Beginning a Homebrew

[MrIncredible004]

I have seen a few threads throughout here but couldn't find one on starting up.

Any suggestion on where to begin? I live in Colorado Springs and have been laid up from surgery and am looking for something to pass the time.

I love IPA's and Hef's would like to start there.

Thank you for the advice in advance.

[rbeau30]

If you are pretty sure that you are going to make this a hobby, I would probably start with a little bit of extract brewing to get most of the process down. (you can also start with smaller batches).

Then to prevent you from wasting any money on buying stuff you won't use when you are really into it, buy used stuff. Because Now that I am to the point of all grain, and not bottle-conditioning, I don't ever bottle anymore (I fill up growlers for folks) and I don't brew with extracts anymore.

You are going to need a lot of things:

Cleanliness/sanitation is the key in getting a good product (unless you like sours LOL). I use star-san for santitizing.
Space to do the whole thing. (Mashing, Lautering, boiling, chilling, Primary fermentation (cool dark place), Secondary (transferring 5 gallons of wort and young beer around). Bottling/Conditioning. Then drinking!


With extract brewing you basically need the less amount of stuff. You will typically get an ingredient kit with all the extract and specialty grains yeast and hops. All pre-measured.

Then you really just need a kettle or large pot if you are doing it in small (<5 gallon ) batches.
A way of cooling the wort (wort chiller or floating the pot in a larger vessel of ice) to get it to the temp where you don't kill the yeast.
a Primary fermenter (usually a plastic bucket with an airlock on top of the lid).
Secondary fermenter (carboy with airlock on top) tubes to siphon the wort or beer from one to the other.
Bottles (you can reuse the non-twist topped bottles from beer you drink) clean and sanitized.
Bottling bucket to fill bottles.
Crown caps and bottle capper.


Once you get to the point where you want to make 5 gallons of it at a time, and get into more involved recipes.

You will need a mash tun (I use a round 10 gallon drink cooler converted into a mash tun.) to develop and extract the sugars from your grains.
Large enough kettle to boil 5 gallons of wort
Wort chiller to quickly cool 200 degree worth down to 70
Fermenter vessel (hopefully you bought a 6 gallon one from above)
Carboy for secondary fermentation (some people use these for primary some don't even use a secondary fermenter)
5 gallon corny (old soft drink ) kegs (because bottling is not lame) and CO2 tank and tubes for carbonating a place to chill your corny kegs


One bad thing about jumping right into the whole thing is the possibility of brewing something undrinkable (through either a miscalculation in grains like when I put too much peated grain into a scotch ale I was trying to doctor up or through poor sanitation). When you get into all-grain brewing you have many many variables, and if you have not got a system down many things can go wrong and loosing a batch of beer can get expensive. A 5 gallo batch of my dark milk stout or dark IPA can get upwards of 120 -150 dollars. I have a Cream ale that I can get as cheap as 30 dollars for a 5 gallon batch.

[mightiestmouse]

This site has a lot of informational stuff and usually where I tend to buy things from. They have starter kits available too: http://www.northernbrewer.com/

Another good resource (and if you become a member opens you up to discounts at most breweries) is the american home brewers association: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/

Like was stated above, start with extract brewing as it will be the least expensive option up front to decide if you want to continue with home brewing. As long as you have a large enough pot (can hold 2 1/2 gallons of water with a bag full of grain at constant boil), you will probably only have to buy:

Primary carboy
Secondary carboy
Air lock
Extract kit with yeast
Chiller
Hydrometer
Thermometer
Cleaning solution
Sanitizing solution
Plastic food safe bucket
Funnel
Bottles, caps and capper (you can reuse old bottles from beer you drink they just have to be sanitized beforehand)

Heating all of that water on your stove top will be hard on your burners, so if you can spare the money I would get an external burner that hooks up to a normal propane tank and get a stainless pot to brew in.

Extract brewing is a relatively simple chemistry experiment. As long as you can follow directions, keep track of timing, and keep your equipment clean/sterile you should be fine. My dad and brother in law have been home brewing for quite a while so I skipped bottling and went straight to kegging as I have never enjoyed having the sludge at the bottom of a bottles. It's not a problem as long as you pour the beer properly. I also liked the advantage to force carbonating beer in a keg so you can essentially have beer on tap in 4 weeks from the day of brewing whereas bottling will add another couple weeks to that.

I've got about a grand into my setup for extract brewing (most of which is tied up in my keezer build for my two 5 gallon kegs and taps). After you have the main equipment, brewing becomes a relatively cheap hobby as you only buy the beer kits.

[MrIncredible004]

Thank you very much guys. Appreciate the advice i have a good base to build off of now!

[rbeau30]

...

Heating all of that water on your stove top will be hard on your burners, so if you can spare the money I would get an external burner that hooks up to a normal propane tank and get a stainless pot to brew in.

...

Extract brewing is a relatively simple chemistry experiment. As long as you can follow directions, keep track of timing, and keep your equipment clean/sterile you should be fine. My dad and brother in law have been home brewing for quite a while so I skipped bottling and went straight to kegging as I have never enjoyed having the sludge at the bottom of a bottles. It's not a problem as long as you pour the beer properly. I also liked the advantage to force carbonating beer in a keg so you can essentially have beer on tap in 4 weeks from the day of brewing whereas bottling will add another couple weeks to that.

I've got about a grand into my setup for extract brewing (most of which is tied up in my keezer build for my two 5 gallon kegs and taps). After you have the main equipment, brewing becomes a relatively cheap hobby as you only buy the beer kits.

I already had a turkey fryer setup and I use that for my burner. The wort cools off better outside where I can hook up my wort chiller to the garden hose.

I HATE bottling. Now that I am set up for kegging, I can still fill a bottle or two already from the keg if I need to give it away or have a friend bring a growler to me to fill up.

Most expensive for me was the Mash tun, kettle, and keg setup.

You can get some good stuff on CL though.

[Hummer]

I picked up a couple malt extract kits this week, may get them started tomorrow. I like the beer they make just fine. Happiness is having the aroma of beer or wine fermenting in the house.


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Wine%20Making/Malt-extract-kits_zps121e8422.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Wine%20Making/Malt-extract-kits_zps121e8422.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Wine%20Making/more-beer.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Wine%20Making/more-beer.jpg.html)

[fly boy]

Bringing this back to the top!!!


I got a few things for Christmas and I remembered there were a few people on here who home brewed.

Currently: Absolutely NO SKILL in this. I enjoy micro-brews and trying new beers when I have the money (beer is another expensive hobby).
What I have: A basic Mr. Beer brew kit, AND a 5 gallon brew kit with some parts and pieces to almost get me started (from a local home brew store). Also, I have "how to Brew" by John Palmer that seems like a Junior level college science class text book.

next steps: Look online to buy a carboy or two, beer hydrometer, a big pot to boil stuff in, and a chiller to cool the wart.

Since the kit's were given as a Christmas gift, I will use the "mr brew" kit since everything was in it. A simple question is..... Is it worth it in the long run, or will it just be another expensive hobby that gets side tracked? I wanted to get into reloading but don't have the room (and initial start-up fee is $$$). I have a small amount of space I can store 1 or 2 carboy's for brewing if needed. Should I consider this for a long term hobby, or have you home brewers gotten bored or an empty wallet from it? Thanks!

[cfortune]

I got bored with it after making 7 or so batches from extracts. It was great until I had a batch go bad. Then a few more came out fine then another bad batch. That is when I stopped. Too much wasted time sanitizing, bottling, etc to end up with 5 gallons of liquid that you just want to be gone.

[Hummer]

Bringing this back to the top!!!


I got a few things for Christmas and I remembered there were a few people on here who home brewed.

Currently: Absolutely NO SKILL in this. I enjoy micro-brews and trying new beers when I have the money (beer is another expensive hobby).
What I have: A basic Mr. Beer brew kit, AND a 5 gallon brew kit with some parts and pieces to almost get me started (from a local home brew store). Also, I have "how to Brew" by John Palmer that seems like a Junior level college science class text book.

next steps: Look online to buy a carboy or two, beer hydrometer, a big pot to boil stuff in, and a chiller to cool the wart.

Since the kit's were given as a Christmas gift, I will use the "mr brew" kit since everything was in it. A simple question is..... Is it worth it in the long run, or will it just be another expensive hobby that gets side tracked? I wanted to get into reloading but don't have the room (and initial start-up fee is $$$). I have a small amount of space I can store 1 or 2 carboy's for brewing if needed. Should I consider this for a long term hobby, or have you home brewers gotten bored or an empty wallet from it? Thanks!



I think it's worthwhile. With a basic homebrew equipment kit you can make very good beer and wine for a fraction of the cost of commercial product. If you stick with malt extract kits, making beer can be easy and very economical, and you won't need a boil pot or wort chiller--a consideration if you have limited space. Since you have a basic equipment kit, I suggest you get a malt extract kit like in my post above and get it going at the same time as the Mr. Beer kit. I think you'll find the extract kit will make a better drinking brew than the Mr. Beer. You can also tweak the recipes on beer kits by adding more malt, corn sugar, hops and spices.

Much of your investment in the hobby will be in the work involved with cleaning bottles, carboys and equipment before and after fermentation. If a person has an aversion to cleaning dishes, pots and pans in the kitchen, then they'll likely tire of the hobby. That's the work part of homebrew, but worth it, IMO, for having an abundant supply of good beer and wine to share with friends. The work is why you find so many almost new beer equipment kits on Craigslist. I've outfitted my winery via CL for 5 to 30 cents on the dollar. The trick is to find the ones priced right by people who've done it a while and accumulated a variety of equipment. You can never have too many hydrometers, bottle brushes, carboys and bottle trees.

Winter's a good time to make beer, and I'll start a couple batches this week. This year I was able to source local grapes to make ~84 gal. of Riesling and Gewurztraminer, and ~92 gal. of Cabernet Franc, Cab Sauv, and Merlot. Net cost will be about $3/bottle. It's fun sharing the good stuff with friends. While a few batches haven't been great due to either neglect or experimenting with different ingredients and yeasts, many of my wines have been outstanding--equivalent to $20-$40 bottles.

This years whites are in the garage where they are cold stabilized (which drops tartrates to reduce acidity and mellow the flavors). The reds are inside where it's warmer to promote malolactic fermentation, which also drops acidity and softens the wine.


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Wine%20Making/2015-Riesling-amp-Gewurztrami_zpsvi26rqhz.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Wine%20Making/2015-Riesling-amp-Gewurztrami_zpsvi26rqhz.jpg.html)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Wine%20Making/2015-Red-wines_zpsrvl6d1aa.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Wine%20Making/2015-Red-wines_zpsrvl6d1aa.jpg.html)

[Zundfolge]

Currently: Absolutely NO SKILL in this. I enjoy micro-brews and trying new beers when I have the money (beer is another expensive hobby).

Is it worth it in the long run, or will it just be another expensive hobby that gets side tracked? I wanted to get into reloading but don't have the room (and initial start-up fee is $$$). I have a small amount of space I can store 1 or 2 carboy's for brewing if needed. Should I consider this for a long term hobby, or have you home brewers gotten bored or an empty wallet from it? Thanks!

I don't home brew, but I know half a dozen people that have (a couple for over 20 years).

For most people, home brewing does not mean you're "making beer cheap". You'll probably find that you spend as much (and probably more) brewing your own beer then buying it at liquor stores or breweries (even if you amortize the cost of the equipment and supplies over many years). The guys I know that have been doing it for a long time do it because they love the process and not so that they can drink more beer cheaply.

The calculus that I've made is that I'll spend a lot less money and time just buying and drinking beer (we live in a golden age of craft beer in an area with tons of great brewers).


Now if we were allowed to distill at home, I think that might be worth trying.

[kidicarus13]

For most people, home brewing does not mean you're "making beer cheap". You'll probably find that you spend as much (and probably more) brewing your own beer then buying it at liquor stores or breweries (even if you amortize the cost of the equipment and supplies over many years). The guys I know that have been doing it for a long time do it because they love the process and not so that they can drink more beer cheaply.

The calculus that I've made is that I'll spend a lot less money and time just buying and drinking beer

Reminds me of reloading unless your a long range precision shooter loading specialty ammunition.

[ChadAmberg]

Anyone ever consider the Brewdemon kits? http://www.amazon.com/BrewDemon-80200-Signature-Beer-Kit/dp/B00DCB842U/ Especially for those just starting out to see if it's a hobby that would last.

[Hummer]

Anyone ever consider the Brewdemon kits? http://www.amazon.com/BrewDemon-80200-Signature-Beer-Kit/dp/B00DCB842U/ Especially for those just starting out to see if it's a hobby that would last.



I think it's a gimmick designed to attract first timers with a low price point. A person who does go on to become a serious homebrewer would probably regard the two gallon kit setup as a waste of money. Beer malt extract and ingredient kits are generally made for 5 gal. batches so a 2 gal. conical fermenter isn't of much use. And there are no 2 gal carboys for extended aging. So, with the 2 gal. kit you're stuck buying beer kits from that seller, which is more costly and not as good.

I'm also not keen on small batch beer and wine making because the effort is the same as for a standard 5 or 6 gal. batch. IMO, with small batches like 1 and 2 gal., there's an increased chance for problems due to oxidation and contamination.

A better start would be something like this kit (http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/beer-equipment-starter-kits/deluxe-brewing-starter-kit) that includes a 5 gal beer recipe kit, and a 6 gal. carboy that can be used as a primary for beer and for making wine kits. Pretty complete, versatile, more economical, and all is useful if you decide to expand. Get a good start with good equipment, good ingredients and make beer that's good enough you'll want to continue the hobby. The BrewDemon and Mr. Beer kits take people in the wrong direction that discourages them from continuing.

[RblDiver]

Now if we were allowed to distill at home, I think that might be worth trying.

You can. The husband of one of my mom's PEO members does home distillation. You have to get a permit, but it's free (just takes like 6 months to get). So long as it's not commercial, you can do it. He made some neat stuff, primarily vodka, but some tequila and others too.

I'm in the process of buying a new home, and two things I'm looking into doing at the new place: 1, grow hops in the back yard, and 2, trying to make my own mead. Looking forward to it!

[kidicarus13]

http://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/moonshine-still-blog/7269700-is-it-legal-to-make-moonshine-in-colorado

Colorado Distilling Laws

e is summary of Colorado's laws regarding home distillation of moonshine whiskey, fuel alcohol, essential oils, and water.

Owning a still

The State of Colorado does not prohibit ownership of a still.

Distilling Water and Essential Oils

Yes, it is legal to distill water. It is also legal to distill essential oils without the use of alcohol as a solvent.

Distilling Alcohol for Fuel

It is not legal to distill alcohol for fuel and no fuel alcohol permit exists.

Distilling for Personal Consumption

It is not legal to distill alcohol for personal consumption, though fines are minimal (see below).

Fines and Penalties for Distilling Alcohol in the State of Colorado

The good news is that distilling alcohol for personal consumption in the State of Colorado is neither a felony or a misdemeanor. The act actually falls in a category called "Petty Offenses." Specifically, moonshining in Colorado is a Class 2 Petty Offense and it shares this category with violations such as littering, leaving a campfire unattended, water skiing without a life jacket, and riding a bus without paying a fee. If one is caught making moonshine in Colorado, they are subject to a $250 fine. Freedom ain't free folks...freedom ain't free.

****************

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_25776672/meyer-why-cant-we-distill-our-homes

In Colorado, it is illegal, but only a petty offense.
However, the feds still consider home distilling illegal. In March, federal and state authorities arrested eight people in Florida and confiscated 46 stills, saying possession of unregistered stills and production of distilled spirits without federal permits or paying taxes were felony offenses.

[Hummer]

Home distillation of spirits is not legal in the United States, or in any country except New Zealand. One has to get a commercial permit. But fermenting beer, wine, mead, etc. is legal without a permit up to 250 gal. per household per year.

[RblDiver]

Hrm, I'd be curious to get back in touch with the guy to find out what he was talking about.

As near as I can tell, "home" distillation is permitted, so long as it's not a residence. http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/home-distilling.shtml

[fly boy]

It seems like it might be fun, but I don't know how much money I want to dump into it at a "trial" hobby. I started saving for reloading and once I buy a house that will allow it, I will want to do that (I'm getting into long range shooting). I also like the micro brews today, and think it would be interesting playing with the ingredients to make my own mixtures such as a peanut butter beer, coffee beer, or even a caffeinated beer.

Maybe I will try my Mr. Beer kit, and 1 or two batches of malt extract kits to see if I like it or not. I will post up what I received in my 5-gallon kit in the next couple days.

[Zundfolge]

You can. The husband of one of my mom's PEO members does home distillation. You have to get a permit, but it's free (just takes like 6 months to get). So long as it's not commercial, you can do it. He made some neat stuff, primarily vodka, but some tequila and others too.
You got my hopes up but others have dashed that :p



I'm in the process of buying a new home, and two things I'm looking into doing at the new place: 1, grow hops in the back yard, and 2, trying to make my own mead. Looking forward to it!
I'm still surprised that nobody is making a commercial mead on a wide scale (maybe honey is just too expensive). Ive had a couple homebrew meads and they were awesome. Years ago in college a friend of mine made some and he put too much sugar in it (which created too much CO2) so the first one exploded when he opened it, so we had to set them in the sink and barely crack the cap a bit letting them hiss for 10 minutes or so before opening them ... but once we did they were just about the most awesome summer time brew one could imagine ... chikas went wild over them too. Since meads are technically a "honey wine" type drink and not really a beer, they should be easier to make than beer with less equipment involved.

[RblDiver]

I'm still surprised that nobody is making a commercial mead on a wide scale (maybe honey is just too expensive). Ive had a couple homebrew meads and they were awesome. Years ago in college a friend of mine made some and he put too much sugar in it (which created too much CO2) so the first one exploded when he opened it, so we had to set them in the sink and barely crack the cap a bit letting them hiss for 10 minutes or so before opening them ... but once we did they were just about the most awesome summer time brew one could imagine ... chikas went wild over them too. Since meads are technically a "honey wine" type drink and not really a beer, they should be easier to make than beer with less equipment involved.

Actually, more and more meaderies are being formed. It's obviously not as ubiquitous as breweries, but I think there's at least one new one in Loveland which has good stuff (don't remember their company name, but two of their three meads are Date Night and Dragonsbreath), and a few others around. There's also Redstone Meadery, and a few others which I can find at my liquor store.

[Irving]

Bumping this thread. I was at a house in Watkins last week and the lady told me that the previous owner was growing hops and she doesn't want them. Told me to ask any home brewers if they were interested in harvesting these from her garden. She doesn't know anything about them. Here are the photos. I wasn't sure what I should be taking a photo of exactly.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/e5SenxCN59l_PzS3j0rdHeZ9l6BiIP1lUvfoSjZEH51jhpIdqb z36zDNO3RjWL0zkyFArwHe3uzRp8N8u6tzcimS03dqdne_SPAT de6kov-ao5BUcpAYTNuScQW0ebHQR1XIpqUicN33gtVAuYVLR-Nvn7HnwV3gBoLKXRlzUoOcomzM5fqBCrkNsKqOEYESq5OEJSbw q1rwQtpkOA5EcfQl_sA9DdhxJx-RO0YmweRW5AjMkRFtWeaLA6WyLcQ-K2KsZPGOSL7DHODbwfWW8XYWPvXJ8BoyszvgLOcQ-sINoWmpz0GGgitOyP24NR0ZzGXosWPugY1c-pL_kwxouGBX438hHsoYYtB31VfnQhj7wWvJ5V90M2a92Uw7ShT 4JO_1pemulEtjdu5Cjai7sMKStzDCV4FN8Z2WyUVJo110jGOBj NdCEhubyaayKW9ZV0TDSvQDt3FFtAJBPj2om-CI7u1TYFvoxhVc0mQwgWv3cdu_y_v_GqO6YR43nd7NH4z9ubUA VhpMNZXR1NDl0iHsqekx6K1V9RTZQzMG2TreTAm9s3JUyZgX81 FGoKUwMET24Fwa3QYOua-i5sOAFJvtWvOgA3ee=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/g_SKPSXqe-kYTtH8eETlnQJuOqdgqkAjWfW8D-UjUHJtlGfE3VM70X1y02XZMfFgBg9t2XUePrHAMJ9PYgn9bSyK UFoW_7bPC-H4T98lDD-tIwN15Pa_a0-QvKetS16T86jpvpxuj1TdwVYP4WMVrfcatltrqgL6j807O7fpd onhGf_b7QOiR8A3FKzt-AXg16SmB-snzLnLAtQLdGcSofXuezYRf4Gt1Y5u3j8UwwvSC1c3t1c_TU4-uC7IevVWW0sk5raBtlbj89aTAFXqX1EZAKZFX24eghi_tTxWA9 P1CLNL-jGVMuxCDcrdh94tmBlUaSUlU7iKR_Xhvep5vXsN1Q--315nDEBDqEOWzqTQ7hCND_065XyZU9gTjSMaW_Fj5KIwnLKIHC Mx9bAUNaVL4XJ4Ppe8Vt0XJFIdZDNpwuF_HZwayM0mATyaN8J0 NZVXalxL8-HNpIbrnYx68ilzFdTAcXOUQCMnRqv_ganf70Ye_2QirCcYOG03 2SL9Xkdv4cHgH5vo7KHQ9EYyDjTlW2m1_OHdUIhrppu8po6MkM 4upeJo8-F1Hr8d2NR7TbxalsFuEPSR39DjJy8j6szawf9bHv6c=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pX4DZD67WeyBF1J5pKyGRAUpMdZcCm7V_NUTofzurc-ZSQbX0mOXbrM3GWBmPKIc6C-GTiruriBwgCR5UboBPJr-YSmHLo1SNYRZaozGQ_JRJTEvbQejrfm36NbKM04Kekk-F8nCmI-0xAbYQfcEL-vHPqqiIpbFIybF857BkXIhE4zr---Iyx4IYtNNn5PQ8zq_QxM9xhyTWdGl3_uXr-Dj3i_QNXVO6t6VQ2KmtT7YsvsYn4noFY6sgM4Zaz0uFSexLEF7 f5TbjcOqVV-4zbtjI8A8-Tmpt6ryPBmUzy6w2OAB1yq27ZjSi5AjrkR-xrs5qH0Bd-VTd87AhMRWQfngx3N5JFlSi2A6AG18CLL344hQsgTzNCdzYEzg aMaIxLtHfreKqZfCM5BoSwCZX-alRJBV0j3Wqf-EeG7kAPfpgfqnxpzvjIvz_R2OG7F-wmoNJFYjLWBBfX6VZ53KTp_fd4kzh4O95Mv61oaEdDh_fpizwK _ohFPEokN1mBEOzNJfnIhY7lYf8IQH85RmSlHiNaQ4_H6EVSB0 x5WfDPaouSxzDhJqXsh5RidLFZ2jANOp3Sk6JcmnJmWp-frlBeQlNOjrzGX-=w1698-h955-no