Making your own beer - tips/advice

[skins]

Has anyone here ever done up a home made batch of beer? I've tried it twice; the first time it turned out ok (it was an India pale ale), and the second time it was nasty and there was no carbonation (a premium lager I think).

I'm going to try it again this summer (maybe a nice cerveza?) and I'm looking for some tips. Basically, the kind of stuff I'm interested in:

- where is a good place to buy a kit?
- are there certain brews that are easier to make or typically turn out better?
- any good/bad experiences you've had?

Cheers!

[Winsor_Pilates]

I was just thinking the same thing after readin Troutman's post in the other beer thread.
What a way to save money and get smashed all at once!!

Lets have a CP beer making contest!

[Bobblehead]

The only times I did it was at a U-Brew place. They supply the equipment, you show up, do all the cooking and so on, but it in a container, they store it while it ferments, then you come back and bottle.

The only real expense is the first time when you buy the bottles. I would split with a couple friends and we's time it for the finished product to be ready before a long weekend.

I haven't done that in years, but I don't drink as much as I used to.

[skins]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

I was just thinking the same thing after readin Troutman's post in the other beer thread.

I was inspired by him as well. 50+ bottles of beer for less than $50! how can you go wrong? oh wait...

Originally Posted by skins

I've tried it twice...and the second time it was nasty and there was no carbonation

[RedHot25]

How close can you get it to (roughly speaking here) "good-tasting beer" for lack of better words? I have never done it, but I've had beer from those that have....and, well, I give them an A for effort that's for sure. But they could have just not done it very well?

[Smyth's Skate]

I buy all my kits from Red, White and Brew in the NE. The are a small hole in the wall, but great people.

One word of advice, when you bottle your beer, case it up and let it sit. I know it is going to be tempting to tear into after 2 weeks, but let it sit and age. It gets sooooooooo much better. I try to bottle age mine for 6 months. Trust me, you will thanks me later.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I've been making beer for a while now, fairly easy

Step 1: Go to liquor store and buy case of Keith's
Step 2: Take case home
Step 3: Empty bottled contents into fridge
Step 4: Take out one of the bottles
Step 5: Open bottle, pour into Calgary Flames beer mug
Step 6: Serve and enjoy

Simple really

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Smyth's Skate

I buy all my kits from Red, White and Brew in the NE. The are a small hole in the wall, but great people.

One word of advice, when you bottle your beer, case it up and let it sit. I know it is going to be tempting to tear into after 2 weeks, but let it sit and age. It gets sooooooooo much better. I try to bottle age mine for 6 months. Trust me, you will thanks me later.

well, I've already lost interest in making my own beer. That was a fun 10 minute plan.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

The only real expense is the first time when you buy the bottles. I would split with a couple friends and we's time it for the finished product to be ready before a long weekend.

Do you have to buy special bottles, or can you just use the bottles that your store bought beer came in? I ask because I have about 10 dozen empties at home just about ready to go back to the depot.

[Smyth's Skate]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

well, I've already lost interest in making my own beer. That was a fun 10 minute plan.

You will have to buy beer for the first while, but once 6 months hits, you have a very very stocked beer room. You see, I ALWAYS have a batch or two brewing. Lots o homemade beer in my house

[tripin_billie]

Oddly enough, I just bought my girlfriend a beer making kit for her birthday. I'm pretty excited to make a beer.

[skins]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Do you have to buy special bottles, or can you just use the bottles that your store bought beer came in? I ask because I have about 10 dozen empties at home just about ready to go back to the depot.

you're sittin pretty. the best thing to do is re-use old bottles because it doesn't cost you anything, if you're not counting the deposit you'd get back by returning them. I've started collecting, but I'm trying to get bottles that look the same so that my finished product looks somewhat presentable. Sleeman's bottles are good cause you actually see what the beer looks like. I thought about trying to get a bunch of those cool twisty Bavaria bottles, but I don't think I could drink enough of that garbage.

regarding the comment about aging it; doesn't beer only have a shelf life of 3 or 4 months (unless it's pasturized)?

[Smyth's Skate]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Do you have to buy special bottles, or can you just use the bottles that your store bought beer came in? I ask because I have about 10 dozen empties at home just about ready to go back to the depot.

It depends what type of bottles you have. Twist tops will work, but you may experience some spoilage because the caps may leak. I use non twist-off bottles and Grolsch bottles. Also, you can buy plastic bottles and caps like pop comes in, but amber bottles so the beer last longer.

So if anyone has any suitable bottles, PM me.

[McG]

hmmm...i can defo help out here. i have been making my own beer for a couple of years and i think i can offer some advice. i will post this diatribe and then i will answer your posts directly it if think i can help.

where to start. okay. different types of "doing your own beer" from an ingredients perspective.

original ingredients...this is tough and only for the diehards. the only time i have ever done this was when i lived in bc and used one of the higher end "u-brews" where the blend of hops and barley etc could be adjusted to provide a "facsimile" of whatever beer. this beer was unbelievably similar to any commercial brand on the market. there shouldn't be u-brews similar to this in alberta...but if you know of one...please pm me! because of liquour laws, you can't do this in alberta.

another way is to buy wort that comes in a tin can and can be found at superstore or other places. this wort is very thick and very sticky. you have to boil the wort and add water to it...i have done this and it takes alot of time. your wife generally won't be too pleased as you will make a mess of the kitchen...but this way does work and produces good quality stuff. but in my experience, this is alot of work when you see the next option below.

the best way that i personally have used is the way that i brew today and i cannot recommend this way enough. i have had ZERO bad batches, and that would be getting close to 100 batches of beer by now. my buddies all love the beer...and on more than one occasion i have been told that they would "pay" for the beer they liked it so much. the magic? pre-made wort. i bought my stuff at the brew it yourself store (i forget the name of the place) in crowfoot plaza...right on the west side in the plaza beside ricky's. as i live in st. albert now i haven't stopped by that place in a little while but i am sure that they are still there. anyways, these kits come with everything...the wort is premixed with water (much like a wine kit) and it has yeast and instructions inside. all good so far.

i will try to find the name of the brand as it is awesome and post it on this thread but there are a variety of different types of beer from lager to IPA to stouts. all of them good if you like that sort of thing hehheh (and i do!).

a couple of heads up...lager tends to pick up many different flavours along the way if you aren't careful, while i have found that the darker beers tend to retain their original characters more easily. lager is easier to blend with other things though...lime or lemon juice, or 7-up for a "shandy" so even if the taste is a little different it is entirely successful.

what do you need to do this? time, water, and a little patience. the first few batches will take longer as you become familiar with the process...but by your 3rd batch or so...you will be banging out the pops quickly and easily.

the best place to start (cheaply) is to look for garage sales which should be out there right now. usually, someone is selling a used wine making kit and that will give you most of the equipment that you need to start. oh yah and you will also have a winemaking kit as well as beer!

you need a large plastic pail for the primary fermentation and it should come with a cover. you need a glass carboy for secondary fermentation. you need an air lock for the carboy. you need beer sterilant. I cannot stress this enough. you MUST use BEER STERILANT and not wine sterilant. you need a couple of hoses to transfer the beer during its processes. you need a bottling gizmo which releases the beer as you press down on it. you will need a big plastic spoon. you will need a large sink and an area that doesn't have animals around.

i'm going to post this and do part 2.

[Tron_fdc]

I use the old grolsch bottles as well. The last batch I did was a honey brown, and it came out just fine. Me and about 5 buddies drank almost all of them in one night, save the few we forgot about in the freezer that exploded.

The biggest tip I can give anyone is sanitization. This is the biggest drawback to homebrew as well.....you'll spend more time scrubbing the out of bottles than actually "brewing". It's a pain in the arse, but it's the only way to avoid "skunk" beer. It's also incredibly hard to sit and wait for the carbonization process, as having 48 beers sitting staring at you every day is kind of tough to deal with.

Check out http://www.homebrewtalk.com/index.php it's a forum dedicated to home brew, and there are some real fanatics in there who have dedicated a ton of time and effort into their craft. Register there and ask questions, I found people to be extremely helpful.

[troutman]

Steve at Wine Kits in Varsity is very helpful.

Address:Calgary
8, 4624 Varsity Dr NW
Alberta T3A 2L9
Canada


Contact:Steve Fylypchuk
Phone: (403) 288-1880
Fax: (403) 288-1225
Email: winekitzcalgary@yahoo.ca

[McG]

Originally Posted by Smyth's Skate

It depends what type of bottles you have. Twist tops will work, but you may experience some spoilage because the caps may leak. I use non twist-off bottles and Grolsch bottles. Also, you can buy plastic bottles and caps like pop comes in, but amber bottles so the beer last longer.

So if anyone has any suitable bottles, PM me.

i've used 2 litre plastic pop bottles, 500ml plastic, grolsch with the funky lids, and euro glass 350 ml bottles that aren't twist off. my faves are the pop bottles and the 500ml bottles.

the twist on caps work well, and although i have never had any spills, the seal that they make must be secure or else you might lose your fermentation and therefore carbonation.

i have never used regular twist off beer bottles.

and yes, the darker bottles protect the beer from light better...but if you are keeping the beer in your basement in a dark room...you can get through the "phobia" of clear glass.

the 2 litres are better for me because i usually have buddies over and we can get 4 pints without the stuff from the bottom getting into any pint glasses.

[McG]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

The biggest tip I can give anyone is sanitization. This is the biggest drawback to homebrew as well.....you'll spend more time scrubbing the out of bottles than actually "brewing".

totally agre. sanitization is the most important thing. if in doubt...sanitize. don't risk a batch of beer because you were unsure.

i have never scrubbed out bottles. when i open the beer...after pouring i immediately rinse out the bottles with water and leave them to dry.

the bottles then only require sterilizing prior to reusing them. the wife hates the empty bottles lying around the kitchen during a "session" though! hehheh

[skins]

thanks for the info McG, keep it coming!

I found a couple of brands online, do they look familiar?

http://www.thebrewhouse.com/

http://www.whitelabs.com/

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by McG

i will try to find the name of the brand as it is awesome and post it on this thread but there are a variety of different types of beer from lager to IPA to stouts. all of them good if you like that sort of thing hehheh (and i do!).


the best place to start (cheaply) is to look for garage sales which should be out there right now. usually, someone is selling a used wine making kit and that will give you most of the equipment that you need to start. oh yah and you will also have a winemaking kit as well as beer!

you need a large plastic pail for the primary fermentation and it should come with a cover. you need a glass carboy for secondary fermentation. you need an air lock for the carboy. you need beer sterilant. I cannot stress this enough. you MUST use BEER STERILANT and not wine sterilant. you need a couple of hoses to transfer the beer during its processes. you need a bottling gizmo which releases the beer as you press down on it. you will need a big plastic spoon. you will need a large sink and an area that doesn't have animals around.

i'm going to post this and do part 2.

That's what I use as well. The premade wort comes in a green box, but the name escapes me right now. It's so much easier than trying to boil a wort and having it stink up your kitchen or worse yet boil over on your stove. You basically pour it into a big bucket (primary fermenter) add water, cover it and let it sit a few days. The beer making process is painfully easy, but sterilization is key to ensuring it doesn't taste like crap.

Try Ebay for all your requirements as well. Loads of people selling off old equipment they don't use anymore.

I have also used bleach tabs to clean everything (the kind you use on clothing) and found them to work fine. Just be careful to use the right amount of water, or else you end up killing all your yeast and it won't carbonize. That or it tastes a little bleachy, which is no good either.