Brew Your Own Beer

After consulting with my gf to see if this would be something she would like to try (her yes was very enthusiastic), I did some research and ordered a brew it yourself beer kit from a company called Brooklyn Brew Shop - http://brooklynbrewshop.com/ .  There are a number of brew it yourself kits and instructions out there.  I was attracted to this one because of positive reviews, affordability, the emphasis in their method on cleanliness and minimal usage of space (one of their marketing points is that you can brew your own beer even in a tiny apartment), and how informative and helpful their website is (a lof of instructions, how to videos, FAQs, etc.).

It shipped today, and hopefully it will be here in time for Valentine's Day (how awesome is it that I have a gf who wants a brew your own beer kit for Valentine's Day?).  Things are a bit hectic right now, but hopefully before the month is out we will get around to trying this out.  Since I am sure that there are a bunch of people who are curious as to our home brewing exploits, I will post a little diary of it as we proceed.

Has anyone else here had any home brewing experiences?  If so, please share them!

I haven't done it, but I know someone that does and works for the Home Brewers Association. They even won a contest prior to the HMA job for a holiday brew they made. Now instead of taking vacations to go to home brewers conferences and events, he is paid for it. ::chuckles:: Not every day you can actually have your hobby turn into a job you like.

I don't brew beer, but I get my swing-top bottles at a homebrew store to ferment water kefir sodas and kombucha teas. I've been fermenting dairy kefir as well, but not to a carbonated state.

I'm an avid Homebrewer and started out using the Cooper's Kit, but after seeing how easy it really is I have now graduated to ALL-Grain brewing. I would recommend checking out www.midwestsupplies.com or www.northernbrewer.com both are really good places for supplies and both have an excellent community to help those that are new to the hobby. Once you start you'll never look back...CHEERS!

» Edited on: 2013-02-09 16:36:28

Was looking at both of those sites. The more I research this, the more it is clear that it is easy to brew your own with a minimal amount of equipment. If this starter kit I ordered works out well, we plan on expanding into doing our own thing. This site has a great video cast series: http://brewingtv.com/ I have watched the first 5 episodes so far and have learned so much. Just seeing people's setups and watching how easy it is (with the right equipment) to break down the grain, cook a mash, put it in a keg or bottle, and let it ferment is quite tantalizing. We are really looking forward to trying this out very soon. Can you provide any advice, Engwar, on things we should watch for, things to do and not do, general beginner's advice?

The two websites Engwar listed are a great resource for supplies and I have purchased items from both and am pleased with the service. That said I still patron three local(ish) brew stores for consumable items (yeasts, grains, chemicals, etc). Having local resources to talk with and ask question, or even brag about successes is fantastic. Local shops are also a great place to meet fellow hobbyists and partner up for some larger or more expensive projects. I have to say after 5 years of crafting drinks, it doesn't feel right if I dont have something fermenting! I make beers for the summer, but mostly I make wines (traditional grape, fruit, farm). Red grape wines can take a long time to enjoy (I have a merlot bulk aging 3 years now), but fruit wines are enjoyed young. A great resource for starting out with fruit/farm wines is http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/ It's a little hard on the eyes but has a ton of recipes and instructions. I get asked if wine making is hard - making wine is super easy, making a consistent good wine is hard!

» Edited on: 2013-02-10 09:17:24

Home brew - It's patriotic! http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/09/01/ale-chief-white-house-beer-recipe

I homebrew also. I usually buy my supplies at home brewers outpost. They are really nice people there and have a great shipping department. I also started with a coopers kit and have graduated to grains. It is great fun and something special to taste your own beer.

@Crash The best advice I can give is invest in some StarSan and a spray bottle. StarSan is a no rinse chemical sanitizer that is food safe and will not affect your brewing in anyway. Spray EVERYTHING! There is wild yeast everywhere that can affect your brew and constantly sanitizing keeps your brew safe. My first ever brew kit was this: http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-guild/brewing-products/brew-accessories/diy-beer Excellent entry into the home brewing hobby. After my first batch I felt confident enough to switch to "All Grain". Oh and MOST IMPORTANT! ALWAYS drink a beer, when brewing beer! I hope you have as much fun as I have.

Yes cleanliness is essential. It is very easy to ruin a batch when things are not sanitized. Think of what thrives in warm, sugary wetness...

Thanks for all of the advice so far. It is greatly appreciated. :) The beer making kit arrived and I was too excited to wait until Thursday and gave it to her early. She was too excited to wait until Thursday to open it. :) We realized we are missing a few essentials - a bigger better strainer, a funnel to be used just for brewing, some extra spray bottles to keep sani-rinse in. We are going out this weekend to pick those up and might get to brewing our first batch as early as Saturday night. Will keep you posted!

A quick search on Google turned up the following beer supply store that is an 11 minute drive from my house: http://www.southhillsbrewing.com/ They also sell supplies for wine, liquor, and soda making. I think after we have gotten our feet wet with this kit we are going to expand and pay a visit to this store. I have this vision of making a keg or half keg of beer, capping it, and hooking it up to a home draft system behind my bar and having home brewed draft beer when people come over. My gf shares this vision. :)

The deluxe kit I ordered arrived and was given a couple days ahead of Valentine's Day. We were both too excited to wait. We have everything unpacked and figured out and read the book we bought and all that fun stuff. However, we realized one thing we do not have . . . a strainer with a handle large enough to hold the mash (at least 10"). I ran around all over the place this past weekend looking for one, and nobody sold any larger than 8", so I ordered a 10" one on Amazon (amusingly, I was reading the reviews after making my purchase and it turns out some folks bought the same one for the same reason - they could not find a strainer large enough for home brewing and this one worked out well for them). The strainer shipped tonight, and will hopefully arrive late next week - so maybe in a week or two I will post some updates with our first time beer making adventure.