Considering beer brewing. Few questions for you

[AkTom]

I got started making extract beers. Soon thereafter went all grain. I bought a whole kit off Craigslist. It was $750, but I've never looked back. Now I'm making wine and mead. It's all good. And I don't mind the 6 or 7 hours it takes to make a batch of beer. I make 5 and 10 gallons a batch. I love it. Most of my beer is as good or better than commercial beer.

 

[BernardSmith]

All great food for thought.

Now the real question: is it more economical to brew one's own beer (factoring in price of bottles, extracts, etc), or simply continue to buy a 6-pack for $10 once a week?

It depends - the ingredients will probably cost you less than it would cost for a 6 pack but that may not be the best question. If you enjoy the activity then the cost may not be so critical. And if the cost is critical and you don't enjoy the activity the better question may be can you find the beers you really like or do you have to make them yourself?

 

[Zintrigue]

Well the whole reason I'm considering the craft is because my husband goes through the stuff like it's water. We can afford it, but if I can afford it with more money in my pocket and put a smile on his face in the process then that's what it's all about.

 

[jswordy]

Well the whole reason I'm considering the craft is because my husband goes through the stuff like it's water. We can afford it, but if I can afford it with more money in my pocket and put a smile on his face in the process then that's what it's all about.

Not only can you afford it with all the great beer recipes online, you can use a brew bot and make your own recipes, extract or whole grain. That's to me when it gets fun and even more economical than kits.

One big benefit to me is that all my beers are gluten free (By government regs. They are technically extremely low gluten beers.), due to the use of Clarity Brew. Another big benefit is that I make beer that tastes better and is more to my liking than commercial beer. My Bud Light neighbor won't touch the stuff, and there's a reason. He's after watery alcohol to fuel a drunk. I like taste.

To keep him supplied, you'll have to start a "pipeline" where a new beer is always in a stage of process behind the current beer. Beers generally are better tasting if they bottle age awhile, which can range from a couple weeks to a year or more. That's where supplying a robust drinker can get difficult, because you must invest all the hours into brewing that will be taken from some other activity. If you are in it for flavor, or the challenge PLUS saving money, it might be worth it. But unless you want to go really big, like 20-gallon batches or so, supplying a robust drinker without any of the other enjoyment of brewing might become more bother and trouble than it is worth.

 

[Merrywine]

Well the whole reason I'm considering the craft is because my husband goes through the stuff like it's water. We can afford it, but if I can afford it with more money in my pocket and put a smile on his face in the process then that's what it's all about.

Homebrew talk forum might be a good place to do more research. Opinions, recipes and helpful people willing to share ( just like here, but mostly about beer) cheers!

 

[BernardSmith]

Returning to this thread - Here is something you might want to consider, Zintrigue. (Not my idea: I simply do not recall the source otherwise I would provide the link). You can make a six pack of beer in about 60 minutes using one pound of dry malt extract, about 6 or 7 pints of water and a pack of hop pellets (1- 2 oz). Divide the pack of hops into two and put them aside for the moment. Boil 3 pints of water. As the water approaches boiling stir in the extract (steam will make the extract clump) and when the water reaches a rolling boil add the first half of the hops. Boil for 15 minutes then remove the wort from the heat and toss in the second half. (if you boil hops for 60 minutes you get at the alpha acids which adds more bitterness to the beer - a good thing but this is a beer that emphasizes the hop flavors and their aromas and not the bitterness) Add the remaining water (you will need 6 pints above the trub to fill 6 bottles) and chill your pot or kettle in an ice bath until the temperature falls to about 60-65 F so you can pitch the yeast. (you want to chill the wort quickly to minimize bacterial souring).
Pour the cool wort into your carboy and shake to aerate. Pitch the yeast. Seal with bung and airlock. Allow to ferment 3 weeks, prime and bottle 3 weeks. Enjoy
By simply choosing different yeasts and/or different hops you can make very different beers. By adding adjuncts (so making the process a little more complex ) you can make very different styles of beers.. But at the simplest from start (sanitizing your equipment) to finish (storing away all the washed and clean tools and kettle etc) your "brew day" is shorter than a re-run of an episode of Law and Order.

 

[Redbird1]

1 oz. of hops is more than enough for a 6 pack batch, especially if none of it is going towards a dry hop. That's the equivalent of 8 ozs. of late boil/whirlpool hops in a 5 gallon batch. I would think that would be completely overpowering and would completely mask any other flavors.

This may be the recipe Bernard is referring to. Tons of great feedback. If you're going for simplicity, just grab a one lb. bag of dry malt extract, divide the hop additions by 6 to match, drop the Crystal 60, and follow the directions Bernard gives above. You could also skip the dry hops, but I would recommend keeping them. It is very straightforward (just drop them in after 7 days) and they add a lot to that style, IMO. It would also put you a little under the 1 oz. mark, to make the most of that 1 oz. bag.

I'll echo the earlier statements about fermentation temperature control. I've had good luck putting my fermenting bucket into a big plastic storage tub filled with water and then swapping out frozen water bottles to keep the temperature in the mid 60s for the first several days. Once fermentation slows, pull it out of the tub and let it warm to help the yeast finish up and also get more benefit from the dry hops.

I disagree with the need for secondary. I get clear beer after 2-3 weeks. Although the risk is minimal, the extra step is just an opportunity for oxidation and potential infection, with no noticeable benefits. Maybe I'm just not particular enough.

 

[BernardSmith]

Redbird1, You may be right about the hops, but Bostwick and Rymill's Beer Craft (a book that focuses on making six packs (single gallons) ) typically uses between 25 and 40 gms of hops for each batch... My 1 oz packs are 28 gms - and the folk whose idea I borrowed suggested (if my memory serves) that 10 gms were boiled for 15 minutes and 18 were added at flameout - So they were using 1 oz for the 6 bottled pints...

 

[Redbird1]

First you said 6 pack, which I assumed was 12 oz bottles. Then one gallon. Then 6 pints. I have no idea how many hops would be appropriate since I have no idea how much volume you're suggesting for the finished product at this point.

 

[BernardSmith]

Bostwick calls a gallon a six -pack, but it makes about 10 bottles . Your 72 oz (6 X 12 = 72) is about half a gallon since there are 128 fluid ounces in a US gallon and 160 in an imperial (UK) gallon. The site I took notes on referred to 6 pints (3/4 of a gallon) at bottling time ( I assume some loss due to evaporation (15 minute boil) and trub).

 

[Redbird1]

Thanks for clarifying. For 3/4 gallon of finished beer without any dry hops, 1 oz. sounds mighty excessive. Personally, I'd follow the recipes I listed earlier, just dividing the hop amounts by 6 and omitting the Crystal 60, if starting with a 1 lb. bag of DME. The recipe you listed must work too, or else they probably wouldn't have included it in a book, but it seems like it would be terribly unbalanced towards hops. Maybe it was back in the day when hops weren't quite as potent. /shrug