Who Brews? [Archive] - The Perfect Man Cave

Aust1227

08-01-2008, 11:02 AM

I play poker so I can drink beer. I have a man cave so I can play poker, really, it is all an excuse to drink. And being self reliant, with way too much time on my hands. I prefer to brew my own. Any like minded brewers in here?

A while back I decided I was tired of the darn turkey fryer, and brewing outside. So I built an all electric brewing system. It is a great addition to the room, and the beer it produces is just as good as anything I can buy.
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z267/Aust15/GardenBeer028.jpg

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z267/Aust15/BeerRig002.jpg

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z267/Aust15/BeerRig.jpg.

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z267/Aust15/BeerRigGarden018.jpg

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z267/Aust15/BeerRigGarden019.jpg

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z267/Aust15/FinishedRig012.jpg

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z267/Aust15/FinishedRig005.jpg

beowulfe

08-01-2008, 11:14 AM

Irish

08-01-2008, 11:17 AM

Nice setup! How much did all the equipment set you back?

Aust1227

08-01-2008, 11:29 AM

Very nice rig. I haven't brewed in about 10 years. I was using a turkey fryer, too.
It did get to be a big pita.
Do you use your kegerator for fermentation or just find the coolest place in the house?

I built a fermentation chamber too.. It is a little ugly, certainly not the level of the other two projects. But it works well. A mini fridge was cannabalized, built a plywood box, insulated it, installed a T-stat, and it holds a nice steady 67 in the heat of the summer..

Aust1227

08-01-2008, 11:30 AM

Nice setup! How much did all the equipment set you back?

I am working on a post that break downs the parts.. In total about $1300 I think.. Well worth it in my estimation. It is 1000X safer than using propane and the turkey fryer.

The electric work was stressfull, but it is all properly grounded, and on GFI protected circuits, so we are good there.

Charlutz

08-01-2008, 01:04 PM

Damn. I haven't brewed in years, but I use the gas stove inside the house. The wife likes the smell. Giving me the itch to break out the equipment again. Home brew is terrific when you do it right.

Aust1227

08-01-2008, 01:16 PM

Damn. I haven't brewed in years, but I use the gas stove inside the house. The wife likes the smell. Giving me the itch to break out the equipment again. Home brew is terrific when you do it right.

Get on it!! If wifey supports it there really isn't any reason not to do it this weekend!

Wonder if there would be any interest in here in a beer swap?

syklopz

08-02-2008, 05:21 PM

Aust,
Schweet setup man. I'm nore than a little jealous. Once we move out of the shite-hole of an apt, and into a house with a Garage/Basement I'll be setting out to brew my own. I'd be more than interested in a beer swap. I'll also be picking your brain (and maybe working on a hopp swap!!) about growing my own.

j p frog

08-03-2008, 09:47 AM

my jealosy is only exceeded by my admiration of your work! nicely done sir!!

Happy Hazard

08-04-2008, 10:06 AM

Id be interested in learning more about it. I drink a lot of beer, and being stationed here in Belgium ive come quite accustomed to having the best beer in the world readily available.

When I leave here next year, id like to be able to brew my own. Any good sites to get me started? Also, looking forward to your breakdown of equipment and how you set it all up.

Looks good

Aust1227

08-04-2008, 12:37 PM

You all asked, now you get the full production list for the all Electric Brew Kettle..

PARTS LIST

3 weldless ball valves (greatbargainfittings.com)
2 bulkheads for recirculating (bargainfittings.com)

ALL OF THE FOLLOWING FROM MCASTER CARR
3 Lock nut 5530K23
6 male disconnects 6739K59
2 female disconnects 6739K64
Hose 3038K26
4 ¼ bulkead 5455k87
compression ½ male to 3/8 tube 50915K325
½ male to ½ barb 5346K25
compression for sight glass 50385K16
2 45 copper fittings 5520K723
(2) Bulkhead to pickup 5520K21
4 1/2X1/4 reducer for CFCC 5520K223
4 ½ Ts 5520K71

3/8 racking cane Morebeer.com

Water heating elements (plumbingsupply)
1 X 5500watt High Density for Hot Liquor Tun
1 X 1500 low density for RIMS system
1 X 5500 ultra low density for boil kettle

3 SSRS (Auberins.com)
3 PID
3 heat sinks
1 small DC fan
3 Thermocouplers

March Pump (morebeer.com)
2 False bottoms (morebeer.com)

1" male adapter (for the inline water heating element)

Various reducers, bushings, ext, copper parts from local hardware store
various hose clamps
LOTS OF spade bit ends for electrical
Plenty of electrical wire, romex, ext
bus strips
Work boxes
Bi-Metal hole saws (or uni-bits)
duct tape
Volora
Extension cords
Dryer plug
other odds and ends I can't think of right now.

Aust1227

08-04-2008, 12:39 PM

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to PM or post them here.

Charlutz

08-05-2008, 08:20 AM

Get on it!! If wifey supports it there really isn't any reason not to do it this weekend!

Wonder if there would be any interest in here in a beer swap?

We're at the beach this week and I'm getting my fill of Coors Light and Corona. Definitely need to brew some of the good stuff. For the new-to-brew, Aust's system is simply awesome. You can get started brewing beer with much less and get great results. If you do ales you can ferment in a basement (70 degrees is just fine). It's the lagers that ferment in a refrigerator. I'm a little embarrassed to say after seeing Aust's system that I paid $50 for my initial brew kit 15 years ago ... and still have it.

Aust1227

08-05-2008, 10:10 AM

You can get started brewing beer with much less and get great results. If you do ales you can ferment in a basement (70 degrees is just fine). It's the lagers that ferment in a refrigerator. I'm a little embarrassed to say after seeing Aust's system that I paid $50 for my initial brew kit 15 years ago ... and still have it.

Wifey and I started small too. But, I have a tendency to overdue things. And this whole system really stimulated my brain.. So we kept brainstorming, and drawing, and we ended up with an all electric fully automated system!! Certainly more than you need. But it is fun!!

Doctor_XXX

08-08-2008, 02:08 PM

First post here...finally taking a break from Keen's place. Good to see all of the familiar faces!
</end thread jack>

Just starting to check out THE CAVE, but was drawn to this thread immediately. I brew, and have been doing so since 1990. Good stuff! One of my latest batches "won" a regional category in the latest Samuel Adams Longshot's contest: http://samueladams.com/promotions/LongShot/winners.aspx See the 2008 contest, San Francisco Region, Category 11 - English Brown Ale...yep, THAT'S ME! :D

Again, GREETINGS! As I check out more of the Cave sections, I'm sure I get to posting more! This place REALLY looks good!!! ;)

Aust1227

08-08-2008, 02:25 PM

Nice. Well done in the competition.. I am the registrar for an upcoming competition here in Florida "Sunshine Challenge", send your stuff down, and an extra for me and wifey!!

doughboy63

08-08-2008, 06:45 PM

Aust, can you point me in the right direction as far as educating myself on brewing, and where to pickup a "starter" type kit. I have seen Mr Beer, but that can't be a good setup.

Zemo

08-10-2008, 05:06 PM

Aust, can you point me in the right direction as far as educating myself on brewing, and where to pickup a "starter" type kit. I have seen Mr Beer, but that can't be a good setup.

Likewise. Nice setup Aust! I've been wanting to try my hand at homebrewing for a while. I'm sure I'll be picking your brain a bit in teh future, as well as one of the Buds that plays in my regular game. He had me over to a very small game at his house and gave me a few glasses of the beer he brews and I have to say it was one of the best beers I've ever had, and I've had a lot of different beers, LOL. He also had some Mead that he made which was also fantastic.

IgotDANUTZ

08-10-2008, 06:31 PM

Doctor_XXX

08-10-2008, 11:24 PM

Ummmmmmmm. Not quite sure how to respond to that. :confused:

Aust1227

08-11-2008, 07:24 AM

Ok Ive really started to like beer the past few months. I cant get into all the different things so its bud or miller lite for me. Can you brew you own stuff that tastes like bud or miller??????? I think it would be cool to brew your own and slap some custom lables on it.

You may have hit a nerve with the homebrewers with this comment. Typically we home brew to get away from the BudMillerCoors (BMC)..

But, to answer your question... Brewing a light American lager (BMC) is actually very difficult. Because these beers have so little (if any) flavor there is nothing to hide or mask any mistakes you make along the way. Also, because they are lagers, your fermenting temperature has to be considerably lower than any room in your home (including basement), but higher than your standard fridge.. So, IF you wanted to, and i don't know why you would, you can TRY replicating BMC, but it is probably the most difficult to emulate..

syklopz

08-14-2008, 10:09 AM

You may have hit a nerve with the homebrewers with this comment. Typically we home brew to get away from the BudMillerCoors (BMC)..

But, to answer your question... Brewing a light American lager (BMC) is actually very difficult. Because these beers have so little (if any) flavor there is nothing to hide or mask any mistakes you make along the way. Also, because they are lagers, your fermenting temperature has to be considerably lower than any room in your home (including basement), but higher than your standard fridge.. So, IF you wanted to, and i don't know why you would, you can TRY replicating BMC, but it is probably the most difficult to emulate..

Aust is correct, and more to the point why would you want to brew you own version of the BMC.

Johnny Francis

08-15-2008, 06:06 PM

Hi guys,

nice to see a topic about home brew here...

I own two wine/beer making store (Im in quebec, canada) and when new customers are asking me if they can brew Miller, Bud and Coors Lite kind of beer, I tell them that homebrewing will not be for them...lol and Im trying to convince them to instead make their own wine...

Very few people brew like the OP here, we almost all use pre-made beer kits, add some corn sugar, yeast and voila! 20-30 days later, the beer is ready to be bottled or kegged... I think its a lot easier this way and you can make more variety in smaller quantity...

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x105/YellowLeader25/kit.jpg

JF

Aust1227

08-17-2008, 08:53 AM

Hi guys,

Very few people brew like the OP here, we almost all use pre-made beer kits, add some corn sugar, yeast and voila! 20-30 days later, the beer is ready to be bottled or kegged... I think its a lot easier this way and you can make more variety in smaller quantity...

JF

Blech.... Go big or go home!! Everyone should design and make their own electric brew rig. It tests the brain, and gives you wood when done!!

Zemo

08-17-2008, 09:14 AM

Blech.... Go big or go home!! Everyone should design and make their own electric brew rig. It tests the brain, and gives you wood when done!!

OH YEAH BABY, screw those political threads, now were gonna have a down and dirty "Home Brew" flame war!

Johnny Francis

08-18-2008, 08:58 AM

ahah yeah yeah... I would like to blind test your taste buds between one of yours and one of my beer... then we could see who tested his brain the most...

Aust1227

08-18-2008, 10:45 AM

ahah yeah yeah... I would like to blind test your taste buds between one of yours and one of my beer... then we could see who tested his brain the most...

Whoa.. Easy there fella. Lets not start pissing in each others cherios. Your negativity isn't really welcome in this thread.

fubar32

08-18-2008, 11:34 AM

I will throw myself on this grenade and bravely volunteer to be an impartial judge in the brewing (hahaha - get it?) war here.

Each of you please send me a 6-pack of your best homebrew and I'll let everyone know whose beer really is better.

:D

-mike

j p frog

08-18-2008, 01:26 PM

ahah yeah yeah... I would like to blind test your taste buds between one of yours and one of my beer... then we could see who tested his brain the most...

why the anamosity? this is a friendly site exchanging ideas. Geez!

Johnny Francis

08-18-2008, 02:02 PM

Blech.... Go big or go home!! Everyone should design and make their own electric brew rig. It tests the brain, and gives you wood when done!!

woooaa dont jump on me Im not the one who started it...

Aust1227, your the one who told me to go big or go home...???

I wasnt posting on the other forum a lot but I was reading A LOT, now I decide I want to be part of the posting group... so its pretty much the first time I say what I think and you guys tell me my negativity is not welcome bla bla..common there is no negativity in my posts... I'm just saying/replying to the guy that tells me to go back home if i dont want to brew beer his way...

I just dont see any animosity in my post...sorry (there was an "haha" before my phrase btw...)

Doctor_XXX

08-18-2008, 02:29 PM

(there was an "haha" before my phrase btw...)
Actually, there is a "ahah" before your post. Looks a little different, and, kinda sounds like it has a different meaning than "haha".:mrgreen:

Johnny Francis

08-18-2008, 02:33 PM

Actually, there is a "ahah" before your post. Looks a little different, and, kinda sounds like it has a different meaning than "haha".:mrgreen:

arrhhggg Im french speaking so thats the reason Im messing it up between the ahah and the hahas... LOL

Aust1227

08-18-2008, 04:47 PM

As you must know from reading a while this really isn't the kind of site where someone typically says..

"Hey there, nice project, but a waste of time.. You could have done ______ so much easier."...

Most of us don't really care what is easier, or cheaper. We are in it for the journey! So when others rain on our journey we get a little defensive.

Johnny Francis

08-18-2008, 04:51 PM

Im cool with that, I was just trying to relate your topic to my way of making brew... my bad if I did it in a clumsy way

peace

Blake

08-19-2008, 02:56 PM

I've tried pre-made beer kits...bleck...can't speak too highly of them. I pefer to brew from recipes and grains BUT if you want a "kit" check out www.midwestsupplies.com they make their own "kits" that are actually from scratch recipes that they just put all the parts in the box for you. None of this single can of syrup you dump in boiling water crap. They also sell about ANYTHING you could want for homebrew and wine making. They are also very helpful on the phone if you need a hand. I've had to call them a few times with simple questions and they were more than willing to help out.

Johnny Francis

08-20-2008, 03:21 PM

I was refering to beer boxes, not the canned one... Here is an example :

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x105/YellowLeader25/baron.jpg

Those kits of wort are a lot better than the canned ones since they are less concetrated. They even include a special add pack of finishing hop pellets, allowing dry-hopping for extra aroma and a further hint of flavor.

JF

bobjenkins79

08-22-2008, 04:37 PM

Homebrewing is a lot like having sex with a beautiful woman. It's a whole lot of fun while you're doing it, and then afterwards you sit around and talk about it with your buddies. Also, no matter how many times you do it, you'll always want to do it again.

It's also a lot like a woman in the way it can take all of your money away. I've found that when brewing beer one can spend as much or as little money as he wants to and still have a quality brew in the end.

I've been brewing for about 2 years now. This year a buddy & I even started growing our own hops. Tread lightly into this hobby my friends, it can take over your whole mind.......like a woman. :)

Aust1227

08-23-2008, 12:37 PM

Lets see the hop garden pics.. Gardening is my other big hobby. I planted some this spring. Pictures to follow. I am sitting here right now brewing an AHR Hop IPA.. With completely grown here hops... AHR = Austin Hardy & Renee... Also sounds like our, which they are...

bobjenkins79

08-23-2008, 02:06 PM

Presently I'm without the ability to post pics. Hop growing is pretty simple though, they just need a lot of sun and some water. I train mine vertically on a 20 ft trellis using bailing twine. When I get my home pc back I should be able to show some pics of the trellising system.

BTW, I love a good IPA. I don't know if you have access to Schlafly where you live, but they've got a really good dry-hopped APA you should try.

Doctor_XXX

09-18-2008, 05:26 PM

Brewed up four batches over the weekend (English Brown Ale, American Ale, Double IPA, and a Honey Wheat). All are fermenting nicely (and LOUDLY :o ).

No, I didn't take any pictures...I'm a freakin' moron. I played Hold 'Em at the local casino last Friday night until almost dawn, then headed over to my Dad's place for the brew-a-thon a few hours later on Saturday morning. I forgot steeping bags...and my camera. I was very, very tired that day. Whatcha gonna do? :rolleyes:

More updates after we bottle at the end of the month. (We are bottling instead of kegging so we can split the batches up a little easier). I can almost taste them, now.

Aust1227

09-19-2008, 07:41 AM

Four beers, one session? Good god! That is insane. All grain or partial?

Doctor_XXX

09-19-2008, 11:34 AM

Yeah. Totally insane. Tell me about it. :rolleyes:

My Dad brewed ONE batch with me about a year ago (the one that won the small award in the 2008 Samuel Adams homebrew contest deal). Anyway, as we both get "older" (damn, it pains me to say that!) I generally find it more & more valuable to spend time with him, doing what HE enjoys...you know, before one of our times run out. Anywho...

We setup a small brew session for last weekend, maybe a month or so in advance. He asks if he can have some of HIS friends come over, to see how it is done, drink a few, etc. I'm thinking, sure...that's cool. As you can see, it turns into a four batch free-for-all, with one other guy having enough experience where he can do some of the ingredient additions, timing, temperature readings, etc. We do three at the same time, and I hit the fourth as we are racking the first one finished into a carboy. Oh yeah...did I fail to mention that ALL of them are drinking pretty heavily, and eating a ton of good food, like an end-of-summer type party, watching (f@&^ing) Michigan lose to (f^&%ing) Notre Dame and screwing around by the pool? And that I couldn't really partake, because I was keeping my eyes on three boiling kettles, adding hops and whatnot? Can you tell that I'm bitter? ;) Throw in the fact that I was up until just a few hours earlier playing cards, and it all made for a long, hot, tiring day.

It should be worth it, though, once we get it all bottled and ready to drink. The double IPA is the one I'm most interested in...we'll see how it tastes. It really LOOKS good, so far.

All four batches were partial grain/extract, so it was certainly a bit easier, but...man, even though I have the hardware to do four at once, I don't think I'll ever try that again! :mad::mad::mad:

bobjenkins79

09-19-2008, 05:35 PM

Holy shitballs!! That is just way too much to juggle for one brew session. How the F do you keep everything sterilized?

Doctor_XXX

09-20-2008, 12:02 AM

Everything was in a clean state beforehand (carboys, equipment, tools, etc.) so it wasn't a big deal. We used what we needed during the brews, then transfered the wort to the clean carboys one at a time, adding yeast and dry hops as needed. Honestly, once it got going, it was "OK", but more work than fun, that's for sure. I've got a lot of experience under my belt (almost 20 years) of home brewing, so I think everything was safe/clean enough...but you bring up a good point. We'll see how they turn out in a few weeks! Hopefully none were contaminated or spoiled in any way! :cool:

Since they want to bottle it all, that should be a real treat, sterilizing 200 or so bottles, and then filling/capping/labeling them all. UGH. :rolleyes:

tele_pathic

09-21-2008, 12:07 AM

Damn, that puts my Mr.Beer beer keg to shame. I brewed some good beer with it, but haven't had the time for quite some time.

TP

Aust1227

10-17-2008, 11:25 AM

Time to brew another batch this weekend. Any ideas out there? I did an ESB two weeks ago, and last weekend I did an oatmeal stout... Probably something hoppy this time.

j p frog

10-17-2008, 12:16 PM

jalapeno beer

Doctor_XXX

10-17-2008, 12:42 PM

Double IPA (in the Stone Ruination or A.B. theme). It takes some extra work with all of the hop additions, but you know it will be worth it.

We bottled my DIPA last week, and I got a little (warm, flat) beer in my mouth during the siphoning. Man, was it good! Can't wait for the bottle carbonation to finish up, so I can throw one in the fridge and ENJOY!!! :cool:

gator20

12-15-2008, 05:05 PM

this thread has really got me going....I told my girlfriend when the"What do you want for Christmas" question came up, I wanted to start brewing. we are doing researchonline to see what direction to go.

Thanks for all th input guys

Will keep you posted.

doughboy63

12-16-2008, 07:42 AM

^^^^^^^ I thought I recall you saying you don't drink? Maybe I am wrong, but why brew if you don't drink? How will you judge if your brew came out well? Not criticizing, just curious.

Aust1227

12-16-2008, 09:43 AM

Gator,
Google for a local home brew store or drive to Austin and go to Austin Home brew.. Talk to the guys there. THey will be very helpful. Figure out how much of a hobby you want to make of it..

My advice... Skip the bottling and go right to kegging. Other than that, it is all good and fun!

Irish

12-27-2008, 01:15 PM

Woo hoo! Ran my first brew day yesterday, I think it went pretty well. I brewed an Irish Red Ale from a partial grain/extract kit. It's been in my primary fermenter and the airlock is happily bubbling away. It was a little cool yesterday so I stayed inside and brewed in the kitchen - and probably for the last time because the wifey didn't appreciate the wonderful aroma permeating through the house all day. :D

I followed the basic steps from Palmer's "How to Brew" (online version) with the hop timing from the recipe kit. A quick recap:

*Cleaned/sanitized all the equipment
*Boiled 3 gallons of water, cooled and poured into fermenting bucket
*Heated 3 more gallons of water to around 150-160F, steeped grains in muslin bag for 30 minutes
*Removed grain bag, added extract, brought a rolling boil
*Added 1 oz cascade bittering hops, boiled for 1 hour
*Added 1 oz of fuggle aroma hops for the last few minutes of the boil
*Removed from heat, dunked brew pot in an ice bath to cool of the wort (took about 15-18 minutes to get it down to 80F)
*Poured wort into fermenter to mix with water, dumped the wort back and forth between fermenting buckets to aerate.
*Added rehydrated & proofed yeast to fermenter, closed lid and put the air lock into place.

I used dry Lallemand Nottingham Ale yeast this time around so I can put the bucket in the basement after the main fermenting phase is finished. That particular yeast is supposed to be good at cooler temperatures, and my basement runs about 63-65F in the winter. I didn't want the yeast to go dormant on me.

A quick question for you experienced brewers. After I cooled the wort, I had a lot of trouble separating out the fine suspended particles. I'd let it sit for a while, but it didn't seem to want to settle. I tried pouring through a strainer, but it very quickly clogged up and became impractical. Did I do something wrong or not wait long enough? All the instructions I read said to quickly get the wort cooled and in the fermenter as soon as possible to reduce the chance of infection. I'm going to be transferring to a secondary better bottle after a week, so I'm hoping it all settles out and I get a good clear beer when I rack into that.

Doctor_XXX

12-27-2008, 07:22 PM

A quick question for you experienced brewers. After I cooled the wort, I had a lot of trouble separating out the fine suspended particles. I'd let it sit for a while, but it didn't seem to want to settle. I tried pouring through a strainer, but it very quickly clogged up and became impractical. Did I do something wrong or not wait long enough? All the instructions I read said to quickly get the wort cooled and in the fermenter as soon as possible to reduce the chance of infection. I'm going to be transferring to a secondary better bottle after a week, so I'm hoping it all settles out and I get a good clear beer when I rack into that.
More detailed info later, but...in short...you'll be fine. When you get ready to bottle/keg your finished brew (or if you are using a secondary fermenter), just rack it over to another container CAREFULLY, leaving most of the solids behind. After it sits for a couple of weeks fermenting, most of the solid stuff (not all) will fall out of solution and lay on the bottom. Don't stir it up, and you'll end up with a pretty clear brew. You did right by not wasting too much time "filtering" it early on...you want to get it cooled down & sealed up as quickly as possible at that point, even if some solids remain.

Congrats on your first batch! :cool:

gator20

01-04-2009, 10:48 AM

Joe Mama

02-06-2009, 03:54 PM

OK....as I said before my girlfriend was going to get me going. She decided not to because I can be very particular on my equipment. So I ask you, which of these setups is better? Are either of these a good starter set? Im not the type that want to start with the MR. Beer crap.
Thanks

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6877

http://morebeer.com/view_product/15915/102142/Personal_Home_Brewery_%235_-_Kegging_Super_Deluxe

Whoah! Both of those have way more than you will need to get you *started* on homebrewing. You will find yourself spending more on cooler and bigger stuff for your endeavor. (See obsession)
Take a gander at homebrewtalk.com that was my next step after getting some ideas from this place. They are WONDERFUL over there and will definitely get you on your way to homebrewing.

Also one more thing - I havent heard too many good things about Morebeer and their communication when stuff isnt in stock. Midwest has great prices (but makes up for it in shipping) but no complaints from them.
Hope this helps!
-Me

Irish

02-07-2009, 10:19 AM

Crap, sorry gator I completely missed this thread. I bought a starter kit from midwest that was similar to what you have there, I think mine was the "intermediate" kit & had all of that minus the kegging equip. If you have any inclination that you're going to stick with the hobby, that's a great kit. I brewed my first batch the day after Christmas and bottled about 3 weeks ago, so it's almost ready to drink. But the bottling was a bit of a pain, so the keg system in that package is a nice upgrade. My only other recommendation would be to try to substitute in the better bottles instead of the glass carboys. I did that with my kit and was very happy, the better bottles are ridiculously light and easy to handle and clean.