IGX

I'm not much of a beer drinker (usually the commercial stuff gives me a nasty headache) but I keep thinking about a couple of home made beers that a couple of enthusiasts brought to a "holiday celebration" (ie, Christmas party) that a couple of my wife's co-workers brought to the shindig.I mean, that was months ago, and I still keep remembering...how INTERESTING and pleasant both those were.And I didn't get a headache.

And Steve Graham has a fun chapter on brewing in "Eat What You Want And Die Like A Man" that makes me think..."Hmmmm".

Any suggestions on resources and who gives the straight dope (so to speak) on the subject of brewing your own beer? I've got a basement I could clear a corner out of, and I've got some available cash to spend, so I could start out in a modest (but not parsimonius) way.

Abandoned by Wolves wrote:I'm not much of a beer drinker (usually the commercial stuff gives me a nasty headache) but I keep thinking about a couple of home made beers that a couple of enthusiasts brought to a "holiday celebration" (ie, Christmas party) that a couple of my wife's co-workers brought to the shindig.I mean, that was months ago, and I still keep remembering...how INTERESTING and pleasant both those were.And I didn't get a headache. This is when I knew homosexuality was for me.

Interesting. Do go on.

Send a PM out to DPR. He has made 2 of the best beers I have ever had.

I would ask around on this site.

I have two complete units to brew your own for sale. Never been used. PM me if interested in find out more.

Kegging makes life easier. It's a shade more expensive overall but IMO tastes as good as bottle conditioned with most American Ales and it's far less work on the cleaning sterilizing front.

Best advise I can give is to start with a basic kit beer in a style you like. These will come with canned malt and maybe some hops depending on the style. These are only a couple of steps from kit to fermenter and are the easiest way to start. You'll end up with a good but not personalized beer. Then you can start experimenting with additions to the kits, like more hops, different spices, etc. The last step is going to a full recipe beer. These can take a whole day to cook and aren't generally for the noob.

Never kegged, but have plenty of friends who swear by it. I've always sterilized my bottles in the bathtub with B-Bright and never had a problem with contamination.

All the sterilization and expense for supplies is what turned me off on brewing my own.
Fuck, find an independent brewing company and order their sampler. There's one in Detroit that has a sampler with 16 different brews that they do. If you can't pick a couple kinds you like, you ain't a beer drinker. Give up and become a wino. Whatever you do don't ever NEVER drink any brand of beer out of a fuckin' aluminum can.

Andy79 wrote:All the sterilization and expense for supplies is what turned me off on brewing my own.
Fuck, find an independent brewing company and order their sampler. There's one in Detroit that has a sampler with 16 different brews that they do. If you can't pick a couple kinds you like, you ain't a beer drinker. Give up and become a wino. Whatever you do don't ever NEVER drink any brand of beer out of a fuckin' aluminum can.

Kegging was the only way it got remotely economical and still...it's a lot of sterilization work. If it's one of your main hobbies it's cool but it's a pretty big time and cash commitment if all you really want to do is drink the beerz.

Now distilling corn liquor seems intriguing because then you could use it to power your hotrod.

My buddy brews in his bathtub. I refuse to drink that shit, but he swears it's amazing.

I can shoot him a message to see what it is he's doing, but then you'd be just as disgusting as him.