MUScoop
MUScoop => The Superbar => Topic started by: #UnleashSean on May 09, 2018, 09:41:47 PM
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I've thought about starting to brew beer, anyone know anything about it? Been looking at buying this: https://www.amazon.com/Northern-Brewer-Homebrew-Brewing-Starter/dp/B0179ZH89Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1525919215&sr=8-4&keywords=brewing+kit
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Tried it while really drunk and forgot to add the yeast. I cannot emphasize how important that is
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I've been homebrewing for over 25 years. Northern Brewer is a solid supplier and I'm fortunate they have a store in West Allis.
If you are in Milwaukee or the Twin Cities where NB is based they also provide classes on brewing. You can also order directly from their website and they will ship to you, don't know if the prices are any different than on Amazon.
That starter kit looks like all you need to get started, I prefer to use 5 gallon glass carboys for fermenters instead of those pails but it's a start.
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Or ya kan just talk ta Gary Ellerson @ WSSP and he will hook ya up wit his good friends at Northern Brewer, hey?
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Do a couple kits, get your feet wet. When you're up for it, graduate to all-grain. It makes a difference in the quality of what you can do. I'm amazed by how good it can turn out.
Keep it clean.
Bible: How To Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time - Palmer
Get it, best reference book available.
I like Randy Mosher's thinking about brewing. I have done a couple from his Radical Brewing book.
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I've been homebrewing for over 25 years. Northern Brewer is a solid supplier and I'm fortunate they have a store in West Allis.
If you are in Milwaukee or the Twin Cities where NB is based they also provide classes on brewing. You can also order directly from their website and they will ship to you, don't know if the prices are any different than on Amazon.
That starter kit looks like all you need to get started, I prefer to use 5 gallon glass carboys for fermenters instead of those pails but it's a start.
They also have a starter kit with the Glass ones. But it runs an extra 70 or so dollars. Is it worth doing? Also might take a run today to West Allis to look in their store.
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They also have a starter kit with the Glass ones. But it runs an extra 70 or so dollars. Is it worth doing? Also might take a run today to West Allis to look in their store.
If you end up brewing regularly I would maybe start adding glass carboys later. I think I have 8 now, it's nice to have several for secondary fermenters so your equipment isn't tied up until you bottle/keg a batch.
Most of my carboys were picked up whenever I came across them at rummage sales for just a few $ each, a lot cheaper than the $35 NB gets for them.
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Do a couple kits, get your feet wet. When you're up for it, graduate to all-grain. It makes a difference in the quality of what you can do. I'm amazed by how good it can turn out.
Keep it clean.
Bible: How To Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time - Palmer
Get it, best reference book available.
I like Randy Mosher's thinking about brewing. I have done a couple from his Radical Brewing book.
Nice thing with all grain beer is that 4never won't steal any. aina.
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Ah-huh, that's right, hey?
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Beer is one of those things like honey and barbecue sauce that it is just so easy to buy at the corner store. I saw Alton Brown sterilizing bottles and taking weeks to make a 12 pack and decided home brewing is not in my cards.
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Beer is one of those things like honey and barbecue sauce that it is just so easy to buy at the corner store. I saw Alton Brown sterilizing bottles and taking weeks to make a 12 pack and decided home brewing is not in my cards.
you're right, to a point
but I can brew a bit over 2 cases (5 gallons) of Zombie Dust for a fraction of what I could buy it for IF I would have access to purchasing more than single bottles at the store whenever they happen to come in
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Beer is one of those things like honey and barbecue sauce that it is just so easy to buy at the corner store. I saw Alton Brown sterilizing bottles and taking weeks to make a 12 pack and decided home brewing is not in my cards.
It is a lot of fun but unless you have a lot of friends who will help you out with your supply, prepare to drink a lot of the same style for a while. I have brewed a good number of times but have fallen off because I started getting sick of the same thing over and over. Depending where you live, agree with the above. Not always worth it.
That being said, it is a very good time to crack a few and make an afternoon out of it. Drinking what you have created and enjoying it was a big sense of pride for me.
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you're right, to a point
but I can brew a bit over 2 cases (5 gallons) of Zombie Dust for a fraction of what I could buy it for IF I would have access to purchasing more than single bottles at the store whenever they happen to come in
Good point. There are a ton of recipes online where people have made clones of famous hard to get beers from around the world. Worth checking out if you have a hard to get favorite that doesn't involve barrel aging or wacky brewing processes.
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Barrel aging manhattans is much easier.
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brewing my first now. Lets see how is goes.
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I recommend checking out Spike Brewing. Located in MKE and great products for home brewing. Started and owned by a great young guy.
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Good point. There are a ton of recipes online where people have made clones of famous hard to get beers from around the world. Worth checking out if you have a hard to get favorite that doesn't involve barrel aging or wacky brewing processes.
It's pretty simple to make clones of barrel aged beers as well, just soak charred oak spirals in bourbon and add to your batch of stout.
I recommend checking out Spike Brewing. Located in MKE and great products for home brewing. Started and owned by a great young guy.
WOW! No wonder I haven't heard of them, that's commercial equipment starting at $5K for a 10 gallon system. Overkill for almost every homebrewer.
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you're right, to a point
but I can brew a bit over 2 cases (5 gallons) of Zombie Dust for a fraction of what I could buy it for IF I would have access to purchasing more than single bottles at the store whenever they happen to come in
I feel like Zombie Dust over the last 6-12 months has become pretty readily available. Not sure if they increased production or if demand has settled, or maybe both?
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I feel like Zombie Dust over the last 6-12 months has become pretty readily available. Not sure if they increased production or if demand has settled, or maybe both?
Don't live in the midwest anymore, but as of the last time I was there a couple years ago, they were about to go live with a decent expansion.
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Love home brewing, and I think the kit you got is fine. You can always get out of hand later (like I did).
Next item I want to purchase is a steel conical fermentor.
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Does anyone here have experience with growing hops? I'm curious to know which strains are hearty enough to thrive in/withstand Milwaukee's climate.
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Does anyone here have experience with growing hops? I'm curious to know which strains are hearty enough to thrive in/withstand Milwaukee's climate.
You can usually find quite a few hop varieties at local greenhouses. Many grow readily in Milwaukee's climate. Easiest to find are Cascade, and they are used in quite a few APA's. Soon you will find yourself with more hops than you know what to do with!
Southern exposure btw
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You can usually find quite a few hop varieties at local greenhouses. Many grow readily in Milwaukee's climate. Easiest to find are Cascade, and they are used in quite a few APA's. Soon you will find yourself with more hops than you know what to do with!
Southern exposure btw
Also, they won't be great for brewing until year 3. You can do it the 1st 2 years but the alpha acids are much lower with young plants. Hops plants are best years 3-7 for brewing. And yes, you can grow many types in Wisconsin, just get good rhizomes at your local brew & grow. Also make sure to have your stings in place once your plants start to grow.
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Waldo
You must have found a different Spike Brewing. Their product is for home brewing and priced competitively in the marketplace. They are a client of mine and a great company.
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Waldo
You must have found a different Spike Brewing. Their product is for home brewing and priced competitively in the marketplace. They are a client of mine and a great company.
Spike makes very high end equipment and not for your average brewer, especially for beginners. I've known many other homebrewers that tried their hand at it when it was a huge fad and now their equipment goes unused. No way I would suggest to a beginner to start with Spike goods unless I get an invite to his rummage sale after the shine wears off his new hobby.
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Waldo
Thanks for the support. I thought us Scoopers hung together😎
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Curious if anyone has tried their hand with a still to make whiskey? With the popularity of Moonshiners and availability of still kits on the internet....
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Curious if anyone has tried their hand with a still to make whiskey? With the popularity of Moonshiners and availability of still kits on the internet....
So curious to this. Homebrew never interested me, shining however does.
Part of my lot is an acre of dense woods that blend into a larger tract of village woods and wetlands next to me. So, I've got that going for me, which is nice.
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So curious to this. Homebrew never interested me, shining however does.
Part of my lot is an acre of dense woods that blend into a larger tract of village woods and wetlands next to me. So, I've got that going for me, which is nice.
So, is the making of any moonshine illegal, or can you make a small amount legally for personal consumption. I recently met some one from Green Bay area who makes his own corn liquor.
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I'm pretty sure you need a permit to distill. Things can get expensive and EXPLOSIVE.
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I've toyed with the idea of making whisky but don't have the patience to age it for years.
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I've toyed with the idea of making whisky but don't have the patience to age it for years.
Bathtub gin, aina?
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I'm pretty sure you need a permit to distill. Things can get expensive and EXPLOSIVE.
Just looked into it, permit is correct. Both Wisconsin and Illinois.
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Anyone selling old equipment? Im hooked.
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Anyone selling old equipment? Im hooked.
LOL. Yeah man, take it slowly. You can make some pretty good stuff just screwing around in your basement. If you're looking for a few items that will help your brewing, I can suggest some items. I'm sure others can suggest things too.
Here is my first suggestion:
https://smile.amazon.com/HomeBrewStuff-Copper-Immersion-Wort-Chiller/dp/B00Q0JZX2K/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1527341874&sr=8-19&keywords=wort+chiller
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One could consider something like applejack in the wintertime - make your own hard cider, then just leave outside and scoop the ice off. Wouldn't recommend getting hammered on the stuff, but might be the easiest first attempt.