Minimalist Homebrewing

[Clint]

Hello fellow homebrewers!

I am looking to interview homebrewers who consider themselves minimalist style homebrewers.

Homebrewers who have there process simple and minimal when it comes to techniques, equipment and ingredients.

Some have done this because of lack of space, others like to just be minimal. Or some, like me, live in a country that doesn't have supplies readily available.

I would love to hear from you and get your input.

Cheers!

 

[ChelisHubby]

Well you have 2 main choices Either extract or biab. Your ability to get supplies will help you decide.

 

[CavA3R4]

I've been brewing since 1990 and I firmly believe in the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method.
I am just an extract brewer BUT, I did take 2nd place years ago and Michael Jackson (the BEER man...not the wierdo) thought that I had cloned Chimay yeast.
I only use a primary fermenter and being doing it that way for years. 1st couple of times I did the "HURRY and rack it off and get it into a glass carboy because if you don't the boogey man is going to make your beer into swamp water etc..
I found that all I had accomplished was, yeah, I got the wort off of the trub but it didn't taste any better to me and now I had a glass carboy to clean and scrub with the carboy brush.
I'll steep grains for 20 minutes to an hour, then add the DME, ME, hops and boil for typically one hour. Chill it down, pour it into the primary (ONLY) fermenter, add CITY TAP water (in both Twin Cities, MN and Scottsdale AZ with no ill affect) and pitch the yeast, put the air lock to it and wait two weeks.
I used to just let the fermenter sit in the basement (56 to 62 degrees) and now I have NO basement in AZ so I put the fermenter in the laundry tub and wrap a wet beach towel around it (like a swamp cooler).
I don't use a bottling bucket either as that is ANOTHER thing to clean.
I just add 1 tsp of pure corn dextrose or 1-1/2 tsp of DME to each bottle, cap em and let them bottle condition for a minimum of 4 weeks.

I just bottled my 325th batch today, and I have never had a BAD batch!!
If you want more specifics of my process I can send it to you (step by step) via email. I've taught probably 25 people how to make beer and they've been doing fine.

matter of fact, I think I just pulled off successfully a clone of Orval, one of my favorites.
HTH
Bob

 

[filthyastronaut]

I'd consider myself to minimalist in that I don't spend much money at all on upgrading equipment. I could see myself getting a chest freezer and temp-controlling it, a keg system, a modest conical, etc. if I had the actual disposable income to do that. Otherwise, I think I have what I need to make excellent beer. I am more concerned with improving the quality of what I make with the stuff I already have, rather than buying new toys to do that for me, if they even can. I know someone who had a stainless steel conical before he started brewing, and then got a brite tank before his first batch. He's starting out all grain and all, but I guarantee his beer will still go through the same growing pains. You may make some passable, even good stuff from the beginning, but it takes more than a few batches behind you to start making an exceptional product. Not saying I'm even there yet, and I probably think my beer is better than it is.

 

[Lefou]

I just bottled my 325th batch today, and I have never had a BAD batch!!

LOL You're my hero.
Once I get a replacement hydrometer for the busted one, maybe I can try making some beer instead of all grain salad dressing.
The LAST good beer made in this house was an extract honey ale hopped with Cascade ... all grain hasn't been good for me.

My setup is the gas stove, a 5gal stock pot, one 10gal Igloo cooler, and a couple glass carboys, two buckets, a racking cane, some bottles and a capper. Blichmann, HERMS, RIMS, kegerator ... that's not in my budget or on the horizon, either. Lucky to have what I have and seems I still haven't quite got the process down yet.

 

[Steveruch]

I've been brewing since 1990 and I firmly believe in the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method.
Bob

How about KISSOFF brewing?
http://byo.com/stories/issue/item/3133-simple-brewing-last-call

 

[theowlman16]

I can get used equipment cheap here in NC. Craigslist is full of people who have spent the money, and have given up the hobby. Just got a 50ft. chiller for $20. Just been gathering it bit by bit over a the last year and a half.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Hello fellow homebrewers!

I am looking to interview homebrewers who consider themselves minimalist style homebrewers.

Homebrewers who have there process simple and minimal when it comes to techniques, equipment and ingredients.

Some have done this because of lack of space, others like to just be minimal. Or some, like me, live in a country that doesn't have supplies readily available.

I would love to hear from you and get your input.

Cheers!

When you say interview, what do you mean, and what for? Are you doing a project, publication, or want this for personal information?

 

[CavA3R4]

How about KISSOFF brewing?
http://byo.com/stories/issue/item/3133-simple-brewing-last-call

GOOD article, thanks for giving me a heads up.
the recipe I won the contest with had only four ingredients,
Malt Extract (Ironmaster brand Belgian....which hasn't been made for years now)
Hallertaur hops and Saaz hops (I think with out digging up my 1996 book)
YEAST LABS brand A-08 trappist ale yeast (hasn't been made for years now)
and some DME,
Of course water.
Very simple and unfortunately, I've never been able to make a batch as good with "substitutes".
It had a really nice banana estery flavor!!

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Well, compared to some of my club mates, my brewery is quite simple...

...I don't have full automation like they do!

 

[catdaddy66]

It may not be minimalist but my setup and approach are simple.

10 gal mashtun, two full boil size pots (7 & 10 gal), two 6.5 gal fermenters, about 4 batches worth of bottles, bottling equipment and a mash paddle. Oh, and a propane burner and tank.

No kegging equipment or keezer, no dedicated temp controlled ferm chamber (just a swamp cooler) and no eHerms system.

 

[FatDragon]

Well poop; lost another reply to the Great Firewall of China...

I've been apartment brewing in China for a few years now. I've got more ideas than practice on limited space brewing since I'm kind've an idiot and keep spreading out my home brewery even though there shouldn't be space to put any of it. @GQT does a better job down in Guangzhou: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/3-square-meter-brewery.html

For limited ingredients, I think most China homebrewers have dealt with the issue and could share some ideas. I'd be happy to answer your questions on either issue, and if you're actually in China (there are, after all, a ton of expats in the most populous country in the world), I would also be happy to share some resources to show how our ingredient market isn't actually all that limited, as long as you don't mind dry yeast...

 

[jurgenph]

RO water from Spectrapure RODI filter
Kitchen stove top
2 gal cooler with mesh bag
2 gal pot, pretty much our pasta boiler pot not dedicated for brewing
little bigmouth bubbler, no secondary
either bottle or "keg" to 64oz mancan
prime with sugar in bottle

i use a disposable aluminum pie pan filled with water, and some paper towels wrapped around the little bigmouth bubbler to keep temps down during the first couple of days fermenting.

recently ordered an arborfab mesh hop filter, but that should not complicate my routine, just one more thing to clean up


J.

 

[NSMikeD]

I wanted to be a minimalist. 1 gallon mini BIAB, simple jug fermentor, bottling 9-10 bottles a week. Loved it.

Then I found this web site and started reading what I was missing and how I can improve. I started ordering things online.

Tonight I have a keg on tap, a mini keg in the kitchen fridge, a third keg conditioning, two primaries bubbling away in my bedroom (take that you married guys) a third fermentor being delivered tomorrow and a guest room full of one gallon equipment gathering dust.

I still brew the same stuff and drink it before it has time to get good, only it looks better coming out of a tap.

Cut me off. I'm in need of an intervention.

 

[xCSx]

Started off with 1 gallon extracts into a 1 gallon carboy, now I want a 5 keg keezer and a 15 gallon pot... oops

 

[Steveruch]

GOOD article, thanks for giving me a heads up.

Thank you.

 

[Clint]

I am looking for homebrewers to interview for a magazine article that I am working on.
Thanks for everyone's input so far.
Cheers!!!

 

[TIM-MAY]

I just recently got my first home brew kit for Christmas and am in the process of brewing my first batch.

 

[jjw5015]

I've been using the same cheapo aluminum turkey fryer and propane burner for years now to do BIAB. And just took best of show in a moderately sized competition, so good beer can be made without all the shiny bells and whistles Primary fermentation in a bucket and straight to the keg. Haven't made many upgrades in terms of 'brewing equipment'. I have built a keezer however.

 

[CavA3R4]

The following items are what what I have to get the job done.
A. Stockpot 3 to 5 gallons (12 to 20 quarts)
B. Primary Fermenter with air lock (get the 3 piece air lock as it is easier to clean)
C. Rack Syphon WITH Bottle Filler
D. A big spoon or ladle made of stainless steel
E. 40 empty 16 Oz beer bottles or 56 empty 12 oz long neck bottles (must be refillables)
F. 40 bottle caps (If you use Grolsch “swing top” bottles you do not need caps or the bottle capper)
G. Bottle Capper
H. Glass Carboy WITH HANDLE
I. coolers, the kind you put ice and beverages in so I have a place to " bottle condition the beer for 4 weeks out here in AZ
J. Wife's Strainer to strain out the hops and etc before I throw it all into the fermenter.

 

[Clint]

Also, looking for photos of great minimalist builds.

 

[GHBWNY]

I am more concerned with improving the quality of what I make with the stuff I already have, rather than buying new toys to do that for me, if they even can.

Same.

 

[brokebucket]

While I guess I cant be considered "minimalist" since I keg AND have a dedicated ferment chamber, I do believe in keeping processes and recipes simple.

I think the two largest mistakes home brewers make on the way to making bad beer are no fermentation temp control, and over-complicating recipe designs. By keeping the recipes more simplistic, there is less chance of generating off flavors from the get-go. The more components and more ingredients just leads to more chances for a problem to arise.

That being said, I would never give up my ferment chamber merely to say I was a "minimalist". I am convinced that it is the cornerstone to my brewing success.

 

[mikerlynch26]

While I guess it technically isn't considered "brewing", mead and cider making are very easy, simple, and straightforward processes. Literally all that is required for a basic cider is a fermenter (any size), airlock (can even argue that point), cleaning and sanitizing agents, and appropriate yeast.

Clean and sanitize the fermenter, pour in store bought juice, sprinkle the yeast on top, and slap on an airlock. If you want to get real fancy you can use some tubing to rack the finished cider into bottles to carbonate with some priming sugar. I finished 15 gallons of cider in the picture below in less than an hour, from setup to cleanup. Two different apple juices and the little one is a blend of a third kind of juice and cherry juice.

Obviously you can geek out about this whole process and take it all to the next level, but even processing your own apples with a full on cider press and grinder is still about the same or even less amount of equipment as standard beer brewing gear.

 

[McKnuckle]

The actual process of brewing - the hot part - is actually very simple. You basically make barley oatmeal, but you pay closer attention to temperature and time. When finished, you have to separate the cereal from the liquid.

A multitude of pumps, tubing, clamps, vessels, and gizmos doesn't necessarily make that easier. It makes it look cool, but it can also take extra time, invite mistakes, and it's both costly and harder to maintain. So there is definitely some Zen potential in using minimal gear to achieve the same goals.

Once we get into fermentation, we again have to watch temperature and time. And we have to keep oxygen out of the beer except at the very beginning. I think that emulating big breweries with shiny conicals and glycol jackets is, again, cool - but it's totally unnecessary. Most especially at this stage, we must be patient - very patient. We must avoid uncovering, peeking, probing, and taking gratuitous measurements. More gear might tempt some to demonstrate contrary behavior.

However, fermentation temp control and sanitation are not minimalist practices. They are minimally acceptable practices - that is, you must do them! Gear can help solve that for you but only to a point. Knowledge is a better asset here.

When it comes to serving, bottles may be considered minimalist, but kegs and taps are just plain great. I think that's the aesthetic, social part of brewing and it deserves special consideration. It's kind of like building a house, where you might create functional but basic systems behind the walls, but decorate the room nicely so it's attractive and comfortable.

 

[brokebucket]

However, fermentation temp control and sanitation are not minimalist practices. They are minimally acceptable practices - that is, you must do them! Gear can help solve that for you but only to a point. Knowledge is a better asset here.

When it comes to serving, bottles may be considered minimalist, but kegs and taps are just plain great.

For the win.

 

[GPP33]

I could argue that a keg setup is in fact more minimal than bottling. Sure, I own a keg, regulator and CO2 tank but I don't own a bottling bucket, a million bottles, capper (ok, I do, but I don't need it) and a bottling wand. I also don't know the first thing about the seemly complex process of achieving the perfect level of carbonation (<-sarcastic). A simple keg set up might cost more but isn't any more complex and is certainly easier on "bottling day".

I think the remainder of my process is pretty minimalist too. I have a two tier brew stand which is a bit of a luxury but other than that it's old kegs and glass carboys. Ferm temp control is tubs of water and an aquarium heater. I got myself a refractometer and PH meter for Christmas but haven't used em yet and just fermented my first batch actually using an ITC-1000 to power the heater using a temp probe submerged in the beer. Most brew toys aren't expected to make good beer, just make good beer easier or make making good beer more enjoyable.

 

[Northbank]

I think my occasional minimalism is pretty ****ing excellent. If I want to make a beer that is 3 gallons or less and am out of primaries I warm up my mash water on my glass top stove, mash in (BIAB) and then put the whole brew pot in my oven which I occasionally turn on for about 10 minutes per hour at 170f to maintain temps. Then I boil in that same vessel, cool in my sink... and pitch right into it the same pot. Put the lid on. Ferment

It works really well and I've often considered getting another pot and skipping the primaries.

 

[DrFun]

I live in a small basement apartment, so had to go minimal.

Propane burner
9 gallon Kettle/Mash tun (BIAB)
6.5 gallon fermenter (the Catalyst conical fermenter)
The necessary tools: Hydrometer, strainer (okay that is not necessary), siphon & bottling wand w/hoses for transfer....etc.
A bucket for sanitizer.

A 2 vessel system. Keeping it simple.

I bottle since there is no room for a keg setup, but I bottle straight from the Catalyst after dumping the trub a couple times. I've done two batches now with this setup, slick and easy to use and clean. So much less equipment then when I used to brew with a few friends and we had a giant cooler, pumps, hoses, hot liquor tank...and all the fixins.

 

[jerbrew]

So I have never considered myself a minimalist brewer but when I think about it I'd describe myself as minimalist effort. I have a 15 gal aluminum pot. Super cheap and no reason to be scared of aluminum. You just need to take to be easy on the cleaners. I have a decent 100,000 btu burner I got for $70. It's loud as hell but whatever it works great and has been burning through the brews for a few years now nicely. I batch sparge in my 10 gallon cooler I've had for years that has a screen I made from a braided hose. I still have my first cheap 25' immersion chiller that I've figured out how to make work for me. I use a collapsable work bench (multifunctional that way) as my brew table. I can set up, brew, pitch, and clean up in 4 hours. It's all pretty much easy peasy.

Where I differentiate I guess is that I'm in love with my chugger pump. Helps make things faster than relying on gravity. That's what allows me to go through my brew day with ease and cut time in a few places that has definitely saved me at least an hour against a smooth brew day before it. Also, I live in San Diego so it's crucial I have a ferm chamber. Otherwise I'd struggle to ferment saison correctly 6 months out of the year. So that expands my minimalism. Oh, and I keg. But honestly that's a whole lot easier and takes less storage and time than all the bottles I had at one point.

 

[GPP33]

Actually come to think of it, yeast starters make my brew day a little less minimal. Back before I used them I was better in this area but my beer wasn't.

 

[Clint]

Thanks to all for these great replies. There really seem to be a lot of homebrewers keepin it minimal.

 

[theowlman16]

I have converted Amazon gift cards into the basic all grain equipment. A nice 15 gallon kettle, a starter kit with bottling bucket and fermentor. I found a beat-up cooler mash-tun in the bone yard back room of my LHBS for $20. I think almost anyone could do extract with what they already have laying around plus ingredients (OK, and maybe a hydrometer). I don't have room for a kegerator and the associated equipment, so I will probably always be a bottler.