Any home brewers out there?

[NeightRG]

My first home brew was a gallon of good 100% apple juice with no preservatives - pour out two cups, add a cup of simple syrup, a quarter teaspoon of bread yeast, an airlock and plug in the top of the jug... Leave it for two weeks, funnel it into swing-top bottles once it stops fermenting.

I graduated beyond that and have done several all-grain batches - still have the equipment - but my new apartment doesn't really allow it for now, so it's back to the simple no-boil ciders for me, except now bigger batches with proper brewing yeast, and dextrose instead of white sugar. Surprisingly good brew, even ignoring the fact that almost no work goes into it.

[Cowher]

Thanks guys. I found a home brew shop a half hour from my work and I'll be stoping by on Thursday. I am borrowing a turkey pot from a buddy of mine for my brew pot and I'll be sticking to bare bones stuff for this first brew. If it seems like something I enjoy I'll start looking for the better stuff.
So I hope to get a drinkable beer from my first batch and I hope to enjoy the process. If all goes well I'll be buying higher end equipment and brewing myself some dang good brews.

[Mipi]

Your equipment should grew together with your experiences.

[tulloch]

Very interesting. I don't have time to brew but I would love to assist as a tester.

[Joshua]

I used to brew and homebrew quite often, I even worked at a homebrew supply shop and taught workshops on adjunct/kit brewing on Saturdays.

However due to a nasty gluten intolerance that results in major illness/upset, I really don't drink anything that isn't a distilled spirit or wine anymore... saving the beers for a very, very occasional treat when I'm on vacation. I have tried some gluten free beers, but they are so different from a barley beer I would be scared to attempt my own recipe, personally.

[Mule]

I used to brew and homebrew quite often, I even worked at a homebrew supply shop and taught workshops on adjunct/kit brewing on Saturdays.

However due to a nasty gluten intolerance that results in major illness/upset, I really don't drink anything that isn't a distilled spirit or wine anymore... saving the beers for a very, very occasional treat when I'm on vacation. I have tried some gluten free beers, but they are so different from a barley beer I would be scared to attempt my own recipe, personally.

That is a bum deal. I can't sleep if I have one after 3pm. So, lunch is the only time I drink them or I stay up.

Local is better... Especially if it's close to work. I get into more trouble that way

[Mickey]

However due to a nasty gluten intolerance that results in major illness/upset, I really don't drink anything that isn't a distilled spirit or wine anymore... saving the beers for a very, very occasional treat when I'm on vacation. I have tried some gluten free beers, but they are so different from a barley beer I would be scared to attempt my own recipe, personally.

Same here. One sip of beer will put me in a very bad way. A couple of the sorghum beers I've tried aren't half bad, so I'm slowly thinking of trying to make my own to see if I can get them to taste a little bit better.

I'd kill for a Guinness right now... or an Old Milwaukee for that matter

[Kilted Jeeper]

I used to brew and homebrew quite often, I even worked at a homebrew supply shop and taught workshops on adjunct/kit brewing on Saturdays.

However due to a nasty gluten intolerance that results in major illness/upset, I really don't drink anything that isn't a distilled spirit or wine anymore... saving the beers for a very, very occasional treat when I'm on vacation. I have tried some gluten free beers, but they are so different from a barley beer I would be scared to attempt my own recipe, personally.

Josh,

My wife has Celiac and recently went back to school and finished her Bachelor's Degree. I asked her what she wanted for graduation and she said for me to make her a GF Beer. I was able to find GF Beer kit through some links and discussions on the HomeBrew Talk forums. It is a sorgum based beer, but it came out quite good. A little bitter at first, but now that it's been in the bottle about 3 months it has smoothed out real nice and she says it's better than the Red Bridge she normally has. It might be worth looking into.

[jkane]

The current generation of plastic, like better bottle, are not more porous. They do not allow oxygen to permiate. They are also supposed to be safe from absorbing odors. They do scratch easier. I have plenty of glass, but I have some very good brewing friends who use the better bottles. As long as it is the right kind of plastic, it is fine.

I have installed 2 17 gallon plastic conical fermentors to use as primaries. So far I like them. Time will tell if they are durable enough.

[Kilted Jeeper]

How do you guys go about filtering the excess sediment out of your beers?