Home beer brewers

[TNWNGR]

OK I've researched home beer making and  visted a brew pubs set up. Additionally I've seen and assisted a bit with a family members Mr. Beer set up and viewed a glass carboy brewing set up. The one gallon micro brew set ups are affordable but small for the effort extended. I'm interested in what folks here have done or are doing with beer making as a small time hobby. FWIW I'm not going with the Mr. Beer set up or a one gallon set up, but something close to both.

[LagerHead]

I use a five gallon set up so I can get enough beer to enjoy for a while and to pass a few out to friends. I don't have a keg setup yet, but I will someday. Got all my stuff from 4 Seasons on 8th Avenue South in Nashville.

[VERO1]

Most shops will have a startup kit that has everything you need to get started. I started off that way and have gradually added to the kit over the years. We are doing 5 gallon batches and bottling, some manner of kegging will probably be next on the upgrade list.
There is also a home brew supply store in Knoxville whose name I have completely forgotten. Edited October 23, 2015 by VERO1

[CommsNBombs]

When I started out I was cooking my mash in a big stew pot and putting it in primary in old 5 gal paint cans.

The type of plastic kinda plays a part in the longevitity of your equipment and what you should brew in it.

Now we have industrial plastic 10/15 gallon pails and carboys. Good things to invest in are runoff hoses and gas locks - especially with aggressive yeast cultures...brew a Belgian quad bach using Champagne yeast and the small little gas lock we had popped off and blew the lid off of the pail.

Lot of the homebrew places have starter kits - there are also a plethora of online communities and forums with resources.

Ill hit up my old man on his setup and send you a parts list and maybe some of our recipes.

Home brew is a lot like reloading - there is more than one way to skin a cat with it

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[TMF]

Go to www.northernbrewer.com to get started. I've bought most of my equipment off of there, and they have great starter kits for wine and beer.

I started making my own wine years back, and just got into beer brewing a little over a year ago. Luckily, most of the equipment transfers between the two. I would suggest having at least two fermentation vessels of 6 gallons each. Your beer batches will likely be 5 gallons, but you're going to want to have some headspace in there, especially for the first couple of days while fermentation is very active. The reason why I suggest having two vessels is because you're going to want to rack your beer from one vessel to the next in order to increase clarity. Some folks bottle directly from their primary fermentation vessel. You can do that with beer, but you'll end up with more sediment and perhaps bits of hoppy goodness in your bottles. If you intend on sharing, and sharing is caring, others might not want floaties in their beer.

It's a great hobby, and once you get started you're going to end up purchasing much of this equipment anyway. It's cheaper in the long run to go ahead and get the kit, and get a 6 gallon carboy to go along with it if one is not included. The kits are around $100 last I checked. Most of that stuff will last you a lifetime, so it will pay for itself after you make a few batches. Don't be discouraged if you screw up your first few batches. Mistakes are going to happen, and it's the only way you'll really learn to do this well and efficiently.

Wine is much easier to make, it just takes a while longer to ferment and bulk age, so the learning curve on making the good stuff isn't quite as steep as beer. I'm glad I started out making wine first because I was able to learn my sanitation routines in a relatively consequence-free environment, since the alcohol content of my wine is so high, my juice isn't as susceptible to bacteria (I don't at stabilizing agents to my wine).

Are you looking to brew beer from kits of liquid malt extract/dry malt extract, or go all grain? I started out using LME to practice (which was good practice), but skipped to all grain because it's way cheaper than those kits which include all the ingredients. Edited October 24, 2015 by TMF

[Jct1911]

For when I did all grain, used 15gal kegs converted and top lopped off. For small use, a gas fish fryer and big pot outside. Electric top stoves will caramelize malt to the bottom of the pot and will impart color and taste on every brew.
If you have a gas range top, got to town in the kitchen.
I only brew one normal brew anymore, an English brown. The rest are specialty beers, wassail for Christmas, colonial double porter for fall, Belgian style Hefeweizen for warm weather. Occasionally fruit or coffee beers.

[JeffL]

I started making 5 gallon all grain batches about two years ago. I've upgraded to a 15 gallon boil pot making 10 gallon batches. All my beer has been made on a propane burner on the back porch.

 

My 10 gallon Igloo mash tun is almost not enough for my usual IPA, will have to adjust mashing procedure if I want to make 10 gallons of Imperial Stout for the fall/winter.

 

I already had a kegerator so I jumped right in and have kegged all my batches. I got a small chest freezer from a fellow TGO member after a couple of batches. I've got it hooked up to an STC-1000 temperature controller with a paint can light bulb heater. No problems maintaining fermentation temperatures year round in the garage. Temperature control is one of the best things you can do to improve the quality of your beer.

 

I'm a bit busy for the next few weeks; however I'm due for a brew day. You're welcome to come over and observe if you'd like.

[VERO1]

If you decide to boil the malt in the kitchen on the stove, be sure to keep a close eye on the pot. Once it starts to boil, it can grow really fast resulting in a sticky, sugary mess all over the stove and burners. Wives fail to see the humor in this. Ask me how I know.

[JeffL]

If you decide to boil the malt in the kitchen on the stove, be sure to keep a close eye on the pot. Once it starts to boil, it can grow really fast resulting in a sticky, sugary mess all over the stove and burners. Wives fail to see the humor in this. Ask me how I know.

Always keep FermCap handy. A drop or two will prevent an impending over boil and huge mess.

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[TMF]

I've never done kitchen boils. I have a propane burner and a wife. I wouldn't advise a new brewer to do it in the kitchen. If you don't have a burner, go on down to Lowes and pick one up. I think they have good ones there for around $40.


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[JeffL]

I've never done kitchen boils. I have a propane burner and a wife. I wouldn't advise a new brewer to do it in the kitchen. If you don't have a burner, go on down to Lowes and pick one up. I think they have good ones there for around $40.


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I get complaints about the smell just from making a 4L yeast starter in the kitchen.

[TMF]

I get complaints about the smell just from making a 4L yeast starter in the kitchen.

Oh yeah. Definitely the same in my house. When I was in TN I had a basement to ferment in. Now that I'm in Florida, finding a good spot to ferment the first few days is impossible.


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[Ruprect]

I went in 1/3 with two other friends and for a total investment under ~$300 we had a great set up for brewing five gallon extract kits. The extract kits were good more often than not, but my two friends soon lost interest. I however, went off the deep end switched to all grain by purchasing the extra equipment (mash tun, propane burner, 15 gallon pot, ect...) and built a five tap keezer giving me 25 gallons on hand.

Making cheap drinkable beer and even the occasional outstanding beer isn't rocket science and takes little effort.

Rebel Brewer is in Goodlettsville and they are outstanding.

[TNWNGR]

Thanks for all of the good informational posts fellows, its all been helpful. I'd already decided to go with the extract kits for a while and will be using a similar initial set up to the one discussed by Comms N Bombs. Its a very affordable under a hundred dollar starting point which can easily be expanded. The reference books I ordered should be in today and the books I've read are safely returned to the public libarary. Now all I need to do is lay in a supply of cappable bottles for later on down the pike.

[Ruprect]

If your anywhere around Nashville or Wilson Co, I've got some bottles to get you started so long as you don't mind a mix of bottle styles.

[TNWNGR]

If your anywhere around Nashville or Wilson Co, I've got some bottles to get you started so long as you don't mind a mix of bottle styles.

Thanks for the offer, I splurged and bought a case of long necks after looking at the cost and shipping of bottles I realized I'd be better off recycling my own bottles. Or even better scrounging them!

[TMF]

Thanks for the offer, I splurged and bought a case of long necks after looking at the cost and shipping of bottles I realized I'd be better off recycling my own bottles. Or even better scrounging them!

Yeah, I hit up a couple of local bars to get their bottles as well as family and friends. Beyond that, it is as cost effective to buy Sam Adams and recap them as it is to order long necks online due to shipping. There was a short time where a company sold bottles on Amazon with free shipping, but I haven't seen that for a while. Still, at least you get the bottles with beer in them if you go the Sam Adams bottles.


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[analog_kidd]

I've made wine for years, but just got started in making beer. I had nearly all the equipment from the wine making, although I did buy a separate primary fermenter just to keep the buckets from imparting off flavors into each other. I just use an ice bath to chill the wort for now, but will probably upgrade to one of those chillers you attach to the sink faucet.

 

I'm sticking with the kit beers for now. They have everything you need, ingredient-wise, and they are pretty easy to do. If you just follow the directions it will come out fine. I'm doing a whiskey barrel stout right now that looks like it will be awesome when done. I like a dark, heavy beer, so this is right up my alley. Unless you like cheap beer, I'm not so sure there is much of a cost savings to making it from a kit, but the satisfaction of knowing you made a quality beer that tastes great make it worthwhile to me. I get the kits for about $50 and they make about 4 ~ 12 packs of beer. With my go-to beer of Sam Adams being about $13 a 12-pack, it's pretty much break even. Discounting my time of course.

 

Speaking of time, you do need to plan your time. Expect to burn most of an afternoon making the wort. And, importantly, read the directions and make sure you have time set aside in the future when you are supposed to bottle it. One of my times I got ahead of myself and didn't realize I was going out of town the following weekend when I was supposed to bottle. I ended up having to stay up late one night to get it all done in time.

 

It's funny, I buy beer from the store now based on what kind of bottle it comes in. I only get them if they can be re-used. I like Sam Adams, and they are pop off bottles so that works, but I find the labels a pain to remove. I'm kinda weird about wanting the bottles to not have old labels on them. I recently found Highland Brewing Co, a company out of Highlands, NC, and their bottles have a plastic label that easily peels right off, especially if you run some hot water over them. Plus the beer is good and about the same price as Sammies, so it all works out.

 

I have also bought empty bottles from Ferment Station in Knoxville. I think they charge about $12 for a 24 bottle case. I prefer to recycle my own, but I have two batches going on now and needed extra bottles. Walmart also sells 64oz growler bottles that are convenient, They are best for when you have a couple people at once enjoying a frost beverage, as you pretty much need to finish it when you open it.

 

Speaking of Ferment Station, they are great folks and have anything you need for beer and wine making. Not sure about beer, but they will even help you bottle wine, and have a filter if you want wine cleared up before bottling. They also have a nice room with a grain grinder if you want to make up your own beer recipe from scratch. I highly recommend using them. BTW they moved across the parking lot a few weeks ago, so if you are familiar with them don't freak out when you pull up and they are not in their old location. The new space is a bit larger and set up very nicely.

[TMF]

Analog, I fill up a bucket of hot water and soak my Sam Adams bottles in there for about 10 minutes. Then I use a wooden spatchula to quickly scrape the label off. I follow up with a quick rub down with the rough side of a dish sponge to get all the residue. Takes less than 30 seconds a bottle. Sweetwater makes good beer and their labels are ones that come right off with hardly an effort.


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[analog_kidd]

Yeah, I keep the Sam Adams bottles too. I do something similar. I soak them for a bit, peel off as much label as I can, then scrape off the rest with this little plastic scraper I have. I clean off the glue and the last of the label by scrubbing with a Brillo pad. Makes them sparkle right up.

 

I only mentioned the Highland bottles because the plastic label easily comes right off in one piece and there is no residue at all.

 

Funny, I just tossed out a few Sweetwater bottles because I couldn't easily get the labels off. I started and quickly said it wasn't worth it. I've got a big enough collection now that if I have to put any effort into it, I just toss them.  :)

[peejman]

If anybody local needs bottles, I'd be happy to provide some.  I've recently lost my recycling option so I've got nothing to do with them but trash them, and I don't like doing that. 

 

I've thought about getting into brewing my own for a while, but it seems like it's just one more hobby I won't have time for. 

[Jct1911]

Yeah, I hit up a couple of local bars to get their bottles as well as family and friends. Beyond that, it is as cost effective to buy Sam Adams and recap them as it is to order long necks online due to shipping. There was a short time where a company sold bottles on Amazon with free shipping, but I haven't seen that for a while. Still, at least you get the bottles with beer in them if you go the Sam Adams bottles.


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Another great option for home use are swing top bottles. Grolsch green bottles are almost 16oz and are thick. I keep 12 here and use them often.
Also, a lot of microbrew come in 22oz and are excellent for 2 American pint style glasses(12oz).
Another of my favorites and VERY cost efficient is Tecate in quart(32oz) re-cappable bottles. 12oz is nice to give away but for home use, bigger is better and easier.

Eta: some may look down on cheap Mexican beer, but you should look at the roots of some of these beers and you'll realize a lot of them are German in origin. Edited October 25, 2015 by Jct1911