Beer

[Half-Cocked]

Hey guys, I just recently got into beer brewing. A fantastic hobby I highly recommend it.

It’s pretty simple to start off with one of those brew kits. All you need is the kit some bottles and a large stockpot also a 5 gallon bucket to sanitize your goods.

Since then, I’ve also made my own soda. Which is also a rewarding experience.

Someday I will venture out into making honey mead. Good Times.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

A good friend of mine made beer for years. Really good stuff(sometimes) then he had kids and started a business.
Still has some of his equipment if your looking for something.
I love mead, hope to try some when you get it going.

 

[toytruck]

I still remember when my dad made beer. One batch he bottled it too green. We could hear them explode that night!
Mom made him clean up the mess...

 

[Half-Cocked]

Well, my first batch, I did have one bottle explode.

I was sitting here watching tv and then I heard something strange . At first I thought something fell over in the attic storage space. The bottles were in a cardboard box next to the access door. I opened that door and that’s when I noticed my foot was wet. Lol

I quickly put them in the fridge after that. Someone on the beer forum also instructed me to burp the bottles. Boy they are STRONG. Taste great though at least to my palate.

Apparently I bottled too soon and fermented it at too high a temperature. It’s a learning experience. My second batch was made today.

The soda turned out good as well. No alcohol and not as fizzy as commercial sodas but it’s tasty. I’m looking forward to making more.

 

[Bushfire]

I've done a fair bit of all grain brewing which is to say I make recipes and buy malt and do it from scratch. Last few years with kids it's really backed off. My brewing partner kept at it and is going through the process of opening his own brewery, including some of my own recipes.

Anyway, what you've done lost likely is bottled it before it's fully fermented. When you think it's finished leave it at least another day before bottling. When you're priming your bottles don't go too hard.
For your remaining bottles maybe put them in the fridge. It won't stop bottle fermentation but will slow it and may prevent further explosions.

If you do it properly you really shouldn't have to "burp" bottles.

 

[Half-Cocked]

I've done a fair bit of all grain brewing which is to say I make recipes and buy malt and do it from scratch. Last few years with kids it's really backed off. My brewing partner kept at it and is going through the process of opening his own brewery, including some of my own recipes.

Anyway, what you've done lost likely is bottled it before it's fully fermented. When you think it's finished leave it at least another day before bottling. When you're priming your bottles don't go too hard.
For your remaining bottles maybe put them in the fridge. It won't stop bottle fermentation but will slow it and may prevent further explosions.

If you do it properly you really shouldn't have to "burp" bottles.

So in these last 2 batches I used roasted barley then added malt powder and hops on a schedule.

Is brewing with 2 row crushed barley different in anyway? I mean other than the fact that I have to strain the barley out. It should be the same process correct?

Bring water to a boil with a small bag of roasted barley but this time instead of malt add the two row boil more and follow the hops schedule. Then cool and strain pitch yeast and ferment. Or use one of those big cheese cloth bags that line my stock pot.

The whole grain double row simply replaces the malt if I’m right.

 

[Half-Cocked]

I just read this and it makes sense now.

https://hazyandhoppy.com/all-grain-brewing-process-a-basic-overview/
You don’t boil the 2 grain you steep it then strain and use it like malt in the final process.

Looks like I need one of those mash steepers. You know the thing that looks like a cooler with a screen on the bottom. To high a temperature and no sugar too low and no sugar any barley particles in the final “malt/mash” and it comes out bitter.

Scratch that the coolers with the false bottom are too expensive I’ll use a regular cooler with a large cheese cloth bag.

 

[MrTom]

Many years ago, a friend bought a small rural property, hobby farm I guess one could call it, that stayed at a really nice 54 degrees whether it was summer or winter. Since neither he or his bride had any interst in gardening or food storage, we decided to use it to store beer that we began to make. One of those beers was a really dark bock style German beer that had a high octane rating. After bottling it had to "rest" for about a month before drinking. We ended up making tons on the stuff in the fall and started drinking it in the spring. Man that stuff was good but after about three bottles things would get fuzzy. Now if I want a beer I go buy it.

Castle Danger Brewing in Two Harbors Minnesota, the cabin is near there, makes a couple black beers, as I call them, that are really good bocks. Like that cellar beer from long ago, they don't have to be super cold to enjoy. I keep the 12 packs of these in a cool closet and put what I plan to drink in a fridge for an hour. Good stuff.

I've traded the beer making for sausage making.

 

[Half-Cocked]

Many years ago, a friend bought a small rural property, hobby farm I guess one could call it, that stayed at a really nice 54 degrees whether it was summer or winter. Since neither he or his bride had any interst in gardening or food storage, we decided to use it to store beer that we began to make. One of those beers was a really dark bock style German beer that had a high octane rating. After bottling it had to "rest" for about a month before drinking. We ended up making tons on the stuff in the fall and started drinking it in the spring. Man that stuff was good but after about three bottles things would get fuzzy. Now if I want a beer I go buy it.

Castle Danger Brewing in Two Harbors Minnesota, the cabin is near there, makes a couple black beers, as I call them, that are really good bocks. Like that cellar beer from long ago, they don't have to be super cold to enjoy. I keep the 12 packs of these in a cool closet and put what I plan to drink in a fridge for an hour. Good stuff.

I've traded the beer making for sausage making.

I like it beer and bullets are the new commodity of a post apocalyptic world. Lol and they told us to keep gold and silver. Ha!

 

[Garbler]

I’m a beer taster and critic in training so if you’ll send me a couple of gallons I’d be happy to rate your product

Rick

 

[4stringdude]

I started homebrewing in 2013. I started with a "Mr. Beer" kit. I quickly advanced to all grain brewing. It is a rabbit hole that's fun to go down. Much like shooting muzzleloaders. You can invest as much or as little as you need. Within a year of starting I was kegging beer. Once you start kegging you will not go back to bottles, except for special brews. I also love flip top (Grolsh) bottles. It's much easier than the capping.

Another step to consider is making hard cider. It's easier than brewing. If you move on to kegging, you can make hard seltzer. It's also easier than brewing.

It's a real pleasure to share your homemade goods with friends.

If you don't already have it, I highly recommend John Plamer's "How to Brew." It is an older book, but it's the touchstone of homebrewing.
Another great book is "The Joy Of Homebrewing" by Charlie Papazian. It is the book that really jumpstarted the homebrewing revolution in the 1980s.
You can find either of these books in thrift shops or online for low $.

Happy brewing!

 

[Hanshi]

I have a dear couple of close friends down in my native Georgia who are like family to us. "B" teaches at a private military academy and his wife is a PhD anthropologist. He's been brewing beer for a good long time and keeps tasty varieties in kegs stored in a chest freezer bought just for that use. The freezer has several beer taps on the exterior. Whenever I visit I end up drinking 6 months of beer in just a few days. He also buys various brands to keep in the fridge.

I can honestly say I simply like beer, a lot. My favorite is Guinness Extra Stout. But his brews are at least as tasty as anything you can buy.

Back in my teens I made muscadine wine, whisky on one occasion and beer. My lifelong friend liked to drink and he liked all three of the beverages I made. I thought the wine was passable but the other two I found to be fairly awful. I also have a taste for micro brews and many are awesome.

 

[anonymouscowherd]

I can honestly say I simply like beer, a lot. My favorite is Guinness Extra Stout. But his brews are at least as tasty as anything you can buy.

Try Sam Smiths Oatmeal Stout

Im a Guinness fan but SSOS is just better

 

[jd24.5.48]

My uncle used to make wine back in the 80s and it was pretty good! The BlackBerry was my favorite!

 

[Ninering62]

My uncle used to make wine back in the 80s and it was pretty good! The BlackBerry was my favorite!

My fam in Wva & Pa made moonshine & homemade wines & ciders too. All good stuff to sip on. Its a shame there is no one left in my fam that does any of that anymore. Making my own beer is something I'd really love. I've loved beer all my life.