I want to homebrew, but....

[thecrow124]

OK bear with me here.

I would like to start homebrewing, but I have some major issues. First off, I do not drink enough to probably ever make up for the start-up costs, let alone the continuation of brewing more batches. I know this going in, and I am ok with that. I just find the whole brewing process interresting.

I also am not much of a craft beer drinker, I can drink IPA's, and a couple other styles, but for the most part I like AAL's. However, my wife and her sister both like various types of craft styles, but again the both of them together don't drink enough beer to cover the costs.

Here is my big dilema, how should I go about setting everything up? What kind of equipment should I get? Should I go all grain or extracts? Should I even bother with this idea. I understand that I will not ever be doing this for anything other than a hobby, and will likely never brew enough beer to make it cost affective, but I am ok with that. I just want to see if I can brew a decent beer that others can enjoy.

Lastly, what books would you recommend to help one get started with something like this? I would like one that goes into what each grain does, the flavor's it would impart, what affect temperature would have and the different types of yeast and what each does. After writing it out, I would guess that it would likely be more than one book.

Anyway, any and all comments/help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[757Hokie83]

must have book:

getting started, you're going to want to go with extract. Less equipment to buy, less time consuming on brew day, easier to get your feet wet. All-grain isnt that hard once you get the hang of it, but it's better to have a decent understanding of brewing before jumping into all grain (IMO)

here is some equipment start up kits:
Beer Brewing Equipment Starter Kits : Northern Brewer

i went with the $150 one when i got started years back, and still using much of the original equipment (of course once you get going you'll start get more and more doo-dads to smooth out your brew days)

and you're going to need to get some bottles and caps, you can buy them in 12oz, 22oz or 1 Liter, or you can just start drinking a bunch of bottled beer (no twist off) and save the bottles.

Brewing is a blast, even if you dont drink that often, beer keeps for a pretty considerable amount of time, so i wouldnt worry about wasting the beer you make

 

[Sleepy T]

Great info for thecrow...757. Another thing you could consider is making your own grain/extract/hop bill from scratch. Most of the pre-built recipe kits are for 5 gallon batches which is equal to about 48-54 bottles of beer, if you don't think you will or want to drink that much of a given beer..then build your own. You can research recipes online of the styles you like and even get the recipe for the kits..adjust grain and hop portions to get the volume you want. The only drawback to this would be the cost of yeast...don't know that they sell the good stuff in 1/2 vials. Use Beersmith or find a free calculator online. I use Hopville.

Hopville - Home for Brewers

 

[757Hokie83]

Actually, northernbrewer does have a 1 gallon starter kit, and one gallon ingredient kits for sale as well.

One Gallon Small Batch Starter Kit : Northern Brewer

but, like you mention sparks, i'm not sure if the kits come with yeast, or if you order it seperate like their 5 gal kits

 

[Darkstone42]

I have a couple years of brewing experience and several batches under my belt, but I still can't get an all-grain quite right, so I would start with at least some extract for your first few batches.

I wouldn't worry about the half-packs of yeast problem. I actually use two for each of my brews anyway. From a strictly scientific perspective, fermentation is most efficient when you introduce something along the lines of the equivalent of 50 packs of yeast, so double the suggested yeast in the recipe is actually better anyway.

I think my equipment for 5-gallon brews ran me somewhere just shy of $150. I've added on since then, including kegging equipment, and my total brew equipment expenditures are probably upwards of $800 now. It's an awesome hobby, though, and very worth it. You may find you enjoy it enough to expand like I did, but starting up isn't too bad money wise.

I second the recommendation of getting Papazian's book, and I would like to suggest Mark Denny's Froth as well if you're interested in the science behind brewing like I am.

 

[huskers1217]

 

[wartyOne]

I have a couple years of brewing experience and several batches under my belt, but I still can't get an all-grain quite right, so I would start with at least some extract for your first few batches.

I wouldn't worry about the half-packs of yeast problem. I actually use two for each of my brews anyway. From a strictly scientific perspective, fermentation is most efficient when you introduce something along the lines of the equivalent of 50 packs of yeast, so double the suggested yeast in the recipe is actually better anyway.

I think my equipment for 5-gallon brews ran me somewhere just shy of $150. I've added on since then, including kegging equipment, and my total brew equipment expenditures are probably upwards of $800 now. It's an awesome hobby, though, and very worth it. You may find you enjoy it enough to expand like I did, but starting up isn't too bad money wise.

I second the recommendation of getting Papazian's book, and I would like to suggest Mark Denny's Froth as well if you're interested in the science behind brewing like I am.

This isn't accurate. There is a formula for efficient yeast inclusion. Too much and you create more diacetyl than the yeast in suspension can reabsorb before crashing.

The formula is one million viable cells per degree Plato (this is kind of like SG, but on a different scale). Basically, you should pitch one packet (smackpack/vial/whatever) per 5 gallon batch of between 1.03-1.06 starting gravity. Upwards of 1.060, you should consider adding more yeast.

 

[wartyOne]

Oh, and to answer the OP, whatever you do, your brewpot needs to be stainless steel. Aluminum turkey fryers are not an acceptable way to save money in this venture.

Papazian is good, but I would definitely recommend The Brewmaster's Bible by Stephen Snyder. There is a lot of useful information regarding hops/malts, and is full of both all-grain and extract recipes. You don't have to follow these recipes, but you can compare what certain beer styles are using, and craft your own recipes off of that.