[morticaixavier]

What is this $20 you say? I definitely want to get into it, and have 0 equipment. Do you guys have some good links for brewing with stuff found at home? I figure I've always got Oatmeal, Yeast, Sugar and Water... Just need a little hop and something for it to sit in with an air-lock right?

You cant make beer with oatmeal and yeast that you have around the house.  Read the online version of Palmer's "How to Brew" and invest in a basic starter kit.  If you have a local homebrew shop they may have a decent kit, or there are several good online suppliers.  This is a great hobby and I would hate to see a new brewer discouraged from continuing because of taking short-cuts and having a bad first batch. Good luck and have fun!

For 6 bucks you can get a couple lbs of DME, for 2 bucks you can get an ounce of good hops. for 8 bucks you can get a pack of us-05, for 2 bucks you can get a gallon glass jug and another 2 bucks for a couple gallons of distilled water. where are the corners cut?

I'm just saying if the guy wants to try making beer it doesn't cost a fortune.

Never did I indicate that he could use oatmeal and bread yeast.

erictheviking,

As I listed above, if you have a good sized pasta pot at home with the stuff I listed above yo uare good to go. find your local homebrew shop, attend a meeting with a local club, come here for advice. and have a good time. it's only beer.

[hopfenundmalz]

What is this $20 you say? I definitely want to get into it, and have 0 equipment. Do you guys have some good links for brewing with stuff found at home? I figure I've always got Oatmeal, Yeast, Sugar and Water... Just need a little hop and something for it to sit in with an air-lock right?

You cant make beer with oatmeal and yeast that you have around the house.  Read the online version of Palmer's "How to Brew" and invest in a basic starter kit.  If you have a local homebrew shop they may have a decent kit, or there are several good online suppliers.  This is a great hobby and I would hate to see a new brewer discouraged from continuing because of taking short-cuts and having a bad first batch. Good luck and have fun!

For 6 bucks you can get a couple lbs of DME, for 2 bucks you can get an ounce of good hops. for 8 bucks you can get a pack of us-05, for 2 bucks you can get a gallon glass jug and another 2 bucks for a couple gallons of distilled water. where are the corners cut?

I'm just saying if the guy wants to try making beer it doesn't cost a fortune.

Never did I indicate that he could use oatmeal and bread yeast.

erictheviking,

As I listed above, if you have a good sized pasta pot at home with the stuff I listed above yo uare good to go. find your local homebrew shop, attend a meeting with a local club, come here for advice. and have a good time. it's only beer.

Raw materials and production are covered above. The packaging?

Some beer bottles that have been saved and cleaned are zero $ in most states. Some caps for those bottles are $3-5 for a gross. The capper is the pricey item, $15-20. Carbonation? Table sugar works fine.

If that is too much money, I know guys who have bottled in 2 plastic 2 liter soft drink bottles, rinsed and sanitized before filling.

[bassetman]

Give it a try. I started brewing in the depths of this last winter. There is so much to learn about the process and ingredients. As a side effect everyone you know will spend more time at your house , especially around the taps.

[erockrph]

For 6 bucks you can get a couple lbs of DME, for 2 bucks you can get an ounce of good hops. for 8 bucks you can get a pack of us-05, for 2 bucks you can get a gallon glass jug and another 2 bucks for a couple gallons of distilled water.

Some tubing to siphon into your bottles is also needed. While a racking cane and bottling wand aren't strictly necessary, they will make bottling a hell of a lot easier as well. If you don't have swing-tops (i.e., Grolsch-style bottles), then caps and a capper are needed as well. Bleach could be used for sanitization the first time around, but something like Star San or Iodophor is well worth the investment.

Other than that, what Mort lists above is pretty much all you need to put out a batch or two on the real cheap. You can even jury-rig an airlock by placing a balloon or condom (unlubricated - ribbing optional ) over the opening of the jug and prick a very small pinhole in it. If the balloon gets too full, the hole will open enough to let some gas out.

Here's a really simple recipe for a 6-pack batch of American Pale Ale to get you started that doesn't even require a scale:

Shopping list:
1 lb Light Dried Malt Extract (DME) (I'd go with Light over "Extra Light" for this recipe, but either would work)
1 oz Centennial Hops
1 packet US-05 yeast
1 gallon Reverse Osmosis or Distilled water

Add 1 gallon of water to your kettle. As the water is heating, add 1 pound of extract and stir constantly until it is all dissolved. Once the water hits a boil add 1/4 of your hops (if you don't have a scale that can weigh hundredths of an ounce, you can just count the number of pellets and divide it that way). Set a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the kettle from the burner. Once all signs of boiling have stopped, add the remaining 3/4 ounce of hops. Stir well until all hops are mixed into the wort (wort = unfermented beer). Let it sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, chill the kettle in an ice bath until it hits the low 60's (Farenheit). Carefully pour into your sanitized fermenter through a sanitized funnel. Sprinkle 1/4 packet of yeast (you can store the rest in the fridge - just tape it shut and put it in a ziploc baggie) on top and let it ferment in the low/mid 60's for two weeks. Transfer to bottles and add 1/2 tsp of table sugar to each. Cap and let sit warm for another 2-3 weeks for carbonation. Then enjoy the fruits of your labor.

[Frankenbrew]

For 6 bucks you can get a couple lbs of DME, for 2 bucks you can get an ounce of good hops. for 8 bucks you can get a pack of us-05, for 2 bucks you can get a gallon glass jug and another 2 bucks for a couple gallons of distilled water.

Other than that, what Mort lists above is pretty much all you need to put out a batch or two on the real cheap. You can even jury-rig an airlock by placing a balloon or condom (unlubricated - ribbing optional ) over the opening of the jug and prick a very small pinhole in it. If the balloon gets too full, the hole will open enough to let some gas out.

Warning: Do not under any circumstances recycle the aforementioned condom. It's not worth the savings!

[majorvices]

Hey I am looking at getting into home brewing as a hobby and would love to hear about it from some experienced home brewers before I spend a bunch of money to make malt extract beer.

I want to know about the hobby in general (skip the how-to's I know generally how to do it, but tips would be nice), challenges first starting out, best equipment for a beginner (do I go full boar into expensive stuff or start cheap?) and what do you wish you knew when you started that you know now!

Thanks and happy brewing!

You say 'skip the how to's" but then in another post you say "oatmeal, yeast water and hops". Trust me, if you think that's how you brew beer you definitely need the "how to's". I'd start at www.howtobrew.com

[eriktheviking]

Ok everybody.... I know there is more to making beer than what I said. I was over simplifying the process but was basically saying that the process can be as simple as I want to make it to start. Thanks for the recipes and suggestions. Definitely gonna hook up with people in my community.

[hopfenundmalz]

Hey, find a local homebrew club and learn from some good people. May 2nd is big brew, where you can see people brewing on simple DIY systems to ones that take some Rocket Science.

Clubs
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/community/clubs/find-a-homebrew-club/

Big Brew - National Homebrew Day
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/aha-events/national-homebrew-day/

[euge]

Also, if you have access to PET bottles (plastic 1,2,3 liter soda bottles) they work quite well to carbonate and serve beer out of. Amassing enough glass beer bottles for a single batch can take time and expense for someone just getting into brewing.

I can brew a 5 gallon batch with a 2 gallon pot easy.

[curtism1234]

I am still learning and use a very simple system as ingrediants are expensive enough as is.

I do 2.5 gallon batches. I "brew in a bag", boil in a like 4 gallon pot on the stove (some of these pots get stupid expensive depending on size. I got the largest pot before the huge price increase to the next size), use a Mr. Beer Keg as my fermentor (though I do all grain and have never actually used a mr beer recipe), and transfer the beer from the fermentor to a pointed measuring cup to the bottle, and add the hard sugar candy drops. Make sure your wife is ok with a horrific mess in the kitchen! lol

[Stevie]

I used a Mr Beer fermenter twice and was not happy with the quality. The plastic is very thin and I do not like the no airlock lid that allows air in after fermentation dies down. I plan on picking up a small speidel fermenter if I decide to do any more small batches.


I don't understand the rest of your bottling process. Are you pouring beer from a measuring cup into bottles? If so, I recommend getting a bottling cane/wand and attaching that to the spigot.

[curtism1234]

I don't understand the rest of your bottling process. Are you pouring beer from a measuring cup into bottles? If so, I recommend getting a bottling cane/wand and attaching that to the spigot.

Yes, that's what I'm doing. I have tried pouring directly from the spigot to the bottle but that was too messy. A good measuring cup gives me a reliable flow with no spillage (if I am sober with a steady hand). What you suggest is one of the next steps for me.

[Unconnected]

Yes, that's what I'm doing. I have tried pouring directly from the spigot to the bottle but that was too messy. A good measuring cup gives me a reliable flow with no spillage (if I am sober with a steady hand). What you suggest is one of the next steps for me.

I would get a bottling wand and a hose.  You can do it with just a hose though.  If you put the hose on the end of the spigot and into the bottle, you can turn on spigot until the bottle is almost full.  Very little in the way of mess and bubbles, and less exposure to oxygen.  The bottleing wand makes it even better.  It switches flow on and off as you put it in and takie it out ofthe bottle by pressing the tip to the bottom.  Very clever.  When you take the bottling wand out of bottle you are left with a good amount of head space.

I also mix my sugar into bottling bucket, and not directly into bottles, but if you have a fool-proof measuring system, I am sure it is fine.

[Stevie]

^^^ This is what I was recommending for the exact reasons he stated. It can be as easy as  length of tubing, but the bottling wand makes it a whole lot easier.


http://www.morebeer.com/products/bottle-filler-removable-spring-12.html

[bengelbrau]

Warning: Do not under any circumstances recycle the aforementioned condom. It's not worth the savings!

Yeast infections can be terrible