Home brewers CHECK IN please!

[patrikman]

let's keep the thread rolling guys, great info and insight from everybody! much appreciated

I am moving back into an apartment from my duplex soon so, the equipment is going to be stored at a buddy's house while I get situated.
we are going to be working on a Cornelius set-up and a jockey box (one or two tap), I will keep you guys posted.

[SmithersSP]

Jockey boxes are for the weak!!! J/K...
Here's the best damn kegerator setup period.
Go on craigslist and find a used or cheap chest freezer. Buy in inline temperature controller. Combine the two to make a super efficient refridgerator. Add either a tower tap on the feezer lid or build a wooden collar. Using this method you can build a 6-8 corny kegerator for $300.
Cheers!

[SmithersSP]

BTW, here is a link to IMO the best homebrew forum period!
http://hbd.org/discus/messages/1/1.html

[SlamdSLC]

Quote, originally posted by SmithersSP »

Jockey boxes are for the weak!!! J/K... Here's the best damn kegerator setup period. Go on craigslist and find a used or cheap chest freezer. Buy in inline temperature controller. Combine the two to make a super efficient refridgerator. Add either a tower tap on the feezer lid or build a wooden collar. Using this method you can build a 6-8 corny kegerator for $300. Cheers!

[QUOTE=SmithersSP]

Yea we bought a full size used fridge for like $100 and drilled a hole in the side for the tap.

[patrikman]

I appreciate the kegerator suggestions but, I go to Packer games, I go camping, I go to concerts, I go fishing, I go to the beach. a jockey box and a corny are just a bit more portable.

[blksabbath]

The wortomatic is one of the ones I've been looking at for a while. Awesome set up.

I'll second the chest freezer set-up for a multitap kegerator. The main reason I went with the mini-fridge was because of space and I could use my rescued old Busch Stadium tower. I've got another full size fridge in the brewery with more stuff on tap.

Anyways, aside from just brewing, I'm a certified BJCP judge (currently waiting on results to move up to a national judge), very active in the local beer enthusiast/homebrew scene, and I've taught homebrewing classes at a local community college here.

Brewing kind of replaced the only other thing I was ever good at and passionate about...skateboarding. I guess beer can hurt you too sometimes though

[SlamdSLC]

Quote, originally posted by blksabbath »

Brewing kind of replaced the only other thing I was ever good at and passionate about...skateboarding. I guess beer can hurt you too sometimes though

I've found that mixing beer and skateboarding is a recipe for disaster.

[SmithersSP]

Quote, originally posted by SlamdSLC »

Yea we bought a full size used fridge for like $100 and drilled a hole in the side for the tap.

That is what I have. The advantage of having your our setup is that the beer lines and shanks always stay cold which avoids foaming. The downside is that it is FAR less efficient in terms of electricity consumption. Chest freezer setups are also more ascetically appealing.

[MVZOOM]

My 120L (30 gallon) AG adventure:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.co...25&hl=

gravel based mash tun etc...

[blksabbath]

Quote, originally posted by SlamdSLC »

I've found that mixing beer and skateboarding is a recipe for disaster.

I wouldn't say its a recipe for disaster...it just makes things more interesting.

[patrikman]

I just tried my American Nut Brown Ale last night, yummy!

[BUGSNSTONE]

Wow once I get a house with more space i'm going to have to get into this, very interesting!

[eightvalvejettacarat]

not my site, but a guy I work with:

http://sundaybrewingco.blogspot.com/

[5_Cent]

jeez, it is so overwhelming, seems like there is just too much to know to do this successfully and to your taste.

[SmithersSP]

Not at all. Don't let my setup intimidate you. I always say, "If you can make soup, you can make beer." I've also been known to say, "if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."
http://www.howtobrew.com
Best guide evar! If you can afford the $15 I recommend buying the paperback. It is an engineer's approach to brewing. Very objective, very simple.
Cheers!

[5_Cent]

Quote, originally posted by SmithersSP »

Not at all. Don't let my setup intimidate you. I always say, "If you can make soup, you can make beer." I've also been known to say, "if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." http://www.howtobrew.com Best guide evar! If you can afford the $15 I recommend buying the paperback. It is an engineer's approach to brewing. Very objective, very simple. Cheers!

lmao, love the dodgeball reference, one of my all time favs!

Thanks for the book reference as well, I was looking at that the other day. Going to pick on up to read once this semester is over and I have time to dedicate.

[patrikman]

it is actually really easy to do once you can wrap your noggin around what you are doing. just keep everything sanitized, that is the biggest thing. the kits I started out with were really easy to use and had simple directions. I recommend having an experienced brewer with you the first time just so he/she can show you techniques and add insight to the process.

[SmithersSP]

Quote, originally posted by patrikman »

I recommend having an experienced brewer with you the first time just so he/she can show you techniques and add insight to the process.

THIS.
It really helps take the uneasiness out of the first session.

[Malicious_Whip]

Hey SmithersSP are you going to be selling/making a summer brew???

[SmithersSP]

My Raspberry Wheat is what I consider to be my summer beer. That and my Belgian Whit... I don't sell my beer as that would be highly illegal. I plan on bringing a 3gal keg to SoWo. I'm always trying to convince Chapter 11 people to stop by my house after northside meets to try my beer but every is always lame and goes home at 8...

[blksabbath]

Kind of funny story. I'm closing on my new house tomorrow and during the process of selling our old house, I had to have a city inspection. Everything was fine until the guy walked downstairs, then came back up about 5 minutes later with a very concerned look on his face.

Me: "What's up?"

the inspector: "Um....We've got a major violation to deal with."

Me: "Yeah, I was worried about that friggin plumbing stack. Think I should replace it?"

the inspector: "No...No that's fine. Um...Well, you are either making a lot of methaphetamine down there or you have one hell of a distilling operation going on. You don't seem like a meth head, but you need to understand that distillation is a federal offense and...."

I started to crack up. "Wait, You're right, I'm not a meth head and there's nothing illegal about brewing beer."

I gave him a quick brewery tour and offered him a beer...which he politely declined because it was 8:30am. I guess I'm lucky he didn't just leave and call the police or BATF.

[patrikman]

^^

[SmithersSP]

Your city inspector is a tool bag...

[5_Cent]

I just saw something on Spike, they had in between commercials some brewer dude from Lake House Brewing. He said he used bleach to clean everything, or at least the bottles, I forget. Is this what you guys use?

[blksabbath]

Quote, originally posted by SmithersSP »

Your city inspector is a tool bag...

Only had to deal with hom once though.

Today was the big day, we closed and moved to our new house. I didn't realize how much shjt I had until I had to move it. My wife was not amused. 350lbs of grain, a freezer full of hops, yeast stocks on slants and tubes, 13+ cornies, 7 sankes (kettles, hlts, uncuts), lagering fridge, kegerator, 7-8 carboys, 6 gallons of mead, pumps, 2 big immersion chillers and cfc, 3 burners, 10 gal mashtun, microscope and lab stuff, 10 or so buckets, 3 15 gal fermenters, 4 rubbermaid totes of fittings, chemicals, tubing, etc etc etc......

Unfortunately, I've got a lot of non-brewing domestic projects before the brewing projects come together completely. so I'll be using the same system I pictured above to brew a nice big robust porter for the Brewers Heritage Festival here in St. Louis next month and a long lagered dopplebock for the Soulard Octoberfest in september. I'll post some pics when I can pull things together.

[patrikman]

Quote, originally posted by 5_Cent »

I just saw something on Spike, they had in between commercials some brewer dude from Lake House Brewing. He said he used bleach to clean everything, or at least the bottles, I forget. Is this what you guys use?

you can but, you have to dilute it and then rinse. then rinse agan. after that you rinse again. then you rinse after that. when your done with that - rinse it again. rinse and repeat, etc.

I use this.

[blksabbath]

I use pbw and barkeepers friend to clean, and starsan and sometimes iodophor to sanitize. I used to use bleach with no problems, but the potential for band-aid beer kind of sketched me out.


Modified by blksabbath at 7:15 PM 4-26-2009

[SmithersSP]

I used to use iodophor as it is Stainless steel friendly and doesn't require rinsing. Now I use StarSan by 5-Star chemical. Even easier to use than iodophor.

[Moe Sizlack]

I like starsan but the foam makes me angry.

[blksabbath]

They have a no-foam version as well.

[Moe Sizlack]

SAY WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm all over that.

[blksabbath]

Here you go:
http://morebeer.com/view_produ...32_oz

I haven't used it though because I have no issues with the foam.

[citat3962]

Quote, originally posted by ribguy »

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

We started out on a Mr. Beer. It was a pretty coolsetup for what it was but it never seemed to make enough beer. So beginning of this year we upgraded to a 5 Gallon setup from our local home brew store.

My dad and I do this as a father son project when we're bored of or out of car projects.

We try to have one batch fermenting and one batch aging in bottles.

My dad suffers from recipe A.D.D. While I'd probably be happy making this English brown ale (Think Newcastle) recipe we found exclusively.

I believe we have a Dark Mexican beer in bottles right now and a blueberry beer fermenting in the carboy.

I'm going to see if I can convince him we need to do that english brown again this next batch! IMO it was the best one we've done so far. Simple, not too bitter or hoppy... a really good base for experimenting with other flavors.

Anyone else do their cooking on the stove and use Grain bags for the grains and hops to prevent having to strain out all the muck? We tried it last round but the bag touched the bottom and got burned to the bottom and ripped open!!

Trying to figure out a way to hold the bag up in the pot without standing over it for the whole cooking process!

[citat3962]

Quote, originally posted by 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

Agreed, we have a local place called the brew hut. they have a little bar in the backs o you can go back and have a home brew beer and walk around the store and shop for ingredients while you sip a tasty homebrew!

Lots of people come in with their creations in kegs or bottles to let people taste or to have the owner try out and give advice! it's really cool!

Our brewing bible!

http://www.amazon.ca/Home-Brew...72876

Papazian is the MAN!

[patrikman]

Quote, originally posted by citat3962 »

Anyone else do their cooking on the stove and use Grain bags for the grains and hops to prevent having to strain out all the muck? We tried it last round but the bag touched the bottom and got burned to the bottom and ripped open!! Trying to figure out a way to hold the bag up in the pot without standing over it for the whole cooking process!

I do sometimes, what type of pot are you using? I use a turkey fryer kettle and just wrap the end of the grain bag around one of the handles when I am not agitating.