All Questions
38
votes
4answers
1k views
What equipment do I need to buy to start making beer?
What is the minimum equipment to start brewing some good beer at home?
34
votes
3answers
4k views
What's the point of secondary fermentation?
I've always bottled directly after the primary fermentation has finished. What's the point of the secondary fermentation? Can I use a bucket or is it something that really necessitates a glass carboy?
...
30
votes
14answers
1k views
\[WIKI] Improving Your Brewing Significantly
I made this wiki to allow folks to post what upgrades in process or equipement really take one's beer brewing to the next level. The bottle-necks to better and better brewing if you will. (This was ...
28
votes
6answers
4k views
How likely is contamination in an average batch?
I sanitize everything; carboy, bottles, bottle caps, tubing, funnels, etc; because I was essentially told that my beer would turn to deadly poison without it.
I accept sterilizing the lot once ...
25
votes
23answers
3k views
What software do most brewers use?
Just curious what most brewers are using these days as far as software goes. We are going to have to make a decision in the near future about this.
BeerSmith?
ProMash?
BeerTools?
Any others I ...
23
votes
8answers
1k views
What's the point of going all-grain?
My extract beers are good, I think better than most commercial beers that I buy. Extract takes less time, less equipment and seems to produce great quality beers. Why do people do full grain?
23
votes
21answers
6k views
What are the easiest and hardest commercial beer bottles to re-use for homebrew?
One of the great perks of homebrewing is the ability to reuse, rather than just recycle the bottles that come into your house. You just soak off the labels and re-use!
All bottles are not created ...
22
votes
2answers
613 views
How to clean yeast
I like reusing yeast to save money, and I like having my own "house" yeast. However sooner or later my yeast eventually dies and becomes unusable. I have a feeling that each time I repitch, I'm ...
21
votes
11answers
3k views
Are there any tricks for removing labels from bottles?
Some labels can be a pain to remove. I've tried soaking bottles in water with a little bit of dish soap but it doesn't really do much to break down the adhesive. What methods do you have for easily ...
21
votes
4answers
597 views
Open-Fermented or Native Yeast Beers
I've always been very careful about control and sanitation with beer. But with my wine I do some native yeast Pinots, and some friends of mine are into the same with beers- they like funky, ...
19
votes
13answers
4k views
19
votes
9answers
4k views
Brewing Solid Things: Can Leftover Yeast Be Used for Bread?
I find myself baking a couple loaves of bread just about every weekend. Has anyone tried reusing their yeast from brewing for baking bread? I've heard that using some of the spent grain in bread ...
18
votes
20answers
8k views
How do you label your bottles?
How do you mark, label, or otherwise identify the contents of your bottles? I'm currently using masking tape and a marker, but I'm curious what most other people use.
18
votes
7answers
2k views
Temperature Control for Fermentation
I am curious how everyone controls the temperature of their primary, especially those that live in the warmer climates. In Florida, where the temperatures can soar and remain in the 90's and above ...
18
votes
7answers
973 views
About going all-grain
I have made 7 or 8 extract brews over the past year and am interested in moving up to all-grain. What equipment is needed, and what steps are added to the process.
18
votes
6answers
4k views
Can I condition in growlers?
I read up a decent amount on conditioning in growlers before attempting it. I wanted to share my experience and see if others had had similar experiences.
The thinking, of course, is to minimize ...
18
votes
9answers
9k views
[WIKI] Fermentation Temperature Control Methods
What different methods do people use to maintain or control fermentation temps? This includes maintaining temps for both Ales and Lagers. For most climates, active control is necessary for doing ...
17
votes
10answers
10k views
What can I do with my spent grain after mashing?
After brewing a batch of beer, I always end up with ~14 lbs of spent grain that I usually just toss in a pile in the corner of the yard.
Are there better things to do with it (i.e. cooking, baking, ...
17
votes
3answers
1k views
How Does a Hydrometer Work?
I know how to use my hydrometer, and I know what numbers to look at and write down on my brewing sheets, but I'm not sure what those numbers actually represent, or even what units I should use to ...
16
votes
4answers
6k views
How to add fruit to beer
What is the best way to add fruit to a beer? I'm afraid boiling it will break down the fruit too much (a muslin bag could fix this I guess), but I'm not sure how to add it to the fermenter without ...
16
votes
3answers
6k views
What does gypsum do?
I'm brewing from an Austin Homebrew extract kit, and it came with some gypsum. I thought gypsum was only for modifying water chemistry, but there seems to be some other schools of thought around.
...
16
votes
1answer
965 views
Partial vs. Full Voume Wort Boil
The starting postion for most new extract brewers is to use a partial boil set up. Defined as using a pot smaller than the intended batch size, all the ingredients are boiled in a smaller volume. ...
16
votes
4answers
717 views
What happens in the bottle?
I often drink a bottle 2 or 3 days after bottling, and then often every day or 2 after that, and it's sometimes quite amazing to see those "rough edges" getting smoothed out.
Can someone explain what ...
15
votes
7answers
19k views
If/When to move to secondary fermentation
Digression from What's the point of secondary fermentation?
What are the good rules of thumb for determining a. whether to use secondary fermentation at all and b. when to move from primary to ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views
Alternatives to a hydrometer?
I can't seem to keep a hydrometer for more than a few brewing sessions. They either break from dropping them, going from hot to cold, or I've had the wax holding all of the lead pellets to the bottom ...
15
votes
12answers
2k views
Is an immersion chiller really necessary?
I have been reading here about immersion, counterflow and plate chillers and they don't seem to chill the wort much faster than my current method; ice.
Many people have stated that their chillers ...
15
votes
4answers
5k views
How do you sparge?
One of the biggest hurdles I came across when switching to all-grain was learning how to sparge. I honestly still don't think I do it 100% correctly. There are very detailed descriptions online, but ...
15
votes
5answers
4k views
Is there anyway to tell if a glass bottle of beer is carbonated without opening it?
It would be great if I didn't have to ruin a bottle of beer by opening it to test to see if it carbonated. Is there any way to tell?
15
votes
1answer
5k views
[WIKI] How Do You Calculate Original Gravity?
This is a community wiki post. Anybody with more than 100 reputation can edit it. You may also post your own answer. I get no reputation if you vote the question up or down, however, please vote up if ...
15
votes
6answers
6k views
What happens when beer freezes?
After a bit of trouble with a thermostat on a 2nd hand fridge, I discovered that my latest batch of bottled, ready-to-drink brew had frozen.
What happens to beer when it freezes? Will the taste be ...
14
votes
13answers
3k views
What are the most citrusy hops?
Which hops do you guys find are the most citrusy? I'm looking to create a super-citrusy IPA, and have limited experience with most hops.
14
votes
4answers
518 views
First Time Homebrewer Setup
There was a request for difficult questions, but having never brewed, this is all I've got:
Can you describe the most basic setup (preferably one with a reasonably low difficulty and high success ...
14
votes
2answers
5k views
What's the difference between 2-row and 6-row malt?
I know the difference has to do with how the grains grow on the stock, but I'm not completely sure what that difference is. It also seems like 2-row is more commonly used as a base malt, but I've seen ...
14
votes
3answers
468 views
Is it possible to make a beer worthy of a competition with malt extract?
I was wondering if it's possible to make a beer worthy of entering a competition that stands a chance of doing well. I'm still pretty new to brewing but wanted to know if I need to make the jump to ...
14
votes
4answers
2k views
How to store beer
When you buy beer that you plan to keep for a while (a while being more than a month or so), what's the best way to store it?
Specifically, what are the rules for storing it cold or warm, on it's ...
14
votes
7answers
3k views
How do you cool a lager on a budget?
What techniques would you suggest for cooling a lager during the lagering phase? Further, how important is the stability of that temperature?
14
votes
4answers
3k views
What are some alternatives to hops?
I have a friend that is allergic to hops and can not drink our beer (or just about any others for that matter). What alternatives do I have if I want to make a beer for him? What could I substitute ...
14
votes
4answers
629 views
How do you cool wort?
More specifically, what methods exist to cool your wort after the boil, and what are there respective pros/cons?
14
votes
6answers
3k views
How much water does a wort chiller use?
I am thinking on buying an immersion chiller and from other threads I've thought of using the post-chiller hot water for cleanup, and I've also heard of using the water (after it starts to cool down) ...
14
votes
3answers
754 views
My keg is empty. Now what?
So I kicked my first Corny keg and need to get the keg and the system cleaned and ready for another batch, which might not be ready for some time. What's my process here?
14
votes
7answers
335 views
Brewing with a deadline
Occasionally I need to brew beer for an event, and I procrastinate. One time, I brewed a pretty hefty IPA, and went from boil to bottle (keg, actually) in about 10 days. It was pretty malty, ...
14
votes
4answers
2k views
How can I avoid a lot of foam in the first pint from the keg?
Whenever I go to get a pint from the keg, the first pint is always foamy. I have to fill the glass up about 1/3 of the way and dump it out, just to the pour actual beer. I usually carbonate by ...
14
votes
3answers
1k views
When should I add a vanilla bean?
My wife just kicked a bottle of vanilla extract. She bakes a lot and buys the good stuff that comes with a bean in it. I think i want to add the bean to my double-chocolate stout that's in the ...
14
votes
2answers
173 views
What is “well attenuated maltiness”?
I am studying to become a BJCP judge.
I was reading through Style 2a German Pilsner and saw something in the flavor profile that I didn't quite understand thoroughly.
It says
Moderate to ...
13
votes
5answers
3k views
How do I culture yeast from a commercial beer? Is it legal?
If I like the flavor profile of a yeast in a commercial beer, how would I go about culturing it?
I have some very basic lab equipment, but I can buy anything that's reasonably priced.
Also, would it ...
13
votes
7answers
3k views
Is it OK to starting fermentation while wort is still warm?
I'm just getting started, so in my first couple batches I realized I had a problem cooling the wort all the way down to 60°F/16°C recommended by my instructions. I boil all of my water, but I don't ...
13
votes
17answers
672 views
What is the best beer to make for a spouse who prefers sauvignon blanc?
I am trying to solve the "wife who loves wine instead of beer" problem. She would normally choose a Sauvignon blanc for herself but that's just no fun for the beer-drinking / making husband. My goal ...
13
votes
5answers
1k views
What class of beer is Newcastle, and what do I need to brew my own?
I like Newcastle, and now I would like to brew some.
What class / style of beer is Newcastle?
Where does it get its brown color?
Are there any kits out there that would give pretty close results?
13
votes
3answers
443 views
Why do you aerate wort at first and try to keep oxygen out later?
Why should you aerate the wort before pitching yeast but then try to avoid allowing oxygen into it later in the process? What is going on with the yeast that makes oxygen good at first but bad later?
13
votes
4answers
1k views
Reusing yeast at home
Reusing yeast at home is something I'm incredibly interested in, but haven't found the time to learn enough about it just yet.
What are the basic steps for harvesting, cultivating, or whatever other ...
