Purpose of Brewing
drfood wrote:
i brew for the same reason that i cook: so that i can have exactly the taste i want.
there aren't many things in life where you get to reach down deep into your imagination
and pull out your heart's desire and have it. in fact, there are so few opportunities that
most of us lose touch with what we really want.
lynn hoffman, author of bang BANG, isbn 1601640005
Wow, I couldn't have said it better.
....not quite sure as though having been bit by the beer bug....seems I like the science and tradition behind it. Science because I am a science kind of guy and tradition because its been around a long time and we are social creatures. I am currently building a RIMS station and am enjoying the full control of my own little design and build project, something that's real difficult to impossible to have on the job even when you are in charge.
It was clear cut decision for me. I worked at a brewpub and was friends with the head brewer. I developed a love for craft beer and after working at the restaurant and serving our good beers to people for two years, I finally said to myself, "you can do this." I've only done 5 batches, and my last one was my first all grain. what else can I say but what a terrific feeling creating something that you love, tastes great, and gives you a lifelong hobby to persue and perfect. Cheers.
I love good beer. Brewing it myself seems to be a natural progression.
I brew as an outlet for my creativity and to see what I can do...
I grew up thinking homebrew was an obnoxious, skunky concoction best slugged back at 3am when you're out of everything else and desperate. A guy I knew at work years ago (early 90s) disabused me of that notion. I also remember my dad's big old carboys of red wine gurgling in the basemebnt as a kid. So I decided to try brewing and making wine. I gave it up for a while during the craft brewing revolution of the late 90s when so many amazing beers were available for cheap. Started up again 2 years ago when the prices went up.
I can have great beer for like 60 cents a bottle? Sweet, sign me up again. I'm about to start my ninth batch since returning to the hobby and it'll be my first all-grain batch.
I started brewing when a friend told me that homebrew was better tasing than most of the big commerical lagers. My first batch proved him right. Now I brew for fun. The experience has also opened my eyes / mind to the "world of microbrews". I used to be a pretty faithful PBR drinker - but there is such a variety of good micros available that I rarely drink a PBR / Miller / Bud any more. After I brewerd a couple batches I really started to appreciate the science of fermentation. I've made a couple of wine recipes - they weren't award-winning - but they were drinkable. Now I'm looking for a simple mead recipe - I prefer sweet to dry and the simpler the better - does anyone have a good basic mead recipe???Thanks, Chuck
I haven't read all 10 pages, but I suspect I'm the first to give this reason: I needed a hobby to occupy my hands and mind while trying to quit smoking. (Anyone out there who just started, quit now; it's much easier than after you've been doing it 40 years.)
Naturally, I also thought it would be fun and rewarding. It is. To be honest, most of my attempts are not as good as good store-bought beer yet, bit the beer's still more enjoyable to drink because I made it.
Even though I've only been brewing since the first of the year, I've been off the smokes for over 11 months now. Wish me luck. I still need it.
Congrats on the 11 months!!!
I brew because here in the UK it cost approx $6 to $8 a pint and i can brew it myself for less than $2 a pint and then enjoy a real ale sat in the comfort of my own home and not a smelly dirty pub.
I have just begun this wonderful hobby, and some day i hope to have my own microbrewery.
i bought a mrbeer home brewing kit for a family member for christmas and he had quit drinking so i kept it for myself. I am in the first process of brewing right now any tips would be appreciated.
hillbilly wrote:
i bought a mrbeer home brewing kit for a family member for christmas and he had quit drinking so i kept it for myself. I am in the first process of brewing right now any tips would be appreciated.
Welcome to the hobby. Getting started with Mrbeer, I would recommend using the freshest ingrdients you can get. Make a couple batches and if you like the product and the process then I woould suggest diving in a little further and getting a 5 gallon beer kit from one a local homebrew shop that uses buckets for fermenters.
Best of luck and enjoy.
I drank my first home-brew beer that was made by my youngest brother, back in August of 2007. It was pretty good -though not great, it had deeper flavor than the usual domestic stuff, and sounded like a fun thing to do.
September of 2007 saw my first attempt at homebrewing. It came out a bit rough, but I wasn't discouraged. I tried again -this time substituting the unknown yeast (it was a generic Muntons' variety -I say generic because I had no idea of its strain or type beyond that it came in the kit) with a liquid 'active' yeast from Whyte Labs (sp) -the improvement was remarkable, and I've been happily brewing since -and making little tweaks here and there to refine the product. NOW I'm getting ready to retool my 'brewery' and expect to go to full-grain brewing. I'm excited, to say the least! Still have to build most of it (if I'm going full-grain, I'm going after 10 gallon batches instead of 5 -I find my 'fan base' has been growing somewhat. My doctor gets a case or two from time to time, as does some of my family).
I used to make wine back in the late '70s and early '80s. I never really produced anything that was much more than barely drinkable, and became discouraged. I've found new life with brewing Beer -and couldn't be more excited (a co-worker recently told me that my face kind of 'lit up' when I'd start talking about brewing, techniques, equipment, how to build it, and my current (and regularly changing as I learn more, and tweak it) design for my home-brewery. The wife (who does not drink alcohol -and certainly not beer) recently told me I should convert half of the carport (enclose it) into my home-brewery -though this may have more to do with her getting tired of my taking over the kitchen and every available space to store and condition beer -as well as her dislike for the boiling wurt- than with my growing enthusiasm with brewing.
Hey, whatever the reason, it means I will have dedicated space to build and brew. What more could you ask for?
Howdy I would like to share my apple juice hard cider recipe. If you could try it and report back to me on ease of instructions, taste if you like it hate it, should I bottle it for sale? I like to start drinking my hard cider when the bubble slows to about one a minute. I place my hard cider in a direct sun window, any thoughts on if I am getting and D into my brew? Have any studies ever been done on this?
If you like a dry like wine then add less or no sugar if you like a sweet wine then more sugar. I even put a whole package of yeast (about 2 tsps.) in with 5 cups of sugar. This is pretty sweet and has a real kick. When I drink this I sometimes cut it with water, this makes my cider last even longer.
Hard Cider Recipe about 4 to 12 % alcohol or maybe more I don't have a meter thing a bob
1- Gallon Glass jug
1- Bubble airlock with cap
1- Red Star Package of Pasteur Champagne yeast
1- Rubber stopper with hole
2 to 5 cups of white sugar
1- Funnel
1- 2 qt or larger saucepan
1- Teaspoon
1- Gallon of Musselman's 100% Premium apple juice ( absolutely not from concentrate and must be
pasteurized )
Step one:
Wash your glass jug, airlock with cap, and rubber stopper with hot water and little soap.
Rinse all soap off thoroughly.
Step two
Use the saucepan and mix the one to five cups of sugar with enough apple juice to dissolve the sugar.
Heat the mixture on the stove slowly to lukewarm.
Stir constantly to avoid burning. You do not want
the mixture to be too hot, or you will kill the
yeast.
Step three:
Use the funnel and pour sugar and juice into the glass gallon jug. Then pour apple juice into glass jug till the jug is ¾ full or so. Put one teaspoon of the yeast into the jug with mixture. Now place the screw on cap on the jug and shake the heck out of it.
After this done remove the cap and finish filling but do not over fill, you need room for the rubber stopper.
Step four:
Put water into the double airlock, and put on the red cap. Insert the airlock securely into the rubber stopper. Now push the rubber stopper into the top of the glass jug. By doing this step this keeps dust and things from getting into you jug, and lets the carbon dioxide escape.
Step five:
Place the jug with juice mixture in a quiet spot where the temperature will be no less then 60 degrees. The yeast needs it to be warm to convert the sugar to alcohol. Now let the gallon jug sit and work for four weeks or longer. After four weeks or longer, the bubbles should have almost stopped or be far and few in between. If the air bubbles are still coming up strong then wait. The juice is still converting the sugar to alcohol. When it is done pour your-self a glass and enjoy! I like to pour off a bit into a glass jar with a lid and put it in the fridge. Then I place the cap on loosely on the glass jug as well as my jar in the fridge. This is so the gas can still escape. If you do not, then you could end up with a big mess, exploded jugs and jars. So please do not ever put the caps and lids on tight. When you pour off your hard cider be careful not to pour off the old yeast. This is the thick stuff that is in your jug that has settled to the bottom. But do not worry if you get some into your cider it is actually really good for you. It is full of protein, vitamins and minerals. Well that’s about it enjoy your healthy hard cider. Cheers to Ya! Enjoy Life! David
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