it would be good to learn. If we are ever in apocalypse mode, the knowledge of how to brew good beer would be extremely good.

ROFL

Do you know why I find this comment amusing?

Its because I thought the exact same thing. :D

Yeah, that's when the Oxyclean really comes in handy. Let it soak in moldy bottles for a bit and it is good to go.

Also, would highly recommend picking up some StarSan. It is a sanitizer that is no rinse and only requires 30 seconds of contact time. I save a gallon in milkjug and reuse it over and over again. One bottle can last a very long time if you reuse. "One step" is serviceable, but StarSan is awesome stuff.

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it doesn't seem worth the trouble otherwise with the wonderful uprising of mico breweries and smallers breweries that are producing fantastic beer and most liquor stores carry them now.

I would love to have a still....

It's been worth it for me. If you want to really understand beer, understand how and why different styles taste the way they do, then brewing is a great way to gain that knowledge.

Plus, right now with my setup and bulk grain buys through my brewing club, I can produce a 5 gallon batch for as low as $15 (around 48 12oz bottles). If I want to make a higher gravity brew or IPA with alot of hops it will cost more, but still fairly cheap. I have spent that much on a 6 pack of good quality microbrew. Also, I can imitate a any brew I want and make beers that are particular to my taste preference. Cloning brews that aren't available in my area is also a big plus for me. I have a Bells Two-Hearted Ale recipe that is damn near spot on.

The Bell's Two-Hearted clone recipe is my absolute go-to.

Oh rly?:hmmm:

Its all grain, but I'm sure I could convert it over for you. The only issue I would have is I use Vienna as a part of the grain bill, and I don't know how you would get that flavor with anything but all grain or partial mash. Any suggestions Reaper?

You could still do it, it would just be a little bit different. I just love the flavor that Vienna gives to beer, its probably one of my favorite malts.

All Grain Recipe (note this was modified off of a recipe on Homebrewtalk, so can't take all the credit):

Grain:
10lbs 2 row
2lbs Vienna
8oz Carapils
8oz Crystal 15L
Mash at 152 for 60mins

Hops:
.75oz Centennial 60mins
.25oz Centennial 45mins
1oz Centennial 15mins
1oz Centennial 5mins
1oz Centennial 1min
1oz Centennial Dry Hop - 7 Days

Yeast:
Safale 05


To switch to extract the grain bill would change to something like:

7lbs Golden Light DME

Steeping Grains:
8oz Carapils
8oz Crystal 15L
Step at 155-160 degrees for 30mins

Everything else would stay the same.

That reminds me. I need to learn how to grow tobacco so I can roll my own cigars. Another critical skillset needed in the post apocalyptic world IMO.

I don't have any suggestions for replicating the recipe using extract. I always brew all-grain, and I actually learned using all-grain. I don't have one lick of experience brewing with malt extract.

I did about 5 batches of extract before switching to all grain. I haven't done a conversion in about 2 years. I had to look up what temp to steep at and the grain to extract conversion calculator, lol.

What do you guys think about this?

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