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beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 07-30-2013
Anybody brew their own beer/wine/mead whatever?
I brewed about twice a month 3 years ago before my son was born. Life got busy. I excited to say I will brew beer again tomorrow. It will be a strong coffee oatmeal stout with a strong hop finish. First batch in about 3 years.
Any time tested recipes out there?
RE: beer brewing for drunks - Purplecomputer - 07-30-2013
(07-30-2013, 10:18 PM)lgreeley83 Anybody brew their own beer/wine/mead whatever?
I brewed about twice a month 3 years ago before my son was born. Life got busy. I excited to say I will brew beer again tomorrow. It will be a strong coffee oatmeal stout with a strong hop finish. First batch in about 3 years.
Any time tested recipes out there?
I always wanted to try this but I heard it takes time to make the beer. PFFFFT.
I WANT IT NOW :O
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 07-30-2013
It takes time yeah but is is fun! Don't use plastic buckets, watching the yeast do their thing is fun.
Its cheap! Once you go "all grain" you can get you beer cost ratio way down.
All that stuff that's about 5 dollars a bottle you make yourself.
Sorry you mentioned time and I naturally gravitate to money. Brew a batch in fall and give Christmas gifts of beer!
The initial startup for 5 gal batches is under 200$ if you buy in a brewers shop. I've seen equipment on craigslist for less.
Its your own!
Oh yeah and if you keep brewing you always have a reserve. No wait!
RE: beer brewing for drunks - sassparilla_kid - 07-31-2013
I'm planning on starting soon, maybe once school starts back up. Also, I believe iheartboost brews
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 07-31-2013
mmmmm.....beer......
RE: beer brewing for drunks - MFSuper90 - 08-02-2013
Does moonshine count?
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 08-02-2013
oh yes i believe it does :-) I'll be on that someday. Got a time tested recipe?
I just realized I didn't upload any yet. Shoot.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - sassparilla_kid - 08-02-2013
Yes beer recipes please, moonshine is easy
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 08-02-2013
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
There's the online book that explains a lot! Beginning brewer to advanced stuff. Reusing yeast. Etc. When I first started brewing I was taking a biology course and my teacher was also a brewer so I got some info from him but the book still says it all if I remember. This is a how to book, there's probably a couple recipes too.
people talk about getting an infected batch but I never had one. Once I started brewing while drinking some 10+ percent beer I had made. I know i goofed something up but the beer still came out good.
I'll post a couple that I made and liked but the best part is its hard to make a beer you don't like :-)
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-12-2014
Homebrewtalk.com
Still brewing here. Did a 7% ish IPA tonight. I never post on the beer forums because it seems a bit too qualitative to discuss. I think of beer brewing like cooking dinner, just throw some stuff together and see what comes out. That website though has a lot of action and if I am questioning a yeast characteristic on Google, it pops up the most.
I pushed some yeast to their limit in December and have an 18% Belgium aging right now. Pull a gal at a time and keg it. Cold extracting some strawberries into a gallon right now. Pretty excited about that.
Last semester of college. As a bio major and beer drinker my final research will be microbial ecology of beer. The plan is to test Gause's principal of competition to study potential pathogenic growth. General consensus and my hypothesis is that pathogens being fastidious cannot compete with yeast and will not grow to an unsafe level in the presence of ethanol. Too easy.
Simplified. You can't get sick from germs brewing beer at home. Different bacteria may grow if you are dirty as shit brewing your beer but they simply alter taste.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - MFSuper90 - 02-13-2014
We took some 100% apple juice, some sugar, and some yeast last semester at school and gave it about a month to firment. And I do have to say, it was absolutely disgusting. Came in at about 8.5% alcohol. I think we are going to try some grape juice next.
Any recommendations to make it decent?
RE: beer brewing for drunks - Greazzer - 02-13-2014
My Dad tried this when I was a little kid. He made lots of wine in a 5 gallon glass water cooler jug. All I remember is that he put a ballon on top and the ballon blew up. Then, it involved straining it thru some cheese cloth. He drank it but I am thinking it was not so hot. He also tried his hand making beer in mason jars in his closet. The crap exploded, and my Mom put an end to that. LOL
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-13-2014
Organic apple juice, no preservatives. Some say table sugar is fine but....yeast have to secret an extra enzyme to break the bonds in that. Can give a funky cidery off flavor. Get some corn sugar (dextrose). Brings up alcohol but flavor remains the same. And probably biggest factor is yeast. A champagne yeast is good enough. Not that crap at the supermarket.
Shake it up real good to introduce oxygen into solution but only at the beginning. Yeast will build their cell count first, once oxygen is depleted they fermented the sugars.
Google airlock. You want gasses to be able to get out but not in. I did apple once and accidentally let it become exposed to the air and it turned to vinegar.
Greazer your mom was right! Bottle bombs can be real dangerous. Shrapnel in walls. That's one of the reasons I keg my beer now. I used to bottle and never had a bomb but I was always a little nervous.
Cheese cloth not really needed. If you get the batch cold most yeast fall out of suspension. Than you can decant or siphon of the layer of yeast at the bottom
I keg also because cleaning one keg vs. 50 bottles of beer simplifies life :-) pic of my little kegerator in a few.
My kegerator...notice something special resting on top....
Also the 3rd picture, one of the best things i did for the quality of my batches was temperature control was temp regulation during fermentation. The big pot is 10 gallons, I sit my 6.5 gal fermenter in there an put water around it. Once equilibrium is established temp in the water and temp in the fermenter theoretically should be the same. During fermentation, yeasts metabolic activity begins to heat up the batch by as much as 10 degrees. I add ice to the surrounding water to keep temp in check. Also you see an airlock in the mouth of the jug.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - MFSuper90 - 02-13-2014
Thanks for the tips!
How long do you leave it open for oxygen?
RE: beer brewing for drunks - Simpler=Better - 02-14-2014
I've got a couple bottle of hard cider "aging" right now. They definitely have alcohol in them, but the flavor's pretty sour. Going to add some splenda and see if that changes anything.
Batch #1 was unpasturized, local stuff + champagne yeast, spice, and put in an HDPE bucket.
Batch #2 was store bought, and my chemistry Wifey did something to neutralize the preservatives...I don't remember the details. Still have to get brave and taste test batch #@
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-14-2014
(02-13-2014, 09:43 PM)MFSuper90 Thanks for the tips!
How long do you leave it open for oxygen?
Just shake it after You seal it shut. To be honest you may not even need to do that. In beer brewing there is usually a minimum 60 minutes of boiling which drives off the oxygen. You might boil in a batch of non pasteurized stuff to kill foreign yeasts or bacteria but a store bought organic juice you probably don't need to do that.
Simple you may have a wild yeast in that unpasteurized stuff. Could produce some sour flavors but not get you sick. Lambic sour beer uses them on purpose. I wouldn't use splenda... There is an alcohol based sugar that might be better for back sweetening. Xylotol I think. Its in gum that dentists prefer.
Also you could add regular sugar if you kill the yeast with a campden tablet or sulfite. I forget. But the theory is kill the yeast and than add some sugar to back sweeten.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - Simpler=Better - 02-14-2014
(02-14-2014, 01:52 PM)lgreeley83We did simmer for 60 minutes to kill off any random stuff, but who knows!(02-13-2014, 09:43 PM)MFSuper90 Thanks for the tips!
How long do you leave it open for oxygen?
Just shake it after You seal it shut. To be honest you may not even need to do that. In beer brewing there is usually a minimum 60 minutes of boiling which drives off the oxygen. You might boil in a batch of non pasteurized stuff to kill foreign yeasts or bacteria but a store bought organic juice you probably don't need to do that.
Simple you may have a wild yeast in that unpasteurized stuff. Could produce some sour flavors but not get you sick. Lambic sour beer uses them on purpose. I wouldn't use splenda... There is an alcohol based sugar that might be better for back sweetening. Xylotol I think. Its in gum that dentists prefer.
Also you could add regular sugar if you kill the yeast with a campden tablet or sulfite. I forget. But the theory is kill the yeast and than add some sugar to back sweeten.
We're already bottled, no harm in throwing in sugar as you pour, eh?
Back in college our method was to dump it all in a bucket and wait a few weeks. I've never been known to have sophisticated taste in drinks though
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-14-2014
Add as you pure if you want. No harm there just if you were to add too much sugar before bottling...bomb.
I add stuff to beer during a pour too. Vanilla, fruit, whatever. Helps to create recipes.
That bucket booze sounds great. I made stuff in 2 liter bottle a couple times with some funky yeast. Came out really bad.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - sassparilla_kid - 02-15-2014
I'M DRINKING BEER RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!
RE: beer brewing for drunks - martureo - 02-17-2014
Well, for us dry folks I brew root beer (yes, brew it) and make my own sauerkraut. I use bottles for the root beer and mason jars with modified air lock lids for the kraut.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-17-2014
(02-17-2014, 09:13 AM)martureo Well, for us dry folks I brew root beer (yes, brew it) and make my own sauerkraut. I use bottles for the root beer and mason jars with modified air lock lids for the kraut.
I've been meaning to try that for my wife and kids. I would keg that too if I were to try. I read that for carbonation in bottles you allow partial fermentation? Sounded a bit risky.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - martureo - 02-18-2014
(02-17-2014, 09:29 AM)lgreeley83Yep, I ferment in the bottles. I keep at least two soda bottles and an extra glass bottle filled and fermenting next to the bottles. That way I know when everything is ready and don't have to open up bottles constantly.(02-17-2014, 09:13 AM)martureo Well, for us dry folks I brew root beer (yes, brew it) and make my own sauerkraut. I use bottles for the root beer and mason jars with modified air lock lids for the kraut.
I've been meaning to try that for my wife and kids. I would keg that too if I were to try. I read that for carbonation in bottles you allow partial fermentation? Sounded a bit risky.
Usually if the soda bottles are firm when I squeeze them then the batch is done. I've never had any bottles explode on me. I've got about two dozen with the Grolsch style cap on them. Much easier to clean and reseal.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-18-2014
I used Grolsch for a while. They are fun but that beer is expensive. When I first started brewing I only bought Grolsch for a while just so I could have the bottles. I got so sick of that beer after that.
A bottle capper is only about 10-15 bucks I think.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - Simpler=Better - 02-18-2014
(02-18-2014, 01:53 PM)lgreeley83 I used Grolsch for a while. They are fun but that beer is expensive. When I first started brewing I only bought Grolsch for a while just so I could have the bottles. I got so sick of that beer after that.
A bottle capper is only about 10-15 bucks I think.
The big red capper isn't too expensive, and caps are cheap. Makes me want to bottle everything I bring to work. Cold cappucinno? Beer bottle, done.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - sassparilla_kid - 02-18-2014
(02-18-2014, 02:09 PM)Simpler=Better(02-18-2014, 01:53 PM)lgreeley83 I used Grolsch for a while. They are fun but that beer is expensive. When I first started brewing I only bought Grolsch for a while just so I could have the bottles. I got so sick of that beer after that.
A bottle capper is only about 10-15 bucks I think.
The big red capper isn't too expensive, and caps are cheap. Makes me want to bottle everything I bring to work. Cold cappucinno? Beer bottle, done.
Now I want to make four gallons of espresso and bottle it all lol
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-18-2014
Just becareful of botulism. That stuff is no good. Dead.
Beer is safe because of the alcohol preventing other microbes from growing. Take a pH test too. You could alter the pH by adding some food grade citric acid (later flush your radiator with same stuff). I don't know what the tolerable range of pH for botulism is off the top of my head.
Coffee is probably safe... Its pH is pretty low
RE: beer brewing for drunks - MFSuper90 - 02-18-2014
For our homemade cheap college wine or hooch or whatever you'd call it, how long should we let it sit? Last time was about a month, and it wasn't bubbling through the air lock anymore (not sure what that means haha
RE: beer brewing for drunks - Stevo-trendy - 02-18-2014
Fermentation has stopped & the cider is now ageing , I normally rack my cider off a week after fermentation & let it age in a fresh bottle currently have around 3 gallons of different brew ageing & 20 litres to rack off
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-18-2014
Drinkable in a week or two. anything beyond that you are just aging it. The higher the alcohol the longer one ages it generally. Yeast will make off flavors if you don't control fermentation though....investigate the yeast you are using and check its temp range. If you get out of that range the batch will be drinkable but maybe funky.
The term stevo used "rack" is when you transfer to a secondary jug. If only going a month or so you dont need to do that really. People do this to allow a batch to clarify, also there is discussion of "yeast autolysis" when yeast die releasing their cellular material into the batch. Some think it contributes no flavor and don't worry about it, others claim its bad and therefore transfer to a secondary comtainer to avoid the large amount of yeast at the bottom releasing that stuff........and we keep going.....some think racking or transferring to a secondary risks introduction of oxygen which can spoil a batch.
With all that there I really think temp control is still the most important. Also don't allow it to sit in the sun. UV light will skunk your stuff.
I let my beer at a minimum go two weeks though. A wheat beer I would do two weeks because yeast in suspension is all good. Most of my other beers I do a min month or so. 5,gallon batches. And I usually have 2 aging at a time so there is no rush.
I think the key is to have a constant pipe line so you can let stuff age, not get impatient, and always have something to drink. Make more than you can drink and you can always share. :-)
RE: beer brewing for drunks - MFSuper90 - 02-19-2014
We just made a batch last night, might have screwed it up. We boiled the grape juice, then got tired of waiting for it to cool, so we put the year in at about 120-30f probably.
Might have killed the yeast, guess we will find out in a week or two.
What about yeast energizer? Good? Bad?
We had some so we added some to the concockshon
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-19-2014
Go buy some more yeast. You may have fried them. If you don't get the healthy yeast population going quick that's when other foreign microbes can succeed. In the presence of healthy yeast the other microbes struggle to compete. In the absence of yeast they grow.
As sterile as you may think you were boiling and all that ....there is still (unless in sterile lab setting) the potential for the foreign microbes to get in. Turn a batch to vinegar, or release other funky stuff.
Most yeast like it around 70deg F. Lager are different. How did you cool? How large was batch? I used to set my pot in the sink with ice to cool it but that takes long. With 5 gallon I use an "immersion wort chiller" and I go from boiling to 65F in 10-15 mi . mine is a 50 foot 1/2 inch copper tube that I run cold water through. I used compression fitting and have it set up to match a garden hose. I use a garden hose from an adapter on my kitchen sink to push water through and take heat away from my batch. The water goes down the drain, someday I will get efficient and fill my washing machine with the water.
Yeast energizer is fine. It doesn't hurt to add. Beer you don't always need. Mead I think you do. Wine not sure. You could think of it as a multivitamin for yeast. Mead is just honey which is pretty much pure sugar. Beer comes from grain and there is more nutrient value to the yeast. I used to add it every time I brewed.
RE: beer brewing for drunks - MFSuper90 - 02-19-2014
We cooked by setting the 3gallon pot of grape juice into a like of snow outside the apartment haha
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 02-19-2014
I shouldn't aim to place fear in any of these practices. Its just stuff to keep in mind. Its like I said in the beginning, its like cooking in the kitchen. It will almost always come out drinkable. I've brewed drunk, dirty, no temp control, woke up like "did I make that?"
The only time I had something go truly bad was when I let an airlock go dry for months. A small gallon batch of apple wine turned to vinegar.
I've never gotten sick. Just brew and be happy. ;-)
RE: beer brewing for drunks - MFSuper90 - 02-20-2014
(02-19-2014, 09:33 PM)MFSuper90 We cooked by setting the 3gallon pot of grape juice into a like of snow outside the apartment haha
Wow, I just Reread that, I think I had too much to drink when posting :p
RE: beer brewing for drunks - lgreeley83 - 05-17-2014
Microbial ecology experiment this semester. Made beer at school. Was testing competition in fermentation.
One batch I mixed standard beer yeast and E. coli.. Yes E. coli. My theory was that the E. coli would die during the fermentation process due to limited alcohol tolerance. It did die. This is good. There was much more to that experiment but there is the important info ;-)
RE: beer brewing for drunks - MFSuper90 - 05-19-2014
Very good information, I tested that theory also earlier this year at college.a
By making some nasty homemade wine-ish kind of stuff then drinking it. My conclusion was that besides a raging hangover, I didn't get sick or die so it must have been okay
