Making first homebrew this weekend...

[cryano]

A honey porter kit ordered from northernbrewery. A few guys have some experience with home-brews, so I'll
have help.
There are so many good octoberfest and dopplebocks out right now! Ive never had a home-brew thats been better than what I could have bought at the store, so expectations are low.

 

[76-1]

A honey porter kit ordered from northernbrewery. A few guys have some experience with home-brews, so I'll
have help.
There are so many good octoberfest and dopplebocks out right now! Ive never had a home-brew thats been better than what I could have bought at the store, so expectations are low.

Don't go blind...

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

A honey porter kit ordered from northernbrewery. A few guys have some experience with home-brews, so I'll
have help.
There are so many good octoberfest and dopplebocks out right now! Ive never had a home-brew thats been better than what I could have bought at the store, so expectations are low.

Low expectations and clear drains - excellent choices.

 

[hookyIU1990]

Awesome hobby. It's helped me gain 25lbs and keep it on.

 

[cryano]

Low expectations and clear drains - excellent choices.

clear drains?

 

[cryano]

Don't go blind...

Idkwtm

 

[hurryin76hoosier]

Idkwtm

It means go easy on the 'homebrew' or you might end up with hairy palms.

 

[IU40IU]

A honey porter kit ordered from northernbrewery. A few guys have some experience with home-brews, so I'll
have help.
There are so many good octoberfest and dopplebocks out right now! Ive never had a home-brew thats been better than what I could have bought at the store, so expectations are low.

Buddy of mine and I are about to brew an Oktoberfest. We usually brew IPAs and such. He's the master brewer while I'm the mere assistant but we've brewed some really good stuff. If you're going to stick with it, take detailed notes during the entire process. They can help when you brew again. Have fun!

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

clear drains?

You're gonna want to pour out a lot of home brew.

 

[cryano]

You're gonna want to pour out a lot of home brew.

Ha - thats why I went w a honey porter...I love them but they are hard to find at the store. Figured worth a shot at it. If its no good - I'll have no problem dumping it down the drain.
I dont care for IPA's at all - which are home-brewed a lot it seems.
The Weihenstephaner Festbier out right now is really good - but my tastiest beer out is their Korbinian Dopplebock!

 

[hookyIU1990]

Just keep everything clean and sanitize anything that is going to touch the beer. Malted barley really wants to become beer.

 

[largemouth]

I think I'll just go to the tavern.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

I think I'll just go to the tavern.

Drink a little beer at the tavern, and pick a little more of the working mans blues.

 

[twenty02]

A honey porter kit ordered from northernbrewery. A few guys have some experience with home-brews, so I'll
have help.
There are so many good octoberfest and dopplebocks out right now! Ive never had a home-brew thats been better than what I could have bought at the store, so expectations are low.

If you can't make home brewed beer as good, or better, than available in the store, you are doing it wrong.

Different styles require different methods, but a porter should be able to made good, fairly easily.

The hardest beers to make at home are the ones with the least flavor (like attempting to brew a bud light knockoff, extreme example.....though anyone that's stupid enough for that shouldn't be allowed near brewing equipment).

Are you brewing all grain? Or using extract?

While you can make good beer with extract....it usually has that home-brew tang to it, IMO. And what people usually associate with home brewed beer. NB has pretty quality products, though.

The BIGGEST problem home brewers have is controlling fermentation temp. If you just let that sit in a 70 degree room....it'll end up fermenting at like 78-80 degrees.....and give you some skanky flavors. Hopefully you've got a cool, dark basement to put it.

 

[cryano]

If you can't make home brewed beer as good, or better, than available in the store, you are doing it wrong.

Different styles require different methods, but a porter should be able to made good, fairly easily.

The hardest beers to make at home are the ones with the least flavor (like attempting to brew a bud light knockoff, extreme example.....though anyone that's stupid enough for that shouldn't be allowed near brewing equipment).

Are you brewing all grain? Or using extract?

While you can make good beer with extract....it usually has that home-brew tang to it, IMO. And what people usually associate with home brewed beer. NB has pretty quality products, though.

The BIGGEST problem home brewers have is controlling fermentation temp. If you just let that sit in a 70 degree room....it'll end up fermenting at like 78-80 degrees.....and give you some skanky flavors. Hopefully you've got a cool, dark basement to put it.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/northern-brewer-s-white-house-honey-porter-beer-kit

Extract...
Reading the reviews, I'd like to add more honey...but will probably just follow the kit as its first time.

 

[twenty02]

http://www.northernbrewer.com/northern-brewer-s-white-house-honey-porter-beer-kit

Extract...
Reading the reviews, I'd like to add more honey...but will probably just follow the kit as its first time.

Just give it time. I imagine you are bottle conditioning it? I'd give it 2 weeks in the fermenter, then bottle. Then at least 2 weeks in the bottle. Probably be better at 4-6 weeks in bottle...but I'm sure you'll be eager to try some asap.

You have the Dstar dry yeast?

 

[cryano]

Went well - no boiling over - smelled great w the malted barley and the honey. Tasted pretty good when checked the 1.05 OG.
Now its a waiting game.
Shitty part is Cleaning/Saving bottles for the next few weeks til its ready. But the good part is emptying bottles!

 

[twenty02]

Went well - no boiling over - smelled great w the malted barley and the honey. Tasted pretty good when checked the 1.05 OG.
Now its a waiting game.
Shitty part is Cleaning/Saving bottles for the next few weeks til its ready. But the good part is emptying bottles!

I bottled exactly one batch of beer, before I promptly switched to kegging. PITA.

At least use bomber size bottles, if at all possible.

 

[IU40IU]

I bottled exactly one batch of beer, before I promptly switched to kegging. PITA.

At least use bomber size bottles, if at all possible.

yea kegging is definitely the way to go. we keg ours. never bottled.

 

[biglewexpress]

I use a northern brewer kit, and their recipe kits aren’t bad, I recommend the off the topper recipe kit (double ipa). Also if you’re bottling, age it at least an extra week than it recommends. Once you do a few kits you can create your own beers with whatever ingredients/malt extracts you choose. And yes, kegging is the way to go.

 

[hookyIU1990]

It's a whole lot easier to sanitize that single 5 Gallon can than all those bottles.

 

[cryano]

yea kegging is definitely the way to go. we keg ours. never bottled.

@twenty02 @hookyIU1990
Any links to a kegging system - Id prob expect to make 5 gallons every 2 months or so...

 

[twenty02]

@twenty02 @hookyIU1990
Any links to a kegging system - Id prob expect to make 5 gallons every 2 months or so...

This place has as good as prices as anywhere. There isn't much to them....basically old soda kegs. Make sure you get the right kind (ball lock or pin lock) of disconnects to match whatever type of keg you get.

You'll need tubing, a CO2 tank, and some kind of faucet to serve it. Can be as simple as a plastic picnic style, or a full blown draft tower.



https://www.homebrewing.org/Kegging-Systems_c_457.html

 

[hookyIU1990]

@cryano Where do you live? I've got more corny kegs than I'll ever use. I'd be happy to work out a deal on a couple with some new o-rings.

My first kegging system consisted of an old chest freezer, a johnson temp controller and picnic taps. Buy a small CO2 bottle, it's cheaper in the long run.

This is what mine looked like starting out.

 

[cryano]

@cryano Where do you live? I've got more corny kegs than I'll ever use. I'd be happy to work out a deal on a couple with some new o-rings.

My first kegging system consisted of an old chest freezer, a johnson temp controller and picnic taps. Buy a small CO2 bottle, it's cheaper in the long run.

This is what mine looked like starting out.

New Albany/Jeff

 

[cryano]

This place has as good as prices as anywhere. There isn't much to them....basically old soda kegs. Make sure you get the right kind (ball lock or pin lock) of disconnects to match whatever type of keg you get.

You'll need tubing, a CO2 tank, and some kind of faucet to serve it. Can be as simple as a plastic picnic style, or a full blown draft tower.



https://www.homebrewing.org/Kegging-Systems_c_457.html

I found a local guy selling 2 ball kegs, a tap-rite regulator w 5 lb co2 tank, all the lines and connecters for $120 - so I guess Im all set.
Will prob replace the beer lines w new ones - sanitize all the kegs/fittings etc. and should be good to go.
Brewing another beer this Sunday - Caribou Slobber - to have 2 keg options...
Seems too easy - what am I missing?

 

[hookyIU1990]

Replace the rings on the posts and the lids. Get some food grade silicone and a treadmill too. You're set after that.

 

[twenty02]

I found a local guy selling 2 ball kegs, a tap-rite regulator w 5 lb co2 tank, all the lines and connecters for $120 - so I guess Im all set.
Will prob replace the beer lines w new ones - sanitize all the kegs/fittings etc. and should be good to go.
Brewing another beer this Sunday - Caribou Slobber - to have 2 keg options...
Seems too easy - what am I missing?

Sounds like a good deal. Do some research on force carbing. I make IPAs and such that are grain to glass in 10 days....so I like to carb it up fast (48 hours). But you've got to be careful doing that, you can easily over-carb it, and then you have a PITA on your hands.

With the beers you are making...they are best to probably age a bit in the keg. So just set your regulator to 10-12 psi and forget it. Come back in a week and start drinking (though I'm sure you'll end up sampling sooner).

Oh, and obviously sanitize everything....including your lines, fittings, etc....with Star San. Plenty of you tube videos on how to do it....where you basically push it through the lines with a little CO2.

Kegging is really easy, once you get your system down. Just make damn sure there are no leaks, or you will waste a whole tank of CO2 in no time. Ask me how I know.

 

[twenty02]

Replace the rings on the posts and the lids. Get some food grade silicone and a treadmill too. You're set after that.

Yep....what he said. Keg lube.

 

[cryano]

Yep....what he said. Keg lube.

So 2 kegs fit in the fridge...can I use a 3rd keg to 'store beer' until I have space when one empties...if so, for how long?

 

[Hank Reardon]

Kegging is really easy, once you get your system down. Just make damn sure there are no leaks, or you will waste a whole tank of CO2 in no time. Ask me how I know.

Or maybe, like, not properly tighten down the OUT post on the keg, and maybe set it to 10-12 PSI for a week and forget it, and maybe after a week try and pull a sample and nothing comes out, and maybe open the keezer to discover your empty keg sitting in 5 gallons of beer....and an empty co2 tank to boot.

Don't do that either.

 

[hookyIU1990]

So 2 kegs fit in the fridge...can I use a 3rd keg to 'store beer' until I have space when one empties...if so, for how long?

If you can somehow keep it cool, you could. It's getting to be that time of the year where your garage may be cool enough. In our old house, the outside wall of the garage was perfect for fermenting lagers.

The how long part depends on the strength and/or how hoppy it is. Last winter, I drank a xmas beer I brewed in '06. If you're just waiting for the spot in the fridge to open up, you should be fine.

 

[cryano]

If you can somehow keep it cool, you could. It's getting to be that time of the year where your garage may be cool enough. In our old house, the outside wall of the garage was perfect for fermenting lagers.

The how long part depends on the strength and/or how hoppy it is. Last winter, I drank a xmas beer I brewed in '06. If you're just waiting for the spot in the fridge to open up, you should be fine.

Do you pressurize it at all when just storing it - or just put the lid on it?
Im only talking about a few weeks or so...just to have one 'on-deck'...

 

[hookyIU1990]

Great question. I honestly don't know that it would make a difference. A full keg won't be able to keep enough pressure to carbonate, so at the end of the day I doubt that it would matter anyway. Just keep it sealed and you should be fine with or without pressure.

 

[twenty02]

Or maybe, like, not properly tighten down the OUT post on the keg, and maybe set it to 10-12 PSI for a week and forget it, and maybe after a week try and pull a sample and nothing comes out, and maybe open the keezer to discover your empty keg sitting in 5 gallons of beer....and an empty co2 tank to boot.

Don't do that either.

Oh...that's even worse. Like way worse.

 

[twenty02]

So 2 kegs fit in the fridge...can I use a 3rd keg to 'store beer' until I have space when one empties...if so, for how long?

Absolutely. I age my beer in keg as basically a secondary fermenter.

The key is to purge all the oxygen. Seal it up....turn on the CO2 to your keg....pull the pressure relief valve a few times until you've gotten all the O2 replaced with CO2. You can then leave it as long as you like. As long as your beer isn't exposed to oxygen....you can let it age endlessly. Some types of beer really need time to get to their best... Even months. Just totally depends upon the style. I've heard of people going even a year of conditioning for certain extreme beers.

It doesn't need to be kept cold either....in fact depending upon the beer, it may be better to condition it at room temp rather than cold. The temp really only matters during primary fermentation....not this stage. This is no different than beers at the store on the shelf, at this point. It's just not carbed up.

Just keep away the O2. You can't really mess up beer once it's fermented. Unless it gets oxidized.

 

[twenty02]

Great question. I honestly don't know that it would make a difference. A full keg won't be able to keep enough pressure to carbonate, so at the end of the day I doubt that it would matter anyway. Just keep it sealed and you should be fine with or without pressure.

You can definitely naturally carb in a keg, using priming sugar...if you wanted. A keg is nothing but a large bottle.

But kind of defeats one the benefits of kegging...simplicity and also not as much yeast/trub in your beer.

 

[twenty02]

Do you pressurize it at all when just storing it - or just put the lid on it?
Im only talking about a few weeks or so...just to have one 'on-deck'...

There are a zillion you tube videos on how to do it. Purge the O2 with CO2....then you can disconnect it, leave it wherever as long as you want (assuming you aren't like @Hank Reardon and your seals are working)

 

[cryano]

tomorrow I transfer 10 gallons of beers from secondary into the 5gal kegs...a honey porter and a brown...
Kegs and connectors sanitized and ready. Should be ready to drink by Friday!

 

[VanPastorMan]

A honey porter kit ordered from northernbrewery. A few guys have some experience with home-brews, so I'll
have help.
There are so many good octoberfest and dopplebocks out right now! Ive never had a home-brew thats been better than what I could have bought at the store, so expectations are low.

One thing I had to give up when I entered the ministry was beer. Part of me would like to try your home brew. My grandpa used to make his own beer and wine for years in Washington. He did it during prohibition for his own use. I used to mow his yard and had to grow around the grape arbors. He was about 75 before he quit making his own elixir.