CP Home Brewing
 

Anyone here into this? I recently caught the bug, and it's addicting as hell. I'd been toying with mostly 1 gallon batches, and racking via siphon, but I recently upgraded to a larger setup with a FastFerment conical. I'm totally pumped as tomorrow is brew day and I'm whipping up a 5 gallon batch of Cascade double IPA to try this thing out. I'm in a loft downtown now, and am limited on space so I really only have room for extract brewing, but we're buying a house soon and my main requirement is a garage or basement big enough for a fermentation chamber and an all-grain system.

Here's my new setup with the room I have.

http://i.imgur.com/nJSeqNTh.jpg

If anyone here is into the hobby, share your setup, favorite recipes, etc. it'd be great to have a CP home brew tasting at some point. I know some of you ****ers HAVE to be doing this stuff...

Marcellus does I think

I haven't had time to do it in a long time, but I've toyed with a lot of different things in the past. It's fun, I made some really good beer.

I can do 12 gallons of extract brewing at a time. Ive never done all grain, just extract and steeping grains in a cheesecloth. I actually live in the town where one of the 1st gurus of home brewing set up shop. (The beverage people). Give them a look online if you're looking for the latest gear.

I have a batch of beer I've been waiting to brew...but the new baby is interfering lol.

I'll have to enjoy vicariously through you for now....8-(

What's the shelf life of your home brews?

Nice! I'm not familiar with the beverage people. I'll have to check them out. There are a few good brew shops here in KC. Brew Lab, Bacchus and Barleycorn, and Grain to Glass are the three I frequent. I'll update as my brew progresses in this new conical. I'm interested to see how the removable trub ball works.

My wife bought me a complete setup for Christmas a couple years ago and it's been sitting in my basement ever since. Hopefully one of these years I get around to using it.

I think it depends, but I've never waited long enough to find out! I think with most beers, you can get about a year under refrigeration and assuming there are no microbes, oxidation or contaminants present. It also varies with the type of beer. I think even major Brewers of Imperial stouts recommend 8-10 months shelf time max...but I could be wrong.

Yah , brewing is real popular right now...but back in the day the beverage people.com were real pioneers and real old school. They also make some real nice all grain setups. It's pretty cool how far the hobby has come in just 30 years......prior to that stuff had to be ordered from England and Germany and there wasn't as much variety. It's crazy what they have now.....you're getting into it at such a great time. Post lots of pics!

I did some brewing back about 20 years ago but figured out I couldn't brew it fast enough. The Beer store has it ready at all times.

I've found beers YEARS old that were fine, stored in dark bottles , no light....no extremely warm temps. I've actually had beers that tasted better after a year than after a month....that's why the hobby is so fun....experimenting is a blast...or just finding a 6er after a couple years you thought was another pack of empties

I just threw out all my home brewing stuff. Been doing it since the early '90's. ****ing stupid, pain in the ass shit.

Amazing how you can go to the liquor store these days and find a beer that is exactly what you wanted to make and tastes a shit ton better, is cheaper and is already there not having to waste all that time and money and effort to make.

Lewdog will and accepting of free samples.

Thanks.

I have a liquor store near my house that allows me to avoid all this tedious shit.

If you're brewing for a cheap buzz you're better off just going to the liquor store cause home brewing isn't much, if any, cheaper.

I've done it for a couple of years, but haven't jumped to all grain yet. It's fun to experiment.... I make 5 gallon batches and will sometimes split them in half after fermentation, so if I screw up by throwing stuff in, it's not to the whole thing. Don't drink all that much, so it gets me by for months along with the beer I buy.

Pretty much.
Keep your bottles in a dry, cool place out of direct sunlight and your beer should last quite a while.

I assume you're once again trolling, which is getting annoying, but I chuckled on the part about how it's cheaper to buy something at the liquor store... if you've ever home brewed once, much less for 20+ years, and you're not saving a ton of money, you're doing it wrong.

I don't think cheaper, but the rest I agree with. You should be able to make real good beers for about 50-60 cents each, IIRC. I don't think you're gonna be able to match that in the store. It's like cooking...you either enjoy it or not.

I had a similar dilemma when considering moving to all grain but living in a condo. Fortunately up here, I'm not alone and joined a homebrew club where a membership fee gets me access to their brew house, all their equipment, and a temp controlled fermentation area. Not sure if KC has something like that, but it's a really smart idea and a good way to network and learn from others.

I have a Kern River citra clone fermenting atm.

I think it depends on what you drink. Alot of even regular quality microbrews can be 10 bucks a 6 pack or 4-5 bucks for a 22. You can make beer that good and for less with just a little effort.

If you're drinking coirs light...then yah its tough to compete against corn syrup bought by the million gallon.

Also, hoppier stuff is going to fall off faster as far as shelf life.

I've made some pretty decent stuff... coffee/chocolage stouts, a black IPA... but, I also think my taste for really good beer has kind of surpassed what I can make at home, mostly in body/mouthfeel/smoothness... granted, it's only been a handful of batches which will continue to be improved on.

I used to be an intermediate brewer about 20 years ago. The best batch I ever made was an Octoberfest made with 5 gallons of water I brought back from Montana. I made a very nice milk stout once, as well. These days, the equipment has changed, so to get back in it, I'd pretty much have to buy all new stuff.

My problem is that I'm still buying just as much beer as I did before I was brewing it.

Grains & Taps in downtown Lee's Summit has supplies and help in making what you are trying to brew.

Same here, at least in the winter... I should have started 5+ years ago and I wouldn't have to worry about not seeing stouts in the summer, but these days there are plenty available all year. That's the one reason I don't make more... there's so much good stuff out there that I'm willing to pay for, so I don't care so much about making 50 cent beer, even if it's pretty decent.

It's a lot like BBQ when I lived in KC. I liked to BBQ in the backyard because I like to cook and I like to eat BBQ. I didn't BBQ so I could replace or save money on Joes. I understand why some people do brew to save $$$, but I can't brew most of the many beers I love.

I started this red ale on Monday.

http://i.imgur.com/euKzEIi.jpg?1

I haven't done all grain, this started with grains and added LME. I've also made wine before, I waited until I got a kegerator to start doing beer, I didn't want to bottle it all.

Wow where to start?

Yes you can make beer cheaper than you can buy it unless your goal is to make Keystone or Coors.

I do 10gal all grain batches regularly and cost varies from $25 - $60 per batch which is less than $1 a beer and you cant buy good beer for that at the liquor store.

You definitely have some equipment investment that gets paid down the more you brew.

Brewing is for people who enjoy it kind of like cooking. Its not simple but if its your passion then its always fun.

I have been brewing mostly my own recipes for several years and have made some really good stuff. You can make beer that is as good or better than most commercial beers with a little practice and education.

My first suggestion is to read John Palmers "How to Brew".

Then buy and use a brewing software like Beersmith.

http://beersmith.com/

And to get a subscription to BYO. http://byo.com/

I have brewed around 150gal per year the last few years and actually plan to up that this year.

Right now I have 5 beers either on tap or in the bottle from Pilsners to Stouts to Brett Beers.

I am not an expert but have brewed a lot the last 4 years and if you have questions I am willing to help if I can.

Extract
Mini Mash
Brew In a Bag
All Grain Multi Vessel


They all make good beer if you do it right. :drool:

I love Red Ales. That looks fantastic.

Great book... very good beginner's guide with a lot of advanced topics as well. Also bought Joy of Homebrewing, but didn't get nearly as much out of it and personally thought the guy's schtick was annoying.

Most of my internet research ends up at homebrewtalk.com... have found a lot of good suggestions and recipes from there.

Do you make and bottle some and put the others in the keg or some combo? I've poured from the keg and capped on top of the foam but that was only when I was taking the beer somewhere to drink that night.

I've always found the idea of bottling to be tedious. I'd love to be able to keep some of my brews past the keg running out but didn't want all the work of putting it all in bottles.

I brew. I have only done extract brews to this point, but when I have more space I'll take a stab at an all grain setup. I've done 3 different brews to date -- an Irish red ale, Honey ale, and a Belgian Tripel this past summer.

That looks like food coloring was added.

There's 5 gallons of blackberry wine in the basement awaiting filtering. Freezer half full of berries for the next batch. I'm a hack, though.

My wife has some blackberry and raspberry bushes in the back yard, how many does it typically take for a 5 gal batch and what yeast do you use?

Depends on the beer. Since I do 10gal batches usually I may bottle some and keg some. I have 5-5gal kegs and a 2.5gal keg so sometimes I keg 7.5gal and bottle 2.5gal. (you can buy carbonation tablets to put in the bottles rather than adding sugar to the beer prior to bottling.

Also when I bottle I almost always use bombers to cut down on the number of bottles I have to mess with.

My brother got me a beer gun for Christmas so I can fill battles of my keg and purge the oxygen and hit them with CO2, this is supposed to allow bottles filled of the keg to last 6 months or so.

I find this hard to believe, since hops generally preserves the beer.. hence the term India Pale Ale.

There are quite a few of us here actually. I know Bwana and JimNasium (although he doesn't come here anymore because he hates us) are brewers. I've done 4 extract batches myself, although I haven't done anything in about 3 years. I keep thinking I'd like to get busy again, but haven't yet.

I am currently waiting to get another kegerator, and then I will begin brewing again. Moved up to a third floor condo about 18 months ago, and I didnt want to drag my big chest freezer converted to a kegerator up here, so I need to buy a smaller refrigerator to convert... I am over bottling at this point, except as a small amount to share with others. Once you keg, it is hard to go back and the effort of cleaning bottles, filling them, capping them, and then cleaning up the mess. It greatly increases the effort of brewing for me.

I have decided to brew beers that I really like that are really hard to find without paying an arm and a leg. My next beers will be a Chipotle Lager and a Rauschbier, lagered again. I can probably brew them for just over the price of Coors Light, and clearly they are a far superior beer.

Last beers I brewed were both Czech Pilsners, just hopped one up with Noble hops for kicks. Those were the first lagers I brewed.

Hops are a preservative, but dry hops add flavor and aroma that will dissipate over time. That doesn't change their preservative abilities but the flavor and aroma definitely go away fairly quick.

IPA's should be drank fairly quick. Thats why Stone has all those beers call "Enjoy By - X _Date".

Open a year old Hopslam and tell what it tastes like. You will wish you enjoyed it much much sooner.

The only beers that fare well aging are big beers with lower IBU and non dryhopped beers like barleywines, stouts, quads etc...

Really interesting setup, by the way. Haven't seen that plastic conical fermenter before. It is reminiscent of many of the more professional setups I have looked at, such as:

http://morebeer-web-8-pavinthewaysof...x500/10041.jpg

Pilsners are tricker but really good when done well. I have had 10gal of an all Saaz hop Czech Pilsner lagering/carbonating for about 4 weeks now. I call it Saaz All. Plan to pour the first beer tonight.

An IPA is best drank within 30 days of bottling/canning. Aroma hops especially start to fall off after that, hence the Enjoy By trend of IPAs.

From Stone themselves:

http://enjoyby.stonebrewing.com/fresh-beer

Particularly with ultra-hoppy, West Coast-style beers, it’s a race against the clock regarding flavor and quality. The flavor- and aroma-producing oils and acids in hops deteriorate with exposure to time, air, light or warm temperatures, so the easiest way to ensure that your hoppy brews are bright and flavorful is to enjoy them as soon as possible after purchasing them.

Granted, most beer is best when fresh, but imperial stouts, barelywines, farmhouses can improve with aging. IPAs, not so much.

Guess my IPAs usually go away fairly quickly. ;)

Anyone brew mead or cyser? I have been thinking about starting a cyser in the next couple months to bottle in wine bottles and give away next Christmas.

I did some years ago, that was really incredible once it finished aging. And, again, that is something that is difficult to buy on the shelf anyway.

I've been all-grain brewing for a couple of years. i am bottling 10 gallons of Russian Imperial Stout this weekend. That's about 100 bottles - but I split with 2 buddies I brew with.

It is a fun hobby that occupies your time - and you get beer.

I have a bunch of stuff my Dad used to use to brew.
3-5 gal carboy's (sp), big stainless pot, cases of bottles, a couple of cappers asst. hoses etc.

Im wanting to brew into mini kegs for my kegerator. I need to buy a book or something to get me started.
Any suggestions I am completely green on homebrewing.

So I had to put off the 5-gallon batch the other day as my brother couldn't make it over and he wants to help, so I did a 1-gallon batch of Chinook IPA from Northern Brewer instead. It's bubbling away nicely. I have been reading into the BIAB method and bought a bag yesterday as it sounds like a good alternative to traditional all-grain since I'm in a loft with limited space. The biggest pain in the ass for me right now is room. The next 5-gallon I do I'll use the BIAB method and partial mash. I'm excited to see how this conical performs. The big draw is that you can remove trub from the collection ball after primary fermentation and secondary in the same vessel. It's debated whether or not contact with the trub will give your beer off flavors, and many don't transfer to a second fermenter at all, but I've found it does make for a cleaner beer. We'll see.

That is handy that you don't have to transfer your beer off the trub to secondary. I know guys that stick to primary because they feel the risk of exposure during a transfer outweighs potential off flavors from the trub. I transfer, but I've had a lot of really good IPA that were done in primary.

My favorite part about brewing in my condo was the stench that filled the entire building for 24 hours.

I got a shitty mr. Beer kit for a dirty santa gift. I knew it wasn't going to be quality brewing but I tried it anyway. Yup, it sucked.

Come to find out, you really need to double the yeast packs because every beer I tried was far too sweet.

Same here. I'd like to know where he found it because they aren't exactly giving the stainless conical fermenters away.

Soo, this thread has motivated me to get busy brewing. Where does everyone buy their supplies? Any good online shops for an extract kit?

I used to go to Lee's Summit but they closed a few years ago.

I've bought supplies and kits at Apex...
4380 S Noland Rd, Independence, MO 64055
apexbrewwares.com

I've also bought extract kits at Grain to Glass..
1611 Swift St, North Kansas City, MO 64116
graintoglass.biz

...and Homebrew Pro Shoppe.
2061 E Santa Fe St, Olathe, KS 66062
brewcat.com

Don't really have a favorite, good experiences at each and they're all more than willing to help and talk beer.

This is the one I used to go to in Lee's Summit. Didn't know they moved to Olathe. I work nearby, so I'll pay them a visit at lunch one day.

Thanks!

This place has $7 flat rate shipping, good prices, and quick turn around.

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/

This place has great hop prices but takes several days to get from California.

http://www.nikobrew.com/

http://www.amazon.com/FastFerment-Co.../dp/B00NMX5DFY

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...L._SL1500_.jpg

I don't discriminate.

I frequent Apex and Bacchus and Barleycorn on Nieman and SM Parkway. If I need something quick I'll hit grain to glass in the Northland as I live downtown. Bacchus has an incredibly knowledgeable and friendly staff, and they have some great supplies and grain stock.

Amazon has them.
http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Brew-F...stic+fermenter

Depending on the body you want, you need 3-6lbs of berries per gallon of wine. I use Lalvin 1122 for my yeast.

It's easy enough to do just a 1 gallon batch if you want.

If you're in KC, both Bacchus & Barleycorn and Grain to Glass carry them in stock.

They don't exactly give the plastic ones away either.

Down here in Springfield (Where all the good CP gatherings happen), we go to www.homebrewery.com in Ozark to get them.

One Gallon at a time? You do all that shit for one damn gallon?

SON. Get an outdoor burner and a 7 gallon or so brewpot (turkey fryer set up works for me)

Get a 7 gallon fermenting bucket from a homebrew site.

AT LEAST!

Relax. The dude said, "My wife has some blackberry and raspberry bushes in the back yard." He may just not have 40lbs of berries to devote. Just letting him know he can start small if he wants.

Ever make 7 gallons of brew/wine that sucks? 1 gallon batches can prevent that if you want to make sure you're dialed in first.

I'm with you, I've never made 1 gallon batches, but lots of folks do.

I like to experiment first. I'm past the pre made recipe kits, so locking in a solid recipe in a 1-gallon batch is crucial for me before brewing a bigger volume. I've never done wine, though.

Hey. You relax. Buddy.

Here is my brewing set up. I have a counter flow chiller and a March pump to use for cooling and moving wart around.

http://i541.photobucket.com/albums/g...sovsxycdd.jpeg

HLT n the left, boil kettle in the middle, and mash tun on the right.

I go to grains an taps in Lee's Summit
http://grainsandtaps.com/

Some of the equipment I have shopped for online to get better deals.

?

Hops was primarily used as a preservative. They should last longer.

.

Now I understand the funny looks when checking for dates at the liquor store.

That business did close but now two local guys have been in business in downtown LS for a couple of years. They are on Douglas Street between the bike shop and the dance studio. It's a small place but you can buy brewing supplies, get advice on brewing, and get a craft beer and watch the Chiefs on TV.

Nice set up.

From my very first batch I have only brewed all grain. It can be a royal pain with makeshift equipment. I got to the point that I was either going to get a set up like yours or drop out the hobby. I ended up dropping out and that was like 10 years ago.

Yea its hard to do all grain without decent equipment. I actually got lucky and got both kegs for free.

That being said I probably still have probably $1000 in my brewing equipment. The quick disconnect fittings are the best investment I ever made but they weren't cheap.

Brew in a bag is actually fairly easy and takes about half the equipment but the efficiency is much lower. I still consider doing that ever now and then since its so simple.

I used a 5 gallon stock pot for my brew pot, had a copper immersion wort chiller, used a couple of plastic trash cans for the mashtun, and a had bucket primary fermentor and a glass carboy secondary.

That limited me to 5 gallon batches which took like 12 hours to brew. Kitchen looked like Vietnam when I was done.

I can attest to this man's skills.

He makes good beer.

Yea I used to brew in the house early on doing 5gal batches. My wife put a stop to that pretty early. :D

I can do 10gal in about 5 hours with clean up and all.

I was doing recipes that called for a 4 hour boil. I'm not sure that long of a boil was necessary.

Interesting.

Unless you are making a really, really, really, strong beer, like 14%, I see no reason for a 4 hour boil. A lot if stuff has changed over the years though.

Anything past 90 minutes doesn't make sense to me unless you miss your preboil gravity by a mile and need to boil off some extra water.

I do mainly 90 minute boils as it removes more of the DMS from the wort than 60 minute but I don't add any hops until after 30 minutes.

I think the longest boil I have ever done was around 1:45 and that was just to remove a little water.