Home Brewing

[NoLifeLeft]

How long does carbonation usually take? Or do you think it needed more sugar?

It can depend on the type of yeast and how active the yeast is. 2-3 weeks is probibly about average, my belgian dubbel took like 6-8 weeks.
As for the sugars, don't ramp up the sugar. 1/2 - 3/4 cup of corn sugar OR 1.2-1.5 cups of DME for a 5 gal. batch. Never confuse the two, corn sugar is much more potent than DME.

[TexasOutlaw]

My friends were saying my ale wasn't very strong, so I decided to see how many I could drink and check the effects.

I had 3 quarts and 3 12 oz bottles; I didn't notice myself drunk, but I sure am tired this morning. No hangover. The taste has mellowed out since Friday; amazing what a few days can do.

[TexasOutlaw]

I really like ordering from MoreBeers, but they have a lot of things out of stock. I may have to dish out the 15 dollar shipping and order from NB.

[Terrence]

The amber Ale is gone. the last one was the best tasting of the batch, just as predicted. I'd compare the flavor to Bass, the amber ale being hoppier and more floral from the Cascade hops. My batch had a kick on par with Bass, as it made me stumbly after 5 bottles. I want to try more ales and microbrews but i'm still counting down the days till 21 .

Tex- Have you tried ordering from that website I linked earlier? The one located in Austin? Shipping rates within the same state are almost always less than $10. I just ordered my Irish Red kit from a store located near Detroit; shipping was only $7.38 and it arrived in two business days.

[NoLifeLeft]

I really like ordering from MoreBeers, but they have a lot of things out of stock. I may have to dish out the 15 dollar shipping and order from NB.

Yeah, that has been a recent development. I used to get everything from them but, like you said, when I placed my last order they were out of a lot of stuff. Not sure whats up with that. I hope they get that under control. I still ended up placing most of my order through them because they had a lot of the weird small parts that I needed for my kegging system.

[TexasOutlaw]

Tex- Have you tried ordering from that website I linked earlier? The one located in Austin? Shipping rates within the same state are almost always less than $10. I just ordered my Irish Red kit from a store located near Detroit; shipping was only $7.38 and it arrived in two business days.

The Austin site is very good. THe shipping was like 7 bucks, but it has tax since it's in Texas, which brought it up to about the shipping cost of northern brewer.

No Life: You have a kegging system? I may have questions for you; I'm probably headed that route. I just can't get enough bottles for my brewing needs. I need a stout, a pale ale, and a Heffenwyser (the German wheat beer). I only have about 100 bottles. Morebeers had me a little disappointed: they don't have the bottle tree I need in stock, nor the yeast nutrient to make starters.

You're right about the taste, Terrence, I've had beers since Friday from my first batch. Each day, is better than the last. I have guiness, bass, and IPA, but my home made ale just makes my mouth water. I didn't think it was gonna be this good. Fellas if you haven't tried home brewing, you don't know what you're missing.

Incidentally, my friends are saying my first ale wasn't as strong as it should be. I think it has to do with the yeast stalling out to early. Mine seems to ferment about 5 days and stop; basically, the nut brown is clearing/aging in the primary. I think I'm gonna bottle on Sunday. I think a 2 quart starter would help with this.

[TexasOutlaw]

The best thing about Austin Home Brew is where you can look up a beer alphebetically and get their extract version of it. They have almost all beer (except San Miguel).

[TexasOutlaw]

I really like ordering from MoreBeers, but they have a lot of things out of stock. I may have to dish out the 15 dollar shipping and order from NB.

Yeah, that has been a recent development. I used to get everything from them but, like you said, when I placed my last order they were out of a lot of stuff. Not sure whats up with that. I hope they get that under control. I still ended up placing most of my order through them because they had a lot of the weird small parts that I needed for my kegging system.

I actually think that it's a good thing. If people are buying from them, their stuff has to stay fresher. There is a brew supply store in San Antone, and I've been told that their kits have dust on them... I was actually gonna take a drive that way, but I may just keep driving to Austin.

Both bottle trees are out of stock now. I need to find a way to store my bottles and empties; I'm running out of room!

[TexasOutlaw]

I ordered some supples (no kits) from Northern Brewer. But first, I placed the items on both Austin Home Brew and Northern Brewers shopping carts to compare prices.

Again, Northern Brewer is cheaper for me in terms of shipping. Although Austin Home Brewing has a set shipping price, the tax makes the charge more than that of NB.

For those of you not in Texas, I bet Austin HB would be a hell of a deal at 5.99 set shipping. I figure I'll still order primarily from More Beers due to their free shipping (saves me about 10 bucks an order), but I still want to dry kits from different sites.

I'm fairly certain my next batch will be some kind of bitters kit (Extra special bitters). If only I had more bottles...

Anyone else hooked on the hobby?

[TexasOutlaw]

Tough bottling day. First, the bottle filler valve somehow stayed open and I lost a bunch of beer on the floor. There may be a bright side though. I may have messed up this batch. I tasted the amount that I couldnt bottle at the end, and it had a wierd taste. Didn't taste like a nut brown at all.

I can't think of anything to describe it. It tastes spoiled. I'm not sure I would call it sour. I've already bottled it too (didn't sample it until after bottling). Or will this mellow out?

Only my second batch, and I was very careful with sanitation and such.

[Terrence]

Yeah, my bottle filler sticks too. Next time you're bottling tap the valve on the bottom of the bottle when the fill level reaches near the top to prevent sticking.

Remember not to judge your beer when it's green, A few weeks in the bottle can do a lot. I'm not liking the final flavor of my nut brown ale at all. It's either not my style or it'll suddenly taste better at a certain time after bottling. I'm going to taste some more wednesday.

I have an Irish Red five days in the primary right now. I left the hops and junk in the fermenter this time. I figured it might add a little more hoppiness and should settle to the bottom by the time I transfer.

[NoLifeLeft]

I left the hops and junk in the fermenter this time. I figured it might add a little more hoppiness and should settle to the bottom by the time I transfer.

You mean to transfer that to a secondary fermenter. Right?

[Terrence]

Yeah, for the secondary. I won't be swallowing any leaves

[TexasOutlaw]

I hope you're right. The first ale I made tasted good upon bottling, just flat. This had a distinct flavor, the best I can think is when I was a kid we would buy expired bologna (financial reasons). You had to eat it before it turned sweet.

That's what it tasted like. My gf said I'm over reacting though. I'm gonna order an extra special bitters and Heffenweizen kit today.

[TexasOutlaw]

I read somewhere that bacteria causes beer to sour. I was so careful...
Nut Brown should have almost a sweet flavor with hints of nuts (ever had hazelnut coffee?). The malts should dominate with very little (if any) detectable hops flavor. It is hardly an every day beer for me either. It's a change of pace beer for me. Kinda like brewing camomille tea just to have something different from the dark tea I had for breakfast.

Also, it does NOT go well with food in my opinion. It counters flavors too much. So I won't be drinking it with pizza or a burger.

I hope I didnt get any bacteria in my beer or wild yeast. If it doesn't settle down, it is going to be sad, popping all those bottles and dumping them.