Home Brewing

[Texas-Hunter]

For you guys that brew your own beer, make Hard cider or wine.. Feel free to chime in.. I have done a lot of things, but making my own beer, wine or hard cider is not in that category..


This may be something our very quiet and silent member BrewMasterJosh can help us with... You just don't get a userneame like that from buying Bush beer from the store.. Wink... Wink..

[Richtee]

I have a bit of experience in this arena. Well, the beer end anyhow. Was a few years back, but managed a few respectable brews. Really oughta start it up again. Got all the stuff. I did use my fermenter for the last batch of kraut I did tho :{) One thing I'll say...it's alot easier- to me anyway, to make a great rack of ribs

Yeah, yer prolly right there Ken. I'm betting he's not a Lite kinda guy

[Richtee]

That ole timer...long time no see NavionJim was quite the beer brewer too... Hmm maybe King as well? Seems?

[Fishawn]

Alright, alright......... I have experience in both making it..... AND drinking it! .... BUT, it's been a while...... Had all the equipment: carboys, bottles, etc..... Got tired of it taking up valuable garage space that was needed for other slightly more valuable stuff like golf clubs, tackle boxes & catchers gear... The biggest thing I remember is the alcohol content was pretty high & some of them did not really taste all that good.... ..... But I did have one epic batch on a Stout that got good reviews from the poker playing buds..... Other than that, everything I produced was pretty much sub-par..... I like the lighter American style beers, so I gave all the equipment away.... Clean up is a PITA!...... I did get one of those Mr. Keg kits for my birthday one year.... Made a batch & it was pretty good, then made a second batch & a buddy knocked it out of the fridge & broke it.... ..... Then I gave up on it altogether.... Looking forward to hearing from some of you guys that know what your doing....

[Meat Hunter]

Ken was on the ball setting this new forum up, thanks Ken

I have been a homebrewer for nearly 15 years. Started off by doing All-Grain brews. Was lucky enough to be taught by some of the best homebrewers while I lived in El Paso, Tx. Have brewed both Lagers and Ales. One of my favs is a Oatmeal Stout, and a Marzen. Now that Winter is coming, I will be getting into it once more. Have a Co2 System and I keg my own in the small 5 gal kornie kegs. Every now and then I will still bottle, but that is a PITA.

Had a stainless steel gravity set-up that did everything from the mash tun to the final boil pot but got rid of it prior to moving back to Minnesota. Since our (the wife and I) trip out to San Fran a couple years back, the wife made me go on a wine tour of the Napa Valley. Never was a wine drinker until then
Now I love it and am going to start fermenting that as well. Have a local brew shop here, where the owner has won several brewing award, Wally Van Klopp. Sells a Ancient Vine Zin of which I had a sample and it is every bit if not better than those in the valley. Anyone want to swap ideas or recipes or just talk brewing, let me know. I know enough to brew a mean batch of beer, but like smoking meat, theres always more to learn.

[Slanted88]

He heee...I can get on the baloon wine....

[Richtee]

I know enough to brew a mean batch of beer, but like smoking meat, theres always more to learn.

I'm gonna have to give points for that statement. VERY true.

[scotth]

Homebrewing is just too much cleaning for me. I figure it's about 80% cleaning, 20% brewing. Or maybe it's because there's a brewery near me where I can go and sample all of their beers for free and buy growlers of the double IPA.

I blew a 5 gallon sankey keg in my fridge during my younger days and came home to an inch of foam all over my kitchen floor.

[Richtee]

I blew a 5 gallon sankey keg in my fridge during my younger days and came home to an inch of foam all over my kitchen floor.

No pix, din't happen

Yep..if yer not meticulously clean... 5 gallons of waste. Down to washing the mouth with vodka to draw a siphon for bottling. Well, I used bourbon...

[Critterhunter]

For you guys that brew your own beer, make Hard cider or wine.. Feel free to chime in.. I have done a lot of things, but making my own beer, wine or hard cider is not in that category..


This may be something our very quiet and silent member BrewMasterJosh can help us with... You just don't get a userneame like that from buying Bush beer from the store.. Wink... Wink..

And what the hell is wrong with Busch Ken?

[BBQ Engineer]

In my younger days, I brewed a lot of beer...made some gigantic messes with hot boiling wort too. Also made wine with the FIL and honey mead. Still have all of the stuff including a fruit press that the FIL pawned off on my since he didn't have room to store it.

Clean up is a bitch...

My focus changed along the way somewhere, and it became less about awesome brews, and more about "hey, let's see how much alcohol I can coax into this batch". Had some good stuff and some swill...also had some batches that packed a huge punch. One batch I named D.D. Red...because it would really put your Di*K in the Dirt.

[zoid]

Brewing beer is what keeps me off the streets in the wintertime-that and the motorcycle slips around too much on the ice.

I like brewing hoppy ales-kinda like an IPA-but using mostly Cascade hops. I'm trying to brew a real hop bomb this year. Hard to get that real strong piney flavor without getting an incredibly bitter beer. Course, that's good too.

I also brew a toasted oatmeal chocolate Stout every year and a smoky Porter. Smoke 4 or 5 lbs of malt over maple wood for an hour or so before you crush and mash it. A mellow hop schedule and you have a beer that begs for BBQ.

[Richtee]

I like brewing hoppy ales-kinda like an IPA

You listening Curious Aardvark? ;{)