some off flavors...

TheLastCandle · Apr 21, 2010

I have to wait until after my honeymoon to start my next brew, the wait is KILLING me. : /

My last brew was a robust porter, I used LME (liquid malt extract) and used some ground specialty grains in grain bags to add the dark color. I believe I used Chocolate malts and Black Patent.

Turned out pretty good, a very nice roasty flavor. ABV was somewhere between 5-6%, and everyone that tried it was pretty impressed with it.

My next brew is looking like it's gonna be berry wheat beer. Probably gonna throw in a few pounds of orgeon puree in the mix. After that, probably an IPA. I need to upgrade my equipment soon, the giant fermenter tub I have is a beyotch to clean. Gotta go all Carboy, baby.

Edit: I do have a few pics of the process and the finished product. The beer itself isn't a spectacular thing to look at, as it's a porter and is black as night. But I'll post them when I get off of work.

EzLink · Apr 21, 2010

TheLastCandle said:
I have to wait until after my honeymoon to start my next brew, the wait is KILLING me. : /

My last brew was a robust porter, I used LME (liquid malt extract) and used some ground specialty grains in grain bags to add the dark color. I believe I used Chocolate malts and Black Patent.

Turned out pretty good, a very nice roasty flavor. ABV was somewhere between 5-6%, and everyone that tried it was pretty impressed with it.

My next brew is looking like it's gonna be berry wheat beer. Probably gonna throw in a few pounds of orgeon puree in the mix. After that, probably an IPA. I need to upgrade my equipment soon, the giant fermenter tub I have is a beyotch to clean. Gotta go all Carboy, baby.

Edit: I do have a few pics of the process and the finished product. The beer itself isn't a spectacular thing to look at, as it's a porter and is black as night. But I'll post them when I get off of work.

Hey, you just got/are getting married? Fucking gratz bro!

That is excellent

A new coworker of mine apparently brews his own stuff. He was describing it to me and it sounds incredibly tedious.

How About No · Apr 21, 2010

My friend has been scared to try again til this summer since his last batch was contaminated. But then again he's been in college so it's not like he has the time either.

TheLastCandle · Apr 21, 2010

EzLink said:
Hey, you just got/are getting married? Fucking gratz bro! That is excellent

A new coworker of mine apparently brews his own stuff. He was describing it to me and it sounds incredibly tedious.

Many thanks, sir!

Yep, just happened on Saturday, actually.

And it definitely can be tedious, especially if you are a germaphobe during the process like I am. I had a freaking 5 gallon tub filled with sanitizer solution and 2 spray bottles that doused everything that ever came in contact with the brew. I think it made the whole process twice as long, but at least my beer didn' get contaminated. :lol

sharkmuncher · Apr 21, 2010

TheLastCandle said:
Many thanks, sir! Yep, just happened on Saturday, actually.

And it definitely can be tedious, especially if you are a germaphobe during the process like I am. I had a freaking 5 gallon tub filled with sanitizer solution and 2 spray bottles that doused everything that ever came in contact with the brew. I think it made the whole process twice as long, but at least my beer didn' get contaminated. :lol

Spray bottles with sanitizer is a good idea, I'll have to try that next time. I've never been too worried about contamination, but that may very well be due to the fact that I work with cell cultures at work and compared to that, yeast is pretty difficult to contaminate.

ChrisRT · Apr 21, 2010

So I hear someone is brewin' dirty hooch, eh? Something this gumshoe won't tolerate, twits.

Steppenwolf · Apr 21, 2010

I wonder if anyone ever tried to use cannabis instead of hops. Both are closely related and high quality hops even smells similar afaik.

TheLastCandle · Apr 21, 2010

Steppenwolf said:
I wonder if anyone ever tried to use cannabis instead of hops. Both are closely related and high quality hops even smells similar afaik.

There is a show called Three Sheets on the travel channel and the host actually tried a hemp beer in amsterdam. He said it smelled like the wacky tobacky. That's as close as I've seen the realization of a weed beer.

sharkmuncher · Apr 21, 2010

Steppenwolf said:
I wonder if anyone ever tried to use cannabis instead of hops. Both are closely related and high quality hops even smells similar afaik.

I'm sure its been tried. I wonder, however, how the THC would affect / be affected by the fermentation process. You'd also need a couple oz. for a 5gal batch. Seems like a waste

lethial · Apr 21, 2010

ChrisRT said:
So I hear someone is brewin' dirty hooch, eh? Something this gumshoe won't tolerate, twits.

Steppenwolf · Apr 21, 2010

TheLastCandle said:
There is a show called Three Sheets on the travel channel and the host actually tried a hemp beer in amsterdam. He said it smelled like the wacky tobacky. That's as close as I've seen the realization of a weed beer.

Ah now that you mention it i have actualy drunk cannabis beer a couple of times. Not sure tho if the cannabis replaced the hops in them or if it was just added for the taste.

lljride · Apr 21, 2010

I've always wanted to give homebrew a try, but it seems like such a pain in the ass with all the sterilization and set up required. One of these days I'll get bored enough to get the motivation to do it though.

TheLastCandle · Apr 22, 2010

Update/Bumpage with some pics.

Specialty grains steeping in hot water for extra flavor and color before malt extract is added.

Hops and sanitizer. Willamette and Northern Brewing hops for this recipe.

Finished product. It's dark, so it's hard to tell how it looked, but I assure you it was tasty!

Phobophile · Apr 22, 2010

Man, I already made an official thread months ago

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=370389

Forearms · Apr 22, 2010

This seems like an interesting hobby. What is the cost on a simple setup, and how bad does it smell during preparation (boiling/fermenting)?

I don't have a huge amount of room left in the garage, but it looks like a fun project to try.

Edit: I'll check out the official thread. :lol

grumble · Apr 22, 2010

Adding pot to the beer would be a waste. It's got to be heated up for the THC to activate, so it would be all taste, no blitz.

Phobophile · Apr 22, 2010

grumble said:
Adding pot to the beer would be a waste. It's got to be heated up for the THC to activate, so it would be all taste, no blitz.

Not to mention THC is fat soluble so really I don't know how it's gonna get into solution. And if it does it might just precipitate out.

Kentpaul · May 10, 2010

TheLastCandle said:
Update/Bumpage with some pics.

Specialty grains steeping in hot water for extra flavor and color before malt extract is added.

Hops and sanitizer. Willamette and Northern Brewing hops for this recipe.

Finished product. It's dark, so it's hard to tell how it looked, but I assure you it was tasty!

Looks like guinnes OP , did it taste anything like guiness

sharkmuncher · May 10, 2010

TheLastCandle said:
Update/Bumpage with some pics.

Finished product. It's dark, so it's hard to tell how it looked, but I assure you it was tasty!

Looks Good! I bottled the beer in the OP this weekend and it will be ready for tasting in about 2 weeks. Will post tasting updates then. Initial flavor is surprisingly sweet with some nice hoppy bitterness. Well see when cold and fully carbed!

platypotamus · May 10, 2010

Since it looks like this thread is going to win over the old "Official" thread (sorry Phobophile), I'm going to subscribe, since I'm getting ready to brew my very first batch of homebrew (probably first week of June, got some travel happening before then).

Anyway, I'll try and take pictures as I do it, and post some details as it happens. Just going to go with a nice simple beginner recipe from the 3rd edition of Joy of Homebrewing, as I am a newb, so we'll see how that goes.

TheLastCandle · May 25, 2010

Kentpaul said:
Looks like guinnes OP , did it taste anything like guiness

It was a porter, so it wasn't as roasty or dry as Guinness. Also a bit maltier. It's alcohol content was also higher, I believe this one was about 5-6% ABV.

Mindlog · May 25, 2010

TheLastCandle said:
It was a porter, so it wasn't as roasty or dry as Guinness. Also a bit maltier. It's alcohol content was also higher, I believe this one was about 5-6% ABV.

Good lord that sounds yummy.

RiggenBlaque · May 25, 2010

TheLastCandle said:
It was a porter, so it wasn't as roasty or dry as Guinness. Also a bit maltier. It's alcohol content was also higher, I believe this one was about 5-6% ABV.

Chances are you didn't put Nitrogen into it either, which is a huge difference.

As for myself I have a Vanilla Stout, Stout, and IPA bottled in my closet and a Summer Wheat fermenting ATM

belvedere · May 25, 2010

So I brewed my first batch this past Sunday. I was too giddy with excitement to take pictures.

It's an american cream ale.

sharkmuncher · May 25, 2010

The Dunkel I brewed above turned out great. I don't think it will last very long. I have a Pale Ale currently fermenting and am trying to decide what to do next. Leaning towards a stout or a barley wine, there are just way to many options of things to brew.

electricpirate · May 25, 2010

Siebzehn50 said:
As soon as I get out of this dorm this will be one of the first things that I get set up.

I brewed my first batch while living on campus in college, in a shared kitchen (of a fraternity house though, but the school owned the house). Campus security tried to bust us while we were cooling the wort in the snow, but couldn't since it wasn't alchoholic yet.

Good times, good times indeed.

Amakusa · May 25, 2010

all of you... men among men

this thread... the stuff of gods. I wanna brew

TheLastCandle · May 25, 2010

RiggenBlaque said:
Chances are you didn't put Nitrogen into it either, which is a huge difference.

As for myself I have a Vanilla Stout, Stout, and IPA bottled in my closet and a Summer Wheat fermenting ATM

Indeed. Don't exactly have access to a Nitro tap in my apartment. Although I wish I did.

Vanilla Stout sounds glorious. Planning on getting a wheat beer started as well, but I do believe I'm throwing some berries in there for something fun for the summer. A few cans of puree during the boil should suffice.

I'm incredibly wary of contamination, so I won't add anything into secondary fermentation with my current set up.

gcubed · May 25, 2010

here is a picture of my setup in the middle of brewing. I've won a bunch of awards for beers i've entered in competitions, but i normally just brew for myself... i use competitions for recipe feedback mostly

jamieson87 · May 25, 2010

gcubed said:
here is a picture of my setup in the middle of brewing. I've won a bunch of awards for beers i've entered in competitions, but i normally just brew for myself... i use competitions for recipe feedback mostly

Thats some setup friend, how much did that rig cost? Any pics of the beer you make?

discohiro · May 25, 2010

I really want to get into all-grain brewing. But unfortunately, I don't have the room to do so.

gcubed · May 25, 2010

jamieson87 said:
Thats some setup friend, how much did that rig cost? Any pics of the beer you make?

the structure was actually free (well, a few 5 gallon batches for the fabricator). The pump was about $120 and $30 each for 2 burners.

Dont have any pics of the beer, drink it too fast

i've won most of the awards on my porter, right now i have a hoppy american wheat on tap, 5 gallons of an imperial black ipa and 10 gallons of english brown ready to move to kegs and 10 gallons of my porter thats about a week out.

I serve them off of this (right now it has 5 taps on it)

discohiro said:
I really want to get into all-grain brewing. But unfortunately, I don't have the room to do so.

it does take a ton of room, i end up buying my grain in bulk, so i have 125+ lbs of grain in my basement and 5-6lbs of hops in my freezer... which takes up even more room. I started out with extract, after finishing up 5 hours after i started there are often times where i miss the days of it

belvedere said:
Awesome setup!

If you don't mind, could you list the items/tools utilized in that pic for a n00b like me?

give me a few and i'll uglify it up with my awesome ms paint skills

belvedere · May 25, 2010

gcubed said:
here is a picture of my setup in the middle of brewing. I've won a bunch of awards for beers i've entered in competitions, but i normally just brew for myself... i use competitions for recipe feedback mostly

Awesome setup!

If you don't mind, could you list the items/tools utilized in that pic for a n00b like me?

gcubed · May 25, 2010

belvedere said:
Awesome setup!

If you don't mind, could you list the items/tools utilized in that pic for a n00b like me?

-hot liquor tank (HLT) holds my heated water (2 steps, once for mash and once for sparge)
-pump water from HLT to mash tun

-mash tun holds crushed grain

-mix (the wooden paddle in the picture) and let grain and water sit for 60 minutes at x temp
-rinse and drain grain into boil kettle (this is a fly sparge method, there are other methods)
-boil wort (what you get from the mash tun from the grain) for 90 mins, adding hops and other various things where necessary
-cool wort as quickly as possible (i use an immersion cooler, not seen in picture, basically copper tubing in a spiral where you run cold water through to cool down wort to under 80)
-move chilled wort to primary and add yeast
-store between 60-70 for an ale for a few weeks, i move to a keg and carbonate, then enjoy!

the HLT and boil kettle have propane burners underneath them for heating.

thats very very simplified, may have missed a few steps. Temps change depending on the beer you are brewing, timing for hops changes depending on taste you want. I can do up to 10 gallons at a time with this setup, ends up costing me about $45 for 10 gallons of beer.

KiKaL · May 25, 2010

I just started brewing myself. My first batch should be finished now. It's been bottled for about 3-4 weeks now. I've tried it when it wasn't fully carbonated and it seemed decent. One thing it appears I messed up on is carbonation. One beer was insanely carbonated were the next bottle opened was almost flat. That was a week ago when I tried it so hopefully it's gotten better.

AbortedWalrusFetus · May 25, 2010

gcubed said:
I can do up to 10 gallons at a time with this setup, ends up costing me about $45 for 10 gallons of beer.

That's a pretty good deal, considering a keg costs more than that for any decent brew. Plus you get the fun of making it. This is a hobby I totally want to get into, but I do not have the space for it. I'll have to wait until I have my own place and am no longer renting.

I consider myself a pretty big beer snob, I mean, I just spent $75 on two custom six packs last thursday. This is another level though, and one I hope to attain.

I wish there was a beer review thread on GAF for me to post reviews of the stuff I bought. I got my hands on a Rochefort 10 in one of those six packs, and I'm dying to try it and review it. Maybe I'll make a thread :lol

belvedere · May 25, 2010

gcubed said:
info

-saved

I appreciate it man. I'm really interested in this hobby but just started off with a "kit" containing the basics. I just want to get the principle down and hopefully move onto mashing and experimenting with various ingredients myself, rather than buying some pre-packaged kit that will turn out the same every time.

bastionwords · May 25, 2010

gcubed said:
here is a picture of my setup in the middle of brewing. I've won a bunch of awards for beers i've entered in competitions, but i normally just brew for myself... i use competitions for recipe feedback mostly

That looks similar to the Dogfish Head brewmaster's homebrew type setup I saw in Beer Wars.

edit: You should try a cross-flow chiller instead of an immersion chiller.

Also, do you use gravity or a pump to go from the boil kettle to a carboy?

gcubed · May 25, 2010

belvedere said:
-saved

I appreciate it man. I'm really interested in this hobby but just started off with a "kit" containing the basics. I just want to get the principle down and hopefully move onto mashing and experimenting with various ingredients myself, rather than buying some pre-packaged kit that will turn out the same every time.

i started with kits, then moved on from there. Lots of stuff to play with that its overwhelming at times if you are experimenting. Kits make good beer, as does extract, partial mash, etc. Read up on some websites/forums, books, etc. Moving to partial mash is just one step away and still lets you use what you have without taking up too much space

bastionwords said:
That looks similar to the Dogfish Head brewmaster's homebrew type setup I saw in Beer Wars.

edit: You should try a cross-flow chiller instead of an immersion chiller.

Also, do you use gravity or a pump to go from the boil kettle to a carboy?

didnt want to 1) spend the money after all i already spent, and 2) want to deal with cleaning but am looking at ways to waste less water chilling.

I whirlpool, let settle and then pump into carboy. I have a dip tube that pulls from the side so i dont get as much trub in the fermenter

Phobophile · May 26, 2010

gcubed said:
I whirlpool, let settle and then pump into carboy. I have a dip tube that pulls from the side so i dont get as much trub in the fermenter

Do this and you'll get virtually no sediment after secondary.

sharkmuncher · Jun 12, 2010

15 lbs of honey from the framers' market and champagne yeast from the brewer's store. Mead this weekend!!!!

HappyBivouac · Jun 13, 2010

Makin' my first stab at a partial mash IPA soon, ordering ingredients tomorrow.

Dry hopping it with 2oz of Cascade. Can't friggin' wait.

AbortedWalrusFetus said:
That's a pretty good deal, considering a keg costs more than that for any decent brew. Plus you get the fun of making it. This is a hobby I totally want to get into, but I do not have the space for it. I'll have to wait until I have my own place and am no longer renting.

Do you have a stove and a closet? That's all you need. You don't really need the closet, but I like to take extra measures to keep light away from whatever fermentation vessels I'm using.

Support NeoGAF

Let's Discuss the Beer We Brew

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Banned

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Reeeeeeee

Member

Member

Member

A scientist and gentleman in the manner of Batman.

Member

Member

A scientist and gentleman in the manner of Batman.

When keepin it real goes wrong. Very, very wrong.

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Junior Butler

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Junior Butler

Member

Member

Member

Junior Butler

Member

Member

A scientist and gentleman in the manner of Batman.

Member

Member

Similar threads