What R you doing today?

[pjd]

Trying to figure out what I need to buy to try my hand at making my first batch of beer. Hmmmmm.....

As a wine maker, you already have everything you need to brew beer except for a large kettle to cook in and possibly a heat source. I make wine, actually a lot of wine and I brew beer.

The only things I use for beer brewing that I don't need for wine is my 7 gallon stainless steel pot and my 1500 watt electric hot plate. Of course, I am assuming you will be starting out with extract brewing and not all grain.

Beer brewing is close to instant gratification. I have started 3 kits in the last 3 weeks and the first one will be ready to be enjoyed by Thanksgiving. all will be ready by Christmas.

I am first and foremost a winemaker but I sure do enjoy a home brewed Stout or Porter especially in the winter!

 

[Pumpkinman]

Phil, my current batch of Oktoberfest lager is done with the d-rest and currently lagering at 32°, it you guys need any help with all grain brewing, I can help.

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Yeah I was thinking the pot and maybe a capper depending on how I bottle. I was thinking of doing a kit to start but I'm not real sure what the extract brewing is yet. I've been trying a lot of new beers lately and decided it wouldn't be a huge jump from wine to make a batch of beer. I enjoy stouts, porters and IPAs.

 

[Pumpkinman]

Beer is really fun to make, I make about 8 batches in a 2 week period, then sit and enjoy them all while I wait for my wine to age.

 

[Boatboy24]

DirtyDawg: Northern Brewer has 1 gallon extract kits, and Brooklyn Brew Shop has 1 gallon all grain kits. Those can probably be made with the wine equipment you have on hand, and the pots you have in your kitchen. Cost at that size isn't super economical, but it's a good way to get your feet wet and see if you enjoy it. Reminds me: I have two Brooklyn Brew kits I need to get moving on. Got a few days off next week, that might be a good time.

 

[Pumpkinman]

Dirtydawg, I find this capper: http://www.finevinewines.com/XPListDet1.asp?MM_PartNumber=4016 to be better than most, and I even bought the Floor corker attachment for my corker, it doesn't come close to the red capper!
Once you brew your first batch of beer, you'll be hooked! I'd get a 7 gal pot, it doesn't have to be one of those bazillion dollar kettles, I've brewed in the neighborhood of 50 -60 batches in a Bayou classic kettle with a ball valve, I recommend getting the one with the ball valve now, most everyone that I know went from extract kit beers to all grain.
Making beer helps pass the time while waiting for your wine to age!

 

[the_rayway]

I've been toying with the idea of making a beer, my issue is that it needs to be gluten free! I did collect the ingredients for a 1 gallon batch of Chocolate vanilla ale by a fellow who has his own gluten free beer blog. I figure I might get around to getting it started in the next few weeks.

The only thing is: my husband did two beer kits and neither carbonated! They were as flat a monkey piss. We bought new bottles, both grolsch and p.e.t. and it didn't seem to make a difference. Very disappointing. It's why I've held off on doing up my little GF batch.

Oh man do I miss 'real beer'!!!

 

[DirtyDawg10]

Oh...the other thing I thought of was sanitizer. I remember seeing that k-meta shouldn't be used for beer. What do you guys use with your beer brewing?

 

[Pumpkinman]

i use Star San for my sanitizer, the one thing that I've realized is that the craft beer brewers are paranoid about "infections" to the point of hysteria...lol
Making beer is a lot of fun, and with a few minor tweaks, you can have a beer that is personalized to your tastes.
Raelene, carbonating the beer is a breeze, I'd be happy to hear exactly what you did to carbonate it, I bottle mine, no room for a kegerator.
I have 8 batches right now, well, 7 and one lagering.

 

[cmason1957]

Oh...the other thing I thought of was sanitizer. I remember seeing that k-meta shouldn't be used for beer. What do you guys use with your beer brewing?

Same thing I use with my wine making, Star-San.

 

[Boatboy24]

Oh...the other thing I thought of was sanitizer. I remember seeing that k-meta shouldn't be used for beer. What do you guys use with your beer brewing?

I use iodophor. I sometimes use it on the winemaking equipment, but primarily for the beer stuff. I haven't had an issue when using Meta on my 1 gallon glass jars that end up with beer in them.

 

[pjd]

I've been toying with the idea of making a beer, my issue is that it needs to be gluten free! I did collect the ingredients for a 1 gallon batch of Chocolate vanilla ale by a fellow who has his own gluten free beer blog. I figure I might get around to getting it started in the next few weeks.

The only thing is: my husband did two beer kits and neither carbonated! They were as flat a monkey piss. We bought new bottles, both grolsch and p.e.t. and it didn't seem to make a difference. Very disappointing. It's why I've held off on doing up my little GF batch.

Oh man do I miss 'real beer'!!!

I have not tried it but I see in the More Beer catalog that they are selling an extract made of Sorghum that is gluten free.

On the two beer kits that did not carbonate, were they high alcohol content? The yeast might have died from alcohol poisoning. On a high gravity beer it's ok to inoculate it with a package of champagne yeast while adding priming sugar and bottling. I have had to do this with a barleywine ale that I brewed with about 12 percent ABV.

 

[the_rayway]

i use Star San for my sanitizer, the one thing that I've realized is that the craft beer brewers are paranoid about "infections" to the point of hysteria...lol
Making beer is a lot of fun, and with a few minor tweaks, you can have a beer that is personalized to your tastes.
Raelene, carbonating the beer is a breeze, I'd be happy to hear exactly what you did to carbonate it, I bottle mine, no room for a kegerator.
I have 8 batches right now, well, 7 and one lagering.

Hey Tom: we just did it via the directions that came with the kit. Added the dextrose, bottled, put in the warm library for a few weeks, then into the cool basement for a month. The strange thing about it was that out of two kits worth, maybe 5 bottles were carbonated. It just didn't make sense to us.

Once I start my batch (tomorrow? maybe next week?) I'll definitely hit you up for carbonating advice. I want mine to WORK!!! And taste like awesome, of course.

Phil: I've tried pure sorghum beer and it tastes like it's gone skunky. Seriously gross. The rice beers I've had have been pretty good though, especially if you malt the rice. La Messagere made a really nice Red Ale, but I think they've gone out of business.

Considering that it costs me $25 to buy a 6-pack of GF beer that isn't very good, I figured I would try my own

 

[plowboy]

Well, helped put up the majority of my grandmothers Christmas lights. Still haven't gotten around to doing mine though. Too wet and windy to be the idiot on the roof

 

[jamesngalveston]

one thing for sure, the wet texas winters take its toll on outdoor christmas lights, i am still trying to do mine as well...
its just to dam hot...

 

[plowboy]

Heat is never a problem here. It was maybe 4*c today and raining.

 

[jamesngalveston]

dang plowboy...my cell phone would freeze.....how in the heck to you get the geese at that temp....warm your barrel...lol

 

[ShelleyDickison]

I finally finished one batch. Yippee!!!!!

 

[Pumpkinman]

Hmmm...it appears that half of the posts that I make do not show up on the forum?
Raelene, it will be my pleasure to help you in any way that I can!
I have a feeling that you will do fine!
We (the beer brewers of WMT) should set up a beer swap, I find tasting other brewers beer real interesting, after a couple dozen batches you'll start to get a half dozen brews that you really like, these will become a permanent part of your rotation.
I have a kick *** Oktoberfest lagering as we speak, another 4-6 weeks of lagering, then I'll carbonate and bottle.
I have 7 other brews that are ready.

 

[Julie]

I finally finished one batch. Yippee!!!!!

Nice looking labels, I did a pom/zin last year, it turned out really good, I think you are going to like that a lot. Was this a kit or did you do a blend?