The Secret Beer Equipment Needed For the Perfect Home Brew
By Don Cronk
To save time and money it is recommended to keep your beer equipment in your beer kit as simple as possible. This means that before you go out and buy things (you don’t need) have a shopping list already made out. And how do I know what should be in a beer kit you might ask.
You need something to ferment the beer in. Right? A 25 litre plastic barrel which will hold 23 litres of fermenting beer will do the job. It is recommended to buy your plastic barrel from a brewing shop as they sell barrels made for the job. They are easier to clean then some old bucket you might have found out back in the shed. Buy sugar by the 25 litre bags. Whole sale sugar in large amounts is cheaper than buying smaller packets from the super markets. Your beer kit list is intended for you to be making beer for the rest of your life so stock piling ingredients doesn’t sound like too bad an idea now does it? You do not need dextrose or finings. If you boil the kettle and dissolve the sugar into the boiling water you will have done the job expected of the dextrose. If you pour your fermented beer into a second barrel and leave for two or three days this will have the same effect as if you used finings. When you first start out making up your beer equipment it would be better to buy a can of malt which includes a packet of yeast.
You will need a 15 litre stainless steel pot to mix your sugar and the malt from the can. A soft scrubbing pad with bleach is recommended to clean the pot and the barrel. Never use steel wool to clean your beer equipment as it can scratch the interior of your beer equipment making places for microorganisms to multiply and use your fermenting beer for their breeding ground. When using bleach make sure that you rinse the barrel and leave it standing up side down to let the water drain from the barrel. You have a spout on the barrel which allows you to drain the beer into bottles. Let the bleach solution run through the spout then clear with water before shutting off the spout.
You will need a measuring cup for the sugar and a 60ml syringe for delivering the sugar solution to the beer bottles. You need bottle caps and a device to put the caps onto the beer bottles. Buy caps in bulk as they are cheaper that way. It is worth buying a proper bottle capping machine rather than pounding (like a Neanderthal) with a hammer device. You will also need a heat-belt for those cold days of winter. Buy a triple scale hydrometer. An essential to your beer equipment is a measuring cup for the sugar that goes into the second fermentation and a 60 ml syringe.
So let us make up our shopping list:
1. 25 litre barrel
2. 25 Litre sugar (Never use more than 1 Litre of sugar pure batch. That will make 5.0 alcohol beer.)
3. One can with malt and yeast packet
4. Caps and machine to cap
5. Heat belt for winter
6. Hydrometer to measure when beer has reached 1000 gravity and thermometer to keep beer at desired temperature during fermentation
7. 12 large 740mls bottles
8. Measuring cup and 60 ml syringe.
My name is Don Cronk and for over thirty years I’ve been brewing home brew. Over those thirty years; blood, sweat and tears has gone into every single batch of home brew (I don’t mean literally:-) I am now happy to say I have discovered the perfect and only way to brew home brew. For help, tips and advice on [http://www.awesomehomebrew.com/Beer_Equipment_For_Your_Beer_Kit.html]Beer Equipment For Your Beer Kit please visit [http://www.awesomehomebrew.com/index.html]www.awesomehomebrew.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Secret-Beer-Equipment-Needed-For-the-Perfect-Home-Brew&id=4350589] The Secret Beer Equipment Needed For the Perfect Home Brew
I Have Discovered the Secret To Making the Best Home Brew
By Don Cronk
Making your own homemade beer can be fun, and it’s not hard at all. The basic recipe for beer is very simple and requires very little investment. You can start with the basic beer recipe and add to it to finally find out which beer is your best home brew. Add your own flavourings and try different grains for texture. The main thing you are looking for is the smell. It has a strong odour when fermenting. This odour is good. A sour smell indicates that you’ve let too much air into the beer or your temperature was not kept constant at the recommended advise of the manufacturer.
For the best homemade beer you must pay attention during the fermentation process. Your 25 litre barrel must be cleaned with bleach and a soft scrubbing brush. Being careful not to scratch the inside of the barrel. Scratches are a great place for bacteria to multiply.
Using a clean 10-15 litre stainless steel pan pour in 500-750 grams (this makes 5.0 percent alcohol) of pure white sugar. Boil the kettle and when it is ready pour it over the sugar and stir with a clean plastic spoon until all the sugar has dissolved and there is no more gritty feeling when stirring. Next add the malt from the can to the sugared water. When you have nearly emptied the can pour boiling water from the kettle into it and stir until the remaining malt has dissolved. Pour this into the sugared water and stir until all the malt has dissolved in the water.
Making homemade beer requires cleanliness and speed. The longer you leave your beer in the barrel exposed to the air the more time spore forming organisms have to settle on your (Wort). Yes, your best home brew is now defined as your Wort. Fill your barrel with enough water to make 23 litres. Do not add more than that amount as your homemade beer will taste like homemade dishwater. Take the temperature of the beer and when it has reached between 22-28 degrees add the yeast. Do not stir the yeast. Just drop it into the liquid. Place plastic wrap over the barrel and place a clean cloth over the plastic. Keep watch for 7 days to insure that the temperature stays constant. Twenty-four degrees makes the best home brew.
Using your hydrometer test the beer after 7 days and if the reading is in the green zone (usually 1000) then your Wort is now ready for bottling. Once your beer is ready for bottling and your bottles are clean. Put the barrel of beer on a table above the bottles. Fill each bottle with a sugar solution that you make by measuring out 200grams of white sugar and pouring boiling water over the sugar. Stir until all the granules have dissolved and the mixture is clear. Place ten miles of the sugar water into each bottle then siphon the beer, without splashing it, into the bottles. Cap each bottle and after ten days it is quiet drinkable. However, homemade beer will be your best home brew after three months of storage.
Now armed with this knowledge you can go off and make your very own homemade beer.
My name is Don Cronk and for over thirty years I’ve been brewing home brew. Over those thirty years; blood, sweat and tears has gone into every single batch of home brew (I don’t mean literally:-) I am now happy to say I have discovered the perfect and only way to brew home brew. For help, tips and advice on [http://www.awesomehomebrew.com/Homemade_Beer_And_The_Best_Homebrew.html]Homemade Beer And The Best Homebrew please visit [http://www.awesomehomebrew.com/index.html]www.awesomehomebrew.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?I-Have-Discovered-the-Secret-To-Making-the-Best-Home-Brew&id=4350653] I Have Discovered the Secret To Making the Best Home Brew
Wine And Beer Making Supplies
I'm looking for a place that sells beer and/or wine making supplies and equipment in Orlando, FL anyone know of any places or websites I can go to? if theres nothing local I want some good quality websites to order from. Thanks alot
Best Answer Hearts Hombrew was rated a 'B-'on beeradvocate.com, they're located at: 6190 Edgewater Drive Orlando, Florida, 32810 United States phone: (407) 298-4103 official website- http://www.heartshomebrew.com/home_brew_beer.cgi here is a list of all the homebrew shops in florida that have been rated: http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/list?c_id=US&s_id=FL&homebrew=Y
I am looking for the closest local store. I know I can order online but it is much better to go to a store to get what I need and be able to talk to the shop keeper about the products.
Best Answer Look at some of the towns on the list on the link I provided. You should be able to find a homebrew shop that way. Good luck.
Home Brewery Beer
I'm looking to start brewing beer from home. I haven't bought any equipment yet. Please point me in the right direction.
Best Answer Start by reading http://howtobrew.com for the basics. It'll sound a lot like gibberish at the start, but the more times you repeat and experiment the more it will make sense. It's the best (free) place for information for the beginner. Then do a google search for home brewing supplies in your area. If nothing turns up, one of my favorite online suppliers is http://morebeer.com Another thing that can help is to read over the instructions and then look back at a catalog/website with supplies to get a mental note of what the things you're working with looks like. Finally, when you get a little info under your belt and have a general idea of what happens and what the terms are, check around and see if there are any microbreweries or brew pubs in your neighborhood and see if any one of them can give you a tour (it would be polite to have a few of their beers first). Hope some of this can help...happy brewing.
Looking for a fathers day gift and was thinking about making him a beer making kit. What do I need to do this? What are good recipes? What do I need to get him started? I don't have anything yet and don't know what i can use as a ferminter or if i have to buy one, Im clueless! Please help!
Best Answer For beginners, I recommend buying pre-assembled homebrew ingredients kits - which are available in homebrew stores or else over the internet. If you have a homebrew store near you, they should also be able to put together a kit containing all the necessary tools. If NOT, then here's what you'll need in addition to the ingredients kit: (1.) A large metal pot (you will be brewing 2.5 gallons of liquid, so it must be BIG - if you/your parents don't have one, try a restaurant supply store). (2.) A long-stem (i.e. 10-12") metal thermometer to clip onto the side of the large brew pot in order to monitor the temperature (also available at restaurant supply stores...don't cost much) (3.) A utensil for stirring the beer while in the brewing process (4.) A container to hold the beer after brewing while it ferments (a large contractor-size paint bucket i.e. from Home Depot will suffice, but you will need a lid). (5.) Cleanser (i.e. unscented bleach or other unscented detergent) to mix with water - this is VERY IMPORTANT because you will need it to cleanse EVERYTHING that will come in contact with the beer or else you risk ruining the entire batch). (6.) A metal strainer/cheese cloth/other mechanism to strain the beer before transfering it from the brew pot to the fermentation bucket. (7.) A glass hydrometer for measuring the alcohol content before and after fermentation (it's possible to get by without one, but I recommend that beginners use one). Good luck, and have fun! _
Home Beer Brewing Kits
I am thinking about getting into beer home brewing as a hobby, would you recommend buying a starter kit or buy the equipment piece by piece and if so what kit? What pieces? And what sites would you recommend checking out?
Best Answer buy all you need in one and you will have all you need without any of the pitfalls.
I am looking to start brewing beer in my home. Most kits seems to be reasonably priced 50-100$ which is fine. 2 Questions I have are 1. What quality of beer is made from these kits i.e. Mr Beer etc. Is it better or worse than Natural Light / Coors Light / Bud Light (college beers mostly). ... Hopefully it at least is as good as natural.. and if not what do they taste like. 2. How much money would I save making a batch (in terms of 30 beers, a case).
Best Answer If you just drink beer to get messed up then its ok .But if you like to drink good beer then the home brew is Garbage.
Homebrewing Beer
It is to my understanding that the more hops you use the more it will be bitter, that different sugars effect the alcohol content/color, and that more malt extract = more fizziness, but I would like to know more specifics about achieving different tastes in homemade beer. Thanks!
Best Answer There are lots of taste-variables you can play with. Examples are hops, yeast, malts (some brewers insist on English malt for English beers, Belgian for Belgian beers, etc.), added flavorings, adjuncts, temperature of fermentation (compare California common with pilsener, for example), time in the primary and secondary, priming sugar. That's part of the fun of trying to brew the perfect beer.
That is, is there a time that is too long. Thereby the yeast has died and I will not be able to carbonate the beer naturally? Thanks, Beginner
Best Answer Short answer, not really... Most homebrewers follow the 1-2-3 rule, 1 week in primary, 2 weeks in secondary, and 3 weeks in the bottle. This said, if you plan on aging the brew for any period of time before bottling, you just want to make sure the environment is right. You may want to rack to tertiary (after the brew has cleared) for bulk aging, that way you will not run as large a risk of autolysis. Depending on the style and recipe, you could age it for a couple months or a couple years without problems. If the latter is the case, you may want to pitch again before bottling if you are going to bottle condition. Your other option would be to keg the brew after secondary, and age it in the keg. Then force carb it in the keg, and you won't have to worry about the yeast or bottle conditioning at all. Feel free to email me anytime if you need help or have any further questions.
Making Beer And Wine
Starting with the sugar, why is that we can make a beer or wine. What is the yeast doing with the sugars? What is gained? What is lost? So far I have the sugar interacts with yeast and creates carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol but other than that I am struggling.
Best Answer Might want to verify this as I'm much more of an inorganic chemist than a biochemist. Sugar is broken down in glycolysis into pyruvate. In our bodies this is done with oxygen and it is called a aerobic reaction. We are further able to break down pyruvate all the way. As a result we breath out carbon dioxide. Yeast do a smiler process without oxygen, thus anaerobic reaction. The pyruvate is broken down to acetylaldehyde and then reduced to ethanol. Side note: Humans take ethanol and convert it to acetylaldehyde when we drink. However if methanol is consumed then it turns to formaldehyde which is very toxic (and we use it to embalm people). This is what makes you blind from moonshine.
I was thinking of setting up my beer and wine stuff in my greenhouse, to supply co2 in a green way to my various plants, since the brewing process produces quite a bit of it. Does anyone else do this?
Best Answer I DON'T DO IT MYSELF AND I'VE NEVER HEARD OF ANYBODY ELSE DOING THIS BUT YOU SHOULD GIVE IT A TRY, OOPS, I WAS ACCIDENTALLY TALKING IN CAPS LOCK AGAIN
Beer Brewing Kits
I am looking to brew my own beer and was wondering if anyone knew a good price for a beer brewing kit and any related tips because I am thinking of brewing my own beer. Thanks
Best Answer There are kits out there, but you can likely make your own for fairly inexpensive. A big steel pot or an old keg with the top cut off will work to boil the water, to mix it with the grain a cooler will work (with a little setup of PVC piping), from there you can drain the wort back into the pot/keg to boil, and you can purchase a fermenter once it's cooled to allow it to ferment. You can research and make all of these components at home for far less than the cost of one of the kits. And you can adjust it or replace individual components as you see fit, or add onto them. For example, a friend of mine welded a coiled copper tube to run water through and cool the wort post-boil.
I want to start brewing my own beer. I have never actually done brewed beer, but I want a starter kit. Should I buy a pre-assembled beer kit or get all the peices together? Should I start with a cheap and easy kit like Mr. Beer and then work my way up as I get better at brewing? What are some good recipes or beer ingredient kits?
Best Answer Hey there, glad you're considering joining our obsession....I mean mean hobby. I will make this fairly short and simple. Mr. Beer. is a pretty good starter kit. I know I'm going to take flak as it is in fact of low quality. However it is fairly cheap, comes with everything you need to start, and if you decide brewing is not for you then you can usually get about 10 bucks out of it on E-bay. That being said if you find you enjoy brewing I would recommend find a local home-brew shop and upgrading as soon as possible. Also, because I'm sure it will come up, the beer is brewing fine. You most likely didn't ruin it. You don't know what that means yet, but when it comes up you'll know.
Home Brewing Kits
I would appreciate if anybody can point to a website or a particular shop in Mumbai and/or Bangalore.
Best Answer I don't know of any shops or websites there, but I know grapeandgranary.com ships all over the world. You could look there to see if they have what you need.
I am thinking about getting into beer home brewing as a hobby, would you recommend buying a starter kit or buy the equipment piece by piece and if so what kit? What pieces? And what sites would you recommend checking out?
Best Answer buy all you need in one and you will have all you need without any of the pitfalls.
Home Brewery
I've always wanted to get into beer brewing and want to know what it takes to start a home brewery and where to get the stuff that is needed.
Best Answer Making beer at home is similar to making wine. All ingredients can be bought anywhere and with wine making equipment very easy to do. The only problem is carbonation. This I have no clue where to find. Producing CO2 in a sealed bottle is not the way to go unless you enjoy sitting on the can for hours.
Nice, a fermentation room.
Best Answer Standard cleaning and sanitation equipment & chemicals. I have yeast culturing equipment and access at work to microscopes. This allows me to get "scientific" from time to time in my brewery. I have a temperature controlled refrigerator that I have wired to a PC (ala Brewing Techniques Magazine) for parameter control and stats. I also log and monitor my brewing progress to adjust the temperature and times as needed to target my final beer.