Jumped in with both feet...

[Begin2Brew]

Hi from Northern IL.

Started looking into this thing call "Home Brewing" 6 months or so ago. Reading just about anything I can get my hands on (gotta love slow days at work ).

This Christmas I asked for a beginners kit to get started. I now have my first batch in the fermenter at a comfy 62F.

It's a Northern Alt-Sposure.

Next is an MDG clone, something requested from the wife. Then a Labatts clone and then my favorite, Oktoberfest.

I will have the ability to Lager in a chest freezer, just need the thermostat.

The MGD clone and Labatts clone will be a partial mash but I plan on an AG for the Oktoberfest.

I like beer, like to cook and like the science and artistry behind creating a home brew.

Bill

 

[bighoss]

Welcome to the forums Bill. Glad to see your enjoying the new hobby.

 

[mkirkland]

Congrats.....welcome to the brewing Madness

 

[IrregularPulse]

Next is an MDG clone,.....Then a Labatts clone

I like beer,

I think when you jumped in, you were under water a little long and are now suffering a bit of Brain Damage

 

[glenn514]

Welcome to Illinois from Illinois! Glad to hear that you jumped in with both feet! This little madness we call "brewing" is actually quite addicting! Enjoy the new hobby...and especially enjoy drinking the end result! And I KNOW where Antioch is!

glenn514

 

[Begin2Brew]

I think when you jumped in, you were under water a little long and are now suffering a bit of Brain Damage

Hey, could be worse. I could have said Blatz or Schlitz.....

Thanks for the warm welcome all.

 

[Begin2Brew]

Hi from Northern IL.

Started looking into this thing call "Home Brewing" 6 months or so ago. Reading just about anything I can get my hands on (gotta love slow days at work ).

This Christmas I asked for a beginners kit to get started. I now have my first batch in the fermenter at a comfy 62F.

It's a Northern Alt-Sposure.

Next is an MDG clone, something requested from the wife. Then a Labatts clone and then my favorite, Oktoberfest.

I will have the ability to Lager in a chest freezer, just need the thermostat.

The MGD clone and Labatts clone will be a partial mash but I plan on an AG for the Oktoberfest.

I like beer, like to cook and like the science and artistry behind creating a home brew.

Bill

Wow! What an interesting post my first one was. I have learned so much about brewing and more importantly about what I like and don't like in beer. In the past 33 months of brewing I have learned I love the German lagers and have made these my "house" beers. I have dabbled in IPA's, IIPA's, Stouts, Imperial Stouts, Dopplebocks, Helles and my favorite Oktoberfest. I now have 57 batches under my belt.

I have gone from 3 gallon partial boils with extract to a EHERMS system with an efficiency of 93%. Went from 6 hour sessions to 3 hour sessions including clean up.

I have gone from "just brew" to "it better be easy".

I've gone from "Pitch the smack pack" to "my dilution is X so I have XXX billion cells, I need to make more plates to propagate my next batch".

I have gone from "This tastes off" to "I'll never pour hot wort into a bucket again".

Most of this I owe to this site and the knowledge it gives. I have never had a question that cannot be answered or a suggestion that did not have an experience.

I just thought I would share some of the journey I have had the last few years and look forward to the years to come.

 

[dan_rouse]

Thanks for jumping back on your thread with the update. Pretty cool to see the progress.

What are the two biggest things you can attribute to increasing the quality of your beer?

I've been at it for about a year, all grain the whole way, and I'm now to the point of tweaking little things. I'm also my biggest critic, as those that have been tasting my beers along side of me the whole way are really liking my beers now. But I'd like to refine my ways as much as possible.

Right now, to my taste, my beers are better than 75% of their commercial counterparts for the style. And I'm not saying that because I think they are great, more because about 75% of what I taste across the country is not that great. But when I taste one of those in the other 25%, I realize I have far to go. I live in Portland, and probably greater than 75% of the beers coming out of this area are fantastic.

So I'm curious what changes made the biggest impact for you.

Here's what I do already:

- starters on stir plate
- water chemistry - amended well water
- HERMS so I can control my mash to the degree
- rapidly cool my wort
- pure O2
- ferm chamber to control ferm temps
- better bottle carboys
- secondary in corny to dryhop (as style requires)
- no secondary for non dry-hopped beers
- kegging

What I don't do yet:

- PH meter for mash
- filtration
- conical fermenter

Any input by you or others would be greatly appreciated!

d

 

[Begin2Brew]

Thanks for jumping back on your thread with the update. Pretty cool to see the progress.

What are the two biggest things you can attribute to increasing the quality of your beer?

I've been at it for about a year, all grain the whole way, and I'm now to the point of tweaking little things. I'm also my biggest critic, as those that have been tasting my beers along side of me the whole way are really liking my beers now. But I'd like to refine my ways as much as possible.

Right now, to my taste, my beers are better than 75% of their commercial counterparts for the style. And I'm not saying that because I think they are great, more because about 75% of what I taste across the country is not that great. But when I taste one of those in the other 25%, I realize I have far to go. I live in Portland, and probably greater than 75% of the beers coming out of this area are fantastic.

So I'm curious what changes made the biggest impact for you.

Here's what I do already:

- starters on stir plate
- water chemistry - amended well water
- HERMS so I can control my mash to the degree
- rapidly cool my wort
- pure O2
- ferm chamber to control ferm temps
- better bottle carboys
- secondary in corny to dryhop (as style requires)
- no secondary for non dry-hopped beers
- kegging

What I don't do yet:

- PH meter for mash
- filtration
- conical fermenter

Any input by you or others would be greatly appreciated!

d

Ya, you know it's strange. A lot of the commercial beers I have I can taste what I would consider a flaw. Most is a grainy flavor that I have yet to experience in any of mine.

My biggest improvement has been consistence! You can't hit a moving target, right?

In 2001 I just brewed beer.

In 2012 I built my system for consistencies.

In 2013 I have learned to know my pitch rates and all about yeast. Now granted I have not dove into the molecular biology of yeast but I know how many viable cells I have when I pitch.

2014 is the year of the contest to test my knowledge and brewing skills.

I do the O2, have always done the temp control on fermentation. Rarely secondary, and really looked to understand my system as I brew.

I don't filter as I have never had a cloudy beer with age unless it's a wheat, and the last wheat I did could have been a Kristallweizen.

I have spent a good del of time on my kegging system and understanding the entire C02 solution and head pressure and pressure drop in a system and feel I have a good understanding of it.

I only add Camden tablets to my water and still ferment in plastic buckets.