WATMM Homebrew Thread

Alright guys, I know that some of you have to be homebrewers. There were a couple people in the Beer Review Thread that mentioned having homebrew kits. Have you started brewing yet? I just got the deluxe kit from northernbrewer.com because they had a 40% off sale. I started an American style wheat beer last night and I think I've discovered my new love. I've always loved hoppy beers and the smell of the hops before adding to the wort is fucking AMAZING. The whole apartment still smells of the malt a little bit, but I kind of like the smell (the gf doesn't lol). I've got about two weeks of fermentation in the primary before bottling and conditioning for another two weeks.

Pics from my brew:

The boiling wort:

Into the carboy w/ the yeast pitched:

Today with the yeast going strong :sup: :

So what have you brewed? How did it turn out? Share your homebrew stories here!

I actually just started my first homebrew about a week ago. Extract stye. If all goes well, it will be a red ale.

The fermentation started within 12 hours, and I thought it was going to bubble over. It quickly subsided and the airlock stopped bubbling completely by the next day. From what I've read, this is normal and could even be a good thing. I'm going to give it another week in the carboy before bottling.

I'm excited. I feel like I'm gonna have a baby.

I thought you meant this kind.

  On 8/27/2011 at 2:34 AM, Candiru said:

I actually just started my first homebrew about a week ago. Extract stye. If all goes well, it will be a red ale.

 

The fermentation started within 12 hours, and I thought it was going to bubble over. It quickly subsided and the airlock stopped bubbling completely by the next day. From what I've read, this is normal and could even be a good thing. I'm going to give it another week in the carboy before bottling.

 

I'm excited. I feel like I'm gonna have a baby.

Mine is an extract kit as well. I don't have a huge krausen in my carboy, maybe about 2 inches of foam. How long do you have to condition before drinking? I'm trying to decide if I'm going to do a really dark IPA next or a coffee stout that will be perfect around mid-late December Apparently it takes a bit longer for the stouts to condition and meld the flavors together.

nice. I have never tried doing beer but my bro-in-law and I are getting pretty good with wine. this new group of batches we are making will be an experiment in mixing different varietals. it's good to taste the fruit of your labor when the fruit is actually tasty.

obvious edit:

Shalom... Oops. I thought this was the WATMM Hebrew Thread.

Ba dum ching.

What are your favorite types to drink/brew jules? I'm not much of a fan of wine personally. The white wines I've tried are okay. Reds are okay too, but I've only had a couple and didn't like them as much as white. I think if I had an awesome meal with a nice wine paired to it I'd enjoy it more. There's a local brewery here that has done special events where they pair a 4 or 5 course meal with beers that compliment each course. I really want to go but every time they do it either the gf or I have to work....

we have had good success with sangiovese. soon we will be trying to mix sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon and also going to mix cabernet sauvignon with shiraz.

i will send you a few bottles of wine in exchange for some of your beer. watmm alchohol secret santa ftw.

i usually help my roommate with his brews, but have never done a batch on my own. he did a west coast style ipa for the summer and now has an oktoberfest in the works. it's gonna be a lager so he has to keep it at a certain temperature. i think it's gonna be somewhat of an amber or a marzen. can't wait though because fall is my favorite beer season.

i recommend getting a keg system too if you can. we bought a fridge that was converted into a kegerater cheap on craigslist, which means delicious draft beer and two weeks less waiting time per batch. not to mention you can control the exact carbonation and never end up with a flat batch.

also, good call on northernbrewer. their magazine has some great recipe ideas and they are way cheaper than the local places around here. our last order came with hop candy.. it was fucking weird tasting.

  On 8/27/2011 at 3:39 PM, jules said:

we have had good success with sangiovese. soon we will be trying to mix sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon and also going to mix cabernet sauvignon with shiraz.

 

i will send you a few bottles of wine in exchange for some of your beer. watmm alchohol secret santa ftw.

Hells yeah man, I'd do that! :sup:

  On 8/27/2011 at 6:56 PM, uptown devil said:

i usually help my roommate with his brews, but have never done a batch on my own. he did a west coast style ipa for the summer and now has an oktoberfest in the works. it's gonna be a lager so he has to keep it at a certain temperature. i think it's gonna be somewhat of an amber or a marzen. can't wait though because fall is my favorite beer season.

 

i recommend getting a keg system too if you can. we bought a fridge that was converted into a kegerater cheap on craigslist, which means delicious draft beer and two weeks less waiting time per batch. not to mention you can control the exact carbonation and never end up with a flat batch.

 

also, good call on northernbrewer. their magazine has some great recipe ideas and they are way cheaper than the local places around here. our last order came with hop candy.. it was fucking weird tasting.

I would love to have a kegging system, we had a keggorator at my old house, not enough room in the tiny 1 BR I live in w/ my gf now though... I'm just planning on bottling until we move in about a year or so, then we'll see where I go from there. The gf has already said I need a garage/space of my own. I wouldn't mind that at all :sup:

The lager yeast likes much cooler temperatures, I think like 50-60F, compared to ale yeast. The Saisons like it even hotter than ale yeasts though, up around 80F I believe.

So much to learn, so much to look forward to trying!

  On 8/27/2011 at 6:43 AM, hautlle said:

  On 8/27/2011 at 2:34 AM, Candiru said:

I actually just started my first homebrew about a week ago. Extract stye. If all goes well, it will be a red ale. The fermentation started within 12 hours, and I thought it was going to bubble over. It quickly subsided and the airlock stopped bubbling completely by the next day. From what I've read, this is normal and could even be a good thing. I'm going to give it another week in the carboy before bottling. I'm excited. I feel like I'm gonna have a baby.

Mine is an extract kit as well. I don't have a huge krausen in my carboy, maybe about 2 inches of foam. How long do you have to condition before drinking? I'm trying to decide if I'm going to do a really dark IPA next or a coffee stout that will be perfect around mid-late December Apparently it takes a bit longer for the stouts to condition and meld the flavors together.

Technically you should leave it in the carboy 8-14 days and check its specific gravity with a hydrometer to see that it reads the same for a couple consecutive days before bottling. It should read anywhere from 1.005 to 1.017. Once its bottled you should age it 10 days and then try it. Some beer might be better when aged for longer, but this is my first batch, I'm winging this shit.

  On 8/27/2011 at 8:01 PM, Candiru said:

  On 8/27/2011 at 6:43 AM, hautlle said:

  On 8/27/2011 at 2:34 AM, Candiru said:

I actually just started my first homebrew about a week ago. Extract stye. If all goes well, it will be a red ale. The fermentation started within 12 hours, and I thought it was going to bubble over. It quickly subsided and the airlock stopped bubbling completely by the next day. From what I've read, this is normal and could even be a good thing. I'm going to give it another week in the carboy before bottling. I'm excited. I feel like I'm gonna have a baby.

Mine is an extract kit as well. I don't have a huge krausen in my carboy, maybe about 2 inches of foam. How long do you have to condition before drinking? I'm trying to decide if I'm going to do a really dark IPA next or a coffee stout that will be perfect around mid-late December Apparently it takes a bit longer for the stouts to condition and meld the flavors together.

 

Technically you should leave it in the carboy 8-14 days and check its specific gravity with a hydrometer to see that it reads the same for a couple consecutive days before bottling. It should read anywhere from 1.005 to 1.017. Once its bottled you should age it 10 days and then try it. Some beer might be better when aged for longer, but this is my first batch, I'm winging this shit.

From what I've read most low gravity beers are ready after that time frame. I'm planning on bottling after about 2 weeks, and letting it condition for two more so I I'll be drinking on mine in about a month! With big, high gravity beers it seems the consensus is that the longer you can let it age, the better it gets. Same for big-hop beers like double IPA's, it lets the hops chill out a bit and meld into the brew. That's why I plan on doing that Coffee Stout next, and letting it sit for about 3 months so that it's balling out of control by December :sup:

Pics look good hautlle! I have learned that the surest sign your beer's ready for bottling is when the specific gravity reading stabilizes (i.e., you get the same reading two days in a row).

I can't wait to brew something so imperial, so ridiculously hoppy, that it makes even the most seasoned brewer weep and mop up the tears with his beer encrusted beard.

Took my first SG reading since fermentation began, it's down to 1.028 from the OG of 1.046, those yeasties are working hard! I did a little taste test with my sample and it actually tastes like watery beer now :sup:

For some reason i thought you meant homebrew computing.

  On 8/28/2011 at 11:21 PM, delet... said:

For some reason i thought you meant homebrew computing.

As did Dr. Lopez. That's why I tagged it with Beer, Wine, and Alcohol!

  On 8/27/2011 at 7:32 AM, jules said:

nice. I have never tried doing beer but my bro-in-law and I are getting pretty good with wine. this new group of batches we are making will be an experiment in mixing different varietals. it's good to taste the fruit of your labor when the fruit is actually tasty.

 

obvious edit:

I've been thinking of doing this. And also because I want to design a wine label :)

'Asymmetrical Head' would actually be a great beer name.

I've been brewing for almost a year now. My roommate and I have done amber, ipa, porter, brown, and fruit ales [raspberry and strawberry]. Right now, there's a blonde in the second fermentor, and I'm going to bottle them real soon.

Should be good timing for warm weather here in SF.

  On 8/29/2011 at 3:30 PM, encey said:

'Asymmetrical Head' would actually be a great beer name.

true that.

  On 8/29/2011 at 12:45 AM, asymmetrical head said:

  On 8/27/2011 at 7:32 AM, jules said:

nice. I have never tried doing beer but my bro-in-law and I are getting pretty good with wine. this new group of batches we are making will be an experiment in mixing different varietals. it's good to taste the fruit of your labor when the fruit is actually tasty.

 

obvious edit:

 

I've been thinking of doing this. And also because I want to design a wine label :)

do it! i actually struggled hard with the name and label. ugh. but i think it came out ok. you should do it so we can get a big watmm exchange going.

hautlle, we need to set that up!

mutual food poisoning.

By some of the best members too, great.

I will poison you with my goodness.

get on the list delet, you will be missing out. all the cool kids will be drinking the punch.