re: Home brewed beer

quote:

---

How much cheaper, if any, do y'all think this is than buying decent beer in the long run?

---

You will never come out ahead. Ingredients wise I can make beer for 50 cents each, but then when I factor in equipment and time I am way above that.

quote:

---

How much cheaper, if any, do y'all think this is than buying decent beer in the long run?

---

Not very. If you are getting into it for monetary reasons, then i wouldn't suggest it. But if you are looking for a fun hobby with great ending results, then go for it.

I have spent quite a bit on brewing equipment so far, and i still could spend a boat load more. If anything my beer buying has increased because i want to try other beers. It's both research and pleasure.

I bought a bunch of equipment out right before i started, other than the necessary brewing equipment and so far i've probably spent close to $1000. But again, not everything i bought was necessary. The necessities, IMO, would be a kit like this.

LINK

I guess further down the road my cost ratio may go up, but i'd say as of now, i'm running at about

$4.20/ 12 oz. beer

I've also made 11 brews. I also had to dump 2 batches (about 40-45 12 oz. bottles/5 gallon batch) due to over carbonation. I also have another 2 batches that i don't care for anymore that i may either dump or give away to those who want it.

But that cost ratio will only go down, because i'm buying only ingredients now, no equipment.

Much appreciated. Doesn't too difficult.

quote:

---

Not very. If you are getting into it for monetary reasons, then i wouldn't suggest it. But if you are looking for a fun hobby with great ending results, then go for it.

---

Not really

Was more of out curiosity

quote:

---

How did this happen?

---

I tried to take a shortcut. I found these carbonation tablets. When you carbonate beer, the simplest way is to boil about 4 oz. of corn sugar in about 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Then let it cool to about 75 degrees. Pour that into your bottling bucket, then "rack" your beer from your fermenter to the bottling bucket.

Well on my 2nd and 3rd batch i decided to use these Cooper's carbonation drops. Package said 1 per bottle. So i dropped one drop (looks like a cough drop) into each bottle and filled the bottles and capped them. When i popped open the cap about 2 weeks later, i had a beer geyser. I ended up dumping 2 batches (about 85 beers) because of it. I worked with a guy who was making his own moonshine, so he came by the house and poured it all in a bucket and got about 1 pint of shine out of it, not a total loss.

It sucked because i brewed 2 batches over 2 weekends, so i had no clue how the carb drops would affect my brew, until it was too late and i lost 2 batches.

So a tip. Never use carbonation drops.

quote:

---

Well on my 2nd and 3rd batch i decided to use these Cooper's carbonation drops. Package said 1 per bottle. So i dropped one drop (looks like a cough drop) into each bottle and filled the bottles and capped them. When i popped open the cap about 2 weeks later, i had a beer geyser. I ended up dumping 2 batches (about 85 beers) because of it. I worked with a guy who was making his own moonshine, so he came by the house and poured it all in a bucket and got about 1 pint of shine out of it, not a total loss.

It sucked because i brewed 2 batches over 2 weekends, so i had no clue how the carb drops would affect my brew, until it was too late and i lost 2 batches.

So a tip. Never use carbonation drops.

---

I have used them in the past with no ill effects.

The only time I have had a gusher is from the few times an infection has gotten in there at bottling. Maybe you had something else going. Could you taste anything weird with the beer?

I also have never had a problem with the drops being over carbonated, especially to that extent. the only times I have bottles build up that kind of pressure is when they are infected.

My sanitation procedures are pretty anal, and not much has changed, and I have never had a problem since then.

I have a TripleIPA that wouldn't carb very well. I turned the bottles over for 10 seconds twice in one week and kicked my fridge temp up to 74 from 69.....this was most likely my problem.....temp too low. Opened one last night and boy did it carbonate.....looked like Spindletop. After I lost 1/3 of the bottle and it settled down, its a great tasting beer. 240 IBUs of pure face melting, sinus clearing bliss. No way I dump this. I'll just open the bottle in a larger vessel like a large glass pitcher to collect the gushings.

quote:

---

240 IBUs of pure face melting, sinus clearing bliss. No way I dump this. I'll just open the bottle in a larger vessel like a large glass pitcher to collect the gushings.

---

I tried everything under the sun. It was simply overcarbonated. I was on several message boards and had a few have similar experiences with cooper's carb drops.

Considering that was the only 2 beers that happened with, and those are the only 2 beers that i used drops on. and after trying numerous different things, By process of elimination, i conclude that it was the drops.