  Unclefrank Member Username: Unclefrank Post Number: 106 Registered: 03-2006 |
Any homebrewers out there? | ||
Waz Member Username: Waz Post Number: 223 Registered: 11-2006 |
Tried it once. It came out tasting like vinegar. Remember the "Mr. Beer" home-brewing system? Bad news. | ||
Unclefrank Member Username: Unclefrank Post Number: 107 Registered: 03-2006 |
You mean "Mr. Piss." I rather drink Budwieser (not that I would) | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 3611 Registered: 12-2005 |
I'm not a homebrewer but I think it's an interesting subject. | ||
Andylinn Member Username: Andylinn Post Number: 609 Registered: 04-2006 |
i friend did, and another couple friends that do. the friend that DID, justin, tried making rice beer. tasted like mold, so he quit... the friends that DO have made some great ale. always a treat to visit them and taste! | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 235 Registered: 10-2006 |
Andylinn we have a batch of German Dubel that will be ready next week. This weekend Ill be going to the Orchard for some preservative free cider to make some spiced hard cider for the holidays. Not sure what beer I'll be following up the cider with. Something Hopy, perhaps an IPA Beers so far: Brown Ale Clove Weissbeir Nut Brown Kolsch German Dubel | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 4463 Registered: 10-2004 |
I started brewing during 1970. It wasn't legalized until around 1978, when Carter accidentally signed a bill (w/o reading it) which carried an amendment that did in the last of the Volstead Act. My friends dubbed it xxxBrau, where xxx was my surname. It used high-quality vintner's yeast of the Tokaj strain (which I propagated myself in order to lower its cost) and the vice-president of the huge Froederet Malt Company in Milwaukee would sell me 100# bags of brewer's malt (grain) @ $2.89 cwt. That Tokaj yeast strain would enable beer (actually a hopped barley wine approaching the alcohol limit of the yeast) to attain 18 to 19% alcohol, as measured via a vinometer gauge. Baker's yeast is usually killed by alcohol @ 12% or so. So, don't use that, unless you are satisfied with conventional beer at 4.5 to 6% alcohol. The hops was the most expensive ingredient but still I was able to get the buyer of the predecessor of the Kohl's department store chain--Kohl's grocery stores (owned by A&P later, like FJ) to get some hops for me cheaper. The grain had to be heated to around 160 degrees or so in order to extract the maltose. I used aquarium heaters to do that using large plastic garbage pails lined with ordinary disposable garbage bags for the conversion process. The rest is pretty conventional. I accidentally encountered the head Braumeister at the San Fran Budweiser brewery while he attended a food chemistry seminar held by the University of Wisconsin Extension in Madison. He mentioned that the description of my brewing process was essentially a small-scale version of what they once did before everything became much more modern and automated. I typically made about 15 gallons at a time, using 5-gallon containers for fermentation. At the end of the process, a few fellow drunks would gather while we passed around the dregs of the five-gallon containers and drank up the bitters and such that was left over after bottling. Good times were had by all... (Message edited by Livernoisyard on October 24, 2007) | ||
Adamjab19 Member Username: Adamjab19 Post Number: 810 Registered: 11-2003 |
I have had good luck with pre-measured quantities of ingredients. Made a brown ale and red ale. Haven't gotten into making my own recipes just yet. Now that I have a basement I will be making alot more beer though! | ||
Thecarl Member Username: Thecarl Post Number: 1087 Registered: 04-2005 |
unclefrank, are you looking to get into the craft, or do you need advice? sounds like livernoisyard has a wealth of experience. i've been homebrewing for about 3 years; i have a batch of wheat ale in secondary fermentation that i'm ready to keg right now - then i'll probably flip to a colder-weather beer - my favorite recipe - an 8.5% dunkelweizen; dark with chocolate and vanilla flavors, bold and creamy, with a touch of hops and a smooth finish. btw, i get all my supplies and advice from adventures in home brewing, which is in dearborn at telegraph and van born (just north of i-94). | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 236 Registered: 10-2006 |
I've been brewing for right around a year now. I don't stray far from the recipe quite yet. Im still getting my confidence up I suppose, Although every beer so far has been a resounding success. I generally brew 5 gallons at a time stove top. With winter coming it is probably time to brew a good stout though. A nice hearty beer. | ||
The_ed Member Username: The_ed Post Number: 308 Registered: 10-2007 |
I did the Mr. Beer thing for 4 years. The first batch was like mule piss but the ones after that were okay. The last batch I used slivers of jalapeno in it while it cured and it came out really nice. It had a snap to it but no bite - it wasn't hot. | ||
Miss_cleo Member Username: Miss_cleo Post Number: 927 Registered: 05-2005 |
Can you please tell me what IPA stand for when refering to beer? We went to Shorts Brewery in Bellaire and people were refering to the IPA beers? http://www.shortsbrewing.com/i ndex.htm | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 3246 Registered: 10-2003 |
India Pale Ale | ||
Jtw Member Username: Jtw Post Number: 180 Registered: 06-2005 |
as johnlodge mentions, IPA (india pale ale) is a beer that is slightly darker and slightly stronger than "average" beer and much hoppier (ie, bitter). homebrewer here in farmington! my favorite shop is Brew and Grow on 7 mile in livonia. | ||
Miss_cleo Member Username: Miss_cleo Post Number: 928 Registered: 05-2005 |
I thought India Pale Ale was a brand? This site talks about all different IPA's http://beeradvocate.com/beer/s tyle/116/ I had the Huma Lupa Licious at Shorts and it was so hoppy I couldnt drink it | ||
Unclefrank Member Username: Unclefrank Post Number: 108 Registered: 03-2006 |
I go to the Cap&Cork in Macomb Township. Looks like they are having a homebrew event on Nov. 3rd http://www.capncorkhombrew.com / | ||
Mdoyle Member Username: Mdoyle Post Number: 237 Registered: 10-2006 |
Uncle frank, thanks for that update. Cap 'n Cork is also my homebrew supplier. | ||
Awfavre Member Username: Awfavre Post Number: 166 Registered: 08-2005 |
Great thread, Unclefrank – thanks for starting it! I’ve been homebrewing for a few years, although I haven’t progressed to all-grain brewing yet (no equipment). I get my supplies from Hopman’s in Waterford. http://www.hopmanssupply.com/ They’re a bit spendy (compared to Kuhnhenn Brewing Co’s homebrew store in Warren http://www.brewingworld.com/ ), but Rick almost always has everything I want/need/don’t need, & the ingredients are always fresh – he throws out his brewing kits after 6 months (if I recall correctly). Also, Rick is great for brewing tips/advice. He’s a great guy, & his wife is super-nice & homebrew-knowledgeable, too. Miss_cleo, IPA (India Pale Ale) is simply a style of beer (style #14 under the BJCP style guidelines http://www.bjcp.org/stylecente r.html ). Within that general style category, there are 3 sub-styles: English IPA, American IPA, & Imperial IPA. Many different breweries/brands (Bell’s, Rogue, Goose Island, etc.) make it as a particular style. You’ll find almost all microbreweries in Michigan have it as a style of beer on their menu. The Wiki entry below describes the style pretty well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I ndia_Pale_Ale | ||
Miss_cleo Member Username: Miss_cleo Post Number: 929 Registered: 05-2005 |
Thank you, its funny....when my husband had the IPA at a different bar he loved it. So we went right to Shorts brewery to have one and I dont know if it was really fresh or what he had at the other bar was old.......but it was waaaay too hoppy. Even he didnt really like it. I guess beer needs to age like wine? Or maybe not age??? | ||
Jazzstage Member Username: Jazzstage Post Number: 145 Registered: 08-2007 |
IPA's are my favorite. Bells Two Hearted is like sticking your face in a grapefruit salad. I also enjoy Dogfish 60 minute. I tried brewing a clone but it is very difficult to get the IPA style for me. I dry hopped and everything but it just wasn't right. American IPA's are notorious for trying to get as much hop flavor as possible. See Avery IPA or Dogfish 120 minute. The english ones are nowhere near as bold. IPA is a style but it has as much variation as styles of music. I also go to Cap N' Cork. Great guys, good prices, great selection and unlike Kuhnhenn's, it is clean. The darker the beer the easier they are to get right. The heavy flavors mask any off tastes that you may get due to whatever reason. |
