Homebrew ?

[Ayin McFye]

Proud brewer as well. About to start an 80 gallon batch of home brew mead. Just straight up mead. No flavors added. We import our honey as well, we don't use any of that store bought crap. I saw someone made mead once with crocker's honey and 6 months later he had an alcoholic drink that nobody would touch. Ingredients make a world of difference.

Have also won a few gold,silver,bronze medals over the years, but my brother and I don't compete anymore. We know we've got a good product, and that's all that matters. Looking to get our distributors license in the next year and make a few bucks off of it.

Cheers to homebrewing!

[Beertigger]

I haven't boiled up a batch in a while, but I've got all the equipment stored away. Given that I'm w/o an income right now, I should probably save a few pennies and brew up some stout!

[Mipi]

Count me in. But must admit I haven't brewed much lately (no time). Ales are my specialty.

[Midsmed]

Proud brewer as well.Mead and just starting with Cider making.

[ForresterModern]

Reformed brewer, now single malt imbiber and collector instead. Was into it big about 12 years ago and made 6-8 big batches---canadian lager, american lager, scotch ale, amber ale, brown ale and a failed attempt at a pilsner. Endd up with so much beer in my basement I couldn't keep my friends away from the house. Then developed a heart condition that forced me to be more selective in my drinking as I was not allowed more than 1-2 a day, even on special occasions or friday nights. So I migrated to single malts. And in the 4 moves I have made since my last batch all my gear and bottles, etc.., has slowly made its way into garage sales or the garbage. Worst of all a lot of the beer went to waste as it sat undrank in my basement for too long and went bad.

[Brother Falldown]

I started homebrewing when I was still in the Army back in 2000. I went pro at a small brewpub in Green Bay, WI in 2006, and now I'm at a much bigger brewery here in Missoula, MT.

Start homebrewing. It's awesome! And if I can give you one piece of advice, the thing that will ruin your beer faster than anything else is poor sanitation. Make sure everything's clean and sanitized. (You'll find sanitation instructions in any good homebrewing book. My favorite is How To Brew by John Palmer.)

Happy brewing and let us know how it goes!

David

David is absolutely right. Nothing can ruin a batch quicker than poor sanitation. I boil everything that can be boiled, utensils etc. before starting and I use an iodine rinse while using the equipment. Post brewing clean up is equally imporant. There are some excellent products out there that will help you get the residue out of your vats and bottles.

Another thought. When I first started I took great pride in achieving maximum alcohol content. Older and wiser now I find I can enjoy the fruits of my labor far more if I'm not smashed after the second pint!

[Hellequin]

Proud brewer as well.Mead and just starting with Cider making.

Love to get a good cider recipie. Or a peary.

[jkane]

Been homebrewing for quite a while. Made a bit of wine for a while too. Mostly meads these days. But we have a group of friends that got together and we brew only when it's below 20 degrees F outside. Did I mention the brewing equipment is in a barn with no heat? It just seems like we can only get a day in common when it's cold. But we drink year round. That's the fun part!

Have some black raspberries in the freezer from this summer. When the cider gets pressed in a couple of weeks, we plan on doing our first black raspberry cider. We usually get 60 lbs of honey every year. Have a fantastic cranberry mead that won't make it to bottles since we've been drinking it out of the carboy so much!

http://www.kane1.com/jeff/beer/2009/
http://www.kane1.com/jeff/beer/brewery.html
http://www.kane1.com/trubs/
http://www.kane1.com/trubs/oct2008/index.html

[lethearen]

Mmmm Loki. I've made more than a couple batches of that libation. Along the same lines, I make my own limoncello and orancello. I used to have quite a thriving mead brewery going, but I've since run out of space to make more ;)

I've considered getting back into brewing, but beer this time. Just haven't taken the plunge.

[Kilted Jeeper]

getting ready to purchase my first kit and been shopping around and talking with the local supply shops. Hope to have everything and start my first batch before Turkey Day....sooner depending on if the wife's work situation improves.