Beginner - where do I get started?

[brewe]

so I wanna start learning, basically at the moment I'm wondering what's the most convenient (easiest/fastest) way to make some alcohol? I'm completely new so I don't have any yeast, so, what are ways to make alcohol without actual yeast?

Thanks!

 

[KingJim]

Yeast is what makes the magic happen Without it you'd have to buy rubbing alcohol from a pharmacy, but don't even think about drinking that. You will probably end up in hospital, or the morgue.

 

[freisste]

Can't make alcohol without yeast. Fortunately yeast is pretty easy to come by. I don't suppose you know of there is a LHBS near you? If so, they are usually pretty good places to learn a lot quickly (and buy a lot quickly).

 

[tacks]

If you're not interested in going to the trouble of getting yeast to start brewing, I can almost guarantee brewing isn't for you. It's an involved process, and if you're not interested in getting yeast, I doubt you're too worried about getting a fermenter, boil kettle, or necessary bottling equipment. I'm not trying to be rude, and correct me if any of this is wrong so we can steer you in the right direction.

 

[woozy]

Uh... you go to a store.

Nobody making *anything* for the first time assumes they'll just have everything they need lying around the house, do they?

Okay, fastest *easiest* way to make alcohol? Since you ask: go to the supermarket and buy some kool-aid, sugar, and baking yeast. But, *bezzle-Zeus*! *YUCK*

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Seriously though, is this a *serious* question? If you don't have yeast, you go and *buy* some. Of course. I really don't understand your question.

=====
Actually, for the not very easy and curious but not practical, you can actually harvest the yeast hanging around your house. You can make a "ginger beer bug" buy mincing up a 2 oz. of ginger root, 1 cup of water, and a tablespoon of brown sugar and leave it covered with a cloth. Each day you add a teaspoon of shredding ginger root and a teaspoon of brown sugar and stir. After 2 weeks, if you are lucky, you will have a bubbling fermented sweet smelling mess. There's "ginger beer plant" and close relative to yeast in there somewhere. I never could seperate the GBP from the ginger mush so when I make something with it and just strain it and use the just the strainings. Then I rehydrate the mush. You can keep the mush in the refrigerator forever. I just pulled some out today to make some alcoholic ginger beer. I few weeks ago I used it to make a psuedo-pale ale with ginger infussions. It fermented alright but it's still in the bottling stage.

 

[billpaustin]

You have to have a sugar source. Rice, wheat, grains, honey, something.

Next, you have to have yeast, and the right kind of yeast makes a difference.

Let the yeast eat the sugar, and they will poop out alcohol, presto!

 

[woozy]

You have to have a sugar source. Rice, wheat, grains, honey, something.

Next, you have to have yeast, and the right kind of yeast makes a difference.

Let the yeast eat the sugar, and they will poop out alcohol, presto!

So what you do is get a box of froot loops and cover them with nutritional yeast and milk and eat them for breakfast and you'll be a walking wino in no time.

 

[bottlebomber]

It's ok, you don't need yeast. Most of us have started fermenting our beer with dogs.

 

[chickypad]

.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

You can always harvest yeast from dregs of beer bottles. I would recommend buying yeast. But it can be done if you can't aquire yeast in the usual methods.

 

[25518]

Yeast is what makes the magic happen Without it you'd have to buy rubbing alcohol from a pharmacy, but don't even think about drinking that. You will probably end up in hospital, or the morgue.

I used to live on a reservation in Northern Az. Scattered about the small town, I lived. There would be empty plastiq, water bottles, rubbing alcohol bottles, & hairspray cans. (Aqua net, baby!) As well. It did occure to me what it was all about. I had to ask anyways. I asked me friend at the times. Who's been living on the rez a few years before I arrived. He told me the story. That the natives, would buy a gal. of water, hair spray, rubbing alcohol. Mix it together. Call it "Ocean". Every now & then. You'd see one get hauld off on a stretcher. Not dead. Not that I've seen. But, that messed up. The Rez days. Way out there, man.

 

[Brewskys]

That really dosnt sound like such a tasty mixture. Ive gotten hairspray in my mouth a few times and its gross!

 

[aeviaanah]

I started with a 1 gal kit from Brooklyn brew shop. It is cheap and gives you a good feel for brewing without spending too much. Let me warn you 1 gal goes quick and I quickly went to 5gal batches. Your looking at a greater startup costs for 5gal batches.

You can order yeast online if you don't have a local homebrew store.

 

[25518]

That really dosnt sound like such a tasty mixture. Ive gotten hairspray in my mouth a few times and its gross!

They dilute it with all the water. I'm sure it's nasty. They don't care. Some of those natives. Skin you for just looking at them. If they wern't so drunk off ocean.

 

[bottlebomber]

I used to live on a reservation in Northern Az. Scattered about the small town, I lived. There would be empty plastiq, water bottles, rubbing alcohol bottles, & hairspray cans. (Aqua net, baby!) As well. It did occure to me what it was all about. I had to ask anyways. I asked me friend at the times. Who's been living on the rez a few years before I arrived. He told me the story. That the natives, would buy a gal. of water, hair spray, rubbing alcohol. Mix it together. Call it "Ocean". Every now & then. You'd see one get hauld off on a stretcher. Not dead. Not that I've seen. But, that messed up. The Rez days. Way out there, man.

You need to get some more specific quantities and put that one up on the recipe forum.

 

[25518]

You need to get some more specific quantities and put that one up on the recipe forum.

1 gallon of water
1 can, hairspray, Aqua net, perfferably
Or 1 bottle of rubbing alcohol
Mix 1 can haispray with 1 gallon water, til' you don't care. Ferement for 5 seconds. Enjoy. Never, never, never try this. EVER!

LIKE THAT?

 

[woozy]

I think, perhaps, they were inhaling rather than drinking.

 

[bottlebomber]

Jesus, this ocean stuff is a real problem...

http://www.wellbriety-nci.org/Publications/ocean.htm

 

[woozy]

Yikes! They do drink it!

Geez! Get these kids some booze and drugs! STAT!

"They generally use Ocean due to the legal age restriction and lack of alcohol/drug availability."

 

[billpaustin]

Hope that's not happening in the rez here in New Mexico.

Apaches on ocean, I hope not.

 

[25518]

It's because the Navajo res is a dry res. They'll smuggle in beer, whiskey. the poorer ones drink ocean. Or, theres other ways. But ocean is big, cheap, fast. These guys don't care. Fight with any white guy. Collect their monthly check. Waste it on hairspray and water. Not all of them. The bums of the natives, blame the white man for something our great grandparents didn't do. But, they don't care. "I'm here, cause the white man put me here. give me another gallon of water."

 

[25518]

Hope that's not happening in the rez here in New Mexico.

Apaches on ocean, I hope not.

Believe it baby. Smoke signals go far from Az to N.M.

 

[25518]

I think, perhaps, they were inhaling rather than drinking.

Straight drinking. I've seem a few on stretchers.

 

[25518]

The Navajo res is a different world man. Don't go there alone. Never. Never pick one up. I don't care how long that old lady has been on the side of the road in her wheelchair. Different world. I've fought a few. Rascist. But, I've met some great ones too. Work with a few. Great guys. Make eachother laugh. I spare with one at work. He is kind of the boxing type, I'm more Jeet Kun do.

 

[25518]

so I wanna start learning, basically at the moment I'm wondering what's the most convenient (easiest/fastest) way to make some alcohol? I'm completely new so I don't have any yeast, so, what are ways to make alcohol without actual yeast?

Thanks!

Sorry I took over your thread. Brewe. Kinglim said rubbing alcohol. Just reminded me of me senior year of high school on the rez. Me apologies.