Any Amateur Beer Brewers? Looking For Tips

[SinceThe70s]

 

Just before the turn of the century I started getting into brewing beer.  The last beer I brewed was a homage to getting married. Tagline on the label was "The last taste of freedom"  and there was a pic of a guy in prison stripes with a ball and chain. Good times!

 

Haven't brewed since but now that I have a son nearing legal age I thought it would be fun for us to whip up a batch together. All of my old equip looks OK. I have notes from all of my previous brews (roughly 7-8) but some of the details escape me. I always started with pre-measured kits - and experimented with substitutes like honey and lemon with mixed results.

 

Not sure what's changed in the past 20+ years but figured who better than Bills fans to discuss beer? I'd appreciate any tips and discussion!   

 

[mead107]

Go to some breweries near you and get to know the brewers. Most are very friendly. 
 

[Draconator]

I went to a party today where the host has been brewing his own beer for the past 25 years. I'm only relaying one thing he was saying, is for New England IPAs, they put in massive hops after the fire on the beer is turned off. Like up to a pound of hops. The result is an IPA taste without the overwhelming IPA bitterness. When he found out about that process, he said that was everything that was wrong with brewing beer, but he tried it for himself, and he brewed up a really good IPA without the IPA bitterness, and he was sold. 

 

The beer he made for the party was CEL Pale Ale. CEL is College of Entreperenual Learning which my wife, the beer brewer, and about 35 others attended for the last 8 months through the University of Buffalo Business School, to massively uplevel your business. 

[SinceThe70s]

7 hours ago, mead107 said:

Go to some breweries near you and get to know the brewers. Most are very friendly. 
 

 

Good idea. I actually worked with a guy around the same time frame that I was brewing who quit his job in publishing to pursue brewing. I think he has a small scale brewery a few towns from me.

[SinceThe70s]

5 hours ago, Draconator said:

I went to a party today where the host has been brewing his own beer for the past 25 years. I'm only relaying one thing he was saying, is for New England IPAs, they put in massive hops after the fire on the beer is turned off. Like up to a pound of hops. The result is an IPA taste without the overwhelming IPA bitterness. When he found out about that process, he said that was everything that was wrong with brewing beer, but he tried it for himself, and he brewed up a really good IPA without the IPA bitterness, and he was sold. 

 

The beer he made for the party was CEL Pale Ale. CEL is College of Entreperenual Learning which my wife, the beer brewer, and about 35 others attended for the last 8 months through the University of Buffalo Business School, to massively uplevel your business. 

 

Thanks. That's really interesting - one of the limiting factors when I pick out what to brew is that I can't stand IPA's and hoppy beers. To me it's like drinking nails. If I get back into brewing I'll try that but I'll definitely start out with something less hoppy than an IPA. 

[jayg]

I haven't brewed since the mid 90s. I recall different types of kits,  extract brewing maybe it was called and more involved ways to brew.  I used to get American brewer magazine I think it was called and books to learn.  All before the internet . I'm sure many people on YouTube can show you different ways these days.  CHEERS!

[BillsFanNC]

I've been brewing since the late 90s. 

 

A lot has changed in the past 20 years or so in terms of information, equipment and ingredients. 

 

I'd search YouTube for some good extract brewing recipes and demos as it sounds like that's where you left off. If you and your son get into it more, I'd encourage you to look into getting all grain equipment.

 

Search podcasts, forums etc.

 

Morebeer.com and northernbrewer.com have some great kits.

 

The two most important and essential steps to making good clean beer:

 

Impeccable sanitation.

A big healthy yeast starter to pitch into your wort.

 

Happy brewing!

[qwksilver]

4 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

Thanks. That's really interesting - one of the limiting factors when I pick out what to brew is that I can't stand IPA's and hoppy beers. To me it's like drinking nails. If I get back into brewing I'll try that but I'll definitely start out with something less hoppy than an IPA. 

I don't under stand the IPA craze. To me it like a licking a tree. I'm all about the malty beer. Brown Ales. Irish reds, stouts, and even pilsners just to name a few.

As mentioned earlier, Youtube should be a great resource.

 

Keep us posted on your progress.

[Max Fischer]

I've been brewing for a few years and have been researching my own brewery for several years. 

 

A few things have changed:

 

BOATLOADS OF HELPFUL INFORMATION: The internet is chockful of great beer-making advice, from simple extract brewing to very complex methods. 

 

Recipes: There are several great recipe sites that provide very detailed ingredients and steps. I highly recommend "Brewfather," which, for a few bucks, it includes printable recipes to order ingredients, "brew along" for step-by-step instructions, timers, and a few "add-ons" to keep track of your progress.  There are dozens of free sites as well. 

 

Technology: Tech is a huge improvement. Most brewers have moved away from the brew kettle and glass carboys to easier-to-use (and safer) plastic fermenters, and many of the brew systems have become much more affordable and easy to use. IMO, it's worth the some investment into good tools that make brewery much more enjoyable.  Some recommendations: electric brew systems, conical fermentors, web and app-based trackers for temperature and fermentation, etc.  

 

At first, the tech can seem overwhelming, but the more you brew, the more you'll say, "Ah, that would make this so much easier."

 

Youtube and other sites: There are dozens of well-versed brewers who can provide very helpful tips, tricks, and step-by-step guides. Try a few and find the brewers that you like.  For new brewers, discovering WHY something is important will ignite many "aha" moments.  (See: oxidation, one of the most important and easy-to-screw-up lessons).

 

Start simple: My advice for those getting back into brewing and teaching new brewers, start with easier recipes and ferminations.  Use Single Malt and Single Hop (SMASH) recipes ales that have no dry hop additions and two-week fermentation. If a recipe does not fully explain why you need to do something, look it up. Once a new brewer understands the "why" they will faster graduate to more complex beers. 

 

If lucky enough to have one nearby, go to homebrew shop for all your needs, and sign-up for a brew-making class. No matter how many times I brew I always learn something. For on-line materials/equipment, I like MoreBeer. 

 

 

[SinceThe70s]

2 hours ago, BillsFanNC said:

I've been brewing since the late 90s. 

 

A lot has changed in the past 20 years or so in terms of information, equipment and ingredients. 

 

I'd search YouTube for some good extract brewing recipes and demos as it sounds like that's where you left off. If you and your son get into it more, I'd encourage you to look into getting all grain equipment.

 

Search podcasts, forums etc.

 

Morebeer.com and northernbrewer.com have some great kits.

 

The two most important and essential steps to making good clean beer:

 

Impeccable sanitation.

A big healthy yeast starter to pitch into your wort.

 

Happy brewing!

 

I was looking at my old notes last night and apparently I had started to re-hydrate the yeast before pitching it into the wort and it made a big difference when it worked. I'll probably forgo that step the first go around and hope for the best.

[SinceThe70s]

17 minutes ago, Max Fischer said:

I've been brewing for a few years and have been researching my own brewery for several years. 

 

A few things have changed:

 

BOATLOADS OF HELPFUL INFORMATION: The internet is chockful of great beer-making advice, from simple extract brewing to very complex methods. 

 

Recipes: There are several great recipe sites that provide very detailed ingredients and steps. I highly recommend "Brewfather," which, for a few bucks, it includes printable recipes to order ingredients, "brew along" for step-by-step instructions, timers, and a few "add-ons" to keep track of your progress.  There are dozens of free sites as well. 

 

Technology: Tech is a huge improvement. Most brewers have moved away from the brew kettle and glass carboys to easier-to-use (and safer) plastic fermenters, and many of the brew systems have become much more affordable and easy to use. IMO, it's worth the some investment into good tools that make brewery much more enjoyable.  Some recommendations: electric brew systems, conical fermentors, web and app-based trackers for temperature and fermentation, etc.  

 

At first, the tech can seem overwhelming, but the more you brew, the more you'll say, "Ah, that would make this so much easier."

 

Youtube and other sites: There are dozens of well-versed brewers who can provide very helpful tips, tricks, and step-by-step guides. Try a few and find the brewers that you like.  For new brewers, discovering WHY something is important will ignite many "aha" moments.  (See: oxidation, one of the most important and easy-to-screw-up lessons).

 

Start simple: My advice for those getting back into brewing and teaching new brewers, start with easier recipes and ferminations.  Use Single Malt and Single Hop (SMASH) recipes ales that have no dry hop additions and two-week fermentation. If a recipe does not fully explain why you need to do something, look it up. Once a new brewer understands the "why" they will faster graduate to more complex beers. 

 

If lucky enough to have one nearby, go to homebrew shop for all your needs, and sign-up for a brew-making class. No matter how many times I brew I always learn something. For on-line materials/equipment, I like MoreBeer. 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info and advice - and good luck with the brewery research. I have the plastic fermenters and we have at least two places locally where I can buy the kits. I never graduated to choosing the specific ingredients and measuring/weighing. The one addition to my setup that was great was a chiller - basically a copper coll to run cold water through to cool down the wort. 

 

The one thing that for the life of me I can't remember is how I siphoned the wort from the fermenter to the bottling bucket. When I pick up the kit I'm gonna see if there's some kind of pump I can buy - saw something about that online.

[GaryPinC]

9 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

Thanks for the info and advice - and good luck with the brewery research. I have the plastic fermenters and we have at least two places locally where I can buy the kits. I never graduated to choosing the specific ingredients and measuring/weighing. The one addition to my setup that was great was a chiller - basically a copper coll to run cold water through to cool down the wort. 

 

The one thing that for the life of me I can't remember is how I siphoned the wort from the fermenter to the bottling bucket. When I pick up the kit I'm gonna see if there's some kind of pump I can buy - saw something about that online.

https://craftabrew.com/products/starsan-homebrew-santizer?variant=28021205577&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1rqkBhCTARIsAAHz7K0F5KCYhIdIJ6tcLqz92asyqGNNW-LjtNHUbh2mb9Gn17JUW7bY8SAaAl_0EALw_wcB.

This stuff is the bomb for sanitizing, definitely worth the investment over the old ways.

There are instructions for hydrating and activating yeast.

  Definitely update yourself as to the advances.  You can transfer the wort by gravity with a simple hose or some fermenters have a spigot.

[SinceThe70s]

2 hours ago, GaryPinC said:

https://craftabrew.com/products/starsan-homebrew-santizer?variant=28021205577&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1rqkBhCTARIsAAHz7K0F5KCYhIdIJ6tcLqz92asyqGNNW-LjtNHUbh2mb9Gn17JUW7bY8SAaAl_0EALw_wcB.

This stuff is the bomb for sanitizing, definitely worth the investment over the old ways.

There are instructions for hydrating and activating yeast.

  Definitely update yourself as to the advances.  You can transfer the wort by gravity with a simple hose or some fermenters have a spigot.

 

Much appreciated!

 

For anyone that cares - we purchased a Honey Brown Ale kit at a local place and intend to brew tomorrow. I'm a bit circumspect about the following things, but wtf, sometimes you gotta stop dipping the toe into the pool and just jump right in:

 

- the place I used to buy beer kits from had them refrigerated, this one didn't, that seemed sketchy

- I'll be using sanitizing powder that's of legal age, could be a fatal flaw

- the kit I bought specifically said not to re-hydrate the yeast, not sure why but that will save me a step I planned on skipping the first time back anyway

- pretty sure my past siphoning technique was low-brow - put my hand around the siphoning tube instead of my mouth to avoid my nefarious bacteria. Unless I have a revelation between brewing and bottling day I'll probably do the same - wifey suggested I wear a rubber glove.

 

Stay tuned...

[davefan66]

5 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

Much appreciated!

 

For anyone that cares - we purchased a Honey Brown Ale kit at a local place and intend to brew tomorrow. I'm a bit circumspect about the following things, but wtf, sometimes you gotta stop dipping the toe into the pool and just jump right in:

 

- the place I used to buy beer kits from had them refrigerated, this one didn't, that seemed sketchy

- I'll be using sanitizing powder that's of legal age, could be a fatal flaw

- the kit I bought specifically said not to re-hydrate the yeast, not sure why but that will save me a step I planned on skipping the first time back anyway

- pretty sure my past siphoning technique was low-brow - put my hand around the siphoning tube instead of my mouth to avoid my nefarious bacteria. Unless I have a revelation between brewing and bottling day I'll probably do the same - wifey suggested I wear a rubber glove.

 

Stay tuned...

I started with kits when I got into brewing, no hops.  I think kits allow you to feel comfortable with the process like clean equipment, boiling, fermenting, bottling.  My last few were adding hops and it went very well. I brewed 5 times and it became easier with every brew.

 

Not sure what sanitizing powder is, but I used liquid Star San which worked great.

[SinceThe70s]

3 hours ago, davefan66 said:

I started with kits when I got into brewing, no hops.  I think kits allow you to feel comfortable with the process like clean equipment, boiling, fermenting, bottling.  My last few were adding hops and it went very well. I brewed 5 times and it became easier with every brew.

 

Not sure what sanitizing powder is, but I used liquid Star San which worked great.

 

Not sure what the powder actually is - the label doesn't list ingredients - but you mix it with water and then clean everything. With that said you're the second poster who mentioned Star San so I'll go that route if this batch doesn't work out.

[aristocrat]

11 hours ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

Much appreciated!

 

For anyone that cares - we purchased a Honey Brown Ale kit at a local place and intend to brew tomorrow. I'm a bit circumspect about the following things, but wtf, sometimes you gotta stop dipping the toe into the pool and just jump right in:

 

- the place I used to buy beer kits from had them refrigerated, this one didn't, that seemed sketchy

- I'll be using sanitizing powder that's of legal age, could be a fatal flaw

- the kit I bought specifically said not to re-hydrate the yeast, not sure why but that will save me a step I planned on skipping the first time back anyway

- pretty sure my past siphoning technique was low-brow - put my hand around the siphoning tube instead of my mouth to avoid my nefarious bacteria. Unless I have a revelation between brewing and bottling day I'll probably do the same - wifey suggested I wear a rubber glove.

 

Stay tuned...

good luck 

[SinceThe70s]

Today was brew day. I had one small problem and one major problem. It's unlikely this batch will be very good.

 

The first problem was a low flame on my outdoor cooker (below). Not sure if the propane line isn't clear or there's come other issue but I had to boil inside. The house reeks but wifey took it pretty well so I have that going for me. Wish is nice.

 

Second problem: I didn't notice that my chiller had a small hole in the copper piping. Didn't notice it until too late and so while I was cooling the wort I was also filling the fermenting bucket with water. I had to scoop around 2 gallons of watered down wort out of the bucket. I'm going to proceed anyway, but at best this will probably end up being flavorless.

 

 

 

 

 

[Orlando Buffalo]

The only time I messed up was when I used a cleaning product that left a residue. The rest of time even if not great it was good enough to enjoy.