Beer Brewing Thread

[Goop]

What winter seasonal brews would y'all recommend?

 

[CHEMIKER]

What winter seasonal brews would y'all recommend?

Mine :BLAA:

I am generally unimpressed by seasonal beers, as most go overboard in my opinion, and overspice, overbitter, or just plain overshoot the mark.

I do tend to drink darker, bigger, maltier beers in winter (stout, porter, brown ale), but not necessarily seasonal brews. There is one that I haven't tried but have heard great things about - Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale. I'm a big fan of their beers in general. Mmmmm. Oatmeal stout...

 

[Goop]

Mine :BLAA:

I am generally unimpressed by seasonal beers, as most go overboard in my opinion, and overspice, overbitter, or just plain overshoot the mark.

I do tend to drink darker, bigger, maltier beers in winter (stout, porter, brown ale), but not necessarily seasonal brews. There is one that I haven't tried but have heard great things about - Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale. I'm a big fan of their beers in general. Mmmmm. Oatmeal stout...

Would love to try your beer! I had some Sam Adam's Winter lager. It's like you said...overpowering spices. I taste too much cinnamon.

I think I actually saw the Samuel Smith's at a local store up the street. I will try some out this weekend!

 

[mark1608]

i used to brew all the time but got a bit too good at it, was never sober. its easy to sort a cheap set up if you ask around. only thing i can say is you cant keep everything too clean. it will pay off in the end :thumbup:

 

[chuckfz6ryder]

I've got a small homebrew "project" going on. I've got many unlabled bottles from the last few years. I've been coming home from work and having a mystery beer everyday, should be done by some time in January or February. Tonights seems to be a Northern English Brown Ale I've got a chocolate cherry cream stout in the fermenter now. I'll be bringing that keg with me on Christmas day and will spread some cheer

 

[kyle]

Resurrecting this thread to mention that I picked up a True Brue kit today and just pitched my first brew. I went the easy route for this first one and just picked up a brew kit for a German style light. That wort smelled delicious while brewing. I had no idea the malt was so sugary and syrupy (tasty, too).

 

[CHEMIKER]

Cool! The last batch I made in January didn't turn out so well. I don't know if it's a slight infection, or I over crushed the grains and got some tannins, but it wasn't perfect.

I brewed an Irish Red last weekend that is looking very promising. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[kyle]

The all grain brewing is above my skill and equipment level currently, but it is something I'd like to try eventually. Good luck on the red. Airlock is bubbling nicely on my light. Smells of delicious hops.

-typo'd by my thumbs on tiny touch screen buttons.

 

[cap'n]

So glad to finally see this thread. I used to home brew in college from extract, made about 25 batches back then (mid/late 90's). Got a job at the Bitburger Brewery in germany when I graduated for 4 months, working in one of the bottling production plants (they have 5 in a row, each for different vessel sizes). Haven't brewed since, but now that we're moving to a bigger house, I have been itching to do it again, and go all-grain.

Someone please kick me in the a$$ and make me do it. I drink ridiculous amounts of good beer - I try something new every few days, and have been doing so for 3+ years. I like cheap stuff too, and actually prefer buying in cans, because I usually do beer runs on my bicycle, so the extra size and weight of bottles sucks. I photo each new beer I have and write about it with friends on another board. Here's my 2010 composite picture, for example:

 

[FIZZER6]

Going to bring this thread back to life!

I started homebrewing using extract kits in November 2011 and have been doing BIAB partial mashes ever since! I have designed 3 recipes on my own that turned out awesome and am about to construct my first AG mash tun now that I got myself a 185,000 btu propane burner! My only piece of missing equipment is a 80qt brew pot for 5-10 gal batches! I even have a digital temperature controller for my extra fridge which serves as a temp controlled fermentation chamber ! :rockon:

Once you create your own recipe of a beer that is great and gets praise from all your friends you will be hooked at this hobby!

As if my obsession hadn't gone too far already in just 5 short months...I just planted 10 hop rhizomes in my yard...going to make a T-pee of hops! :thumbup:

 

[acniss]

NICE, when you going to share some of your good stuff

 

[crowelor]

My last batch was still on partial boil extract brewing. I just got the equipment(larger pot, burner, immersion chiller) to do full boils, so that will be my next step. Then when I can get some cash allotted to make a mash tun, I'll make the switch to AG.

I've really enjoyed the brewing process, but as mentioned before, dealing with bottles(sanitizing, filling, capping) is the most tedious part. I've tried to make the process easier by collecting bombers since my last brew. That should cut my bottling effort in about half. Unfortunately due to funds(and a wife that doesn't want kegs in her house, I'll be with bottles for a while.

I'm looking forward to being able to create my own recipes. For now, I just go to a store here in Houston that has a huge list of recipes, and when you make your choice, they throw all the ingredients in a bag and ring you up...super simple.

 

[CHEMIKER]

I've done several partial boils lately. Good way to crank out 5 gals on a weeknight, to fit in more brew days. The beer is still great, and it doesn't cost that much more.

I'm going to start a homebrewing class at my house one Saturday a month. I know so many people who want to learn, I figured I could start facilitating that, and get my hobby to start paying for itself!

 

[FIZZER6]

I've done several partial boils lately. Good way to crank out 5 gals on a weeknight, to fit in more brew days. The beer is still great, and it doesn't cost that much more.

I'm going to start a homebrewing class at my house one Saturday a month. I know so many people who want to learn, I figured I could start facilitating that, and get my hobby to start paying for itself!

When you drink 30-50 beers per month and can't drink watered down cow urine this hobby pays for itself really quick! In my state a 12-pack of decent craft brews sell for $15-$20. I can make 50 bottles of my spring wheat beer for about $22 :thumbup:

I figure I used to drink about 600 beers per year of decent craft brew so brewing my own I'm saving $300-$400 per year...that about pays for all the equipment I have so far and this is a super fun hobby!

 

[CHEMIKER]

When you drink 30-50 beers per month and can't drink watered down cow urine this hobby pays for itself really quick! In my state a 12-pack of decent craft brews sell for $15-$20. I can make 50 bottles of my spring wheat beer for about $22 :thumbup:

I figure I used to drink about 600 beers per year of decent craft brew so brewing my own I'm saving $300-$400 per year...that about pays for all the equipment I have so far and this is a super fun hobby!

True, and that's the argument I used to get into brewing. But I'm talking about the next step of all my beer and equipment costing me zero out of my bank account.

Also, I've got my eye on some equipment that I would never splurge on myself, like a 14 gal conical 14 Gallon Conical Fermenter | MoreBeer

I'm also interested in various bits to automate the process, like pumps and temperature control. All that adds up!