/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>747296
>where should i start?
Google.
>what do i need?
Depends on the kind of beer you want to make and how large a batch you are shooting for.
>how do i make my beer not shite?
Practice.

Find a few guides on google/youtube and go over them. Generally if they appear super easy its because they make shit product or are complete garbage (like that one infographic that pops up here from time to time) Collect a list of materials. Come on back when that you have learned and ask any questions you have.

>>747296
http://www.northernbrewer.com

Their basic starter kit includes almost everything you need. You'll also want to pick up a hydrometer and wine thief. If you stick with their extract kits it's pretty hard to Fuck up. This is how I started about a year ago.

>>747296
>where should I start
Search for a homebrew forum online or a homebrew club in your area. Think about what you want to make first, then ask them if a beginner can do it.
>what do I need?
It depends on what you are making, I assume you want to make beer. For beer you need (beside the ingredients) : a cooking pot , a fermentation vessel with a water lock, a lager tank (same as 2nd fermentation vessel) stirring spoon, measuring cups , few buckets (CLEAN ONES at least 2), filter, bottles + caps, free time ,food safe disinfectant.

for more fancy brewing: pH strips, thermometer(max tem =boiling point of water) cooling spiral (copper spiral that can be linked to a garden hose),a hydrometer other gear depending on beer type.
>how do I make my beer not shite?
Follow what the more practiced one say, learn from them, start of with one recipe that is known to work. Stick to known recipes until they work and you get a feel for the ingredients, after that you can start experimenting yourself.
Use decent yeast, not some shitty bread yeast or pathetic shit some people use. Some yeast strains can be expensive due to transport costs so buy them together with some other home brewers. (this wil not be needed the first few years)
buy quality , like with everything : garbage in garbage out.
work clean: this is important if you contaminate your batch you can ruin it, you want yeast to grow not bacteria.
WORK CLEAN
have fun, its a cheap way to get high quality beer. Sometimes it will turn out like shite but just try again better luck next time you will be happy you tried again. Its easier then it looks at first.

Brewed an Oatmeal Stout, wanting to ad coffee to it. Anyone have experience on what type of coffee to ad? Light roast, dark roast, espresso? Was considering adding vanilla beans as well.

As I'm getting into homebrewing, I'm wanting to experiment with more stuff. The first idea on my list is a beer that can fill you up and meet all of your daily vitamin/protein/etc needs. Something that instead of eating, you could drink and it would sustain you.

I've looked at kefir beer, but I don't know. Any ideas?

Go with a one gallon kit first, no sense in brewing 5 gallons of shit beer. Figure out how to do it right first, then brew bigger batches. The kits will have very hit you need. The process is simple, boil the grains in water

>>747834
>will have *everything* you need my bad
Basically you are making sugar water. When you boil the grains it extracts the sugar from the grain. Next using a strainer you will remove the gains and leave the sugar water behind

>>747839
Next boil some more water

>>747842
>rotated pic
>posting from iPad
>what can you do

Pour the water over the grain to wash the extra sugar from it. No sense in leaving any behind.

>>747843
So pretty simple, go back and forth a few times straining the grains, sitting them over the pot, and washing them (with the water that collects as they are washed). I switched to a bigger pot but you get the idea.

>>747849
Now strain the grains out again and bring the leftover water to a boil

>>747852
These are hop pellets just fyi, that's how they come. I highly recommend putting a pellet in your mouth and sucking on one. It will come apart and be mushy and realistically you probably shouldn't swallow it. But once you understand what a hop tastes like you will always be able to detect it in future beers you drink. I had an IPA the other day and fuck it was too "hoppy" tasting, never understood what that taste was before. I know ales are typically more bitter but eff it reminded me of a straight up hop pellet. Anyways...

>>747855
So you add the hops. Follow the directions, they will tell you how many mins in to add them

>>747856
oops

>>747702
wow you went all out alcoholic here , think about your liver it cant handle that amount of alcohol.
if you want a liquid meal look for soylent2.0
the 2.0 is made without people, instead they use corn, soybeans, mushrooms and a lit of vitamins and minerals and the best thing is it only costs 10$ a day
http://www.soylent.me/

>>747857
As the water boils the hops will un-mush and mix in, here you can see the bubbles on the top turning a slight green from the mix

>>747860
As you let it cool down the hops will fuse together again. You want to bring the mix down to room-ish temperature sooner rather than later.

>>747861
Keep in mind this was at 170 - 200 degrees fahrenheit so an ice bath will help it cool faster

>>747862
As it cools the hops will fuse more together. Fortunately this makes it easier to siphon around when transferring into your glass carboy

>>747863
I didn't take any pics here but it's not hard to imagine, transfer the liquid into your carboy. Siphon works good. The thing they don't tell you is that when it's all said and done, bottled and everything, your beer bottles will have a small amount of residue at the bottom. It's just protein and you can drink it, but I prefer to pour out the last quarter inch of beer when I open a bottle. The less residue you can leave behind when you siphon the less will end up in your beer bottles.

>>747865
So before we go straight to capping with an airlock we want to use this type of setup for a few days first, I'll show you why next.

>>747862
oh you use an ice bath , I use a copper spiral with cold water running trough it , works like a charm

>>747867
Occasionally you will brew a beer that ferments HARD, and when it does you need to be prepared for the mess. If this was capped using just an airlock it would have spilled everywhere. Fortunately I was able to catch most of the mess in this jug using this setup. I was able to rinse the jug, refill with a clean water/c brite solution and let it ferment some more. I had to clean it out twice because the bubbles worked their way up so hard. This was a rum runner stout btw.

>>747867
hm nice water lock , I made mine myself too

>>747867
>>747873

Oh shoot I forgot ADD YOUR YEAST before you put the cap on the carboy!

Anyway here's what it looks like after a few days. I caped it with an airlock finally because I was sure the fermenting was slowing down. Also the color changed dramatically as the stuff settles to the bottom. That sludge at the bottom is what you will want to leave behind, the best/cleanest beer is at the top when you siphon. Note - When bottling I will add the sludge to the last bottle of beer if necessary to make it full. It won't hurt the carbonation process and I label the cap as BB (bottom of the barrel). I don't give this out and it will produce about half a beer bottle worth of beer as you pour out the rest when drinking. But half a beer is better than no beer.

>>747880
One last thing, always let the beer ferment and carbonate in an ice chest. Makes cleanup easier if it over ferments or a bottle carbonates too much and breaks

>>747870
Nice I've just started into 5 gallon batches, finally got confident enough in my one gallon. Might have to look into that.

>>747874
Nice, got any pics?

>>747883
I got bottling pics too if op is interested, here's a few from a while back

>>747886
Also some people are weird about drinking a beer with no label on it so I got into that too. The wife make the design and I glued then on. It's a pita but the results are worth it, here's some recent stuff.

>>747890
labels are a good bit of fun

a classic one is a picture of a gear with the words "coping mechanism"

>>747885
I have not taken picks yet, I can get some of my waterlock that I use for small batches

If our are doing this often you could invest in sturdier bottles with a flip top they don't break that fast.

>>747330

I'll second Northern Brewer. They're priced well and have FANTASTIC customer service. I can't possibly overstate that. I've been buying from them for a year. I think I've done about 6 brews so far.

>>747893
Yea There is still a temp cork here from a cider experiment (1gallon)

>>747296
In all honesty, I'd start with a Mr. Beer kit. It is hands down the cheapest way to find out if brewing is something you'd really be interested in doing. Their process to make beer is extremely simple because everything is pre-mixed, there are no grains or hops to mess with. Making beer from one of their kits give you a very basic overlook of the process and if you enjoyed it you can switch to a kit that uses grain/hops/malt extract, etc.

>>747897
True but those are pricey when buying a lot and I like to give mine out, makes an easy Christmas gift. I have a few for myself though, but they are 20oz I believe not 12oz. I like to have 12 oz bottles incase I only want a little beer at a time.

>>747903
Agree I buy my ingredients kits from them, good stuff

>>747904
Nice, how'd the cider turn out? I thought you weren't supposed to use wood spoons, corks, anything wood in the process because wood is porous and can harbor bacterial. Only takes one to get in there and grow. I always use plastic/metal stuff - spoons, corks, whatever just in case.

Keeping your beer cool

Yeti a shit, Engel ftw

Cheaper and insulated on the bottom so ice lasts longer

>>747926

>>747928
8 days later

Yeti...

>>747929
Engel

John Palmer's 'How to Brew' is the best book I read when I was first getting into homebrewing and the first edition is published free online: http://www.howtobrew.com/

Also, go buy Star San and make sure that stuff touches every piece of equipment which will touch the beer following the boil.

>>747925

My boss makes wine and I've been allowed to take part.

For wooden materials you just scrub them with an acid (which one I forget now) and it kills everything without destroying the wood.

>>748015
Ahh that makes sense. Here's one of my first, Mr. Beer and generic PowerPoint format labels lol

>>747925
>stuff - spoons, corks, whatever
I always use stainless steel tools and a plastic cork. I head that the plastic corks can harbor a little bit of yeast inside this however is not a problem if you add yeast yourself.
Another hombrewer suggested that I used another cork (a new one or a cork one that was soaked in food grade disinfectant) , because I was using wild yeast and I didn't want to contaminate it with yeast from a beer.
The cider was delicious after the first fermentation, but I wanted fizzy cider I bottled it with some sugar and left it on my kitchen counter for a day. I think I forgot to clean my funnel, contaminated the cider during bottling.
This usually doesn't happen to me, I guess it was due to the fact that I was very tired at the moment.

>>748163
Ahh that sucks sorry to hear, nothing worse than all that time down the drain. My wife also made cider one time and she didn't like it. It came out tasting very strongly of a granny smith apple, we both couldn't drink it. Too strong, ended up pouring it out.

>>747834
>>747890

i actually just brewed my first batch about a week ago, still fermenting

thanks for the little tut, i was worried i may have fucked it up but have a little more faith now

I'm just here to ask a simple question.
Should I worry about pesticides or GMO food when it comes to brewing? I could care less about the moral implications of them, and let's be honest, we're making poison. Using poison food to make poison shouldn't make the poison into worse poison. Because it's poison.

But will it change the taste of the booze I make? I know a guy who can get me some cheap apples while they're in season. Straight from a farm. So I'm really considering making some cider this fall.

>>748474
First of all the group "GMO food" has no influence on how healthy the food is.
Sure there are some GM corns that absorb a ton of arsenic to make it grow without pesticides but there are other GMO foods that are not measurably different from the "regular" food. I think it is stupid to label a food as a GMO but not label what was changed in the process.
Like with everything else use common sense. Don't use corn syrup with GMO but do use GM potatoes, those potatoes don't rot as easy and are treated less with(minor)harmful antifungal agents due to an increased natural resistance.

For brewing I would suggest you look for grain meant for human consumption. I have heard that organic grains can give more flavor to the brew but have not tried it myself. Fresh ground grains may also give a slightly different taste.

If you want to get into brewing alcohol from fruits the pesticides do matter a lot more. Some stuff sprayed on apples or grapes can make it difficult for your yeast to do its job.
If you want to get into using wild yeasts you need to have fruit that has not been sprayed with anything (or at least a few % of the fruit).

When making cider you can use fallen apples just cut the bruised spots off. You can juice everything that you would normally eat (so no rotten spots, stems and leaves). An easy way to gather apples is to lay a blanket or cloth under the tree. Easy to pick up and it keeps dirt of the apples. This way you can use apples that you would not have been able to store otherwise. They also contain a lot more sugar what gives the cider a better taste and more alcohol.

More cider info can be given if you are interested.(I am reaching max. characters I think)

>>748474
if you drink commercial beer your drinking beer made with GMO grains.

its impossible to source that much organic grain now adays to meet that kind of demand for any lager brewery and for any smaller brewery that can source that can't afford it and make a profit

i work as an assistant brewer at a brewpub. If you have any other questions I will be happy to answer

>>748474
the fallen apples mentioned by >>748489
are often labelled as 'deer apples' or 'horse apples' at orchards, they only ever charge a small fraction or just give them away

>>748515
if you are talking about the us you are right , in Europe you can run a medium sized brewery on organic grains because Germany has a HUGE production of organic food & crops

GMO freaks are worse than the nuclear hippies from the 70s. You don't understand the science and you end up throwing the fucking baby out with the bathwater.

Gene splicing good, external pesticides etc.. varying degrees of bad. Don't lump all that shit together.

>>748908
>person who doesn't understand the science bitching that others don't

>>747296
Start with googling for simple recipes and techniques: tea-wine, or even fermenting grocery store grape juice, because with the first few batches, you're learning. No need to blow lots of money on equipment and brewing kits that will be ruined.

What you need, at absolute minimum, is something to ferment in, something to ferment, an airlock, yeast, and something to sanitize with. With everything BUT the yeast, you can get away with cheap/diy alternatives: a 1 gal glass wine jug or pet water bottle; table sugar or cheap juice; a balloon with holes poked in it; bleach or vinegar. Grocery store yeast is all bread yeast, and will technically work, but it's the one thing that will make it taste bad if you go this cheap/diy direction. If you buy nothing else from a brew shop or online, buy yeast. Lalvin and red-star both make lots of dry wine yeasts that should cost ~ $1 a package, and will last for ages. They may have an ale one as well, not sure. Anyway, the red-wine or champagne yeasts are good jack of all trades yeasts for brewing random things.

Beer takes practice, and excellent sanitization practices, but it's quick end-to-end. Mead takes lots and lots of time, and good sanitization. Wine takes a little more time than beer, but way way less than mead, and is pretty forgiving. It's a good way to start.

Make a few tea-wines and country wines, etc. Then splurge on a kit, because you'll be less likely to ruin it after some practice. And even at this point, your first beer or three might need to go down the drain.

>>748912
Ye it seems that way

GMO's are not "good" or "bad"
some GMO's could have been reached by crossbreeding for years but that process has been sped up.

Other GMO's have genetic material from other plants mixed in so that they become immune to diseases or produce extra nutrients.

The only thing is that you want to keep the pollen from the GMO's out of the environment.


The problem is people fear what they don't know, just go to a place where non GMO foods are sold and ask people their opinion on GMO , then ask them if they know what GMO's are or what GMO stands for. I bet that less then 20% will be able to tell you.

>>748932
I completely agree you should buy decent yeast, this is one of the most important things in high quality brewing. If you have a bad yeast you will have a bad drink.

Ttea wine is that kombucha ?
If so is made with a fungus and not with a yeast so I would not suggest it.
I never heard about tea wine so I a may be wrong here.

>>748015

Phosphoric, probably. That's what's commonly used for no-rinse sanitation.

>>748932

I used a champagne yeast for a second round of fermentation on a brown ale I made recently and it made it taste like wine initially. Would not recommend.

>how do i make my beer not shite?
the most important thing is to keep your gear clean and sanitary. any contamination of the brew will result in a much worse taste.

http://realbeer.com/jjpalmer/cleaning.html

>>747859

Alright, how do I make this but not gay as fuck?

I've been making 100% munich malt lagers with Weyermann brand and Tettnang hops (one ounce at 60 min mark and another at 30 min mark for a 5 gal batch) I've noticed my beer is coming out with some sort of vanilla-like flavor that I don't really like. Am I fucking up during mash or is it too much tettnang hops?

I seriously doubt there's something wrong with sanitation since already 3 batches have come out tasting like that. Pls halp.

>>748489
>>748515
I'm glad to know that GMO products won't change the taste of my booze.
>>748606
I'll definitely be asking my buddy about horse apples and just cut/juice them normally.
I'll ask around for pesticides, however. I am going to go with the cider, so I'll definitely be more concerned about that.

>>749792
I've never used the hop, so I guess it could be that, but if you're making lagers maybe it could be diacetyl. Is it buttery? Do you do a diacetyl rest? What temps are you fermenting at?

>>747861
>>747862
>>747863
>>747865

Brew guy post to this link please.
http://4wiki.org/diy/Main_Page

We're trying to increase the number of pages on the wiki to make it a decent site.

>>749798
not too sure about any sort of pesticides permeating the skin but just about any of the water resisting ones will come off with the skin when you peel them

look up 'hank crank apple peeler'
they're not super expensive but by jesus you can go through a shit tonne of apples fast with them

just saw a red one on amazon for 11 bucks from 48

>>749843
I wouldn't classify it as buttery, but vanilla-like. I ferment at 50F but funny you mention a diacetyl rest because that's what I was planning on doing next batch just for good measure, thanks.

>>749792
>Pls halp.
neither of those should contribute a vanilla flavour. try to describe it in a different way since none of the off flavours are typically described as vanilla.

do a diacetyl rest for one.

are you boiling with a lid on? you dont want any of the steam from the boil to drop back into the beer as condensation.

are your grains fresh? have they been milled long before use? only use freshly milled grain to avoid off flavours

if you ferment in a glass carboy, make sure you keep it out of direct light. UV light makes gross flavours.

are you sloshing your wort around while its still hot? oxygenation/aeration of hot wort can cause off flavours.

take a look at the BJCP descriptions for off flavours to help identify what you are tasting and what the cause is.

BJCP certified beer judge here

>>749930
>are you boiling with a lid on? you dont want any of the steam from the boil to drop back into the beer as condensation.

No lid.

>are your grains fresh? have they been milled long before use? only use freshly milled grain to avoid off flavours

Freshly milled grain only.

>if you ferment in a glass carboy, make sure you keep it out of direct light. UV light makes gross flavours.

It's in a fridge, no UV light whatsoever.

>are you sloshing your wort around while its still hot? oxygenation/aeration of hot wort can cause off flavours.

I do move it around with a spoon so the protein sediment forms a cone in the center and I can siphon a couple of ounces more. Haven't had any problem with ales by doing this.

>take a look at the BJCP descriptions for off flavours to help identify what you are tasting and what the cause is.

I did that before asking but as you said I didn't find any vanilla off-flavor

I'm now pretty sure it's diacetyl since I'm bottling right away from the fridge at 50F, I'll let the one I have right now fermenting rest at 65F and report back when it's done, thanks for the answer.

>>747677
>what type of coffee to ad
depends on what flavor you want. Lighter roast won't be as bitter or strong flavor, etc. Vanilla beans/extract are probably a good idea

>>749930
>are you boiling with a lid on? you dont want any of the steam from the boil to drop back into the beer as condensation.
Is this always a bad thing? I usually keep the lid on while i'm waiting for the boil to heat up (which takes about 20 minutes since my burner sucks), but take it off when it starts rolling.

>>749932
>bottling right away from the fridge at 50F
So you ferment at 50F and then bottle? So you're also skipping lagering. Unless you lager in the bottles after they've carbonated, which i guess is also thing you can do. I'm not honestly sure how lagering affects the flavor or if it would clean up your off-flavor, but supposedly the longer you can stand to lager it the 'better' it is.

>>749400
yea that yeast is only recommended for second fermentation of fruit based brews

>>749690
Put it into a cool opaque container, if people laugh tell them how much time you gain by not cooking.

>>749867
If you wash the apples it should be ok, the only problem you have is that you cant use wild yeast, so buying a cider yeast is necessary.

>>747921
well I bought some at 1.20$ and 1.80$ a piece
those were 25cl (8oz) and0.5l (16 oz 0.5l) and could stand internal pressure up to 3 atm (44psi)

>>749860
>http://4wiki.org/diy/Main_Page
ok made a home brewing page and added some stuff I will write more when I have the time

/diy/, what determines the foam's mouthfeel and colour? Is there any guide explaining what each grain will modify or should I just go by trial and error?

>>751092
Dextrin can make thicker foam (better head retention) and give it better body. You can buy malted grains bred for this purpose, though I seem to remember you can also mash-out 15 mins at 160F to turn some of the starches into unfermentable alpha-amylase.

Lovibond color I guess depends of the type of malt but if you meant to have better clarity then you can add a protein rest, be sure hot break has happened before putting in hops and give it a good cold break, people also use irish moss for this purpose though it can get somewhat expensive.

Also check these articles out.

http://beersmith.com/blog/2012/12/20/mash-
temperature-and-beer-body-in-all-grain-brewing/

https://byo.com/stories/issue/item/190-tips-from-the-pros-beer-clarity

>>751092
If you want to enhance the foam without changing anything else, consider adding some carapils

This thread is really helpful, thanks /diy/

>>747873
nice post

doubt i'll have any issues with my first thing i'll be making

1g apple juice
1 pack d47
.4lbs sugar
1/2tsp pectin enzyme
1tsp yeast nutrient

started fermenting within 2 hours, no heat, didn't even use a starter

bawwwlinnnn

gonna go throw my shit in my utility sink in my laundry room in case anything happens. i think i'll put my 6g carboy in there when i make my 6g of apfelwein tomorrow

>>748906
Right now we pretty much get all our grain from hiedelburg malting company out of Germany. Many do not export to the United States

>>749932
Vanilla off flavor is labeled under "spicy" in the bjp guide and it is the result of phenols or certain hop combinations.

My guess is that you are fermenting to high or the yeast strain that you are using is a high producer of phenols (phenolic off flavor is pretty much only acceptable in certain wheat styles.

Try saf 05 and see if the problem is fixed

bread yeast, honey, and juice

I used to make wine and I'll pass along some really good advice I got from my mentor/buddy that got me into home brewing:

CLEAN THE FUCK OUT OF EVERYTHING. Cleanliness is absolutely vital to the final product.

Just kegged a 5month old ginger beer, and will soon bottle our first Goat Scrotum ale. Very excited

>>753741
It's the unfortunate fact of homebrewing.
I love brewing but I hate cleaning stuff and it's at least 50% cleaning stuff.

>>753803
>Goat Scrotum ale
Sounds delicious

I put my beer into (1.5L) PET bottles for secondary fermantation. Is here any danger of explosion? They are always hard as fugg after 2 weeks as they are full of CO2.

What is your final gravity? i would suggest lowering your mashing temperature slightly, this will dry your final product out. less vanilla malt character perhaps?

>>754870
Do you mean that you're aging/clearing your beer in those plastic bottles, or you're bottling & consuming them out of those bottles?

If you mean aging/clearing I think it's typical to put an airlock on secondaries and not seal them up... But I don't really think there's any danger of explosion in plastic as long as you're sure the fermentation stopped in primary. The beer is slightly carbonated after fermentation, so it could be some of that CO2 coming out of solution that makes the bottles hard. (But really, the best solution is just don't use a secondary. There's usually no point.)

If you mean you're bottle-carbonating in plastic bottles, plastic holds way more pressure than glass so you're good.

>>755256
>>747925
>>748163
>Plastic anything

>>752648
Me again, I tried one of my beers and after reading you guys I could taste the buttery flavor so it's definitely diacetyl, as of now I have 1 gallon batch on a diacetyl rest but I've already racked to secondary another gallon without resting it firsthand, could I possibly add more yeast so that it eats up the remaining diacetyl?

>>756107
Not certain, but I think you should be ok doing it without adding more yeast. There won't be as much yeast around as in primary, but there's still a bunch in there, maybe it'll just take a bit longer. Just taste it in a few days and start lagering after you notice there's no more buttery flavor, i guess.

>>756107
theres probably enough in there try putting it at room temperature and the yeast should clear it up.

If its really bad you can take your autosipon suck up some of the yeast and put it in a starter and a stir plate get it active again and repitch it into the wort

>>747296

Enjoy your ban, sticky clearly states no drug discussion on this board.

>>756322
Of course, mr. Master Troll. Now fuck off.

>>756354
Not him, but I have a legitimate gripe with that rule. We can't make bong threads, even though it's a legal drug in some states, but we can alcohol threads? What's the difference?

>>756358
>alcohol threads? What's the difference?
Alcohol is legal in all states, and is a socially accepted drug, like tobacco.

>>756358
Dunno, maybe it's that "legal in some states" vs. "legal in every state" thing? Or maybe it has something to do with the bong thread flood this board had when it was new. Ask moot if you want a more authoritative answer.
Either way, making moronic shitposts like that troll above isn't going to help you.

This thread has really gotten me interested in getting started with homebrewing. I'm gonna have a lot of spare time starting in Feb or March so I've been looking for some interesting hobbies, I'll probably give this a shot.

What are you guys' thoughts on starting with 1gal vs 5gal? I figure if I want to make more beer then I can just get several 1gal growlers and make a variety of beers vs making one large 5gal batch of one variety. It seems like starting with 1gal batches would allow me to make more batches and experiment more in the beginning, which should help me learn quicker right? Are there any cons (aside from producing less beer at a time) associated with producing smaller batches vs. larger batches of beer?

>>756496
The amount of effort is pretty much the same between one and five gallons, might as well go 5 and share with people. You'll need a BIG boil pot, this is one of the bigger things that can hold people back. Any homebrew shop can hold your hand through the process with a kit and an easy extract recipe; don't do anything too crazy/exotic your first time out. You'll screw something up and get frustrated. Bottling is a pain in the ass, get a buddy to help you out.
Have fun with it!

>>747296
>where should i start?
google map, your location, homebrew store.
>>756496
5gal batch in 1gal jugs. thats how i refine my recipes. test various yeasts in the same recipe. or adding candied sugar or oak chips or whatever.

this is a hobby best done with friends, you are after all making beer.

>>756496
5gal is about 48 beers and 1gal is like 8 or 9 beers. Either way it takes about the same amount of time to brew and clean up after yourself, so it's a more efficient use of time to do 5gal. Also, packets of yeast and hops are usually sold in amount suited for 5gal brewing.

But the real issue is that after you bottle a beer, you have to WAIT several weeks for it to carbonate and age. You're not going to want to wait. You're going to be on bottling day+4 like 'i just gotta try one beer and see if it's carbonated yet.' And then you'll have another on day 5... and 6 and 7 and 8 and 9. And I think that's fine to an extent. You should be patient but you also want to see what your beer tastes like when it's young, and how it improves as time goes on. But your beer won't be at it's best until like 2 months (could be way more or less, depending on the beer) after you bottle it. If you do a 1gal batch for your first batch of beer, that will be GONE by the time it even starts to get good.

I need a big cooking pot for brewing and I found huge zinc pots for very cheap. Is zinc good for breing?

>>756590
No. They even make zinc pots?

>>756296
>>756310

I think I'll pitch some more yeast just to be sure. Last lager I made never carbonated because all the yeasties were dead, boy does it suck to drink flat, buttery beer.

>>756590

Theres a reason they're so cheap, zinc isn't really a food grade metal

Do you need to remove chlorine from the water first? By letting it sit maybe?

>>756893

Boiling removes chlorine. Potassium metabisulfate (campden) tablets added to water (1/4 per 5gal) before the boil will remove chloramine. Chloramine will not boil off so it must be treated

What went wrong? Stored in cool and dry. I didnt know mold could live in unopened bag.

Muh feels when this happens to a 25kg hop sack.

>>757434

So you were making a 5 gallon IPA?

>>757434
Spores are everywhere.

>>757452

I use around 5kg hops per batch when brewing IPA.

>>748009
I can vouch for the star-san. Be sure to wash all your equipment with soap and water, then sanitize. With star-san you just need to have each surface wet for 30 seconds to kill 99.99% of bacteria and fungi. The point of sanitizing is not a complete kill - that's known as sterilization. You just want to knock down the numbers of all the other bugs so that when you add billions of yeast cells they can out compete everything else.

I'm a homebrewer and have brewed about 150+ gallons. I make wine, beers and distilled beverages. I use a plastic 8gal primary fermenter and glass secondary carboys. When you transfer (rack) a brew off the sediment (known as lees or trub) it helps mix the wort or must, as well as lowering the sediment load. This helps clarify the final product. If you use plastic, clean it carefully: you want to avoid scratching the material as bacteria can hide in the scratches, avoiding being killed when you sanitize.

For me it's a fun hobby that produces lots of alcohol. I give away much of what i make, and people like what i brew. It's a great way to barter or create handmade gifts. I spend maybe a couple hours a week, mostly on the weekend, in my brew house basement.

>>753803
I love ginger beer. Brewed a batch last year and it was a hit. Brewed a second batch this year, too. Also made an Apple cider with ginger root juice. It's not done aging yet but it's retained lots of ginger flavour and not so much apple.

>>747296
Your local brew shop. And online.

>>747859

10$ a day?
For 10$ a day I can eat two full, REAL meals and still have 2$ left to buy a beer.

Why the fuck would someone "eat" that shit...