anyone brew at home?

MikeF

so i've been thinking that i need a hobby away from the computer since working at home can get you sucked in pretty easily. I know what i like, and its beer/wine, so i think i want to start some homebrew.

if anyone has some suggestions (personal experience, recipes, non google search links) i'd love for any input. Also reliable supliers for the materials would be a plus!

slipsius

I know there are some places in the GTA that sell you the full kits to do it all. Some friends have made their own wine before. It was pretty nasty, but it's cheap and gets you drunk. haha.

doc rob

It rocks! I think Justin Meisse brews too.

This is a cool intro book, lovely illustrations too:
http://beercraftbook.com/

northernbrewer.com/brewingtv
thebrewingnetwork.com (listen to the session or brew strong while you're working and you'll learn tons)
homebrewtalk.com (answers to any question)

And, most important to any brewing artist, inspiriation for label designs:
http://www.thedieline.com/blog/category/industry-beer

DirtyMrDucky

^ go with the kit first because ur first couple brews are guaranteed to make you gag. Save urself the money on good ingredients for when you know what you're doing. I attempted an ale made from dates and an anise lager. The ale was the most astringent thing I'd ever tasted; it made my arm hair stand on end. . . and the lager . . . I don't like to talk about it /ashamed. I'm still convinced they were good ideas tho.

Wahlgren

I got a gallon of mead going on right now. 2 months in primary so far and it tastes pretty good.

I plan on doing another small test batch very soon and another big one in the summer. Just bought a 20-25 litre glas carboy. Much deliciousness to be had indeed!

JonathanLambert

I'm about to start my first batch of mead. It seems like an easy and cheap way to get into brewing your own hooch.

Justin Meisse

Fun stuff, I recommend starting off with ales, lagers need cooler temperatures to ferment properly.

My first brew was a lager but I happened to luck out and have the right conditions for it to ferment nicely - it was the middle of winter and my guest room closet wasn't insulated well.

MikeF

thanks for the tips guys.
i'm going to start out nice and simple as i gather the required materials.
might give one of those hard cider recipes a shot since its about a simple as making kool-aid

passerby

ya some hobby's away from computers are good, iv been kinda burning myself out, i spend all day editing audio at work, than come home and get back on a computer fucking about with 3d.

cant wait till fishing season opens so i can get back to that and find something to do away from a screen.

rolfness

do farts count ?

dfacto

I make my own wine. It varies in tastiness largely based on the quality of the grapes, but even if they aren't awesome it's great to drink when its fresh and still sweet. It's easy to start as long as you have access to decent grapes and a wine press. The rest you can hack together fairly easily.

Mark Dygert

You might want to check around for any local "U-Brew" style pubs where you go and brew using their equipment and either they bottle it after it ferments or you come back and bottle it. It can be a good intro to brewing.

r_fletch_r

:poly135:adding too much sugar can have rather fun consequences with home brew

MikeF

r_fletch_r wrote: »

:poly135:adding too much sugar can have rather fun consequences with home brew

that's what i'm hoping for hahaha

Justin Meisse

I hope you don't literally mean adding sugar, that's a good way to ruin your brew. The fun consequences are a 4 foot geyser of sticky foam jetting out of the fermenter you's storing in the closet or bottles exploding like grenades.

protip: do not tweak or modify your recipes until you've brewed for years, it's a good way to end up with 5 gallons of some off tasting stuff.

r_fletch_r

Justin_Meisse wrote: »

I hope you don't literally mean adding sugar, that's a good way to ruin your brew.

protip: do not tweak or modify your recipes until you've brewed for years, it's a good way to end up with 5 gallons of some off tasting stuff.

Its been a long time(my father used to brew when i was a kid) but I seem to remember the sugar content during fermentation had a direct effect on the alcohol content. This said my dad's Scottish and will drink anything

Can you seriously make a keg explode?

Justin Meisse

Sugar content is the fermentable sugars present in the barley - adding straight sugar will produce cheap boozy tasting beer.

Anheuser Busch cuts their grain with corn & rice in order to up the alchohol content without adding any flavor to get that watery, cheap beer that the masses enjoy. Homebrewing is about making beer that's better than commercially available stuff.

"White table sugar, or sucrose primarily is used to lighten the body and colour. Using too much will add a cider flavor to beer. "

Tulkamir

I just started brewing. First batch is halfway there. Got a 1 gallon kit from http://brooklynbrewshop.com/. Not sure how good the beer is yet, but the equipment and book I got from them all seem pretty good. The 1 gallon kit was nice for me, small apartment and all.

Bit scared to taste my concoction when it's ready.