Hi all,
I'm an amateur homebrewer (three batches now) and am wanting to start some recipes with none of that tinned prepackaged starter stuff.
Just wondering if anyone in the community does homebrew, and if you do what is you're favorite recipe?
My preferences are along the lines of golden ales, darker ales, porters and possibly stouts, but I'm willing to give any style a go!
Cheers!
(P.S. Any master tips also welcome.)
Get Beersmith, it makes the whole composition process ALOT easier. Just look up a clone recipe of something you like first and try it out, maybe change around some in the hop scheme just for kicks.
Master tip of mine is temperature control, keep it cool during fermentation and remember that the fermentation is an exothermic process that heats up the wort, so the wort is a couple degrees over (sometimes even more!) the ambient temp. Nothing leaves more off flavors in my opinion than stressed yeast!
Check out the joy of home brewing.
One of the Brewers from dogfish head wrote a book about brewing that is really good.
I like to age mine 30 days minimum. Longer if the ABV is high or there are a lot of specialty grains or flavors, aromas, visuals. Aging definately helps round out the flavor profile. I never secondary either. I leave it right on the yeast cake and add stuff through the blow-out hole if need be. Here is a simple SMASH that always comes out well for me.
#14 of marris otter
1 oz of simcoe for 60+ minutes, 2 oz at 10 minutes, 1 oz in a the fermenter (after 30 days) for 1-2 weeks.
California Ale yeast from white labs, 1 vial
Mash all the grain in a starting temp of 168 degrees in 6 gallons of water. Cover or insulate mash and let sit for 1 1/2 or more hours. This gets both ALpha and Beta enzymes working (hopefully). Sparge with 1 1/2 -2 gallons of 170 degree water. Begin boil.
Welcome to homebrewing. Another highly addictive hobby that will drain you wallet. Your friends will love it to I have found out ha ha.
Homemade vodka is cheap and easy to make, you can use almost everything
What are some good resources/websites to find out more on homebrewing?
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum.php
I've been homebrewing for years, but don't have a favourite recipe. I keep changing them all the time:)
Best tip I can give is to make sure you sanitize everything. Keep it clean and your beer will be great. Also keep a journal or recipe book. Take good notes and you will soon be able to create your own favourite recipe.
Here is one I did today:
#10 Maris otter
1 oz Sorachi Ace hops at 30 min.
1 oz Sorachi Ace at 15 min.
yeast nutr. & ferm. k at 5 min.
Essex Ale yeast.
primary 1+ month, cold crash outside 1-2 days ( depending on temp.), keg in fridge for 1+ month, drink.
Cheers to all!
Sounds like a pretty straightforward lemony English ale.
My father and I made an IPA using 9.15 pounds MO extract (~12 pounds grain), some clean yeast, and a pile of Mosaic hops. 1 oz. at 60 min, 1 oz. 40 min, 2 oz 15 min, 2 oz at flameout, and 2 oz dry. Apparently it was a very complex taste thanks to the Mosaic. Unfortunately I wasn't able to try any because my dad drank all of it before I got a chance.