Off topic - Brewing beer

[rsteagall]

I've been brewing some beer lately. So far this year I've brewed 30 gallons (including today's batches). I'm just curious if any one else in the club is doing it.

-Ryan

[SRT80]

there was a thread about this not too long ago I think...

Steve

[pitbullpooch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9333233#post9333233 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SRT80
there was a thread about this not too long ago I think...

Steve I was just thinking the same thing so there must have been one on here somehwere. I dont brew it but sure love to drink it lol.

[mamagoose45]

We've done a few batches...Brian will no doubt hop on this thread the second he sees it. We've done about 5 or 6 batches thus far, all being successful, and pretty darn tasty too if I do say so.

[DMBillies]

Yup, we brewed a bunch right before Christmas (when I got two new tanks to play with) and haven't had the kitchen/work bench clean enough to drag the brewing equipment out and make more... but I do have the ingredients for a coffee bean stout that I am rather looking forward to. If all goes well, you'll feel like you need to chew that beer.

[foggy54]

I want to try some, I used to make wine but it was too much work.

I have 5 5gal. carboys and other stuff for making wine that may cross over.


Just need to figure out what I'm doing. lol

[rsteagall]

I've really enjoyed all mine I've done thus far, but I like the Irish Stout the best. Today I did another Irish Stout, but added some lactose to hopefully accomplish a milk stout of sorts. I also did a Belgian White with orange and lemon zest. I'm hoping this will resemble a Blue Moon.

[DMBillies]

Yeah, the coffee stout I'm planning is going to have some lactose in it as well. It will be the first recipe that I am putting together myself (the rest have been kits). We'll see how it comes out. The thing I like about brewing is that I can try different things and get a lot of different flavors for the price that I would pay for the same amount of mass produced "sex in a canoe" style beer that dominates grocery store shelves.

[mamagoose45]

Ryan, let me know how the Belgian White turns out for you...I'm a big fan of Blue Moon. If it's tasty, I might have to steal the recipe from you!

[turboex901]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9335882#post9335882 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mamagoose45
Ryan, let me know how the Belgian White turns out for you...I'm a big fan of Blue Moon. If it's tasty, I might have to steal the recipe from you!

blue moon is the devil, its a fake belgian witbier :) come into my work and ill let you try a few of the unibroue beers like la fin du monde, trois pistoles, northcoast brothers thelonius etc. if youre truly a fan of belgian wits check out hoegaarden. its the ORIGINAL belgian wit (since 1366), unfiltered lovely citric beer. after drinking that blue moon will taste like bleach :p <~~~steve

[mamagoose45]

Haha...then I'm only about half of a beer snob I guess. Please let me retract my earlier comment as I seem to have offended Steve's tastebuds. Rule to live by - Never tick off a bartender. :)

I need to come into the Saucer and just try some of the beers I've never had...a fine sampling indeed. Problem is when you start "sampling" beers most places...you don't remember what they all tasted like the next day.

[loyalty]

i had a coffee stout recently, i can't remember the name of it, but it was really good

[ol'salty]

I love brewing beer and have been doing it for years. I have been "all grain" brewing now for quite a while. I love having full control over my batches of beer. I still bottle a few batches but I've been kegging alot lately. My favorites are bitters, brown ales, porters and amber marzen (Octoberfest). You just can't beat homebrewed beers for flavor. But B/L works OK in a pinch! I just added a third fermenter to my collection, so I will be using a three stage fermentation system for my brewing. HHmmm....do I sense some brewing parties coming up?

Dave

[CKreef]

Yazoo all the way!!!!

[turboex901]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9337737#post9337737 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CKreef
Yazoo all the way!!!!

we hang out at yazoo on thurs., fri., and saturdays. anyone is more than welcome to join us. linus (the owner/master brewer) is a very cool guy. he could take you on a personalized tour as well if you want to see how its done on a large scale. if you go, ask him for a handful of his german barley that he uses. a few bites of that and youre in heaven :) he also took us back to his secret lair and let us rummage through his hops cooler. i fell in love with the smell of cascade hops that day. i can call linus and see if we can host a meeting at the brewery if you all would like. :) <~~~steve

[rsteagall]

Kegging is the only way to go imo. Its nice not to be forced to wait that extra month before you have a taste.

I took a look at both the batches I did yesterday and both are bubbling nice. The Wit is bubbling quite slower though. I'll bet it stays in primary for at least 2 weeks before I move it to secondary. This is the first time I used a liquid yeast specifically matched to the particular beer I'm brewing. I hope this makes a huge difference. After brewing the Wit, I don't think its going to turn out as lightly colored as I had hoped for.... but I could be wrong after the trub settles out.

[Mdwannabe]

A Reef Club meeting at a Brewery?.....Their has to be a supreme being!
I just hope I can remember anything I learned at the meeting, the next day.
Kidding aside, I would like to try brewing some beer, how much of a monetary commitment are we talking ($50...$100...$1,000), and how much time for a brew (day's...week's...month's)?
Oh, and how much space is required.
Just Wondering Out Loud.

Thanks:
Rick

[gflat65]

Rick,

I think you're looking at around $200-$300 to get a decent start. I got a Mr. Beer thing for Christmas (haven't had a chance to play around with it, but it is much cheaper than the real deal stuff. Four Seasons over in Green Hills has everything you'd need.

[CKreef]

I work for lipman brothers so i taste my fair share of beer and other things

[Mdwannabe]

Thanks Gary, my birthday is coming up and I'm sure Lisa would love to buy me something non-tank related, though I'm not sure why...... LOL :)

Rick

[ol'salty]

Rick; gflat is in the ball park to start out with, unless you find some deals. The more experience you gain, the more you will want to spend to upgrade/add to your equipment. Most ales will be ready to bottle in a week or two, then a week or two (depending on style) to age in the bottle. It's the longest two weeks of your life too!

Dave

[DMBillies]

I found that the most expensive thing was a buying a big enough brew pot to actually brew the beer. As with anything, you can go up to almost infinity. I probably spent about $200 including the cost of a few bottles to get me started and my first batch of beer. If you have the budget and space for a fridge you can use for kegging, I highly recommend it (bottling can be a PIA) but if you aren't sure you'll stick with it you probably don't want to start off that way. As far as space, I just drag my stuff in and out of the bottom of my bedroom closet as needed. If you have a corner of a basement or something where you can store stuff, you'll be set. The more advanced you get the more space and equipment you'll want (think reef tanks)... so just start building the addition now and you'll have space for more reef stuff and a nice little brewery. And when you mention that to you wife, kindly forget who put the idea in your mind :)

[turboex901]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9341776#post9341776 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CKreef
I work for lipman brothers so i taste my fair share of beer and other things

very cool, you must know all my lipman buddies then. rico is especially cool :D <~~~steve