Thread: Home Brew

Originally Posted by wedwards

Also check out beersmith and beertools. I have used beersmith since I began brewing and found it super easy for a newbie to learn. From memory, I think support from promash was an issue, whereas beersmith had vids on the website teaching you how to set it up and what all the settings meant etc (vital if you are a newbie and dont understand your % per hour heat loss in mash vessel etc).

I found Promash pretty easy to use for my typical recipes. I almost always do a single infusion mash with water that is 165-170 for a mash temp of 154. I tried to work multiple step mashing and decoction recipes but I found the software was not intuitive at all and gave up trying to figure it out. The typical information I like from Promash is original and final gravity, alcohol content, bittering, and color.

I have heard good things about Beersmith and Beer Tools from people that I respect as brewers. I say try them all and see which one works for you.

I found a Bulletin Board Service Forum a few years ago that had only a couple of hundred active members. The quality of the information there was impressive and polite. If you get a chance check it out. It is a small website and is slow but the knowlege and experience are first rate.

Topics - Brews & Views Bulletin Board Service

Originally Posted by wedwards

I should also have said that if you want good quality beer - NEVER use sugar. The only thing that should be in beer is water, hops, malt (dry or liquid), and yeast. Certain beers require lactose for the home brewer, but try and steer clear of that unless you have to. Note that in germany, I think it is still illegal to add anything extra to beer.

This of course is just the opinion of a perfectionist

I agree with everything except this comment regarding sugar - you need to be careful which sugar you use (I brew with dextrose) - don't use icing sugar for example, but sugar can increase your alcohol content while keeping the body lighter. As far as I know, at the very least, many Belgian breweries use sugar in making their beers - helps make the beer more "digestible" I think they call it (Chimay, Rochefort etc), and they make some quality beers.

Further, I personally would encourage experimenting with different ingredients (spices, herbs, fruit, honey, etc) as I'm sure there are some pretty delicious combinations out there - and variety is the spice of life eh?

Ben

As others have said, homebrewing is as addictive as straight razors. Maybe more so since alcohol is actually addictive (bad joke). Anway, one of the reasons I joined SRP is because it reminded me so much of the great site called homebrewtalk.com. It is to homebrewing as SRP is to straight razors. I didn't have time to read through all the posts to see if anyone had recommended the site, so I decided to just recommend. I've been homebrewing for about 4 years and went from Mr. Beer to all-grain in that time. I also use beersmith to concoct the ingredients lists and such. The Mr. Beer kits will generally make something drinkable, but once you start doing extracts (usually the next step after people stop using Mr. Beer) you'll notice a big difference. I did see that others say not to use table sugar. This is a great piece of advice. Table sugar is basically completely fermentable. It will add lots of alcohol without leaving body (residual sugars). If you have any others questions let me know. I'd be happy to give my advice/opinions on anything you'd like. Homebrewtalk.com is a fantastic site though! That site and my local homebrew club helped me become a much better brewer.

Sorry for adding another post here, but I read one person saying to let the beer set for a long period of time to age. I have always read that because homebrew is not pasteurized the shelf life is not as long. If you were making a 11% barleywine, you might not have to worry because the alcohol content is so high. I for one, wouldn't trust a typical 5-6%ABV homebrew that had been sitting for more than say 6 months or so.

My brother in law go a home brew kit for Christmas. He sent me home with bottle last week...

I found it quite good... But it seemed flat... But I would have to say "FIRST GOOD" batch.

Originally Posted by fdben

I agree with everything except this comment regarding sugar - you need to be careful which sugar you use (I brew with dextrose) - don't use icing sugar for example, but sugar can increase your alcohol content while keeping the body lighter. As far as I know, at the very least, many Belgian breweries use sugar in making their beers - helps make the beer more "digestible" I think they call it (Chimay, Rochefort etc), and they make some quality beers.

Further, I personally would encourage experimenting with different ingredients (spices, herbs, fruit, honey, etc) as I'm sure there are some pretty delicious combinations out there - and variety is the spice of life eh?

Ben

I'm a BJCP beer judge (though I must admit that I haven't judged a competition in close to a decade) and am finally going to step in here.

In most beer styles, including sugar, even dextrose, or maltodextrin (the usual choice for enhancing mouthfeel) can usually be detected pretty easily and it would count against you in a competition. It's always much, much better to follow the Rheinheitsgebot (German beer purity law which has been around since 1487) and stick to the big four: Water, hops, yeast, and malted grains. The character of a beer that's standing on its own can't be mistaken, even if you're not competing.

If you're lacking mouthfeel, there are better ways to get it -- manipulating your grain bill is preferable to adding sugar of any kind. Check out Ray Daniels' book on brewing for some great recipe formulation instruction.

On the subject of adjuncts (spices in particular), never add more than three to a beer. You risk overloading the palate. Even a Belgian witbier traditionally contains only coriander (in place of some of the hops), Curacao orange peel, and a brewery-protected secret ingredient. Great advice I picked up at a homebrew club meeting many years ago and remember to this day.

Again, skip the sugar unless you're brewing a Belgian style, and then I'd only use actual Belgian candy sugar.

Originally Posted by idkid

Sorry for adding another post here, but I read one person saying to let the beer set for a long period of time to age. I have always read that because homebrew is not pasteurized the shelf life is not as long. If you were making a 11% barleywine, you might not have to worry because the alcohol content is so high. I for one, wouldn't trust a typical 5-6%ABV homebrew that had been sitting for more than say 6 months or so.

Depends on the style. A homebrewed IPA could last for years. It's more about the level of acid contributed by the bittering hops than about the alcohol level.

IPAs are made so intensely hoppy because they had to survive months on board ships making the route from Europe to India going the long way around Africa. The extra acid helped prevent the beers from getting infected.

Worst case, even if a beer gets an infection, it'll just taste nasty. It won't hurt you. What's more likely to happen over time is that the beer will oxidize, leading to a taste like wet cardboard. Some styles are more prone to oxidation than others, some cellar better than others. In other words, it all depends.

Originally Posted by Wortmanb

I'm a BJCP beer judge (though I must admit that I haven't judged a competition in close to a decade) and am finally going to step in here.

In most beer styles, including sugar, even dextrose, or maltodextrin (the usual choice for enhancing mouthfeel) can usually be detected pretty easily and it would count against you in a competition. It's always much, much better to follow the Rheinheitsgebot (German beer purity law which has been around since 1487) and stick to the big four: Water, hops, yeast, and malted grains. The character of a beer that's standing on its own can't be mistaken, even if you're not competing.

If you're lacking mouthfeel, there are better ways to get it -- manipulating your grain bill is preferable to adding sugar of any kind. Check out Ray Daniels' book on brewing for some great recipe formulation instruction.

On the subject of adjuncts (spices in particular), never add more than three to a beer. You risk overloading the palate. Even a Belgian witbier traditionally contains only coriander (in place of some of the hops), Curacao orange peel, and a brewery-protected secret ingredient. Great advice I picked up at a homebrew club meeting many years ago and remember to this day.

Again, skip the sugar unless you're brewing a Belgian style, and then I'd only use actual Belgian candy sugar.

Thank you for clearing this up! Very good to hear from knowledgeable people! Do you have any interesting beer on the go?

Originally Posted by fdben

Thank you for clearing this up! Very good to hear from knowledgeable people! Do you have any interesting beer on the go?

I married a woman who doesn't like beer, then moved to Australia for about 5 years. And had two kids. After I find a new house (my family recently moved to Virginia from Colorado), I may well get brewing again. But at present, I'm content scouring the shelves at my local grocery stores and beer shops.

Had my first Sierra Nevada Torpedo the other night. Very nice. I'm not sure if it's a wet-hopped ale, but I've discovered a definite love of wet-hopped ales recently.

And I must apologize -- I think I came off as a know-it-all. I don't. One of the things I most loved about brewing was that it's a constant learning adventure. There's always another style, another recipe tweak, another technique, another bit of equipment (okay, lots of bits of equipment). Ultimately, the real test of a beer is whether you and your friends & loved ones enjoy it. If you do, and you're using sugar in the brew, then great -- keep it up. The rule book ought to be a set of guidelines to follow, not a strict law. Like your Kolsch but find it's a bit too hoppy to really be a Kolsch? Who cares? If you like it, brew it and enjoy it.

Check out Blichmann Engineering if you're thinking of getting serious. My planned second-generation brewing operation will be almost 100% made from their stuff. Shiny, shiny stainless steel.... :-)

Originally Posted by Wortmanb

I married a woman who doesn't like beer, then moved to Australia for about 5 years. And had two kids. After I find a new house (my family recently moved to Virginia from Colorado), I may well get brewing again. But at present, I'm content scouring the shelves at my local grocery stores and beer shops.

Had my first Sierra Nevada Torpedo the other night. Very nice. I'm not sure if it's a wet-hopped ale, but I've discovered a definite love of wet-hopped ales recently.

And I must apologize -- I think I came off as a know-it-all. I don't. One of the things I most loved about brewing was that it's a constant learning adventure. There's always another style, another recipe tweak, another technique, another bit of equipment (okay, lots of bits of equipment). Ultimately, the real test of a beer is whether you and your friends & loved ones enjoy it. If you do, and you're using sugar in the brew, then great -- keep it up. The rule book ought to be a set of guidelines to follow, not a strict law. Like your Kolsch but find it's a bit too hoppy to really be a Kolsch? Who cares? If you like it, brew it and enjoy it.

Check out Blichmann Engineering if you're thinking of getting serious. My planned second-generation brewing operation will be almost 100% made from their stuff. Shiny, shiny stainless steel.... :-)

No need to apologize - I'm fairly new at brewing so it's good to hear a more experience point of view. Did my first all grain batch on boxing day (and made mead and extract beer for a couple years before that).

Blichmann does have some pretty nice stuff (but $$$$$!). Right now my equipment is pretty hodge-podge; the usual turkey fryer, cooler MLT etc. My fiancée and I bought a house in December so I'm a little restricted on brewing purchases right now.

I need to get a keezer/kegerator setup soon (tossed my last kegerator when I moved) so I can actually drink my beer.

What did you have in mind for your next brewing setup? RIMS, HERMS or anything like that? I've been looking into expanding to larger batches and getting fancier, but it will be done in stages as the fiancée allows haha...

For now I'll be content working on recipes.