Does anyone homebrew?

[rwh11385]

Supposedly morebeer has blackfriday deals, like this as a beginner's kit

http://morebeer.com/view_product/15910/103531/Personal_Home_Brewery_%232_-_Deluxe

[trent]

Homebrew: Im not just an alcholic, Im also a cheap ass.

Too bad you haven't had good homebrew? It is cheaper, and many times BETTER than Beer purchased from the store.

[trent]

So it's less complicated than bottling? How much trouble is it to get prepared for a tap?

If you have a kegerator already setup it takes 15 minutes. Bottling takes hours. Rack out of carboy into corny keg, push on co2 line and beer line, put in fridge and done.

[TwoJ's]

Homebrew: Im not just an alcholic, Im also a cheap ass.

The beer is better, and it's really not all that cheap. It's like $40 for the ingredients to make a little more than two cases of beer. Plus it takes the time and effort to do the process correctly.

[cholyoke]

If you have a kegerator already setup it takes 15 minutes. Bottling takes hours. Rack out of carboy into corny keg, push on co2 line and beer line, put in fridge and done.

Exactly. I may be an alcoholic, but that doesn't mean I like to drink shitty beer. Kegging is the way to go. I think I may have bottled one batch since I got the kegging system.

[trent]

The beer is better, and it's really not all that cheap. It's like $40 for the ingredients to make a little more than two cases of beer. Plus it takes the time and effort to do the process correctly.

$40 for 5 gallons?

Have you priced out good beer recently? You do realize 5 gallons of beer is 53 12oz beers, which is about 9 6 packs. The average price for a 6 pack is $8.00 around here. 8*9 is about $72.00. It takes me about 3 hours from start to finish to brew a batch. I drink a lot of beer, and this adds up to a lot of savings.

[TwoJ's]

Yes, I do realize that. I was just pointing out that it really isn't all that significant. So you save a little over $30, but have to buy equipment, run the fridge, and spend 3 hours; which is worth more than $30 to me.

[cholyoke]

Yes, I do realize that. I was just pointing out that it really isn't all that significant. So you save a little over $30, but have to buy equipment, run the fridge, and spend 3 hours; which is worth more than $30 to me.

Sure it is. I usually spend between 30-35/batch, but let's calculate with $30 saving/batch. If you save $30 each time for beer you would consume anyway and bottle the beer it is paid for, your equipment is paid for in three batches (startup of ~90). You are able to blow $30 extra on german check panels or other euro goodies that you would normally waste on commercial beer. If you get more serious (all grain, kegging), then the process is less cost friendly at first, but if you drink 10 batches per year, over time you are saving money after your initial equipment investment is recouped. I haven't had to replace a major piece of equipment in over five years.

The time is spent doing something that you enjoy. I consider that time well spent. If you think of it as work and don't enjoy the brewing process, don't do it.

[TwoJ's]

Okay, you've got me :p

[rwh11385]

If you have a kegerator already setup it takes 15 minutes. Bottling takes hours. Rack out of carboy into corny keg, push on co2 line and beer line, put in fridge and done.

Yeah, I didn't know the mechanisms. I did find today a kit with a small keg and CO2 bottle, lines, etc. Definitely gonna hit that up eventually.

Probably just a starter kit now, then improve on my toys later.

[TwoJ's]

Time to update a bit. We bought a kit that came with the ingredients to do a pale ale. We also got two corny kegs, a 5 lb bottle of CO2 and a double gauge regulator with all of the appropriate lines and fittings. We'll have to find a fridge and a tower so we can serve it appropriately.

Here is the wort just before it boiled.



And here it is in the carboy. We really should have bought a wort chiller, this is taking far too long to cool. We've now even got it sitting in the snow. Ugh.

[cholyoke]

I put the stainless steel pot with the wort into a sink filled with ice water. Put the pot in the sink (with drain plugged), fill up with ice and then add cold tap water. It cools the wort down fairly quickly (10-15 minutes). That works better than the snow because the water keeps constant contact with the metal pan so heat flow is maximized, whereas with the snow you will get a layer of air between the pan and the snow, limiting heat flow to the snow. I tried putting it outside in the snow when I lived in VT, it was super slow.

[TwoJ's]

That is a good idea, and I thought about that after I realized just how long it would take. We had cold water in the carboy before putting the wort in, so I just thought it'd be okay. I guess we know better now.

I'm getting anxious. I really want this shit to turn out.