Starting to brew S. Indiana

[drhusker18]

Hi All-

I have read for a few months and now starting to gather supplies and recipes. Lots of great material here so thanks for all the good discussions and future input!

Hopefully I can continue to read and get the courage to start brewing this spring and have a beer pipeline built to enjoy for the last half of 2016!!

Thinking about running as small batch (2-3 gallons) home brewing, as I don't think I will actually consume all the beer I will brew from 5 gallon, sure I want to share, but this isn't a charity until I get some brewing friends, which becomes a trading post.

I enjoy a wide variety of craft beer, so having a well rounded stock to enjoy is good for me personally. when I have a beer, it is usually 1-2 a night a few nights a week. Right now I am having 1 a night consistently from a 2 mix case Wisconsin beer trade to get enough bottles to start brewing.....

Right now exploring the Speidel fermenters. I should just opt for the 7.9 gallon so I have capacity for 5 gallons in the future but thinking the smaller 5.3 gallon will better fit my smaller scale, but has downfalls if I ever want to expand, especially given the price.

We have small children and I don't want glass, I cannot find buckets that really make me pleased with quality, and plastic carboys seem nice but cleaning will drive me crazy. The big mouths have mixed reviews but are a potential option.

Anyway- looking forward to some good reading and discussions here.

 

[m00ps]

Id go with the bigger fermentors. Excess headspace isnt really an issue for just doing a primary fermentation.

How south in Indiana?

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Welcome to the forum. Many people use food grade buckets for fermentation because they are inexpensive and as plastic goes it can get scratches over time... Replacing a bucket is generally not a hardship. I find carboys not hard if I'm patient and let onestep cleaner work its magic. Anyway, you'll come to the decision that his right for you..

 

[drhusker18]

Id go with the bigger fermentors. Excess headspace isnt really an issue for just doing a primary fermentation.

How south in Indiana?

Evansville.

I haven't purchased anything yet - I am the investigative type and getting pricing the best I can from the bigger online sites.

Still investigating buckets because it is cheaper but I am just concerned about lids flimsy and sealing properly. For sure, I could just opt into a bucket system. I think I saw that northern brewer had the buckets backordered and are supposed to be better buckets.

I just don't know what I will do with 2 cases of beer for each batch....I definitely am not giving it way. I would like to just do a handful of types and find the ones I can master and like, then exploit those, and have the option to try other types as my tastes and experience change (hopefully for the better)!

 

[wi_brewer]

Welcome!

Might not be a bad idea to start out with a cheap bucket until you determine how much you like the hobby. If you love it then you can upgrade, if your interest fizzles out then you aren't out much. I have 2 60L Speidels and love them, for what it's worth.

I remember when I started thinking that it would take forever to finish 5 gallons...and it did, because I sucked at the beginning and it took forever to choke down a sub-par batch. Now I brew 20 gallons per brew day just to keep the pipeline healthy...I have enough thirsty family/friends/neighbors that it never lasts too long. I love sharing it, that's what it's all about.

 

[m00ps]

Evansville.

I haven't purchased anything yet - I am the investigative type and getting pricing the best I can from the bigger online sites.

You planning on doing all-grain? partial mash? extract?

Either way hit me up when or before you get started if you want some tips or want to sample a buttload of beer. Having extra beer is never a bad thing. I give out as much as I can. Im guessing once you manage to make one that is good, youll be wanting feedback from others, brewer or non-brewer

 

[drhusker18]

Thanks for all the informative notes here!

Maybe I was being a little dramatic about not sharing, I will share, but not insane sharing because it does cost $$. But if you have 5 friends and you give each of them a 6-pack, there goes your 5 gallon batch almost I guess....

For sure m00ps, thanks for offering some advice. Once I get some searching done and stuff ordered, I will seek your knowledge.

I hope to start with malt extract, but I would like to do some of my own recipe building versus kits, then see what the all-grain is about later in life.

And I am strongly considering buckets just to keep initial costs down and gives flexibility on batch sizes. The speidels just look so nice!! I honestly don't think this is a hobby I will get out of, always have enjoyed craft beers, my professor in college had his students over to help brew beer, and I am sure I can find some people close by who have a brewing group or something, plus I am a scientist and work with corn (and small grains in the past)....and I don't have a liquor license, so beer is my option!

 

[ojoseph]

hey welcome , glad you joined us

 

[unionrdr]

I've got relatives near there someplace through my older sister. And a 7.9 gallon bucket would be better than 5.3G. You'll definitely need the headspace for rising krausen during initial fermentation. That same space will fill quickly with Co2 as well, burping off the excess through the airlock. And fermenting buckets have seals in their lids, except the Brewer's Best style taller ones. I had those leak fermenting wort from under the lids during the higher pressures encountered during initial fermentation. Here's a pic of the shorter, 7.9G bucket fermenter with the Italian spigot on it while re-arranging the brewery;

It's to the right of the Cooper's Micro Brew FV. It has a nice seal in the lid that works very well, & the Italian spigot makes it easy to take test samples, rack to bottling bucket, etc.

 

[wi_brewer]

Maybe I was being a little dramatic about not sharing, I will share, but not insane sharing because it does cost $$. But if you have 5 friends and you give each of them a 6-pack, there goes your 5 gallon batch almost I guess....

My sharing consists of allowing free reign of the taps when people are over. Too much work to bottle just to give it all away!

 

[ebstauffer]

Still investigating buckets because it is cheaper but I am just concerned about lids flimsy and sealing properly. For sure, I could just opt into a bucket system. I think I saw that northern brewer had the buckets backordered and are supposed to be better buckets.

If you're ever up in Indy let me know and you can have a dozen or so of my buckets. I consult at a distillery up here. We get molasses in 6 gallon buckets with gasket-sealed lids. They make fantastic fermenters -- just drill a 3/8" hole, add a grommet and airlock and you're in like Flynn.

 

[drhusker18]

Northern brewing has the buckets back in stock so I prob will just order a few. I have also been exploring their kits- focusing on my likes and favorable review counts. I also looked into their extract beer recipes. It seems that a few beers are pretty cheap to make and even cheaper to piece together the ingredients together individually. I also priced ordering all ingriedents for 2.5 gal batches , sometimes savings sometimes not. I probably will go with 5 gallon batches. Because the savings on 2.5 gal batches isn't really significant (most times) and when that is spread across another case of beer, I think it is more economical. Plus there will always be leftover ingriedents (extract, hops, specialty grains) since the come in 6/3 lb, 1oz, and lb respectively. But if you picked your batches- it could compliment.

It just seems that a small batch (2.5 gal) savings could be applied to the additional bottles for a 5 gal and make cost per bottle more effective and less waste on ingriedents. I do like small batches for the variety.

Once I get experience I hope to do grains.

 

[m00ps]

Maybe I was being a little dramatic about not sharing, I will share, but not insane sharing because it does cost $$. But if you have 5 friends and you give each of them a 6-pack, there goes your 5 gallon batch almost I guess....

Hobby gets addicting. I'll give you 5 6packs of different beers if we ever meet up. Gotta make more room.

But just for reference, that would be around 60% of a 5gal batch

 

[drhusker18]

Ok- supplies ordered. Some have already arrived. Picked up 3 extract kits from northern Brewer. Decided on buckets- but might still get a Speidel for Father's Day.....

Hope to brew one with my father and then see if my wife would enjoy the cook or bottling session.

Will keep posted and reading the threads. Will prob have some questions too. While I had this down time, I was searching cooler mash tun all grain schemes. Think the switch will be fast and quick to all grains by then fall.