Educate me on making beer :)

[determined]

There are as many ways to make beer as there are ways to make sausage so pick what works for you.
I have been doing it for over 20 years and have tried every way right down to malting my own barley.
Now days I just use the kits but not as per instructions.

-As others have said clean clean clean is your friend.

-With a kit instead of using all sugar replace 500g of it with honey it does worlds of good for the final taste.

-Patience leave it in your primary for a good 2 weeks then siphon into secondary with airlock.
Forget about it for another 3 weeks then siphon into your primary mix a cup of dextrose with a cup of water, pour it in, stir and you are ready to bottle.

Stick the bottles in a closet for a month and you will have a decent tasting clear beer with no sediment in the bottle.

When I make a kit I get the best results with our well water.
Bring 2 gallons to a boil, dump it into the primary to dissolve the malt and sugar, fill up to the 23 l mark you made on your primary with cold water and your temp should be perfect for pitching your yeast.
I cover mine with 3 strips of cling wrap to keep things clean.
Temp wise our basement is quite cool so I keep the beer in an upstairs closet.

A bottle washer that hooks to a water tap and a sulfator to spray your cleansing solution into the bottle makes for nice clean bottles.
A bottle rack for drying is also very handy.

After you drink a beer it only takes a few seconds to rinse the bottle at the sink then put the cap back on to keep it clean.

Once you have a good stock in the closet it is much easier to develop patience.

[walker1]

I have been brewing the Festa Brew kits of late and have 2 bottled and 2 in carboys. Have been giving them 12-14 days in primary and then transfer to carboys for 2-3 weeks and bottle. Never tried one yet but anxious. My first two were a Brewhouse pilsner and a Barons lager. They were ok but need time.
The festa kits are 23 l of pure wort and a bit more expensive but hoping for good results!
Will update in a few weeks.

[Flyfishchrism46]

Lot's of good posts.

One item to consider is the yeast and temperature, Brew lagers and pilsners at a slightly cooler temperature and ales/porters/stouts at a warmer temperature. The yeast either top or bottom (primary fermentor) ferments. That's why I brew my lagers/pilsners in the winter so can drink in the summer and ales in the summer, so can drink in the winter. Consider also liquid yeasts...they make much better product in the end.

[Flyfishchrism46]

For growing my hops (in Calgary albeit, these would grow well anywhere in Western Canada), I have Centennial and Saaz. Both grow really well. The Centennial is a fuggles/cascade variety and really good all round bittering hop. The Saaz I use for finishing in pilsners. I have bees and hop the honey mead with the Centennial hops.

You may find with growing hops that they get covered in aphids. Just throw in a bucket of water, drown and then rinse off the little bastards and dry the hops (I use a food dehydrator).

[ak-71]

Just don't get all stack up - plastic is fine, one stage is fine with most beers unless it's something you have to age for months, like barley wines, pale is more practical than a carboy. Starsan is good to sanitize, for washing PBW works good. BeerSmith is a good soft to keep track of things and "Brewing classic styles" by Jamil Zainasheff is a good place to start for recipes of different styles.

PS. Temperature control is important even in ales, unless you know what you want to get, keep it on a cooler side, without a fridge you won't be able to do a lager by definition, as in "lagering stage".
And don't listen to people who tell you about limiting rye in you recipes - you can use more than it's called for (with rice hulls) and it will be better most of the times

[bigskinner]

Ya might wanna rethink the whole adventure , and just buy a case a bud , or lucky .
Any home made beer that l,ve ever tasted , and l,ve tasted my share , the makers brag about it , and when l tasted it , well l,m sure chilled rat urine would taste better , haaaaaaaaaa , not for me

[Unregistered user]

Bud and Lucky don't belong in a beer thread. But thanks for the valuable input.

[walker1]

Built a 4 tap keezer and am now going all grain. Love the amber ales, and honey browns I am concocting!
Brewing a caramel amber ale this weekend. Nice being able to do this in the garage!

[propliner]

I'm brewing up a nice steam beer. Lots of 2-row, Northern Brewer hops and a west-coast yeast. Simple but good.

I also brewed a great summer beer, light and crisp with lime. My wife keeps stealing them.

[Unregistered user]

Good info on this site. this article is worth a look.

http://mailchi.mp/grainfather/weekly...5?e=01d53486ad