Any homebrewers here?

[CarsSuck]

I'm doing my first batch tonight. If all goes according to plan ill have a New Castle-ish brown ale in two or three weeks. Anyone else here home brew?

[backtrail69]

We bought my uncle a home brewing kit for Christmas last year. Looked interesting. Although I enjoy beer...I legally probably shouldn't possess it.

[equate975]

My batch of white lightning should be done soon.

er....

[CarsSuck]

...I legally probably shouldn't possess it.

No comment here.

[backtrail69]

Moonshine! Why not just drink some rubbing alcohol?

[equate975]

Moonshine! Why not just drink some rubbing alcohol?

Because if you make moonshine correctly you don't go blind ;)

[Maluco]

I'm doing my first batch tonight. If all goes according to plan ill have a New Castle-ish brown ale in two or three weeks. Anyone else here home brew?

I've always wanted too. I drove by a place the other day. I'll think I'll actually stop by sometime this week. Microbeers are amazingly tasteful... At least the ones I've had were.....

[Jscotty]

They had this micro brewery that they were selling on the infomercial and everyone who was on TV drinking the stuff said, "Wow! FRESH BEER!"

[TwoJ's]

Moonshine! Why not just drink some rubbing alcohol?

Actually, it's perfectly legal for you to posess and consume beer in your own home. Unless of course you are living in a dorm.

[MarshallM]

Ive done some home brewing. Few quick tips
1. Keep everything sanitary. Use Bleach and rinse everything 5 times with hot water.
2. Watch the pot to make sure it dosent boil over. Cleaning is probably the must tedious part of everything so preventing messes is good.
3. get the liquid malt, the powder stuff dosent mix well. With the liquid malt soak it in some hot water so it pours easier (its thick stuff).
4. do secondary fermentation. Basically thats pouring the mix into a second carboy to get it away from all the dead yeast cells and setteled particles. Makes the beer less sour when your done.
5. dont use too much sugar when you carbonate. Bottles will explode.
6. When mixing the carboy after you put the yeast in dont pick it up with wet hands. My roomate dropped a carboy with 5gal of beer onto the tile floor. the thing slipped out of hiw wet hands and took a huge chunk out of the tile. Suprisingly the carb was hardly damaged.

Thats ill I got off the top of my head. I made oatmeal stout and it was pretty damn good. Darker beers are easier then light ones. oh and make sure you get the correct temp for the carb to sit that matched your yeast. some like it cold.

[eighteight325is]

I've been into home brewing for close to 5 years now. The beer you can produce is OUTSTANDING. Not to mention it is a ridiculously fun and cheap hobby. It's hard to beat 2 cases of beer that is better than many store-bought micro-brews for about $30.

Good luck with your batch. Just be very meticulous about being clean, read the directions a half a dozen times before you start, and follow them and you will be good.

Two other recommendations. Buy the Charlie Pappazian home brewing book...it is the bible.

Start planning your second batch now, because you are going to go through your first batch super fast because you'll want to drink it as soon as you can, but most beers become a lot better after they have matured for a couple of months in the bottles.

Oh, and yes home brewing is perfectly legal. There is some federal limit on how much you can produce in a year without it being considered brewing for distribution.

[trashcop 80s 80s]

What is a good way to remove the yeast cells that have settled? I only have one carboy for fermentation. Every time the bottles settle there is a few millimeters of shit at the bottom of the bottles. The beer still tastes good, and I know that the fungal cells will not hurt, but they're annoying.

[318isbmw]

My dad and I do wine. I'll ask him what he uses for cleaning his carboys, I know he uses bleach for the bottles, but there's some natural stuff that he uses to clean the carboys, although bleach would work, just make sure to rinse it a lot w/ hot water.

[trashcop 80s 80s]

Were not having trouble cleaning the carboy, just when we siphon out to the bottles there is always a sediment at the bottom of the bottle after they settle.

[MarshallM]

Secondary fermentation will go along way toward getting the old yeast away from your beer improving the taste. For cleaning the bottles and carb get a bottle sprayer and a carb brush. the bottle sprayer skrews onto your faucet and when you shove a bottle/carb up to it it sprays high pressure water out and then the water can drain cause the bottle is upside down. Really handy little tool.

Its a good idea to have 2 carbs. So you can do secondary fermentation and so you can start on your second batch halfway through your first cutting the brew wait time in half. Perpetual brewing is great. Always have a supply of quality brew.