Hello from seattle!

[america]

Hi guys (and gals), a few friends and myself started brewing just over a month ago and have really been loving it. So far we've brewed six, five gallon batches. Started off partial mashing, as one of us had brewed once or twice before. We've done a hef and a habanero ipa, that are bottled, and have a raspberry blonde, Irish amber, pilsner and graff that are in various stages. Each batch seems to get better and better!

This place seems to be a great wealth of knowledge and I'm excited to learn more as well as expand into all grain as soon as we really get our process down (and not as drunk). Cheers!

 

[SD-SLIM]

Hi guys (and gals), a few friends and myself started brewing just over a month ago and have really been loving it. So far we've brewed six, five gallon batches. Started off partial mashing, as one of us had brewed once or twice before. We've done a hef and a habanero ipa, that are bottled, and have a raspberry blonde, Irish amber, pilsner and graff that are in various stages. Each batch seems to get better and better!

This place seems to be a great wealth of knowledge and I'm excited to learn more as well as expand into all grain as soon as we really get our process down (and not as drunk). Cheers!

Welcome to the group...now you need to get some growlers from Mac and Jacks brewery and harvest the yeast, I would be your first customer!

 

[america]

Welcome to the group...now you need to get some growlers from Mac and Jacks brewery and harvest the yeast, I would be your first customer!

To do this, do I just need to get a growler or two and wash the yeast that settles to the bottom? Or would I have to make a starter as well? I don't honestly make it to the eastside that often, but this could be a fun project if it's not too hard.

 

[SD-SLIM]

Hello...here is a great video on how to get yeast from a beer bottle/growler:

It's a fairly simple process!

 

[america]

I know its better safe than sorry, but do you really need to use oxyclean if you are going to be boiling you tools as well?

On another note, everyone I brew with lives in apartments. Is Brew In A Bag an all grain option for us or should we wait till we can do it outside somewhere? I have an electric stove top, but have access to gas if need be. Will this get hot enough to boil that much water?

 

[SD-SLIM]

I know its better safe than sorry, but do you really need to use oxyclean if you are going to be boiling you tools as well?

On another note, everyone I brew with lives in apartments. Is Brew In A Bag an all grain option for us or should we wait till we can do it outside somewhere? I have an electric stove top, but have access to gas if need be. Will this get hot enough to boil that much water?

No oxyclean isn't necessary and isn't even classified as a sanitizer anymore, such as star-San. After 15 minutes all the bacteria have been killed, having said this it never hurts to have too much sanitation.
In regards to all grain brewing in an apartment...if you were using a propane burner, I would say that's a bad idea...but since you are using a stove top it shouldn't be an issue to switch to all grain. The difference between the two are the speed, in the end boiling water is boiling water. I would recommend starting extract first, master the process and sanitation, then try partial mash...if that goes ok, then fill a pot up with 4 gallons of water and see how long it takes to get up to a boil (tip for speeding that up is to fill with hot water if it's from the tap)...if you can boil this much water, and I'm sure you can, then no worries!

 

[BainbridgeBrewer]

Welcome to the forum america, where in Seattle do you live? I use to brew in my apartment when I lived in Queen Anne. I was only doing 3 gallon partial boils then topping off the fermenter with water. You might have a tough time getting the 5 or 6 gallons of water up to a boil on the stove top. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I think it'll take a long time. This guy brews all grain from his apartment somewhere in Seattle. He has a lot of space, but it could give you some ideas. Glad to have more PNW people on here.

 

[america]

No oxyclean isn't necessary and isn't even classified as a sanitizer anymore, such as star-San. After 15 minutes all the bacteria have been killed, having said this it never hurts to have too much sanitation.
In regards to all grain brewing in an apartment...if you were using a propane burner, I would say that's a bad idea...but since you are using a stove top it shouldn't be an issue to switch to all grain. The difference between the two are the speed, in the end boiling water is boiling water. I would recommend starting extract first, master the process and sanitation, then try partial mash...if that goes ok, then fill a pot up with 4 gallons of water and see how long it takes to get up to a boil (tip for speeding that up is to fill with hot water if it's from the tap)...if you can boil this much water, and I'm sure you can, then no worries!

I started with partial mash and it seems to be going pretty well, our results are getting better and better anyway.

Welcome to the forum america, where in Seattle do you live? I use to brew in my apartment when I lived in Queen Anne. I was only doing 3 gallon partial boils then topping off the fermenter with water. You might have a tough time getting the 5 or 6 gallons of water up to a boil on the stove top. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I think it'll take a long time. This guy brews all grain from his apartment somewhere in Seattle. He has a lot of space, but it could give you some ideas

BrainbridgeBrewer - I'm in Belltown really close to lower Queen Anne (on 5th and Denny). Ive been doing 3 gallon partial boils as well and it doesn't seem to take TOO long to get it boiling, but even then a full brew day is taking us about 3 hours depending on how much we drink. I've been meaning to do one sober just to see how fast I can get the process down, but the chance just hasn't come up.


Do you guys brew solo with with helping hands most times?

 

[SD-SLIM]

I brew solo...helping hands cost beer!

 

[bbone66]

Welcome from just down I-5

 

[C17-EHSE]

Welcome from the South Sound.

 

[Moonlighter]

Welcome from the Olympic Peninsula!

 

[america]

Thanks for the wonderful welcome everyone! Are any of you Washingtonians part of any brew clubs?

 

[BainbridgeBrewer]

I usually brew solo, but I also enjoy brewing with other people. I signed up for the West Sound Brewers club here in Kitsap county, but I haven't made it to any of their events yet. The first brew day I've seen is this weekend for the Big Brew Day event. If you are interested in clubs in Seattle check this list on the Homebrewers Association website:http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/directories/find-a-club. There are a lot of clubs around Seattle.
-BB

 

[america]

I did see there were quite a few in the Seattle area, just didn't know how active they were.

Found them here: http://www.wahomebrewers.org/community/clubs

 

[BainbridgeBrewer]

I'd think this weekend would be a good chance to meet some clubs. A lot of them should have something planned for tomorrow's Big Brew Day. I just hit up The Cellar Homebrew shop on Greenwood during my lunch break. I'm all set for tomorrow's brew day!

 

[Acoma]

I'd think this weekend would be a good chance to meet some clubs. A lot of them should have something planned for tomorrow's Big Brew Day. I just hit up The Cellar Homebrew shop on Greenwood during my lunch break. I'm all set for tomorrow's brew day!

sweet

 

[Fid]

My electric stove can't handle much more than 3 gallons with a 2 gallon top off... I've done 4 before but half of my brew day consisted of me waiting for my water to boil. It all just depends on how strong your heat element is basically. I'm moving out of my current place in August, a gas stove top is very very high on my list of priorities for that reason.

I used hot tap water for my first couple of batches but I've switched to cold tap water since. Had some metalicy flavors in my first couple of beers and then read somewhere that hot tap water isnt the best idea because of the potential of increasing the mineral deposit...err.... something like that... so I use cold tap water now and my brews have improved. I'm not sure that there is any real correlation or if it was more just me getting use to the brewing process (or a combination of the two) but I don't think I'm gonna revert back to hot water either way. If nothing else I figure that hot tap water tastes pretty damn funny on its own... why would I want it in my beer.

Also, Welcome to HBT from across Interbay.

 

[warndogg]

On another note, everyone I brew with lives in apartments. Is Brew In A Bag an all grain option for us or should we wait till we can do it outside somewhere? I have an electric stove top, but have access to gas if need be. Will this get hot enough to boil that much water?

Welcome! I live in South Seattle (Rollin Rainier). I also live in a Condo with a small balcony. I have a nat gas line out there and just got a new burner for my kegel. Anyways if you have access to gas I would definitely switch to that if you can. On the other hand if it aint broke don' fix it.

 

[Fid]

Outdoor access to a natural gas line? Holy **** that's awesome.

 

[KevStL]

Outdoor access to a natural gas line? Holy **** that's awesome.

I've got that there was a gas heater in the addition on our house at one point, and the line for it is still accessible from the storage area under the room. I'm set for outdoor brewing when that time comes.

 

[BigJerk]

Hey everyone, I brew on the electric stove in my apt. doing a partial mash, but a full boil. I can do my full brew from beginning sanitation to pitching yeast in about 4-5 hours. I always brew solo, and have not joined any clubs. SWMBO and I hope to get a house within the next year or so, then I'm gonna get me a brew rig and go hog wild with the brewing!

 

[Kegcowboy]

Welcome

 

[FireBrew63]

Welcome from the Key Peninsula.

 

[Cascadegan]

Hola from UW/lacey