Any home brewers out there?

[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

[Cowher]

UPDATE: Thursday I went to a semi local home brew shop and purchased some equipment and the shop owner helped me put a kit together. I had my "brew" day yesterday and I think it went well. It started bubbling late lady night and has a heart beat sound to the airlock. I smelled the air lock and it's starting to smell like beer! I'm doing a German weizenbier so my fermentation temp is about 72 Fahrenheit to bring out banana notes. I'll update on my first batch soon!

[AKScott]

I'm doing a German weizenbier so my fermentation temp is about 72 Fahrenheit to bring out banana notes. I'll update on my first batch soon!

Monitoring your fermentation temperature is important, good show.

Controlling your fermentation temp to a target range gets to be quite a chore sometimes.

I, along with many other homebrewers, try to ferment my pale ales between 60-65°F. Time to start thinking about your upcoming water bath build...

[Joshua]

I would caution against a glass carboy Cowher. One, they don't stop UV, so you will ahve to put a tshirt or something over it to keep the sunlight from skunking your beer.

But if you are brewing during the warmer months, it's a good idea to keep a wet towel over your carboy anyway so it keeps the temperature about 5* under ambient. I used to keep towels wrapped around my carboys with a fan pointed at them to keep fermentation around 68*.

two they don't have handles and are heavy, an especially bad combination when they are wet. And if you drop one, you got broken glass everywhere.

That's why God invented grocery store milk crates - they fit a carboy just fine, have handles, and as a side-note, are great for increasing the base footprint of your carboy so it doesn't tip...

[Redhawk]

That's why God invented grocery store milk crates - they fit a carboy just fine, have handles, and as a side-note, are great for increasing the base footprint of your carboy so it doesn't tip...[/QUOTE]

Great idea I never thought of that...

[Joshua]

That's why God invented grocery store milk crates - they fit a carboy just fine, have handles, and as a side-note, are great for increasing the base footprint of your carboy so it doesn't tip...

Great idea I never thought of that...

I used to work at a homebrew supply store and brewed about 15 gallons a week teaching workshops. :-)

You never learn anything the second time you drop a full carboy on a sandal'ed foot.

[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.

[Joshua]

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.

You know, I've never tried to make a cider, but seeing as they are
1. no boil
2. no gluten

I think I could do one. Especially because I'm already buying the unfiltered, organic, unpasteurized apple juice from the health food store. Plus, I've got a 3-gallon carboy that I used once for mead, I think that would be the perfect "small batch tester".

What temperature do you ferment at?