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Author Topic: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.  (Read 8952 times)

Offline TacticalGarand44

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Re: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.
« Reply #30 on: June 12, 2017, 11:29:32 am »
Well, I ordered a starter kit from Midwest supply, including all of the necessary equipment, 48 bottles, and 2 5 gallon ingredient kits for just over $100 shipped.
God is great. Beer is good. People are crazy.

Offline 69franx

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Re: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.
« Reply #31 on: June 12, 2017, 11:41:50 am »
Well done! Have fun with it, if you have the space and time, start the second kit soon after the first. This will help alleviate the desperate desire to drink it all before more is ready. Come back here often for inspiration, information, and education and you will be brewing great beer
Frank L.
Fermenting: Nothing (ugh!)
Conditioning: Nothing (UGH!)
In keg: Nothing (Double UGH!)
In the works:  House IPA, Dark Mild, Ballantine Ale clone(still trying to work this one into the schedule)

Offline TacticalGarand44

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Re: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.
« Reply #32 on: June 17, 2017, 04:36:45 pm »
Any tips for keeping the sediment level in the bottles to an absolute minimum?
God is great. Beer is good. People are crazy.

Offline a10t2

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Re: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.
« Reply #33 on: June 17, 2017, 07:44:42 pm »
Any tips for keeping the sediment level in the bottles to an absolute minimum?

You don't even need a visible amount of yeast to carbonate (e.g. Sierra Nevada). Once the beer has reached FG and had a few days to condition, crash to 0°C/32°F for 2-3 days. Rack from just above the trub.
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Offline TacticalGarand44

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Re: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.
« Reply #34 on: June 17, 2017, 10:10:14 pm »
Any tips for keeping the sediment level in the bottles to an absolute minimum?

You don't even need a visible amount of yeast to carbonate (e.g. Sierra Nevada). Once the beer has reached FG and had a few days to condition, crash to 0°C/32°F for 2-3 days. Rack from just above the trub.

Does the temp drop force the sediment out of suspension and into the trub?
God is great. Beer is good. People are crazy.

Offline 69franx

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Re: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.
« Reply #35 on: June 17, 2017, 10:14:34 pm »
Yes and a lot of yeast. There will normally be enough left to bottle condition, but after conditioning, you will wind up with less yeast in your bottles

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Frank L.
Fermenting: Nothing (ugh!)
Conditioning: Nothing (UGH!)
In keg: Nothing (Double UGH!)
In the works:  House IPA, Dark Mild, Ballantine Ale clone(still trying to work this one into the schedule)

Offline Badgerhead

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Re: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.
« Reply #36 on: June 22, 2017, 03:37:34 pm »
Yes and a lot of yeast. There will normally be enough left to bottle condition, but after conditioning, you will wind up with less yeast in your bottles

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I've also noticed that when I bottle condition after cold crashing it takes a little while longer to get carbonation up where I like it.  No cold crash and I am good after 3 weeks in the closet, with the cold crash it is more like 5 weeks.  Huge improvement in bottle sediment levels though, totally worth it.

Offline JJeffers09

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Re: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.
« Reply #37 on: June 29, 2017, 08:52:57 am »
I don't disagree that this hobby can be expensive.  But like any other hobby, you can go as far as you want to go.

I think the bare minimum.

Extract brewing 1 gallon ~$45
You need a stock pot. Preferably 8qt or more.
1 Gallon glass jug
12 Bottles
oz/g scale
Airlock
Sanitizer
Siphon
3/8" Tubing
Bottling Wand/filler
Bottle capper
Caps

Extract 5 Gal maybe another $60-$80 depending on stock pot
20qt or more Stock pot
Note: you will want to top up for water for quick chill to start or get a larger kettle and an immersion chiller
6.5 Gallon Bucket
everything mention above and 52ish bottles.

Moving up to partial mashing or all grain is when you get into an investment on equipment.  A grain mill is def a purchase and should last you most of your brewing hobby.  However, I had no problems letting my homebrew shop mill my grains.  It wasn't until I wanted to start competitions that I bought my own.  I still enjoyed my brews.

I started my first batch with around $65 all in with ingredients, but I saved bottles for a couple months and had a 20qt stock pot and topped up my fermentation vessel. 
I walked away with
3/8" High temp tubing
Triple scale Hydrometer
An Auto siphon
A Partial mash Dunkelweizen

Then picked up 5# of ice, 5 gallons of RO.  That batch was good, not delicious but good!  Add the fact that it was exciting and fun to make, that's all I needed to go full force into the hobby.
"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" - Benjamin Franklin

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Indiana Brewers Union (IBU)

Offline TacticalGarand44

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Re: New member, go easy on me! I have questions.
« Reply #38 on: October 12, 2017, 03:12:24 pm »
Started my first batch of beer this week. 5 gallons of Midwest supplies Pale Ale. She’s bubbling fiercely.
God is great. Beer is good. People are crazy.