Home-brewing (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter thekraut
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theBaron
Major
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- Mar 27, 2008
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I do, though it's been a long time since I have. My carboy is gathering dust in the cellar.
I made stouts, because they're really forgiving, and I made one attempted to make a bock beer. That didn't go well. I had a syrup for that one, not whole grains, and I decided to use full hops, rather than pellets or extract. Well, there were pieces of hops left in the wort, when I poured into the carboy to ferment, and they got caught in the vapor lock, blocking it. Pressure built up till it blew the vapor lock right off! I should have tipped the batch at that point, but I just cleaned up and put the vapor lock back on.
I continued the process through to bottling, and after 4 weeks, I went to open one bottle and take a sample. I use stone-capped bottles, with the spring clasps. Well, when I popped the stopper on the sample, it sounded like a gun going off, and the contents went to foam. At that point, I pitched the batch. But because it was so loud, I couldn't do it outside. I wound up opening all of the bottles in the shower under running water
Lesson learned-if something happens during the process, just pitch it and start over, it's not worth trying to save it.
Prost!
Brad
I made stouts, because they're really forgiving, and I made one attempted to make a bock beer. That didn't go well. I had a syrup for that one, not whole grains, and I decided to use full hops, rather than pellets or extract. Well, there were pieces of hops left in the wort, when I poured into the carboy to ferment, and they got caught in the vapor lock, blocking it. Pressure built up till it blew the vapor lock right off! I should have tipped the batch at that point, but I just cleaned up and put the vapor lock back on.
I continued the process through to bottling, and after 4 weeks, I went to open one bottle and take a sample. I use stone-capped bottles, with the spring clasps. Well, when I popped the stopper on the sample, it sounded like a gun going off, and the contents went to foam. At that point, I pitched the batch. But because it was so loud, I couldn't do it outside. I wound up opening all of the bottles in the shower under running water
Lesson learned-if something happens during the process, just pitch it and start over, it's not worth trying to save it.
Prost!
Brad
johnnybach
Major General
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- Nov 24, 2010
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- 13,663
It may come as no surprise - that I too have "flirted" with the hop!
Back in the late 60's/70's - I made a drop or two of the Amber fluid. There was a well known chain of shops in the UK, who sold cans of an extract - and all of the gubbins that helps make your own "Home Brew". I recall making various Bitter Ales - and even Stout too.
I had many successes - and the odd calamity too. I would boil up a mash - add various strains of hops to my brews - using small plastic bins and glass demi-johns etc. I tried to make a version of stout once, by carefully pouring a well known black Irish brew off, and saving the last quarter inch or so of the precious liquid - (which was rich in the precious yeast strain) and nurtured that by adding sugar and warm water - until I had enough to start a brew of my own.
dark roasted barley - some black molasses, hops etc, were added to my yeasty brew - and soon a small plastic dustbin full of bubbling liquid with a creamy glooping head was well underway. I and my kit, had long been banished to my Garden Shed by then - so I visited my brew frequently - and even swaddled the lot in a blanket at night (to keep the mash warm). After what seemed an eternity, it was ready for fining, filtering and bottling. I used mainly thick recycled glass flagons with china screw tops with rubber washers - adding a pinch of sugar to make a secondary fermentation inside each precious bottle.
Then came the great day - Testing Time!
Man........that stuff was strong! I never got the taste EXACTLY right - but I swear that brew would have grown hair on a boiled egg!!!!
And yes - the odd explosion sometimes occurred - and the inside of my shed often smelled like a brewery - but I eventually learned how to control the explosive forces - by occasionally releasing the stoppers - just a wee bit - to let out a tiny bit of C02 ( rather like the Champagne producers do).
I think I stopped making my own - because it WAS so time consuming - and when my family came along - they began taking up more of my time - but I did enjoy it.
Yachi da! - jb
Back in the late 60's/70's - I made a drop or two of the Amber fluid. There was a well known chain of shops in the UK, who sold cans of an extract - and all of the gubbins that helps make your own "Home Brew". I recall making various Bitter Ales - and even Stout too.
I had many successes - and the odd calamity too. I would boil up a mash - add various strains of hops to my brews - using small plastic bins and glass demi-johns etc. I tried to make a version of stout once, by carefully pouring a well known black Irish brew off, and saving the last quarter inch or so of the precious liquid - (which was rich in the precious yeast strain) and nurtured that by adding sugar and warm water - until I had enough to start a brew of my own.
dark roasted barley - some black molasses, hops etc, were added to my yeasty brew - and soon a small plastic dustbin full of bubbling liquid with a creamy glooping head was well underway. I and my kit, had long been banished to my Garden Shed by then - so I visited my brew frequently - and even swaddled the lot in a blanket at night (to keep the mash warm). After what seemed an eternity, it was ready for fining, filtering and bottling. I used mainly thick recycled glass flagons with china screw tops with rubber washers - adding a pinch of sugar to make a secondary fermentation inside each precious bottle.
Then came the great day - Testing Time!
Man........that stuff was strong! I never got the taste EXACTLY right - but I swear that brew would have grown hair on a boiled egg!!!!
And yes - the odd explosion sometimes occurred - and the inside of my shed often smelled like a brewery - but I eventually learned how to control the explosive forces - by occasionally releasing the stoppers - just a wee bit - to let out a tiny bit of C02 ( rather like the Champagne producers do).
I think I stopped making my own - because it WAS so time consuming - and when my family came along - they began taking up more of my time - but I did enjoy it.
Yachi da! - jb
OzDigger
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Those were the days, I had a crack at home brewing in the 80's with the brew in a can idea. Yes, it was time consuming and I think you have to look on it as a hobby to get much enjoyment out of it as the results can vary widely.
I have a cousin that became very proficient at home brewing, as good or better than commercial brews. He mostly makes Lagers and uses those Green colored, Grolsch premium lager bottles with the lift up lids. Funny thing is I had some explosions in the freezer on Friday, someone (me) forgot to take Two stubbies (375mm bottles) of Coopers Mild Ale out of the Freezer....I like my beer frosty ^&cool Frozen beer and glass, always fun to clean up.
Of course Craft Beers are currently very popular globally and no doubt there are some Pokémon loving guys brewing a new generation of beers in their garden sheds...except they probably call their garden shed an enclosed Gazebo or something equally "fancy".
I have a cousin that became very proficient at home brewing, as good or better than commercial brews. He mostly makes Lagers and uses those Green colored, Grolsch premium lager bottles with the lift up lids. Funny thing is I had some explosions in the freezer on Friday, someone (me) forgot to take Two stubbies (375mm bottles) of Coopers Mild Ale out of the Freezer....I like my beer frosty ^&cool Frozen beer and glass, always fun to clean up.
Of course Craft Beers are currently very popular globally and no doubt there are some Pokémon loving guys brewing a new generation of beers in their garden sheds...except they probably call their garden shed an enclosed Gazebo or something equally "fancy".
Yes, I used to enjoy my stouts. There is a type of dark smoky beer, Rauchen Bier from Germany. If you're fond of stouts, I highly recommend it. As I've grown older though, the Hefeweizens and pilsners have been kinder to me. I've never been fond of the syrups, but I've had great tasting beers come from those before. Tried growing some Hallertau hops in the backyard, and they took well for a few years, but have since died. The fresh hops are my preference over dried hop pellets, but hey- in the end it's mostly all drinkable!
As for the Carboy messes, they are standard for anyone in the hobby. I do like to have a batch of hard cider on primary at all times, as I find it easier to clean when there is no hops or wort involved.
It's a stretch, but one day it'd be great to have a toy soldier show combined with a beer tasting event! Maybe Andy Nielsen can help get the ball rolling with that one!
theBaron
Major
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Oh, yes, Rauchbier! There's a distributor here who carries both Rauchenfels Steinweizen and Aecht Schlenkerla. Of course, they're both made with the old, old original method of heating the mash, before there were kettles, and that's heating stones in a fire and adding them to the liquid, gradually bringing it to boiling. The Indians apparently did the same thing, to make their brews of birch sap. I like it, too, but I like it best paired with good food, especially smoked meats like a real ham.
I used to get together with an old college buddy and his wife, and we'd brew together. I used to amuse them, when we'd use whole grains for brewing, by eating the spent grains. Hey, it's pretty much granola!
It was a two-weekend process for us. We'd brew on the first Saturday, then get together the following week to bottle the wort and then set it to lager. With three people, it made it easy to set up an assembly line and knock out the work very quickly.
Yeah, I should break out the gear and do a batch, now that we're in winter. It's cool enough in the cellar for lagering.
Prost!
Brad
I used to get together with an old college buddy and his wife, and we'd brew together. I used to amuse them, when we'd use whole grains for brewing, by eating the spent grains. Hey, it's pretty much granola!
It was a two-weekend process for us. We'd brew on the first Saturday, then get together the following week to bottle the wort and then set it to lager. With three people, it made it easy to set up an assembly line and knock out the work very quickly.
Yeah, I should break out the gear and do a batch, now that we're in winter. It's cool enough in the cellar for lagering.
Prost!
Brad
theBaron
Major
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2008
- Messages
- 10,345
It may come as no surprise - that I too have "flirted" with the hop!
Back in the late 60's/70's - I made a drop or two of the Amber fluid. There was a well known chain of shops in the UK, who sold cans of an extract - and all of the gubbins that helps make your own "Home Brew". I recall making various Bitter Ales - and even Stout too.
I had many successes - and the odd calamity too. I would boil up a mash - add various strains of hops to my brews - using small plastic bins and glass demi-johns etc. I tried to make a version of stout once, by carefully pouring a well known black Irish brew off, and saving the last quarter inch or so of the precious liquid - (which was rich in the precious yeast strain) and nurtured that by adding sugar and warm water - until I had enough to start a brew of my own.
dark roasted barley - some black molasses, hops etc, were added to my yeasty brew - and soon a small plastic dustbin full of bubbling liquid with a creamy glooping head was well underway. I and my kit, had long been banished to my Garden Shed by then - so I visited my brew frequently - and even swaddled the lot in a blanket at night (to keep the mash warm). After what seemed an eternity, it was ready for fining, filtering and bottling. I used mainly thick recycled glass flagons with china screw tops with rubber washers - adding a pinch of sugar to make a secondary fermentation inside each precious bottle.
Then came the great day - Testing Time!
Man........that stuff was strong! I never got the taste EXACTLY right - but I swear that brew would have grown hair on a boiled egg!!!!
And yes - the odd explosion sometimes occurred - and the inside of my shed often smelled like a brewery - but I eventually learned how to control the explosive forces - by occasionally releasing the stoppers - just a wee bit - to let out a tiny bit of C02 ( rather like the Champagne producers do).
I think I stopped making my own - because it WAS so time consuming - and when my family came along - they began taking up more of my time - but I did enjoy it.
Yachi da! - jb
John, you're a man after my own heart! I hope we get to meet in person someday, and the first pint is on me!
theBaron
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Oh, and I use stone-capped bottles like these:
They enjoyed a resurgence in Germany a while back, and one enterprising ad man coined the term, "Nostalgia bottles", "just like in Grandpa's day". I have eight or nine cases of them, accumulated over the years. They're very good for homebrewing, since they can be cleaned and re-used so easily.
Prost!
Brad
They enjoyed a resurgence in Germany a while back, and one enterprising ad man coined the term, "Nostalgia bottles", "just like in Grandpa's day". I have eight or nine cases of them, accumulated over the years. They're very good for homebrewing, since they can be cleaned and re-used so easily.
Prost!
Brad