Learning to Homebrew!

[twenty5]

I got mine too, just finished placing an order for the remainder of things I needed including a second kit.

Total order came out to just under 200 which included a burner, thermometer, spoon, bottle washer, wort chiller, sanatizer, auto-siphon, drying tree, kit and some more caps.
Still need a brew pot but I will try to grab that locally for like 30 or 40$.. So grand total of 240 split between 2 people isnt so bad... I think I did good lol, Birthday present to myself!

 

[smokinghole]

I'm waiting for my groupon to get here.

 

[smokinghole]

So I'm going on 9 days from my order. I still don't have my kit and the order is still listed as "processing". How long did it take you guys to get your stuff? I just emailed customer service to see if anything was on backorder that I ordered. I have a feeling they forgot about mine or something.

 

[twenty5]

I ordered mine on the 27th maybe and got it on the 5th I think.... So 10 days, 8 business.

 

[mthhurley]

I get a little newsletter from beer smith.com (brewing software) and its a really cool article on mash pH and it's effects and what to do about it. If anyone wants it, PM me your email addy and I'll forward.

 

[twenty5]

Last piece.... I decided to go larger than a 5 or 6 Gal brew pot.

Which seems like it would work best? They are almost the same size and price, just different dimensions..

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Prime-Pacific-Heavy-Stainless-35-Quart/dp/B00107EARQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1326463167&sr=8-5"]Amazon.com: Prime Pacific Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Stock Pot with Lid, 35-Quart: Kitchen & Dining@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Vh2qfmjzL.@@AMEPARAM@@41Vh2qfmjzL[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-1044-44-Quart-Stainless-Steel/dp/B000VXHKMC/ref=lh_ni_t"]Amazon.com: Bayou Classic 1044 44-Quart Stainless-Steel Stockpot: Patio, Lawn & Garden@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41zsIq8p%2BZL.@@AMEPARAM@@41zsIq8p%2BZL[/ame]

Or is there a better/different option?

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Winware-Stainless-Steel-Quart-Stock/dp/B001AS81BQ/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header"]Amazon.com: Winware Stainless Steel 32 Quart Stock Pot with Cover: Kitchen & Dining@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ZY-DQ-Y4L.@@AMEPARAM@@41ZY-DQ-Y4L[/ame]

 

[BeerAdvocate]

That 44 Quart Bayou Classic is pretty thin and very durable. I would get something that is going to last awhile

 

[twenty5]

That 44 Quart Bayou Classic is pretty thin and very durable. I would get something that is going to last awhile

Pretty thin and very durable? So get this one? lol

 

[smokinghole]

I would highly recommend at least a 10gal pot. Knowing the types of beer you like and might eventually try and make you'll want the available space. So the 44qt would be your best bet I think.

 

[NCost]

Remember, the smaller the pot, the darker your beer will get as the wort will carmelize a bit more due to dilution ratio. So a bigger pot is better and ideally you want to boil 3-4 gallons of your 5 gallon...you'll lose some to evaporation.

I like the Glass Carboys, just make sure to get a Carboy handle...makes a world of difference.

I haven't read the whole thread but some of it and think the rest of the things have been taken care of.

I do use a Wine racking cane/bottle filler though as it's larger and works much faster.

 

[JRL]

With all the fellow BOTL's starting to enjoy the hobby of home brewing I just wanted to let you all know that hops SHOULD NOT to be fed to your four legged friends. Hops can be deadly to dogs even in small amounts. Many may know this but I did not when I started and I would hate to see anything happen to our best friends.

On a side note spent grains (from steeping specialty grains or from all grain brewing) can be useful in dog treats and also bread. Google spent grains for ideas and recipes. I also have a good recipe for the treats if you want t PM me or I can post it here.

Happy Brewing.

 

[twenty5]

Post it up bro, it would be nice to know of a way to get the girlfriend semi involved

 

[JRL]

Spent Grain Dog Treats.

4 cups spent grains, 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 2 eggs.

Mix all together thoroughly and drop spoon fulls onto baking sheet and flatten them out slightly. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 to solidify. Loosen them from the baking sheet and bake for another 3-4 hours at 225 (or until really dry) to prevent mold growth. Store in air tight container.

I am going to try and sub the pizza sauce for canned pumpkin sometime. Experiment with what you want. I usually bake them at 350 for 30 min then put them back into the oven at 225 for 2 hours then turn off oven and let them sit overnight to dry out.

My dog loves them but too many give her gas. FYI

 

[twenty5]

Thanks for the recipe and bump for those buying the groupon kit now.

I have a really nice setup put together now, its obviously more than a beginner needs but without going to crazy... Well I guess that would depend on what you would consider crazy...

The list of things I ended up picking up after the kit over the last few weeks are:

24" Stirring spoon
Dial Thermometer w/ clip
45 Bottle drying tree
bottle / carboy washer
Immersion Wort Chiller
StarSan
Oxyclean Free
AutoSiphon
Yeast Starter Kit
Bayou Classic Burner
Fermtech Wine Theif
10 Gal Kettle
5 Gal Plastic Carboy
Aeration Kit

and a bunch of random accessories that are cool but completely unneeded... lol

Everything in bold is needed beyond what was included in the kit. Everything else makes life a bit easier.

I was all over the place with my kettle choice and the decision ended up being made for me, my kettle is the Blichmann Boilermaker and was gifted to me by a handful of good dudes here for my birthday.

 

[JRL]

Congrats on the Blichmann, they are nice.

 

[twenty5]

Pricing out some all grain options now LOL

Right now I brew 5 gal batches and want to continue with 5 gal for awhile but want to get into all grain for a little more custumization and sense of ownership lol. I have been reading a lot about how to make a proper setup and I have decided on a picnic cooler (gatorade style cooler) for my MLT. According to several sources, including How to Brew which I have found to be an amazing reference, I should try to get something that is sized correctly and not oversized for future expansion when picking a MLT. That book shows that I should get a 5 Gal cooler but most pics of people brewing and most online forums show people using the 10 gal cooler. I would prefer the 5 for price, storage space and price of accessories (false bottom etc.) but want to make sure that it will be large enough to efficiently brew. Is this the size I should be looking at or should I move up to something larger?

Also, for the HLT, how large does that need to be? Can I just borrow a 4 gal pot or should I be looking at another cooler or cheap kettle?

One more, for a brew stand, I am will be doing a gravity system to avoid pumps. Getting an actual brew stand is not a possibility at my current apt so is there any problem with continuously moving stuff around to make it work (HLT on table, MLT on floor, then MLT on table BK on floor, etc)?

 

[mthhurley]

IMO, 5 gal is waaay too small.

Most mashes I do are 4.5 gallons of water. That would leave you 1/2 a gallon of space for the grain, which is just not gonna happen.

I have a 40 quart cooler and I've done up to 25 pounds worth of grain in it. With the beers you want to brew, a 5 gallon mash tun is not going to serve you at all.

You can make your own false bottom out of a number of things...pvc with slits in it...Mine just has a loop of braided stainless hose (with the inner host portion removed). Don't assume you have to buy a pre-fab false bottom, as those are quite expensive.

 

[smokinghole]

I have a 52qt square coleman cooler. It forces me to brew larger low gravity batches and smaller high gravity batches. I've found that in the two years+ of using the cooler my grain sweet spot is between 17 and 22ish lbs of grain for maximum efficiency. I've done 30 but it was jam packed and I got shitty efficiency. I've been considering getting another mash tun but my burner is 4 years old it's a cheap POS that's starting to fall apart. So before I get a new mash tun I'll be getting a new burner.

I would get the 10 gal personally. Buy it once not twice. I went straight to a 52qt cooler. It will give you flexability to do high gravity 5 gal batches and slightly larger low gravity batches. Plus you can store things INSIDE the mashtun with no worries of scratching and crap. Sure it will scratch but any contamination that could possibly originate in your mash will be killed in the boil. I store stuff in mine all the time and keep it on a shelf in my garage.

For a manifold or a false bottom you can buy something or build it yourself as Mike said. I have one made of CPVC with hack saw slits for drainage. It works and it was cheap. You can get a stainless steel braid and or build a manifold out of copper (I have the copper and joints with plans to do this). Buying a SS prefab manifold is the most expensive route with copper being next in line of expense. The cheapest is CPVC and stainless steel braid.

 

[TreeFrog Frank]

I've been getting close to climbing to the peak of this slippery slope for a while. I got the Palmer book for Christmas, and am in the "sponge" stage of absorbing and studying all I can, before I get the equipment and begin the slide down the slope. As my next step, I attended my first Joplin Homebrew Club meeting, last night. I can see just from one meeting how helpful and fun it is to have a group of local guys with the same hobby, that can help with anything you may need.

I'm getting close, kids...

 

[AussieMitch]

Here's a quick pic of my setup, on its maiden run. I'll post some more details tomorrow when I get time, but feel free to ask questions in the meantime. It took me nearly 12 months to accumulate all the gear, but was well worth it.