Home brewers CHECK IN please!

[patrikman]

I have been brewing for a little over a year now, I am starting to get serious about it. I have done a few batches and I am starting to get bored with the ready made kits. Also, I have plastic secondary and primary fermenters and they are starting to get a brew funk to them. I scrub and scrub and scrub and sanitize, rinse and repeat and they still have a faint aroma of brew. Is this normal? I don't really want to switch to all glass carboys because I just got laid off and times are tight. Any thoughts?

[blksabbath]

Yes, plastic will take on the smell of fermenting wort. Think about pickle buckets. Be careful when scrubbing out your buckets, you create scratches that can be the perfect hiding place for undesireable little monsters....beer spoilers.

The easiest thing to do is just to soak in PBW or something like that over night, then spray out. The vast majority of trub and stuff stuck the sides with just wash out. Then you can wipe out any remaining stuff with a soft cloth or paper towels.

I'll also add that you may want to buck up and buy one carboy to use as a secondary. Plastic breathes and is not the best thing for conditioning or aging beer.

dan g

[SivNiz]

I would look on craigslist for used carboys, i found a whole extract setup, wtih two glass carboys, for $20.

[nish65]

Every 6 or so batches, I fill my fermenter up with baking soda/hot water mix and let it sit overnight....

Gets out all the funk.

Also, as mentioned above, I never use anything other than soap and very hot water to clean the plastic - a scour sponge will create places for the funk to hide in.

Modified by nish65 at 4:39 PM 4-8-2009

[5_Cent]

can anyone recommend a source, site, book, video etc on how to get started brewing your own beers? I've always wanted to try it, I remember seeing a brew kit machine of sorts at Macy's years ago but haven't seen anything like it since.

I don't know if it matters but I am not really a fan of domestic beers anymore, although I will drink them if at a bbq or sporting event. I love IPA's

[ribguy]

I bet your local library has a selection of books on homebrew ours does. http://www.morebeer.com is a great place to surf.

[5_Cent]

thanks just reading over some of that site I have a question.

Are you guys boiling 6 or more gallons of water? If so where are you doing this? I don't think a regular gas stove could boil that? Cuz then if you are to use the wort chiller thingy you need running water right? So how many people have a setup where they can run a a propane stand alone burner to boil and have running water available for the chiller without doing it outside? Cuz I would assume outside you risk containments falling into the water.

[patrikman]

^^ I have been using the LD Carlson-Brewers Best Kits from my local homebrew store and they are incredibly good for getting your feet wet, most recipes call for starting the boil with 2-3 gallons usually. for a pot I have a turkey fryer 6.5 gallon kit (came with propane stand). the first time I boiled outside with gas and it took quite a while and didn't seem very efficient unless you start off with a smaller amount of water and add gallon by gallon. it seemed like more work then necessary and got my kettle full of soot. If you keep the lid (mine has a hole for thermometer) it will do a good job of keeping airborne debris out. I may switch back to outdoor boils in the summer because it allows me to enjoy a nice Punch or a Cohiba while I am boiling. Indoors seems easier, my current range in my duplex is electric and it works ok and it is near the sink so I can run wort chiller hoses a short distance.

[blksabbath]

Milling

Mashing


batch sparge

boiling


whirlpool chill then pump to fermenter

keg and enjoy

[5_Cent]

wow you make it look so easy! lol

everything looks so messy and dirty, not saying that your setup is a mess or anything just that I guess everything gets all gunky in the process.

I'll have to start with a small beginner kit or something see if I am going to even like doing this.

[patrikman]

Quote, originally posted by blksabbath »

pimp a$$ setup

wow man, how long have you been brewing? I would like to get into that stuff further down the line. I am especially into the small (soda?) kegs, a buddy and I are going to get into that this summer because bottling is just a huge hassle because you just pour it into a glass anyways. great stuff so far!

[SlamdSLC]

I'm have an IPA fermenting right now. I'll be watching this thread

[SivNiz]

Quote, originally posted by 5_Cent »

can anyone recommend a source, site, book, video etc on how to get started brewing your own beers? I've always wanted to try it, I remember seeing a brew kit machine of sorts at Macy's years ago but haven't seen anything like it since. I don't know if it matters but I am not really a fan of domestic beers anymore, although I will drink them if at a bbq or sporting event. I love IPA's

homebrewtalk.com

[A4J]

Quote, originally posted by SivNiz »

homebrewtalk.com

x2

[5_Cent]

thanks!

[blksabbath]

"wow man, how long have you been brewing?"

7 years...plus a few random times in college and stuff.

Get the print version of John Palmers How to Brew. Here's the online version: http://www.howtobrew.com/sitemap.html

Next time you go into a homebrew shop, ask if there's a club in your area. The best way to learn is to brew with others and see how it's all done.

Modified by blksabbath at 6:01 AM 4-10-2009

[Moe Sizlack]

That's a dope setup.

Anybody here grow hops?
I've got some cascade to plant this season.

[SSj4G60]

wondering whats the oddest thing anyone here has tried to make, friend somehow got the idea to do a Pineapple Pilsner
Another friend make an "Illegal Pale Ale" that was really good.

[patrikman]

Quote, originally posted by Moe Sizlack »

That's a dope setup. Anybody here grow hops? I've got some cascade to plant this season.

the gf's mom is growing me some cascade too! from all of the recipes I readup on that seemed to be a common denominator in alot of styles I am into.

[Splangy]

Quote, originally posted by SivNiz »
homebrewtalk.com

Quote, originally posted by A4J »

x2

x3

[zyntax]

My buddy just gave me John Palmers how to brew book. It gets very in depth...seems like a must have for home brewers.

[nish65]

http://www.mrbeer.com

[ribguy]

Steer clear of mr. beer, brew it right with the proper equip.

[patrikman]

Quote, originally posted by ribguy »

Steer clear of mr. beer, brew it right with the proper equip.

unless you are still in high school or live in a dorm.

[SmithersSP]

Say hello to my little friend!

[patrikman]

where do you guys get the barrels from? steal from a party/behind a bar?

[SmithersSP]

Any brewery will usually have damaged kegs that no longer hold pressure. They will let them go for like $10. Sometimes they'll give them away if they know you're using them to make kettles. Every pro brewer started as a home brewer...

[blksabbath]

Quote, originally posted by SmithersSP »

Every pro brewer started as a home brewer...

Almost....Unless you work for one of the big three.

Nice set-up SmithersSP! I see you are in NC, you wouldn't happen to know a brewer name Jim Yeager that moved to Mo about 5 years ago? I bought new house and moving in two weeks, so a new basement electric system is in the works. I'm still gonna have a gas fired system for the garage though. Once I start the build, I'll post pics.
dan


Modified by blksabbath at 2:13 PM 4-12-2009

[SmithersSP]

Good point regarding the BMC brewers.
The name Jim doesn't sound familiar. I have a great webpage if you want plans for a great electric system.

[Moe Sizlack]

Are those used kegs lined with SS or something?
I'm really not familiar with kegs or kegging... only draining them.

[blksabbath]

Cool. IM me those plans or post a link. Thanks! I've got a bunch of builds bookmarked and lots of ideas, just gotta pull it together.

Not sure if you were on the Homebrew Adventures GreenBoad before it crashed. Jim was a mod over there and i think they sold a couple of kits based on his recipes. Anyways...

[SmithersSP]

Quote, originally posted by Moe Sizlack »

Are those used kegs lined with SS or something? I'm really not familiar with kegs or kegging... only draining them.

The kegs are made entirely of 304 SS.

[SmithersSP]

The green board is actually owned by my local home brew shop. HBA is based out of Charlotte. I was talking with Jess the owner on Friday actually. The mods lost their minds and refused to enfore the rules so Jess had no choice but to shut it down. I personally have always been a loyal member to Home Brew Digest's forum. It is by far the best forum for advanced homebrewing. I was always of the opinion of that the green board was full of people that didn't let the fact that they didn't know what they were talking about stop them from running their yaps.
Cheers!

[SmithersSP]

Here is the link to Carl's system. Carl is my former manager. Paul Muth is the man responsible for the custom metal fab. Paul also did the majority of my metal work. He's crazy but a true genius...
http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/Carl's-Electric-HLT

[Moe Sizlack]

Awesome! For some reason I thought the were Al.