Comments on: Ten Top Tips for Home Brewing Beer

By: Gale W

Gale W — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:45:09 +0000

Very good advice. I would like to add my opinion based on my experience.
1. You cannot have a pot that is too big. I boil my wort in a 12 gallon pot and have reduced my boil over chances.
It also allows me to boil extra so that when I cool the wort I don’t feel bad wasting the nasties.
I have a 15 gallon pot for the hot water which is very handy.
Check out your local sporting good stores. They usually have very good pots at cheaper prices.
2. After putting my chilled wort in a 6 gallon fermentor I refrigerate it for 30-60 min.
You would be amazed at the addition unfermentable that precipitate out(using Whirlfloc).
I siphon the clear wort off, aerate, and pitch my yeast starter. My beers have turened out clear and clean.
3. Another trick I use on the boil is don’t start your boil “time” until after the hot break. this puts less pressure on the brewer having to do too much in just an hour or so. Pay attention to the hot break then move on from there. A 90 minute boil is good advice.
4. I pre-sanitize my wort chiller in the left over hot water prior to chillin. After the chill I put it back in the left over hot water to clean off the wort and hops.
Thats it!

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By: Jose M

Jose M — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 03:46:17 +0000

your articles are awesome , and very useful , I bought your software one year ago and is an icredible tool , is hard to find exellent beers in my country so the only way was making it , I learn to brew in england when I was travelling ,its change my life , thanks for beersmith and your practical information is a lot of help !!!
Jose Miguel Iñiguez , Constitucion , Chile.

By: Glen Giddens

Glen Giddens — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 18:56:18 +0000

I totally agree with everything in you article. I’ve built the majority of my equipment, and really enjoyed doing it nearly as much as I do using it. But if you review the basics you mention, before you brew, you’ll be brewing better beer.
Thanks for the time you put into your list.
Glen Giddens, Montgomery, Texas.

By: rodg hannok

rodg hannok — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:56:03 +0000

great site, thanks for the info and tips……me and the boss invested in a home brew set-up about 2 years ago as we are Aussies, love our beer,and sick of paying way to much for a slab.now we produce top beer for stuff all,BEWARE HOME BREWING IS ADDICTIVE.

By: tom

tom — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 22:36:55 +0000

plate chillers work best for fast cooling and magnetic stirrer is best way to get starter going

By: C Dettenwanger

C Dettenwanger — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 23:32:33 +0000

I agree that investing in better equipment is worth it: so long as you’re really serious about it. I went crazy and splurged when I got started, having never made beer before. I bought a 7 gal heavy duty steel pot, 2 igloo coolers, copper cooling coil, a chest freezer off craigslist, the works. I started in April and this weekend will be my 40th gal batch. Anyway, so long as you are really into it, invest. Better equipment makes a WORLD of difference in quality.

The other thing I might add is if ou have the option, do buy an outdoor propane burner. I unfortunately do not have that option, as I live in a 3rd story apartment. Boiling 6 gallons of liquid on an electric burner destroys it really fast. I’ve already replaced 1 burner.

By: Day Tripper

Day Tripper — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 02:09:07 +0000

“Boil up a small amount of dried malt extract in a quart of water with 1/4 oz of yeast. Cool it well and then pitch your yeast into it 2-3 days before you brew. ”

Fwiw, I noticed someone else caught the obvious error in that sentence. No doubt the “1/4 oz of yeast” was supposed to be “1/4 oz of hops” (added for antimicrobial properties). But the error persists…

By: Beer Making

Beer Making — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:57:19 +0000

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By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 31 May 2011 21:40:57 +0000

This weekend my neighbor, who is moving to a new place, gave me a couple of old beer kits. I am sure they are several years old since he hasn’t brewed in the two years we have been neighbors. I am sure the hops is shot and the yeast is dead. Is there any way to salvage the canned malt extract and still produce a reasonable beer or is it a lost cause? I always try to get fresh ingredients so, I have never looked into how one might salvage some clearly old ingredients.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:11:43 +0000

Gday. I have an old tea urn that boils at least 25 litres of wort and I run it through a home made copper pipe chiller in a bucket of icy water to chill it down. It can be a slow process but I usually get the temp to approx 15 – 17 degrees . If needed I have an old fridge set up with an autmatic temp controller which was very cheap and easy to wire and set up. ( I can give details if needed) . The temp controller which also has a probe in the wort gives me complete control of the temp. I have brewed on and off for years but not as easily as now with good temp control, lagers especially. I would like to be able to chill the wort more quickly though . I have not seen how the chillers you can buy from the HBS work . What can any one recommend– Steve

By: Ten Great Beer Brewing Tips « Beer Brewing Equipment's Blog

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By: admin

admin — Sat, 15 May 2010 04:11:03 +0000

No,
You definitely do not want to boil your yeast. You boil some hops and malt in water, then after it cools add your yeast to make a starter. If you do a search here on the blog you will find that there is an entire article on how to make yeast starters. — Brad

By: FenoMeno

FenoMeno — Sat, 15 May 2010 03:37:24 +0000

Are you saying to boil the 1/4 Oz of yeast with the starter DME? Not sure how to pull that off with Whilte Labs or smack packs…I have never added yeast to my starters: boil/chill/pitch/stirplate.
Am I missing something?

I recently heard someone say it was beneficial to boil the DME in a similair beer (in lieu of water)of which you are pitching into. Any validity in that? I suspect nominal–

By: luke rensink

luke rensink — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:04:14 +0000

if you are going to comment please get your facts straight. say 95%? if you have 100,000 bacteria ,which is very low, and you kill only 95% you still have 5000 bacteria. if the bacterias generation time is 30 mins in three hours you have 320,000 bacteria and this will ruin your beer. the word sanitize is the reduction of bacteria by 99.9% (3 logs) and sterilize is the statistical destruction and removal of all living organisms. 99.999% (5 logs) in 30 seconds. its really not that big of a deal everyone knows what the author meant. i found this article very informative. i agree with him on glass is better for the beer, but i think it is harder on the brewer. plastic gives off some funky tastes sometimes and can only be used a handfull of times because of the way it can house pathogens in little cuts. if you are starting out or fermenting than less for two weeks use plastic. if longer, use glass. about aeration yeast cells need oxygen for metabolism. aeration should only be done right before pitching the yeast and only if the wort is below 80 degrees F, otherwise it will ozidize. and lets remember we are all on the same side. brew drink and be merry.

By: Brad Smith

Brad Smith — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:31:41 +0000

Yeast blocking the airlock is a real problem if you use a conventional stopper and airlock. However, if you do a search here on the blog for the article on “Burton method” you will find that you can use a large diameter hose and separate tank to form your own airlock and avoid plugging the top of the carboy.

By: Gord M.

Gord M. — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:47:14 +0000

Hi again…I mentioned your useage of a glass carboy as a primary fermenter to a winemaker. On the assumtion we are talking about a standard 5 gal carboy, he put forth the concern that the yeast pancake could create an overflow through the air lock, given the minimal head space left in the carboy. If such an event may happen, could I first prepare a wort in a plastic fermenter, aerate, and then siphon it equally into two cardoys?

By: Brad Smith

Brad Smith — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:33:34 +0000

Yes – you want oxygen present only before you pitch the wort. After the wort has fermented, oxygen will ruin your beer.

By: Gord M.

Gord M. — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:08:06 +0000

Hi…After reading this article and the one on aeration, I have come away with some confusion. Quick background…my interest is in brewing ales, so I purchased a book by C.J.J.Berry and several “kits” to get started. The book made specific reference to the use of a plastic fermentation bin with a loose fitting lid to avoid any off/sour taste. He also advocated the gentle agitation of the wort under the “pancake” to admit oxygen. In all my attempts I have had difficulty with sluggish fermentation and bringing the SG below 1010. I am assuming from these articles that oxygen is essential in the lag phase before pitching, and to be avoided thereafter. Would that be accurate?

By: 2009

2009 — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:41:13 +0000

clean is visable. if u cannot see dirt, it is clean.
sanitary is most bacteria, say… 95%
sterile is im getting my guts ripped into and i dont want to die of an infection. 99.999% germ free, hospital standards. to sterilize you would need more bleach for longer and end up with bandaid beer. or more beer birght or whatever the case is.

By: Joe American

Joe American — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:29:23 +0000

Another tip (my two cents):
Newbies shouldn’t splurge on expensive equipment such as glass carboys or large stainless brewpots, at least not in the beginning.

After brewing a several batches, if you like doing it, and have had success, then upgrade. If you’re unhappy, then you’re not out alot of cash.

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By: rudraigh

rudraigh — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:26:07 +0000

While the *type* of effort is different, the *amount* of effort is the same when cleaning buckets or carboys. A bucket may be wide open but, because carboys don’t have the sharp angle between the side and the bottom that a bucket does, it’s easier to get that part clean.

Thomas, want some cheese with that whine? Glass is superior to plastic and a full boil is superior to a partial boil. Your particular circumstances don’t change that. The best things I ever did for my brewing were to buy a 7.5 gallon kettle and a 6.5 gallon glass carboy.

Brad, nice post.

By: Dacelo G.

Dacelo G. — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 03:39:12 +0000

What’s all this about sanitize/sterilize? “Sanitize” is just a fancy alternative to the verb “to clean”. Make everything as sterile as you can. Non-yeast bugs and fungi in your brew can’t possibly do it any good.

The tips are all good. The one about temperature control is not great, though. Ambient temperature can differ considerably from day to day, and especially from day to night. Your brew is better kept at an even temperature throughout fermentation. Put your whole fermenter into an insulated plastic or metal container and surround it with water. Use a thermometer. Drop chunks of ice in the water when it is too warm; pour warm water in it if it gets too cold. Siphon some of the water out when it is too full.

By: BeerSmith

BeerSmith — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 21:55:35 +0000

LeeA – I believe the spring water jugs are fine, though I would recommend getting a new one every few batches as they will collect some bacteria and scrateches over time.

By: LeeA

LeeA — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:55:25 +0000

Im experimenting with spring water jugs as a secondary fermenter, sanitized of course, and using the spring water to brew with. I see an advantage with being able to trade for new jugs to ferment in and have a good supply of clean water for pretty cheap.

By: BeerSmith

BeerSmith — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 08:07:48 +0000

The advantage of glass over plastic is twofold. First it is easier to sanitize. Glass won’t trap food or bacteria, and if it is dirty it is quite obvious. With a long bottle brush it is easy to clean. In contrast, even food grade plastic has a surface that will trap bacteria over time. Second, glass is airtight while plastic is porus. Plastic bucket covers are also notorious for leaking air.

All that being said, you can make great beer in a plastic bucket or jug, as long as you keep it sanitized (I guess sterile may be a less precise word), and airtight. You need to inspect your plastic equipment periodically to make sure it is in good condition and not leaking air, scratched or dirty.

It is a matter of preference – but my personal experience was much better with glass than plastic.

By: aaron

aaron — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 05:38:22 +0000

Carboys are much easier to clean than buckets? What?? Not even close. A bucket is wide open, a carboy is not. Having both a bucket and carboy that are equally dirty, a bucket is MUCH faster to get clean and sanitized. I definitely do not agree about carboys being easier. Also, why do you say sterilize? That is not necessary. The largest breweries in the world don’t. Sanitization (which is not the same) is all that is necessary.

By: LeeA

LeeA — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:30:55 +0000

What about using plastic spring water jugs? Are they any less porous than plastic buckets.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:53:04 +0000

Well, I understand glass vs plastic is a matter of taste, frankly they both work. I help at my local homebrew shop and I try to present the good and bad of both. I just have a personal taste to the plastic.

By: BeerSmith

BeerSmith — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 02:20:32 +0000

Thomas,
Thanks for the suggestions – appreciate your perspective.

You will be happy to know that one of the upcoming articles is on late extract additions.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:00:34 +0000

Plastic buckets are much easier to clean than glass. Glass is great to clean until one shatters because you weren’t careful enough with your temperature control. Not to mention how many times I have heard of them breaking under other conditions until I can afford a conical fermenter I go with the buckets. Sure I have to toss them occasionally, but I can always find use for the buckets when I am done brewing with them.

Full boil is great when you have room, but late addition extract has proved very useful in my partial mash batches and for alot of people getting started far more practical than that large purchases you suggest.

By: BeerSmith

BeerSmith — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:20:46 +0000

Mike – Thanks for the comment – I just edited the post to reflect “Sanitize” vice “sterilize”

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:16:34 +0000

nice entry only thing is brewers sanitize, not sterlize. At least all but the crazy ones.

By: Skipdogchip

Skipdogchip — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:38:48 +0000

#11. Always invite a few “non” brewing buddies over on brewing and bottling day. Chances are, they’ll catch the brewing also.