Any home brewers here?

[oly884]

I figured there might be a few of you guys that home brew.

I have yet to venture into the beer realm, though it never really appealed to me. I'm a mead maker (for those of you who don't know what mead is, it's honey wine) Thus far I've made a pomegranate mead, and a raspberry mead. I've got one going right now that's a bing cherry mead. All of these are around 18% ABV so they sneak up on you QUICK, haha. I'm also going to start a mead that'll be just in time ready for xmas. I'm doing a chamomile vanilla mead. Just imagine sleepytime tea, with some vanilla and honey in it, also, it'll get you a good buzz! I'm looking forward to seeing how that turns out!

[calamaridog]

I homebrewed while I was in college and had tons of free time. We brewed a bunch of beer. I must have done 5 gallons every 2-3 weeks for 2 years.

Mostly Pale Ales, IPA's, stuff like that.

We used to go to homebrew parties, where eveyone could only bring homebrew. No beer, no admit:p

My local brew supply closed it's doors which made it harder to find time. Then I had my buddies homebrew which he was kegging in 5 gallon soda kegs. After that, I promised myself I'd never bottle again.

If you ever start, I can dig out some recipes.

As far as Mead goes, I've only tried the sickly sweat Chaucer's stuff. Feel free to send my a bottle:hehe:

[edgear]

I've been into homebrewing for the past 7 years or so. My favorites are stouts & ales, but I've done a few porters & lagers as well. My most recent stout was a "double-black" stout (it contained 1lb of ground espresso coffee beans for the 5 gallon batch). Very tasty. The highest alc% I've done has been around 8-10%. I'll have to try making one of those 18% meads someday!! Just out of curiosity, how long does it have to ferment for?
:beer:

[Brian McVickers]

I have home brewed a bit.
Amy got me :beer: MR. BEER :beer: for my birthday last year!
It is home brew 101 and I made a few batches.
I need to get back into it, lots of fun to taste your own creations:Wow1:

Maybe Mario will chime in, he is the Portal's resident BREWMASTER:bowdown: :bowdown:

:beer:

[oly884]

I've been into homebrewing for the past 7 years or so. My favorites are stouts & ales, but I've done a few porters & lagers as well. My most recent stout was a "double-black" stout (it contained 1lb of ground espresso coffee beans for the 5 gallon batch). Very tasty. The highest alc% I've done has been around 8-10%. I'll have to try making one of those 18% meads someday!! Just out of curiosity, how long does it have to ferment for?
:beer:

It's about a month to two in the primary, and then to the secondary with the addition of a fruit if you wish. Then 3+ months all the way up to a year before bottling.

[elcoyote]

I think we brewers should get together for a special run to find a remote spot with a clean, high quality water source, brew an all grain half barrel batch, bury the fermenters, return in 2 weeks, rack to secondary, bury the kegs and return again, several months later for the ultimate brew party geo-cache. I'll cart along my all grain system and offer up 2 cornies for the cause. Someone else needs to come forward with a couple of carboys. Burying the secondarys will keep them at the perfect temp for a nice thirst quenching lager:beer:
Wanna play?

[Icewalker]

At some point I'll post some stuff about my columbian cream stout ;) - I brew my own but don't have much of a chance to do a great deal of brewing - But .... I'm a cream stout/Impreial stout fan .... I have my own rendition of the fabled brew :beer:

[stevenmd]

I no longer homebrew but I still homedrink!:friday:

[calamaridog]

I think we brewers should get together for a special run to find a remote spot with a clean, high quality water source, brew an all grain half barrel batch, bury the fermenters, return in 2 weeks, rack to secondary, bury the kegs and return again, several months later for the ultimate brew party geo-cache. I'll cart along my all grain system and offer up 2 cornies for the cause. Someone else needs to come forward with a couple of carboys. Burying the secondarys will keep them at the perfect temp for a nice thirst quenching lager:beer:
Wanna play?


The Ultimate Homebrew Expedition.

[edgear]

Someone else needs to come forward with a couple of carboys. Burying the secondarys will keep them at the perfect temp for a nice thirst quenching lager:beer:
Wanna play?

As of now my homebrewing kit consists of only 1 secondary glass carboy, so I don't have any extras to offer up. But this definitely sounds like a great idea!! Could we still call it "home"brewing if we're not brewing it at home? Maybe we could call it expeditonary bootlegging...
:beer:

[jerdog53]

I think we brewers should get together for a special run to find a remote spot with a clean, high quality water source, brew an all grain half barrel batch, bury the fermenters, return in 2 weeks, rack to secondary, bury the kegs and return again, several months later for the ultimate brew party geo-cache. I'll cart along my all grain system and offer up 2 cornies for the cause. Someone else needs to come forward with a couple of carboys. Burying the secondarys will keep them at the perfect temp for a nice thirst quenching lager:beer:
Wanna play?


I'll third this!

I haven't brewed since I moved but used to do it all the time was like 35 gallons a year. Now I just don't have the time or I won't make the time.

:friday:

[elcoyote]

Maybe we could call it expeditonary bootlegging...
:beer:
I like that! It appeals to my heritage... My great grandfather was a bootlegger in TN. He ran a hotel with a speakeasy in the back. My first preference for a water source was going to be Saline Valley, CA... not that it is the best water but that I consider it one of the best drinking locations. Any other ideas?

[big sky trapper]

Well Ive gotta try it.....mead that is

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q18/bigskytrapper/P7310127-1.jpg

never made anything like wines or mead, so heres a start...My local brew supply guy says 6 month to a year. think this post can wait that long? hahah

[Blair G]

I have done it and loved it. I just found all my brewing stuff and want to do it again. It has been around 7 years since the last batch.

Blair

[MaddBaggins]

I've been brewing for about 10 years. I haven't brewed for almost a year though. Busy with the house and rig. I'll be brewing some more batches this fall for sure.
My faves to brew
Oatmeal cream stout
IPA's
Pale
and my own recipe
Oatmeal strawberry wheat

[big sky trapper]

If this goes well...Im have to try some eiswine or some mascotto (sp?) next

[big sky trapper]

its a going, dosnt look like much right now. Girls asked me what i was up to now and i told them it was my "astronaut pee percolator" that i bought from ebay and i was expecting samples from them all haha...you should have seen all the eyes a rolling...hahaha

[MaddBaggins]

Cool, I'm gettin the itch to start brewing again soon.

[windy]

The fun part about being the wife of a brewer, is the taste testing. And then testing a little more, and then more still...:beer:

[big sky trapper]

Success! So far...My first batch of eiswine from a kit. ready to bottle here in a few. tonights taste test wheeeeeew gooooodie! Finished at 13%. Cant wait to try it in a few months.

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q18/bigskytrapper/SANY0221.jpg


My mead seems to have stuck .... todays test SG. 0.0 PAC 0.0 hmmmmm should I restart it???

[BajaTaco]

I think we brewers should get together for a special run to find a remote spot with a clean, high quality water source, brew an all grain half barrel batch, bury the fermenters, return in 2 weeks, rack to secondary, bury the kegs and return again, several months later for the ultimate brew party geo-cache. I'll cart along my all grain system and offer up 2 cornies for the cause. Someone else needs to come forward with a couple of carboys. Burying the secondarys will keep them at the perfect temp for a nice thirst quenching lager:beer:
Wanna play?

I'm in! I can bring one carboy.

I recall talking to you about this a while back... was it over beers? :sombrero:

[elcoyote]

I'm in! I can bring one carboy.

I recall talking to you about this a while back... was it over beers? :sombrero:

Whulp, y'know dude, we're waaaaaay over due to make this happen....uh I seem to remember a copious amount of Belgian being poured. Seriously, lets' figure out a date & place. we need a good remote water source, say in AZ, NV or CA...any thoughts?

[overlanddisco]

:beer: I've got a spare carboy, and once I get the new blue Chaser, I'll have 19 gallons of water, plus a 6 ft bed to store more water if need be..... And bring plenty of brewing equipment.:beer:

Mojave desert sounds good to me, Battleship mountain area, plenty of places to hide a couple of carboys in the shade.....

Where do we want to meet to do the brewing?? This sounds like FUN!!:jump:

I do a mead once/twice a year, have for 3 years now. Chris has had some, so has Scott. It's much better after it ages a year or two or three ( if possible). It's best to forget it after you transfer it to the second carboy for at least 4-6 months. Let it age/mellow/settle!!

[Carlyle]

Do you have a good mead recipe? I've been thinking of doing one for awhile.

[overlanddisco]

:clapsmile There are a few really good books that are exclusively mead books- The Compleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm is a good one. The back of the classic The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papizan, go to appendix 5- devoted to mead.
One of my favorite recipes is from the updated Home Brewers Companion by Charlie Papizan. The Prickly Pear Mead is to die for!!! PM me if you have these fruits near, I'll show you how to get the juice out without ANY stickers in you!!
You need to have patience- mead is best AFTER it ages for a year, and gets better as time goes on....