Getting back into beer brewing

[MaryB]

Decided that the cost of good ales is insane so I am going to get back into brewing but reduced size batches. I did get the Northern Brewer 1 gallon batch setup but I am thinking about the 3 gallon brew in a bag all grain setup they sell. Has anyone tried the brew in a bag setup is my question? 5 gallon batches are to hard on my spine for lifting plus I do not drunk that much anymore 2-3 beers a day would be max except on holidays. I did all grain brews back in the 80's with a friend and at one point we were keeping 5+ families in beer. But I moved to far away to share the setup so she bought me out. Last I heard her and her husband(who helped us with the really heavy lifting like a full 15 gallon pot) were thinking of opening a microbrewery.

I have a batch of Caribou Slobber fermenting. It is a partial grain brew kit Northern Brewer sells. I need ot pick up a couple more 1 gallon fermenters so I can have 3-4 batches going at once!

[Outer Rondacker]

Its fun. Not so cheap anymore. I have not used the bag setup you talked about. Look into a tower set up. This will keep you from having to lift much of anything.I have made all my own items needed. Used a Keg works good for a cook pot. Heck I have friends who started with a new turkey fryer and pot on it. Toss in a large drink cooler and home made wort chiller from a roll of copper pipe and presto.

[Taylor]

Mary if you were close I could give you a lot of equipment.I have it all.But I always used grain.Even my recipes!

[nagantguy]

Welcome back to brew your own, yes a tower set up will save your back. But think on this as well, doing a five gallon set up does not mean you MUST brew 5 gallons at a time., for sample and practice batches we've had good luck with Mr beer counter top kits. I know last know, flame me later but when we moved to the apartment before we bought the farm mr. Beer did good work for us, we'd never ever use the plastic bottles it comes with. But for small emails you moved controlled batches I'd rate Mr beer a 7.4 out of 10.

[Pipefitter]

I have always used malt extract with flavor grains, (mostly crystal malt, but some chocolate or black malt as well), and I only have to move about 45-50 lbs at a time. Water weighs 8.3 lbs/gallon so a five gallon batch weighs 41.5 lbs plus the weight of the container and the ingredients. I really enjoy an IPA, 3# of light dry malt extract, 3# of amber dry malt extract, 1/2 to 1# of 80* crystal malt, 12-18 HBU of bittering hops, and 1-1 1/2 oz of flavor and aroma hops.

I also got real tired of washing bottles so I bought 5 gallon soda kegs and a keggerator, makes bottling day much quicker.

[N4AUD]

I've done malt extract kits, made up my own recipes with extract, went to extract/grain recipes and finally to all grain recipes. Pipefitter is right about the soda kegs, so much easier than bottling. Haven't brewed in a while though, this might light a fire under me to start brewing again.

[44man]

I have a funny place to brew. I do all grain and mash in the kitchen, found a big, square Coleman cooler does best keeping things going. I replaced the push button valve with a better one and put slotted copper tubing in the bottom. It is not that heavy and I can carry to the basement to sparge. Right through the cooler. Water heats to sparge in the basement with a bucket and a water heater coil with a thermostat on it. A cover lid keeps moisture down.
As I get the sparge it goes in a pony keg with the top cut out but not too heavy so I can carry up to the garage where I boil. I keep the sparge going into another bucket so I can carry up and add to the pot. Mostly wind up with 7 gal to boil. Have to watch it as it comes to heat and stir the foam down or it will boil over. Keg is pretty full. Now I need to get the beer back to the basement to filter and cool so it also goes in stages. I run through a paint strainer bag from Sherwin-Williams paint store, $1 a bag but they last and last.
I would love to buy a tower setup but they cost too much.
One thing I need help with is getting the hop aroma and flavor I want. Never seems to be there no matter what hops or how much I use. I can get bitter but never what you get popping a good beer.
I also use pop kegs, no more bottles and all the work.
Next thing is how to get beer stone out of kegs.
maybe some can help out here.

[Taylor]

44man,are you in Tennessee?

[hoosierlogger]

I have been brewing beer latley. I started with boil in bag, but went to an insulated drink cooler to lauter in. Bag works good, just don't let it touch the bottom of the pot...... Go ahead ask why. Lol. I'm still bottling beer because of the lack of space.

[44man]

44man,are you in Tennessee?

No, eastern panhandle of WV, near Harpers Ferry but have been known to make 100 proof smooth as silk.

[Pipefitter]

Next thing is how to get beer stone out of kegs.
maybe some can help out here.


Try a solution of citric acid and hot distilled water, should remove the beer stone and passivate the stainless steel at the same time.

[KLR]

Has anyone tried the brew in a bag setup is my question?

I have. I used the following method for 3.5 gallon batches. It works fine.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=90132

[44man]

I have been brewing beer latley. I started with boil in bag, but went to an insulated drink cooler to lauter in. Bag works good, just don't let it touch the bottom of the pot...... Go ahead ask why. Lol. I'm still bottling beer because of the lack of space.

Bottles drove me nuts and they take up a LOT of space.
I have a few hints about water. I get mine from a spring and you can drink right out of it. My well water is full of limestone and hardly converts. The spring water will convert in less then an hour.
I use B Brite to sterilize and once clean, NEVER rinse with house water or well water. Drip dry.
NEVER add cold house water to cool beer, boil and cool first. All extract recipes say to add cold water to bring to the amount, please don't. ONLY boiled water or the nasties will spoil all your work.
I was getting spoiled beer and it was from rinsing.

[MaryB]

Brewing for one person so it doesn't pay to keg... bottles will keep better and be less hassle! And 5 gallons is over my 20 pound lifting limit. I get away with 35 once a day filling the corn stove but even that is a challenge some days!2 bad shoulders, 2 bad wrists, and a really bad back say take it easy! With a brew tower there is still a lot of lifting and over my shoulder height at that! We had one back in the 80's in 1/2 a garage that had been turned into a microbrewery and you still need to get stuff to the top level of a 3 level tower... sure it was lifting the pot mainly but I want to get away from that! If I do a 3 gallon tower stuff would be a lot lower to the ground, I could use standard burners, and it will be easier to fit in a corner of the garage! I may wall off a room for brewing and meat processing down the road.

[Blackwater]

I've made a lot of wine, but never got into beer. If Mary will indulge an intrusive question, my Dad made some homebrew long ago, and drinking one of those bottles (@ 10 oz. at the time) was like eating a meal, it was so filling. What was it that made it so filling? Flavor was heavenly, too, even for a kid who wasn't used to beer at the time.

[Moonie]

I have a couple of 3 gallon better bottles, they are much lighter than glass and work very well. I do keg as I was given kegging equipment by a good friend. I have 2 5 gallon pony kegs.

[MaryB]

Home made beer usually has a lot more malt than your typical mass produced beer that fills out the grain bill with rice or corn.That is what gives it that mouth feel of being substantial instead of thin and watery like say Budweiser...

I've made a lot of wine, but never got into beer. If Mary will indulge an intrusive question, my Dad made some homebrew long ago, and drinking one of those bottles (@ 10 oz. at the time) was like eating a meal, it was so filling. What was it that made it so filling? Flavor was heavenly, too, even for a kid who wasn't used to beer at the time.

[44man]

A friend gave me a bottle of Bud light on day, I almost spit it out. I won't buy any Bud.
Now another friend has to drink light beer and some he brings is really good.

[Outer Rondacker]

If anyone I ever serve a homemade beer to ask for a light beer, I just add half water or ice. This part I hate to say but they still love it and think it is great!

[Blackwater]

Thanks, Mary. I wondered if that might be it, but having no real experience with it myself, I had to ask. It was truly the very BEST beer I've ever had in my life, bar none! I may have to give this a try. Haven't made any wine in several years now, but have enough car boys to do 26 or 28 gal. at a time. Just haven't put it to use. I miss that home made wine, too. Never had any go to vinegar yet, eihter, but good flavored vinegars would be really appreciated too, if I ever do. My one failure was an effort at watermellon wine. That stuff was just plain NASTY, and I never could get the sediment to fall out completely. Obviously, I did something wrong. Still have some, just packed away to see what it'd wind up doing over time. It hasn't helped! At ALL! Still just as nasty as at first! Next time, if there is one (and there well may be), I'll read up on it more!

I'm supposed to shy away from beer now, but it sure does hit the spot in our hot, muggy summers! I don't drink when I fish - I can either fish or drink, but not both at the same time - but when I get the boat up on the trailer, and head home, it used to be a ritual to grab a really cold beer from the chest and sip it on the way home. Now that they're so dang strict on open containers in a vehicle, and DUI's, I've just let that little pleasure go, as I have some others, but I'll always miss that ice cold beer on the way home with a cooler or live well full of fish to clean when I get back. I think it was Ben Franklin, wasn't it, who said "Beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to be happy?" I'm not much of a drinker, but when I do, I surely do enjoy it. A good beer at the right time and place is like scratching a really good itch. It just makes ya' go "Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!"