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re: Homebrewing beer. Any Brewmasters here?
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:05 pm to s14suspense
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:05 pm to s14suspense
I have a question. Im in BR and I was wondering where the closest brewing store is. I am already getting tired of buying online and waiting. I dont mind a drive if I can get everything I need there. TIA
3
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:07 pm to SouthOfSouth
Main Grain is on the Northshore, Brewstock is in NOLA and both should have a lot.
Marcello's in BR has some stuff but can be hit or miss. Supposedly the Marcello's in Lafayette is much better stocked.
Marcello's in BR has some stuff but can be hit or miss. Supposedly the Marcello's in Lafayette is much better stocked.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:12 pm to LSUBoo
quote:
Main Grain is on the Northshore, Brewstock is in NOLA and both should have a lot.
Marcello's in BR has some stuff but can be hit or miss. Supposedly the Marcello's in Lafayette is much better stocked.
I live just a minute or two from Marcello's Ill check it out for sure. Main Grain may not be too far but I'd rather Laffy if they had a brew shop. Ill check it out. thanks
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:13 pm to SouthOfSouth
quote:
I have a question. Im in BR and I was wondering where the closest brewing store is.
I go to brewstock. They have a pretty good supply. I went there yesterday and it looks like they have new extract malts. Not that canned briess malts, stuff.
For ordering ingredients, i usually use www.austinhomebrew.com or www.northernbrewer.com.
For Austin, if you order before 2, you'll usually have your supplies in 2-3 days. With Northern Brewer, if you order on Monday, it will come in either Thursday or friday. I trust the online stores more, because their turnover ratio is pretty high. Brewstock, i have no clue on their turnover ratio, but everything i've gotten there to date has been good. But majority of my ingredients i get online.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:18 pm to BugAC
I get the majority of my brewing ingredient/supplies from Austin... like you said they usually have only a 2-3 day shipping lag and they offer free or cheap shipping.
Plus they will mill and combine specialty grains together for you if you're going to do some steeping.
Plus they will mill and combine specialty grains together for you if you're going to do some steeping.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:19 pm to SouthOfSouth
quote:
SouthOfSouth
Oh, and another thing after you brew a couple batches. Something i say, has improved my brewing, though some on here do not use them, is a yeast starter.
I've brewed 7 brews, and have used a starter on the last 2. The fermentation starts almost immediately, and gets rid of the guesswork, if you think you have stuck fermentation at times.
But again, brew a few batches first. After your first batch you'll figure out things you need, don't need, steps to add, or remove in you brew process, and things that you might need that expedites the process. Clean and sanitize everything is the most important.
My first beer i brewed came out great, and to me, seems like my best brew. Maybe because i didn't know what i was or wasn't messing up. I've had a couple bad batches, and some really good batches. The great thing about brewing, is that your mistakes pay off in the long run. I find that brewing is the ultimate learning tool.
And remember to relax and have a homebrew.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:22 pm to BugAC
quote:
For Austin, if you order before 2, you'll usually have your supplies in 2-3 days. With Northern Brewer, if you order on Monday, it will come in either Thursday or friday. I trust the online stores more, because their turnover ratio is pretty high. Brewstock, i have no clue on their turnover ratio, but everything i've gotten there to date has been good. But majority of my ingredients i get online.
Thanks. Austin seems pretty reasonable. I just want to get into a store where I can see everything and kinda see what Im getting into. I think I may try to head over to Covington at least once then possibly but ingrediants from austinhomebrew
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:23 pm to LSUBoo
quote:
I get the majority of my brewing ingredient/supplies from Austin
Of my 7 batches brewed.
1. Cincinnati Pale Ale (from Palmer's How to Brew book)
2. Palmer's Port O' Palmer (How to Brew)
3. AHB (austin homebrew) Sam smith nut brown ale
4. Cincinnati Pale ale (again)
5. AHB Pumpkin Ale
6. NB Caribou Slobber
7. NB German Alt
Like you said, AHB combines the steeped grains. NB does do a better job at packaging. Everything is very neatly packed and in place.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:24 pm to BugAC
quote:
Oh, and another thing after you brew a couple batches. Something i say, has improved my brewing, though some on here do not use them, is a yeast starter.
This is something I have read about but are still not sure I understand. I am picking up a book from a buddy tonight and Im hoping to read on it. I like my beer so anything to speed up the fermenting process is a positive in my book.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:25 pm to SouthOfSouth
quote:
Thanks. Austin seems pretty reasonable. I just want to get into a store where I can see everything and kinda see what Im getting into. I think I may try to head over to Covington at least once then possibly but ingrediants from austinhomebrew
Yeah. Haven't been to the covington store before. But it's a good idea to look at what you are getting. Just ask the owner, he could probably tell you how quickly their turnover of supplies are. Should be ok.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:25 pm to BugAC
I want to do 2 or 3 kits, but I really want to get into my own recipes and combining ingrediant not bought as a kit. I'm not afraid of having a bad beer, but I am araid of not trying to make something cool and different.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:30 pm to SouthOfSouth
quote:
I like my beer so anything to speed up the fermenting process is a positive in my book.
Well, the starter doesn't really speed up your fermentation process. It just gives you a better quality fermentation. If you are using liquid yeast, go with a yeast starter, but if dry yeast, just rehydrate your yeast. For info on yeast starter, go on youtube and lookup yeast starter. There is one guy on there that does a good demonstration.
But again, my first brew, i used dry yeast, and didn't even hydrate the yeast. It took a couple days for fermenting to start, and i was worried it was stuck.
i didn't use the yeast starter until my last 2 brews, but will always use them now.
But worry about a starter later, now just focus on getting your equipment and ingredients together and cleaning and sanitizing your equipment.
And like they said, get this book. I always have this book handy every time i brew.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:32 pm to SouthOfSouth
If I'm not lucky enough to get Yellowfin's kit, I'm going to purchase a beginner's kit from Main Grain on Sunday since we are riding the trace then.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:32 pm to SouthOfSouth
quote:
I want to do 2 or 3 kits, but I really want to get into my own recipes and combining ingrediant not bought as a kit. I'm not afraid of having a bad beer, but I am araid of not trying to make something cool and different.
I'm the same. But i'm experimenting with different kits to find out what i like. What hops i like. Learn about the yeasts and base malts, etc...
I've done 7 kits, and am now going full boil. I'll probably do 1 or 2 more kits, and then try to formulate my own recipe. And then move to kegging, then to all-grain brewing. All-grain is a few months out, right now.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:33 pm to SouthOfSouth
quote:
This is something I have read about but are still not sure I understand. I am picking up a book from a buddy tonight and Im hoping to read on it. I like my beer so anything to speed up the fermenting process is a positive in my book.
Basically, since yeast is a living thing, every container will be different. Some packets will have more dead yeasts than others. If enough of the yeast is dead, and you pitch it, then it takes longer for the yeast to multiply and really get fermentation going, making your fermentation weak and leaving sugars behind. If it's bad enough, the yeast may all die and you won't get any fermentation.
Yeast starting is taking the yeast that you're planning to pitch and putting it in a nutrient solution well before you brew (days) to get them going really good before you pitch so you know that you've got good yeast that'll kick your fermentation off for sure.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:33 pm to BugAC
quote:
Well, the starter doesn't really speed up your fermentation process. It just gives you a better quality fermentation.
I would have to disagree. It does speed up the fermentation process considerably for me, but I do it for a better quality fermentation.
Either way, I agree that i is not something he should worry about at this point. Just toss that yeast in.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:37 pm to swampdawg
quote:
I would have to disagree. It does speed up the fermentation process considerably for me, but I do it for a better quality fermentation.
Either way, I agree that i is not something he should worry about at this point. Just toss that yeast in.
Obviously speed is not a primary objective. I like the idea of yeast starting and would love to try it from the start. I dont want to feel like I didn't have any say in the beer. Its like making gumbo from the packet. I would rather do it myself rather than just use the ingrediants someone else told me to and how.
So anything above and beyond I can do will give me a lot more gratification.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:38 pm to swampdawg
quote:
Either way, I agree that i is not something he should worry about at this point. Just toss that yeast in.
Count me in.
I will say that I'm a big fan of Wyeast's smack packs, though, and that's usually all we use. They basically have a small bag of a starter in there that you pop. You give the yeast a couple of hours to get going, and the outer bag swells up, so you know that they're alive.
This post was edited on 4/12/12 at 2:40 pm
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:39 pm to swampdawg
quote:
It does speed up the fermentation process considerably for me, but I do it for a better quality fermentation.
Well, i've typically fermented in primary for 7-10 days, every batch, with or without yeast starter.
My best fermentation, was my current batch that was in my secondary. In 10 hours, i had a good head of foam developing and my airlock was bubbling out of control. By 18 hours in, i had a blowoff. This was a 5 gallon batch in a 6 gallon carboy.
Your fermentation will start off quicker, so i may have mispoke, but in comparison to my other brews, i've waited mostly the same amount of time to reach my target FG.
Posted on 4/12/12 at 2:42 pm to TigerstuckinMS
quote:
I will say that I'm a big fan of Wyeast's smack packs, though, and that's usually all we use. They basically have a small bag of a starter in there that you pop. You give the yeast a couple of hours to get going, and the outer bag swells up, so you know that they're alive.
Yeah, my last starter, i used a wyeast smack pack, made a starter, and added brewvint yeast fuel. Probably why i had such a vigorous fermentation.
A note about the yeast starter. Allow a day or 2 ahead of brew day to smack the yeast pack, and make a starter.
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