Beginner Who Wants To Learn It All.

First in . . . How To Brew, by John Palmer. More info to follow

 

Ok now that I got that out of my system. Two / maybe three suggestions, depending on how you count.

First, read How To Brew by John Palmer. The best way to put HTB, it is the bible for entry level reading into brewing. Bonus, old editions are available online for free in PDF.

Second, find a friend that brews. There is no easier way to learn than seeing it. If your having a hard time finding someone to mentor, google for local home brew clubs and I'm sure you'll find help. If you were local, I'd surely help!

 

Hey @MickTheBic! Welcome to the best hobby known to humankind. A few thoughts as you get started out:

1. Don't ever let people tell you that all-grain is homebrew is better than extract homebrew. This may often turn out to be the case, mostly because most new brewers brew with extract and new brewers make lots of rookie mistakes. Don't get me wrong - you will probably eventually want to upgrade to all-grain... but there's nothing wrong with learning the ropes by brewing several extract batches to really learn about the brewing process.

2. Find as many ways as you can to absorb information. It seems like you're eager to learn, so learn as much as you can. As @InVinoVeritas mentioned, Palmer's How To Brew is a spectacular book resource. Try to find a local homebrew club that you can join... that way you can share your brews with more experienced brewers who know how you can improve. I also enjoy listening to brewing podcasts. Check out the many podcasts put out by The Brewing Network... or if you'd like something less California-centric, search around for something that resonates with you.

3. DON'T SKIMP ON SANITATION! If you pick just one thing to do right on your first batch, pick sanitation. Make sure that every surface that will come in contact with your beer (post-boil) is thoroughly sanitized. I like to use Star San, but there are several other options for good sanitizers.

Other than that, keep asking questions and have fun!

 

I think partial mash is a great compromise. I have the gear to do all grain brewing. I think it does make a superior beer depending on the style. That said, I usually still brew BIAB partial mash because it cuts a considerable amount of time and clean up off of a brew day. I think mashing adds body and better head retention compared to straight extract brewing.

 

Other than what's already been mentioned, keep in mind that yeast make the beer, not you. Keep them happy and they'll keep you happy.

 

That's true. One of my favorite quotes is 'Brewers make wort. Yeast makes beer'.

 

Extract is a pretty good place to start. You can still make really good beer and get a good understanding of the brewing process with it. While I agree that sanitation is important, I think temperature control is at least equally important. If you have a spot in the house with a stable, ambient temperature of 60ish degrees (for most ales) you're well on your way to making good beer. Just like everyone else said, happy yeast = good beer!

Just be careful, brewing can be addictive!

 

I don't think it matters whether you start all-grain or extract. If you start all grain, you will need to
(1) do a little more advance reading to understand what you are about to do (fortunately How to Brew explains all-grain and extract brewing in a digestible manner).
(2) think a little bit about water chemistry (or just wing it and see what happens; you'll probably make beer, but it will not be the best beer it can be. Skipping this initially may serve you well, but in the long run, you'll need to come back to it.)
(3) invest in more equipment (a mash tun, for example)
(4) spend more time on your brew day hanging out with your equipment (not always viable if you have lots of other commitments in your life)

The advantages of starting with extract is your initial commitment ($$, time) is lower so you reap some of the rewards sooner. Those rewards include experiential knowledge e.g., of sanitation, the boiling wort, hop additions, i.e., the boil, fermentation, ingredients, packaging, and of course, beer tasting.

The advantage of starting with all-grain is that you just might enjoy the added complications, and it is supposed to be fun, right? Ultimately, the advantage of all-grain is simply a little more freedom and, potentially, a better understanding of your ingredients.

 

I'll repeat the suggestion to read howtobrew.com or buy the newer edition that you can use to write notes, etc. John Palmer does an excellent job getting you started and taking you through the extract vs. all-grain processes.

Extract allows you to learn half of the brewing procedures, which limits the number of things that you need to do on brew day and simplifies the process. Later on, you can transition to all-grain and you still use the same equipment plus the additional equipment needed to purchase for mashing, etc.

I'll also recommend that you read back about 8-10 pages in this forum. There are several threads that have been started with the same exact question that you have, plus you'll start to learn from some of the other threads that discuss some of the tangents that can be associated with this hobby.

Oh, and welcome to the BA site and to the Homebrewing forum. Hang around as long as you'd like, and enjoy your stay.

 

I love you maannn...brewing is hard work...and a great hobby...temperature control is key...although there are many other subtle things that will improve your beer...It's like golf...there is always room for improvement...keep good notes

 

@suavo brings up a great point. I have kept detailed logs of every brew I've done. How To Brew has a good format to follow for a brewers log, but you should do whatever makes sense to you. It can help you pinpoint what you did right and/or wrong with a batch and lead to improvements and higher degree of repeatability.

 

www.brewingtv.com

Northern brewer used to have/sponsor an awesome brewing video cast thing. That and books (how to brew/ Charlie papazians book) is how I learned but brewing tv provided me countless hours of knowledge and entertainment.

The brewing network too. If you haven't heard of them I'm baffled.

 

Fundamentals first. Fermentation temperature control, yeast pitching temperature control (i.e. wort-chiller), full boil (7.5 gallon or bigger pot for 5-5.5 gallons of fermentable wort, note turkey fryer should be perfect just don't fry turkeys with it), sanitation, and if bottling, well collected bottles (i.e. rinsed thoroughly with hot water, reject if there's even the slightest cling-on, completely dry upside-down and cover with a square of foil after dry) and again, sanitation, plus getting the priming sugar right. Oh, and have a procedure, written, and don't get too drunk on brew day*.

*i.e. have dumb-ass controls in place

 

Hope you like to spend money and drink beer, because it's a fun, addicting, and sometimes expensive hobby. But if you're already into craft beer, you're probably spending $30+ a week on beer so why not splurge and make it yourself

As someone who's stuck with extract brewing for over a year now, I advise you to go that route and don't fear the nose snobbery of certain elitists (fortunately a lot of those folks aren't on these boards)!

Any who - there's A LOT that goes into brewing. Even after a year I'm still learning new things each time I brew, and I haven't even upgraded to all-grain yet...welp

Just remember to have fun. It can be stressful but oh-so rewarding!

Good luck mate!

 

Definitely start with extract to get familiar with the process.
When I started brewing (1971) there wasn't much choice except to go extract...but it made very good beer, especially when I lucked into fresh extract and/or managed to source quality brewery yeast (both of which are ifortunately much easier to obtain nowadays), and started doing full wort boils.
The results I got with extract were satisfying enough that I actually continued brewing from extract for almost 15 years for making the jump to all grain in the mid '80s. In fact, the primary reasons I eventually switched (in the mid '80s) to grain were the economic factor, and an interest in getting more 'hands on' with the processes.

Once you're comfy with the basics of brewing (temperature, sanitation, balance... and especially patience) you can switch to all grain for more control over your end result and if you buy smart and buy in bulk you'll also save a LOT of money, not only compared to extract but especially compared to commercial craft beer. Once you get the hang of it, it can certainly be better than what your local 'craft' brewer makes. You don't even need to spend a lot of money on equipment.

It's a satisfying and tasty hobby. Enjoy it! And be sure to report back after you've got your first batches under your belt.
But beware...sometimes the results can be so good that if you're not careful, the results can cumulatively wind up hanging over your belt.

 

All great advice, the only thing I would add is start with simple recipes. This will help you learn your equipment while you learn flavor profiles of different grains, hops and yeast. If I could start over again that is what I would have done, brewed smash beers first. Also use this forum, these guys are a WEALTH of experience and knowledge. Good luck, remember this: it is easy to make OK beer, it is difficult to make really good beer but the great brewers are the ones that can reproduce great beer!

Cheers!

 

^ agreed. While it may be tempting to start off with a barrel aged sour IPA with tons of dry hopping, a simple pale ale or brown is best for a first brew. Get your procedures down before venturing into something more complicated.
As others said, books are a great resource - I have them and consult regularly, even after brewing for 7+ years at this point. Palmer's How to Brew and Papazian's Complete Joy of Homebrewing are both highly recommended for every homebrewer's booksheft - Palmer is more of a numbers, science guy, while Papazian is more of a "feel" guy, but both are useful.
The things to watch for when you brew are sanitation, ingredient quality (freshness) sanitation, temperature control, sanitation, temperature control and sanitation.
(yes, that's repeated, because of how important those items are.)

 

I started just a few months ago and was in your same shoes... I wanted to for a long time and decided it was time to make the jump.

I went right to all-grain, because I just knew if I did extract I would quickly move on to all-grain anyway... So why not start with it? It took me a few more weeks of research in equipment, process, etc... But was well worth it.

I recommend reading through how to brew as posted above a few times, to try and understand the general process. Try searching for all-grain clone recipes of some of your favorite beers and try to understand why the recipe is the way it is... Paying attention to the malts and hops used. When I did that, I would look up the various malts and what flavor profile it gave the beer for example. Same thing with the hops... Plenty of great hop resources for flavor. Basically, learn your ingredients before you use them the best you can... Why you want to use them, how much, etc...

One real big help for me was using a program like Brewers Friend. You can get a free trial and play around with your malt bill, hop timing, etc... See how the color changes, alcohol, IBU, etc... This helped me put all the factors together in a way.

I would recommend not getting too technical at first, messing around with water profiles, multi-step mashes, secondary fermentation, yeast starters and all that. The first few times you brew will be learning experiences for the process, refine all the other stuff afterward. Come up with a nice basic recipe, dry yeast, single step mash, etc... Get a feel for it first.

I have brewed four batches so far and each one has came out really good... I have done a pale ale, hefeweizen and just recently my double IPA finished conditioning (it's incredible). My milk stout is in primary fermentation now and will soon be transferred to the bottles. Brew day is a blast.


If I had some tips:

1.) Get a quick read digital thermometer for checking mash temps, water temp for yeast rehydrating, etc... I recommend this one which is accurate +/- 0.9F for only $25 ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OXHQL3Q?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage ) - It works VERY well and checked with freezing water and boiling water is right on with accuracy. I use it for everything.

2.) Make more than you think... When I started I thought doing 1-2 gallon batches at most would be all I would want... Well once you make good beer, you tend to give it to friends/family and it goes QUICK. I now do 4-5 gal batches and it seems to be a good sweet spot for me.

3.) Fermentation temps are very important as you already may know... If you don't have a basement that is in the mid 60's, I highly recommend spending $200 up front and picking up a 5cu ft chest freezer and temp controller. I bought one after my third batch and right now my milk stout is in there and I love not having to worry about it. Tape the probe to the side of the bucket with some insulation and it holds the temps I need, it's awesome. Also allow you to cold crash, lager, etc...

4.) Digital scales for hop addition measurements. I use this one for hop measurements, priming sugar, etc...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ME8VI34?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Although not really required, I also like a nice postal scale:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FSWB9K?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

I use that for measuring water volumes now, instead of relying on the bucket markings and such. So if I have 43lbs of water I know it is 5.15 gallons... Very useful. Also can be used to confirm grain weights


4.) Create a brew day checklist so you don't forget anything... Write down what needs to be sanitized, temperatures, volumes, hop additions, timings, etc... Detail it ALL out and simply check it off as you go down. Made my first brew day a piece of cake, really. Now I don't require the checklist and just use my sheet from Beer Smith that has all my info needed.



Hope this helps some...!