Anyone Home Brew beer?

[Stepka]

I have been home brewing for 2 years and just wondering if anyone else does.

[b.walker5]

Used to, many years ago. Moved on to spirits. It's legal to brew and distill for own use over here.

[exquized1]

I home brew but not beer (never liked the taste). I make Honey wine (mead). It takes about a year to make a batch but law states that I can brew 100 gallons for home use a year. I only make about 20 gallons a year so I am safe. Last year it was really hard to find pure honey. People who had it wanted almost 8 dollars a pound and I use 15lbs per batch. Mead is real easy to make and only takes 5 things which most are in a normal kitchen. Its the year wait that stops most brewers.

[ambidextrous]

a year? that is a long time

whats the alcohol percentage in that stuff?

i have a friend who brews often

he makes IPA type beers

dry hopped, and all that good stuff, and they taste good too

[exquized1]

Most of the time I can get 14 to 16 %. I did have one batch 5 gallons of peach mead that I read at 25% with a hydrometer. I thought I was reading it wrong so I had 2 other brewer read it for me they got the same result (Maybe we all need a lesson). We knick named it peach kerosene it was very dry and almost like drinking whiskey. I am trying out a different yeast next batch to keep it on the sweet side but the %'s might drop a little. Honey is a complex sugar and takes a little longer to break down. you can drink some when you rack it but I don't drink much so a year isn't a long time. I make it for the Sword fighting events I try to go to every year. Going to miss Pensic wars in PA. this year but next I'll have plenty of Mead to share.

[Joab]

I'm just getting into mead making myself! I always loved the stuff they sold at the Minnesota Renfest, so I figured id try my hand at it.

[trbig]

Bumping an old thread...

I used to home brew about 15 years ago, and don't really know why I stopped. I got a wild hair @ a month ago and decided to start up again... with a vengeance? lol. I went to the shed to get my stuff.. and 15 years had taken it's toll on the equipment. About the only thing I could re-use was my bottle capper. Off to the brew shop for new stuff and ingredients. So far this month, I've made 6 gallons of Mexican Cerveza, (Corona clone) 6 gallons of a Bud Light clone, 5.5 gallons of a Shiner Bock clone, 6 gallons of hard apple cider, (Haven't bottled yet) 3 gallons of rice wine, still fermenting, and this afternoon, just got a 5.5 gal batch of a chocolate stout in the ferment bin. The only one somewhat ready to drink yet is the Bud Light clone, and it still needs to age a bit.. though now there's three bottles of it missing. lol. I've got the honey and supplies to make 6 gallons of mead, and think I am going to start another batch of the Bud Light clone since it came out so well, and that sissy Tulsa guy on here won't drink anything that's a little dark with some flavor.

Having a good time watching the cases of bottles pile up. The wife doesn't think it's nearly as cool as I do, but what does she know? She doesn't even know how to ride a motorcycle.

[crazy steve]

...and that sissy Tulsa guy on here won't drink anything that's a little dark with some flavor.

And who would that be pray tell....

[fredintoon]

a year? that is a long time

whats the alcohol percentage in that stuff?

i have a friend who brews often

he makes IPA type beers

dry hopped, and all that good stuff, and they taste good too

Hi Ambi,
but that's only for the first year. If you start a batch each month you'll never go dry thereafter. A 5 gallon jug makes thirty 24oz bottlesworth and that's a bottle every day if you don't share.
I make up a 30-day wine kit every month. It's better if you wait a while with those too but you don't have to.
If ever my production starts to exceed my consumption I can hopefully get ahead a month or two.

[Petersg_99]

I got a Mr. Beer for Christmas, does that count...

[Cuda 69]

That chocolate stout sounds good,just what I need,another hobby I can't keep up with the one's I have now. Plus,I'd have way more friends up to camp than I want.

[trbig]

I'm most excited about the rice wine. It's supposed to be very high in alcohol, you harvest it every 21-28 days, it's immediately drinkable, and it only lasts for a few months in the best conditions in the fridge, so you HAVE to drink it fairly quickly!

It takes a special yeast/mold (Yup.. MOLD) to get it to work, but with a good rice, like a nice Jasmine rice, I can get 50 lbs for @ $40 at the Oriental supermarket, and that would make WHOLE LOTTA WINE!

Here's to a whole lotta wine! lol.

[MaximPhil]

Bumping an old thread...

I used to home brew about 15 years ago, and don't really know why I stopped. I got a wild hair @ a month ago and decided to start up again... with a vengeance? lol. I went to the shed to get my stuff.. and 15 years had taken it's toll on the equipment. About the only thing I could re-use was my bottle capper. Off to the brew shop for new stuff and ingredients. So far this month, I've made 6 gallons of Mexican Cerveza, (Corona clone) 6 gallons of a Bud Light clone, 5.5 gallons of a Shiner Bock clone, 6 gallons of hard apple cider, (Haven't bottled yet) 3 gallons of rice wine, still fermenting, and this afternoon, just got a 5.5 gal batch of a chocolate stout in the ferment bin. The only one somewhat ready to drink yet is the Bud Light clone, and it still needs to age a bit.. though now there's three bottles of it missing. lol. I've got the honey and supplies to make 6 gallons of mead, and think I am going to start another batch of the Bud Light clone since it came out so well, and that sissy Tulsa guy on here won't drink anything that's a little dark with some flavor.

Having a good time watching the cases of bottles pile up. The wife doesn't think it's nearly as cool as I do, but what does she know? She doesn't even know how to ride a motorcycle.

Hi Tod,
If you were a lkittle closer and there was not so much snow I would be riding over to your house to sample some of that
Phil

[trbig]

Putting together a batch of Vanilla Chocolate Porter tonight. Mmmm.. Chocolaty goodness.









Last night, I put a 6 gallon batch of mead on. First time making mead. I'll let you know how that goes... in about 6 months or a year. lol.

[Courtney]

Hoey crap! I thought I was doing ok by brewing a batch every other month or so! I am impressed! Let me know how the sake turns out, my wife is a connosseur of rice wine.