Homebrewing

I do a ton of homebrewing. I brew about once a week, so ~20 gallons a month. Right now I am set up to do all-grain with your typical 10g home depot beverage cooler set up, but I have 3 kegs that I am working on converting into a kettle/HLT/MT to bump up to 10 gallon batches. I pretty much keg everything and have a 3 tap keezer setup.

Right now I am working on tweaking/perfecting something around 6 different styles that will be my house brews. IPA, DIPA, Scotch, Blonde, American Wheat and probably a stout or porter. I'm happy with my Blonde and Scotch, still working on perfecting the rest. I still play around outside of those every once in a while though, for example, I'm planning a very hop-forward Cascadia Dark Ale for my brew this week that I am excited about. Also just bottled a Chocolate Espresso Imperial Stout that I have been aging since November that turned out very nice (I normally don't bottle but I needed space in the keezer).

How important is temperature to the brewing process? I gave up a few years ago because I could never find a spot in my house with the ideal temperature...

Eyashusa_sl said:

How important is temperature to the brewing process? I gave up a few years ago because I could never find a spot in my house with the ideal temperature...

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I think, outside of sanitation, it is the single most important factor in brewing. Being able to keep my fermentation temperatures down in the low 60's (for ales) is the thing that took my beers from drinkable to commercial quality.

*edit: If you can't use a temp controlled fridge or chamber for controlling temperatures, go over to homebrewtalk.com and search for 'swamp cooler.' It is a very cheap and relatively effective method for controlling fermentation temperatures by keeping your fermenter in a water bath and maintaining the temp with ice bottles. It is how I started out before I had a dedicated chamber (I actually comendeered the guest bathroom and used the bath tub).

I should have asked how important precise temperature was... if I can get something within 2-3 degrees, do you think that would be okay?

Eyashusa_sl said:

I should have asked how important precise temperature was... if I can get something within 2-3 degrees, do you think that would be okay?

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Oh yeah, that is fine. Although the one other thing I always point out is the temperature inside your fermenter is often higher than the ambient air during active fermentation (sometimes by as much as 10 degrees), but as long as you can account for that you are golden.

I've done some small extract batches on my own that came out mediocre. I have a friend who has the whole setup for all-grain and is a very good homebrewer, so I have experience with the "real" process. Since it's more fun to brew with a friend, I never upgraded my own equipment. Maybe one day.

I've also done 2 batches of homebrew mead. The first was complete shit and tasted like Lysol, the second is drinkable but not good. I think I know where I screwed up, so if I get around to batch 3, I am optimistic about a better product.

With the mass proliferation of craft brew, I have trouble inspiring myself to make my own. There is great stuff available at a reasonable price. If I still lived in the same city as my friend with the fancy setup, I'd still do it for the manly good times. But homebrewing doesn't save much money, takes a lot of effort & equipment, and can result in a terrible beer if something goes wrong. It taught me a LOT about beer though. So there's that.

My average cost per batch is just short of $30 for ingredients (including my propane and brewing water). Or about $0.75 a pint or $3.38 for a six pack, that is quite a bit of savings for me. I do buy all my hops in bulk and have a nice yeast-bank built up that significantly cuts cost on my batches. But as you pointed out, it isn't counting the amortized cost of my brewing equipment which isn't negligible. Also isn't including all the mediocre beers I had to make learning the hobby but pretty much every beer I put out now I would consider "commercial quality."

I had a spreadsheet at one point that mathed all of it out for me and showed at my current brewing/consumption rates it would have taken me about a year to pay for my equipment (including my kegarator, which I would probably still have built even if I didn't homebrew), but I will probably go through several more equipment upgrades because I just can't help myself. With that said, I don't do this hobby to save money and if that was the reason someone was thinking of getting into this hobby I would tell them not to do it. Can you realize some savings? Possibly, but it probably won't ever happen.

I was thinking of trying to get into doing some mead. I'm not even sure if I like mead but I want to make it.

I tend not to brew in the winter, so haven't done anything lately though I do have several cases aging at the moment.

I've brewed exclusively with a friend since we started a couple years ago, and that's help split up the cost. My project for this year is setting up a microbrew process so we can just brew up endless 1 gallon batches for testing purposes. I've also been collecting random wild yeast strains, so pretty pumped for that when we start brewing again.

Intrinsic_sl said:

So like.... sous-vide beer brewing?

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Brewing is actually a lot like sous-vide cooking, at least all-grain brewing is.

mkopec_sl said:

You mentioned you ferment ales at like 60F, but I specifically remember certain yeast strains fermenting at like 73F.

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Ale yeasts have a wide range of acceptable fermentation temp ranges but once you start getting above ~65? you start getting esters, the warmer you go the more you will get. With a couple of exceptions, esters are generally an undesirable off flavor.

Also when you get too warm (above 80? usually) you will start getting fusel alcohol creation, also generally undesirable. It is a more hot, harsh alcohol taste.

Eyashusa_sl said:

I should have asked how important precise temperature was... if I can get something within 2-3 degrees, do you think that would be okay?

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The better your able to keep the temperature the better your final result.
Applies toallyour steps in the process btw. Remember your dealing with microorganisms all the time and any change to temperature will stress them and thus could weaken your desired result. Actually thats almost all the rocket science behind it.

opiate82_sl said:

Ale yeasts have a wide range of acceptable fermentation temp ranges but once you start getting above ~65? you start getting esters, the warmer you go the more you will get. With a couple of exceptions, esters are generally an undesirable off flavor.

Also when you get too warm (above 80? usually) you will start getting fusel alcohol creation, also generally undesirable. It is a more hot, harsh alcohol taste.

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100% corrrect here, also want to add that breweries almost always start to ferment at higher degrees and usually lower the temp signifacantly like half a week after fermentation started.


Also i want to ask with all the gallons you homebrew do you drink/gift away all of it for yourself?
If not any problems with the FDA or whatever pussyfication national office, cause your setting up a supposed commercial business or such?

I don't sell any of my homebrew, but I do share quite a bit. And to be fair I drink quite a bit as well. There is technically a 200 gallon per year homebrewing limit (plus some states have further homebrewing limits) but nobody is coming around knocking on my door checking how much I brew. Basically so long as I am not selling it I will be left alone to brew however much I want.

The plan when I move up to 10 gallon batches is to brew with my brother and split each batch between the two of us.

There's been a little homebrew talk in the beer thread but I welcome a dedicated one.

I am planning on making a Sculpin IPA clone in the coming month or so. Need to buy some new hardware first including a wort chiller. I've only made three batches so far, 5 gal each and they've ranged from mediocre to average. I am hoping my next batch will come out the best so far as it'll be my first all grain brew.

The end result wouldn't be as good and time is something I don't have enough of these days. $50 is an easy investment to make.