kai2k1 0 #1 March 28, 2005 I'm gettin ready to make my first batch of pale ale. What should I be looking out for? I've got a cheap kit.. Mr. Beer Help me make this right. There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sfzombie13 307 #2 March 28, 2005 make sure you follow the directions. when it says to only ferment it for a week or whatever, do it. i left my first batch too long and it tasted like apple beer. i had a friend that liked it and drank all five of them._________________________________________ Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiver30960 0 #3 March 28, 2005 Me, drinking it all while you aren't looking! Elvisio "don't worry I'm a lightweight" Rodriguez Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Professor 0 #4 March 28, 2005 Cleaning. It's all about sanitization. Make sure everything that comes in contact with your beer has been sanitized. Everything. Ted Like a giddy school girl. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #5 March 28, 2005 Use Cascade hops! I had an IPA that won second prize at the county fair a couple years back. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blackdog 0 #6 March 28, 2005 QuoteI'm gettin ready to make my first batch of pale ale. What should I be looking out for? I've got a cheap kit.. Mr. Beer Help me make this right. you need Doc, a badass freeflyer here in California, he owns a brew store I believe. Don't know if he is on DZ.com though or what. guess that is not much help Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyMan 7 #7 March 28, 2005 The single most important thing to successfull homebrewing is cleanliness. Clean everything, especially the bottles. Instruction for bottle cleaning: Fill bottles with with hot water, then add dish soap and shake. Rinse with hotwater to drain. Fill again with hot water, then add a teaspoon of bleach to each bottle. Cover and shake. Drain, and rinse with excessive amounts of hot water. I don't know anything about that specific kit. The other advice I have is to do not over-ferment. A lot of kits come with excessive amounts of sugar to speed fermentation - which if you leave it too long can cause your kit to explode. This isn't particularly dangerous, but it sure can be messy... _Am__ You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheAnvil 0 #8 March 28, 2005 Echoing what others here have said - cleanliness is key to everything. Maintain cleanliness through all phases of the brewing process and DEFINITELY give your beer enough time to age once you get it in the bottles. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #9 March 28, 2005 There's nothing better (or worse!) than homebrew - it's either terrific or dreadful. I have a distant relation who wanted me to try some of his...it was spoiled brine, and tasted like that brown shit that grows in the water-drip pan under a refrigerator, and I told him so. He was so offended that we are no longer on speaking terms. A skydiving brother of mine also made a spoiled batch that tasted like salt water with yeast in it . I poured it down a toilet and just avoided talking to him... Advice to homebrewers: Get honest opinions from other brewers, because friends and relatives will lie to you for fear of hurting your feelings, whereas what you may have actually produced isn't fit for human consumption."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
markd_nscr986 0 #10 March 28, 2005 QuoteCleaning. It's all about sanitization. Make sure everything that comes in contact with your beer has been sanitized. Everything. Aye Laddie, That sums up one of the most common pitfalls of home-brewing And dont kill the yeast with too high a temp!Marc SCR 6046 SCS 3004 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites D22369 0 #11 March 29, 2005 I'm gettin ready to make my first batch of pale ale. What should I be looking out for? I've got a cheap kit.. Mr. Beer Help me make this right. *** sterilize everything. pick up a book on home brewing if possible. follow all the instructions, but if it tells you to use normal sugar- disregard this and use corn sugar, the flavor is much improved. closed fermentation is better than open (five gallon carboys are cheap). once its bottled, let it sit for as long as the instructions tell you to -resist the temptation to open one early..... it pays to be patient. lastly, *share with your friends once and they will pester you endlessly for the due dates of any other batches you may make.... enjoy, brewing is a lot of fun RoyThey say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tbrown 26 #12 March 29, 2005 The old saying that "Cleanliness is next to godliness" was never truer than when you're a brewer (or a poet and you know it). I always found that ordinary bleach works just fine, but in TINY amounts. Like an overnight soak in a solution of about 1 tsp bleach in 5 gal. of water will do you just fine, and is easy to rinse away with hot water. You need a good book. The best I ever found was Charlie Papazian's "Complete Joy of Home Brewing". It starts you off at square one, assuming you don't know anything. And it will take you through beginner's, intermediate, and up to advance levels without intimidating you. Charlie's motto, and he says it a lot, is "Relax - have another home brew !". It was Charlie's book tha persuaded me to try stepping up to all grain brewing, making my own mashes from the crushed grains. You'll want to wait a while before trying that, and some people are perfectly happy sticking with the kits and syrups. But relax, keep your rig clean, and enjoy. You'll wonder why you didn't do this years ago. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites bluskidave 0 #13 March 29, 2005 Decibel where are you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites kai2k1 0 #14 March 29, 2005 I just put my first batch in the closet to sit for a week... I hope I did this right. There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Go_Higher 0 #15 March 29, 2005 Heh... I just bottled up a batch too... And when it says it'll be ready in 7 days after bottling... that means that it'll be fully carbonated in 7 days... I prefer to let mine sit after bottling for at least 2 or 3 weeks... Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Buried 0 #16 March 29, 2005 QuoteI just put my first batch in the closet to sit for a week... I hope I did this right. so when can i come over? Where is my fizzy-lifting drink? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites kai2k1 0 #17 March 29, 2005 Whenever you want Zach, Ill be bringing some up to SDC for the Expo next weekend, look me up while im there There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites SpeedRacer 1 #18 March 29, 2005 QuoteThere's nothing better (or worse!) than homebrew - it's either terrific or dreadful. I have a distant relation who wanted me to try some of his...it was spoiled brine, and tasted like that brown shit that grows in the water-drip pan under a refrigerator, and I told him so. He was so offended that we are no longer on speaking terms. A skydiving brother of mine also made a spoiled batch that tasted like salt water with yeast in it . I poured it down a toilet and just avoided talking to him... Advice to homebrewers: Get honest opinions from other brewers, because friends and relatives will lie to you for fear of hurting your feelings, whereas what you may have actually produced isn't fit for human consumption. That's too bad. Those batches must have been contaminated or something. I belong to a large homebrew club full of kick-ass brewers. I have rarely tasted a bad homebrew. Except one time when a guy forgot to pour the iodophor out of his fermenter before syphoning his beer in.!! So the stuff had a VERY stong iodine taste! YUCK!! but usually the stuff at our club is great. First Monday of every month we all get together & taste each other's homebrew, & talk about beer- oriented events going on. some people bring in wine or mead. One time a guy brought in homemade sake. fun times. needless to say, I make sure I walk there so I don't have to drive home afterwards. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
D22369 0 #11 March 29, 2005 I'm gettin ready to make my first batch of pale ale. What should I be looking out for? I've got a cheap kit.. Mr. Beer Help me make this right. *** sterilize everything. pick up a book on home brewing if possible. follow all the instructions, but if it tells you to use normal sugar- disregard this and use corn sugar, the flavor is much improved. closed fermentation is better than open (five gallon carboys are cheap). once its bottled, let it sit for as long as the instructions tell you to -resist the temptation to open one early..... it pays to be patient. lastly, *share with your friends once and they will pester you endlessly for the due dates of any other batches you may make.... enjoy, brewing is a lot of fun RoyThey say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #12 March 29, 2005 The old saying that "Cleanliness is next to godliness" was never truer than when you're a brewer (or a poet and you know it). I always found that ordinary bleach works just fine, but in TINY amounts. Like an overnight soak in a solution of about 1 tsp bleach in 5 gal. of water will do you just fine, and is easy to rinse away with hot water. You need a good book. The best I ever found was Charlie Papazian's "Complete Joy of Home Brewing". It starts you off at square one, assuming you don't know anything. And it will take you through beginner's, intermediate, and up to advance levels without intimidating you. Charlie's motto, and he says it a lot, is "Relax - have another home brew !". It was Charlie's book tha persuaded me to try stepping up to all grain brewing, making my own mashes from the crushed grains. You'll want to wait a while before trying that, and some people are perfectly happy sticking with the kits and syrups. But relax, keep your rig clean, and enjoy. You'll wonder why you didn't do this years ago. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bluskidave 0 #13 March 29, 2005 Decibel where are you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kai2k1 0 #14 March 29, 2005 I just put my first batch in the closet to sit for a week... I hope I did this right. There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Go_Higher 0 #15 March 29, 2005 Heh... I just bottled up a batch too... And when it says it'll be ready in 7 days after bottling... that means that it'll be fully carbonated in 7 days... I prefer to let mine sit after bottling for at least 2 or 3 weeks... Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Buried 0 #16 March 29, 2005 QuoteI just put my first batch in the closet to sit for a week... I hope I did this right. so when can i come over? Where is my fizzy-lifting drink? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kai2k1 0 #17 March 29, 2005 Whenever you want Zach, Ill be bringing some up to SDC for the Expo next weekend, look me up while im there There's no truer sense of flying than sky diving," Scott Cowan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #18 March 29, 2005 QuoteThere's nothing better (or worse!) than homebrew - it's either terrific or dreadful. I have a distant relation who wanted me to try some of his...it was spoiled brine, and tasted like that brown shit that grows in the water-drip pan under a refrigerator, and I told him so. He was so offended that we are no longer on speaking terms. A skydiving brother of mine also made a spoiled batch that tasted like salt water with yeast in it . I poured it down a toilet and just avoided talking to him... Advice to homebrewers: Get honest opinions from other brewers, because friends and relatives will lie to you for fear of hurting your feelings, whereas what you may have actually produced isn't fit for human consumption. That's too bad. Those batches must have been contaminated or something. I belong to a large homebrew club full of kick-ass brewers. I have rarely tasted a bad homebrew. Except one time when a guy forgot to pour the iodophor out of his fermenter before syphoning his beer in.!! So the stuff had a VERY stong iodine taste! YUCK!! but usually the stuff at our club is great. First Monday of every month we all get together & taste each other's homebrew, & talk about beer- oriented events going on. some people bring in wine or mead. One time a guy brought in homemade sake. fun times. needless to say, I make sure I walk there so I don't have to drive home afterwards. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
