Home Brewing Beer from Scratch

a reply to: NobodySpecial268

I will send you my notes. I'm bottling my last batch this weekend. I'll edit the notes and send them your way in the next day or two. You will have all the details about what I have done and what I think I should do in the next batches. I will add info on growing and harvesting hops and barley from my other notes as well.

ETA: Since we are basically talking recipes, I've been going with all-grain beer recipes but averaging and generalizing them. Because I use a specific variety of barley and malt it myself, I can't ever expect a recipe from a brewing club or whatever to turn out like they are supposed to. I can only standardize my sources and processes and then tweak them as I go along. I can only hope that if you use the same barley, hops, water and yeast in the same processes I have used, the end result will be similar.

I've been drinking Upper Hand IPA made by the Upper Hand Brewery in Escanaba Michigan, I'm drinking some right now. It is a good IPA and at 7% ABV, the buzz factor is up there. It's actually kind of light when I think about my own homebrew that I felt was a little too light-bodied.

I thought Upper Hand compared to that IPA I made last year on my first try, but it has a sweet side, something I felt my latest brew also has. Also, because I used half the hops, my brews aren't as dry and peppery as I like, they are more like corporate piss water beer. I exaggerate, obviously, it's better than that, with more flavor, and a little more body, but not what I like really.

However, I considered these rounds to be a success, the ABV is up there, the flavor is OK, the hops are enough, and even though the batches are lighter bodied than I like, it turned out like I suspected it would. A little dark with a toasted flavor, but more along the lines of an industrial mass-produced beer. I suspect the flavors will mellow and improve after bottling and sitting for a while.

This batch I'm going to bottle has been sitting the longest like a lager, so it should be clearer with more alcohol, but a lighter body as I used the least barley in the brewing process. I suspect it will be even more like commercial beer when finished.

a reply to: TheMichiganSwampBuck

Have you considered altering hop and grain ratios? The hops you're using are mostly alpha hops except the cascade which are mostly for bittering, the other two I use myself in older brews and I'd tend to finish off (last 15 mins) with aromatic hops, cascade would be my choice with what you have. Adjunct grains can be important too, depending on the beer that can be a high percentage but usually it's around 10% of the grain bill, usually depends on the IBU (bitterness) aimed for.

I know you want to keep things as natural as possible so I won't suggest changing the yeasties, this link has thorough explanation about attenuation rates Kissmybrew.com
Generally lighter grain = easier sugar which means dryer or "less sweet" beer. Mash temps play a big role so maybe some experiments around that? Lower mash temp should achieve more sugars.

I'm lazy so when a beer calls for it I tend to go with a high performer with good flocculation which is just a posh word for clumping together, kveik seemed to be my go from memory.

a reply to: RAY1990

And I thought things were complicated enough!

I had used one variety of hops each in the first two, Chinook and Cascade, as those bines did the best production-wise. I never thought of using a different variety at the end (finish) of the brewing process. The last batch I'm bottling today was a blend of all three hops varieties as the Centennial didn't do that well and I have all three growing on a gazebo and used those hops for the last batch. As those bines on the gazebo were grown together, I couldn't tell what the percentages were. Likely more Chinook and less Centennial than Cascade.

I knew there were differences in yeast, hops and barley varieties, but as a beginner, it will take time to appreciate those differences and how they can be improved on in the recipe. I should do more reading in this area to prepare for the harvest next year and alter my recipes accordingly.

Concerning mash temperatures, I merely brewed at around 160 degrees F, no higher than 170 F (the oven temp I dried the malted barley at that lightly toasted the grain). I thought that the brewing temps should be between 150 and 170 degrees F, so I assume I shouldn't dry the malt or brew the wort any higher than 150 degrees for the highest available sugars.

a reply to: crowf00t

a reply to: TheMichiganSwampBuck

Thank you very much, I look forward to your recipe.

My plan is to stick with one recipe and work on getting that right without any of my "good ideas", rather than bottling dozens of bottles of beer.

I would probably source the barley from the organic growers, but would like to grow the hops myself. So thanks again.

Something to conciser among ingredients
Cocculus Indicus

a reply to: crowf00t

Cocculus Indicus

An interesting homeopathic. I'll definitely consider that one. I've done nothing else for over ten years.

a reply to: TheMichiganSwampBuck

I've never roasted or even crushed my own grains so I'm not too sure about sugars when it comes to that. Lower temps produce simpler sugars, higher temps more complex and harder to eat. The trickier sugars aid mouth feel and taste.

Around 67C/152F seems to be a good middle ground? That's the number I came to on my lager type beers... It's been over a year since I last researched all this so this thread has acted as a refresher for me, I feel a brew day coming on. What I'm reading is saying 145-150F is the ideal mash temp for lager/beer with 155-158F being the higher end harder to eat sugars.

. I thought that the brewing temps should be between 150 and 170 degrees F, so I assume I shouldn't dry the malt or brew the wort any higher than 150 degrees for the highest available sugars.

Depends on the beer But yes that seems to be the route to take. I honestly don't know about the roasting and how much that affects things but I could find out. There's always cold brewing too.

a reply to: NobodySpecial268

I'll put my brewing notes together today for you. Shall I just send them as a PM? I could post them, but it would be lengthy and boring to do so as I have already given my Reader's Digest version as a post already.

a reply to: TheMichiganSwampBuck

Thank you, and I am sure there are others here who would love the recipe.

I will PM you with an email I use for ATS related things.

PM sent.

a reply to: TheMichiganSwampBuck

it's been a while, but I made a chocolate stout that was amazing. Added Cocoa powder during the steep (I think) and some sugar that wasn't priming sugar so it didn't react to the yeast. As I said, it's been a while, but I do remember how delicioius it was.

Well, this thread died off then hasn't it?

At this point, I now have all six cases of bottled beer in the house to keep it from freezing out in the shed. Also, keeping them at room temperature should help carbonation. I haven't labeled anything but a few as the stacking determines which batch is which. It's all right next to me actually, under the desk.

This brings to my mind the fact that I couldn't find a box that holds a case of beer. Back in the day, you could buy a case of bottles in a box designed to hold a case, but not so today. I had to glue and tape four six-pack boxes together and add extra cardboard underneath as support to make one. I have found some boxes that come close to holding four six-packs, but none designed specifically to hold a case of bottles. I should talk to the beer delivery guy, maybe he knows about how they ship beer in boxes now-a-days.

How about the styrofoam boxes?

They come in different sizes, are sturdy and sometimes free from grocery stores.

Here in Oz they pack broccoli in them.

a reply to: TheMichiganSwampBuck

Styrofoam is a brilliant idea with the lids they'll stack well too I'd imagine.

Outside of breweries and dairies supermarkets would be your best bet. The only place I ever see decent trays these days is imported bottles and jars.

If all you bottles are the same size you could just stack them with some sheets of plywood or something, bottles and cans are usually stacked with shrink-wrap and cardboard so I can't imagine you'd have too much trouble stacking.

a reply to: TheMichiganSwampBuck
MSB you are a wuss. Bottles????? What's up with barrels? Think bulk.

It's been probably 4 or 5 years since I last brewed, maybe longer.

To prepare for Thanksgiving I decided to put a frozen turkey I bought out in my keezer so I could just drop the temp down to below freezing. Wouldn't you know it I had half a corny of ... something which is most likely flat (I had issues with seals) and a bottle of champagne in there! lol I don't drink the stuff so I told my daughter she could have it.

Debating on selling off the cornys (2) and other random stuff I have. I don't see me getting back in to brewing anytime soon

originally posted by: crayzeed
a reply to: TheMichiganSwampBuck
MSB you are a wuss. Bottles????? What's up with barrels? Think bulk.

I was at a local market with my buddy buying deer bait when I noticed this fairly large heavy-duty plastic container that had a spigot or tap at the bottom. I thought it would make a great fermentation tank. It had held some agricultural product, the label was worn and I didn't see a capacity for it, but it was big and probably held more than twice the 31 gallons for a barrel. They wanted a couple hundred for it.

a reply to: TheMichiganSwampBuck

Seems expensive.

You can get a mash tun for less that $100, plastic pressure barrels for around $50. Cornelius kegs are fairly cheap too but you'd probably need Co2 to dispense.

I'd suggest corny kegs personally.

a reply to: RAY1990

Whatcha reckon of these as brewing containers?



20 litres / 5 US gallons. I have half a dozen of them.