more about on Flickr”>
The cost of homebrew beer is something people often ask about when I talk about brewing. Isn't it more expensive to make quality beers at home? My answer is always, "It depends." There are lots of variables, depending on how much equipment you want to buy, what you want to make, and what type of beer you typically buy. Beautiful Girlfriend thought it would be interesting to make some comparisons on this subject, and I agree.
When people ask me what they should get as an introductory equipment kit, I recommend something like MoreBeer's basic kit. This is perfect for a few reasons. First, it has everything you need, aside from bottles and a stock pot, to get started making great beer. You likely already own a good stock pot that can hold a couple gallons of liquid, and you can get your buddies to save you their beer bottles – pry-offs, not screw-tops – so there should be no extra expense.
Second, it is pretty cheap. $70 is not a lot of money to spend on getting started in a hobby you may very well find rewarding. This low price also means that you won't be out a lot of money, in the event that it is not something you enjoy doing. If you buy an ingredient kit at the same time, you will be in the hole for about $100 for your first batch. You can certainly buy more equipment than this initial kit has, but you do not need it. You can always add more later if you want to get more advanced. I say keep it simple, at least to start.
I went to the store to price some popular retail beers to do a price comparison. I looked specifically at 12-packs and assumed a 5% sales tax in my calculations. I also assumed that a new homebrewer would buy $70 of equipment and supplies, and then would buy $40 ingredient kits. You can certainly pay much more for ingredients, but you can also pay quite a bit less, so this is a good estimate. For reference, an ingredient kit comes in a box with all the consumables you need, including bottle caps.
The cost analysis I made is not meant as an argument to get people to make their own beer. If you have read this far, you are probably already interested. This is simply an explanation of the cost breakdown between making beer yourself and buying it from a store. It also does not take into consideration the difference in making a light beer, like Bud Light, versus a more complex beer, such as Guinness. I am including a copy of my spreadsheet, in case people want to see what I did and manipulate the figures themselves.
| Brand | Retail for 12-Pack | Tax | Price With Tax | Five-gallon units purchased before aggregate cost is at parity with cost of Homebrew |
| Miller High Life | 7.99 | 0.05 | 8.39 | |
| Coors Light | 10.49 | 0.05 | 11.01 | 8 |
| Bud Light | 10.99 | 0.05 | 11.54 | 7 |
| Heineken | 14.99 | 0.05 | 15.74 | 3 |
| Sierra Nevada | 16.99 | 0.05 | 17.84 | 2 |
| Blue Moon | 16.99 | 0.05 | 17.84 | 2 |
| Corona | 14.99 | 0.05 | 15.74 | 3 |
| Guinness | 16.49 | 0.05 | 17.31 | 2 |
| Samuel Adams | 17.49 | 0.05 | 18.36 | 2 |
| Fat Tire | 17.49 | 0.05 | 18.36 | 2 |
Note that Miller High Life does not have a figure for coming to parity with homebrew beer. This is because Miller High Life is cheaper than my estimate for homebrew. MHL came in at something like $35 per five-gallon batch, much less than homebrew costs to make. The comparison I made is between a five-gallon batch of homebrew and 4.44 12-packs of the commercial beers listed above to get the same volume.
The Straight Dope
So is it more expensive to make your own beer? Again, it depends. Ingredients and equipment cost money, and these are the biggest variables. In addition, some people buy beer at discount stores or in states with few taxes. The best answer I can give to this question is that the cost of homebrew beer can be much lower than buying beer at retail stores. If you look at homebrewing as a substitute for buying beer, then it will almost always be cheaper in the long run. If you like drinking what many people consider higher-quality beers, the kit pays for itself after only a few batches.
The final thing to consider is the non-monetary value of homebrew beer. I have written before that it gives you the opportunity to make the beer you want, rather than what someone else thinks you should want. To me, that makes a big difference and makes it all worthwhile.
A Pint Don't Cost Twenty Dollars by SimplySchmoopie
rx
on Flickr”>
My good friend Jason recently told me about a drink called kvass, prescription
which he had many times when he lived in Russia. He said everyone told him it was made from black bread. Neither of us really understood what that meant, so I went to ask the Internets, who knew exactly what I was looking for, of course. Jason had been reminded of kvass as we sipped my somewhat sour Munton's Irish Stout. He said the tang was definitely similar. It sounded intriguing so I knew I had to find a homebrew recipe for it.
Kvass is a fermented drink very similar to beer, except instead of being made from grain, it is made from bread, which, of course, is made from grain. Typically a person might wait until bread got hard and stale, rendering it virtually unusable for normal bread purposes. Then you mix it with hot water and add whatever flavoring you want, whether mint, honey, hops, spices, or herbs. Strain it, let it cool, and add yeast.
I sent a recipe to Andy to see if he had heard of such a beverage before, and he said no, indicating that it seemed too much like prison hooch for his taste. As demonstrated before, I am not above prison hooch. It's not what I care to drink, but can be palatable enough if made right. If nothing else, I have a skill to trade, should I be locked up for something. It never hurts to be prepared.
I am about to try my hand at making kvass. Here is the recipe I am using for a one-gallon batch, found online as Kvass Recipe 4:
Ingredients for 1 gallon:
1 loaf dry dark rye bread (approx 24 slices)
1-1/2 gal boiling water
3 c sugar
2 pkgs yeast
1/4 c golden raisins
Procedure:
Put bread in a tea towel & tie bundle securely with string. Put bundle in crock & pour in boiling water. Cover & let set until water is lukewarm. Remove bundle & let drip into clean pan. Pour drip water back into crock, making sure no bread is in the water. Add sugar, then yeast, stir & cover. Set in a warm place 10 to 12 hours. There will be a slight yeast settlement. Pour the clear liquid into a jug & add raisins. Cork the bottle or put a lid on the jar, but not too tightly, or the cork will blow. Refrigerate for 5 days, then strain before serving. Yield will be about a gallon.
Be sure to use air locks on your bottles or jug. After a few days, fermentation will have ceased and you can rack it as much as you want until it is your preferred level of clarity, or drink it immediately.
Another page you can go to for kvass recipes is on Metafilter. Have you ever tried this drink? Better yet, have you ever made it? Any guidance would be helpful!
My good friend Jason recently told me about a drink called kvass, capsule
which he had many times when he lived in Russia. He said everyone told him it was made from black bread. Neither of us really understood what that meant, salve
so I went to ask the Internets, who knew exactly what I was looking for, of course.
Kvass is a fermented drink very similar to beer, except instead of being made from grain, it is made from bread, which, of course, is made from grain. Typically a person might wait until bread got hard and stale, rendering it virtually unusable for normal bread purposes. Then you mix it with hot water and add whatever flavoring you want, whether mint, honey, hops, spices, or herbs. Strain it, let it cool, and add yeast.
I sent a recipe to Andy to see if he had heard of such a beverage before, and he said no, indicating that it seemed too much like prison hooch for his taste. As demonstrated before, I am not above prison hooch. It's not what I care to drink, but can be palateable enough if made right. If nothing else, I have a skill to trade, should I be locked up for something. It never hurts to be prepared.
I am about to try my hand at making kvass. Here is the recipe I am using for a one-gallon batch:
1 lb dark rye bread
1 gallon boiling water
2 tbs honey
2 tsp dried mint
1 tsp dried hops I have leftover from something else
1 packet dried baking yeast
The method is to cut up or tear the bread into small pieces, like croutons, and then let it dry in the oven. Spread the bread chunks on a cookie sheet and let them sit in the oven at the lowest setting, around 200 degrees, until they are dry. That will probablly be about an hour. Then put the bread in a large bowl with the hops and other herbs and pour in the boiling water. Cover it and let it sit for five hours or overnight. Strain the water into a glass jug or bottles and add the honey and yeast. Mix well.
Be sure to use air locks on your bottles or jug. After a few days, fermentation will have ceased and you can rack it as much as you want until it is your preferred level of clarity.
My Twitter friend B_Pat_ recently asked me:
I'm looking to buy a kegerator and all the equipement necessary for kegging my beer. I want a dual tap kegerator. My budget is $800. Advice?
I tweeted him back to him with my advice. My responses were:
I recommend building one or going on Craigslist. Brand new is great but it's a fridge with a tap – not tough to do yourself.
If you are handy with tools, orthopedist
anyway. I got a 7 cu ft freezer and a temp controller and it works great.Kegging: Plan on about $250-300 just for your kegging stuff (2 kegs, here 5 lbs CO2, viagra all your lines). Then The kegerator or cooler.
Get an extra keg too so you can have one in waiting while you run out of your current brew!
I get asked this question a lot and this is a succinct set of answers I give as a standard rule, but I thought it might deserve a more thorough response. I wrote before about how to get started kegging but I wanted to go into some other practical considerations.
When I was ready
depends. I have a chest freezer that fits 3 easily. Pepsi (ball lock) kegs are 9" dia. Get a fridge that has 18×18. u can have 4!
To: B_Pat_ May 16, 10:18pm
To: B_Pat_ May 16, 10:16pm
To: B_Pat_ May 16, 10:15pm
To: B_Pat_ May 16, 10:14pm
health
on Flickr”>
If you are like me and are a big Guinness fan, youth health
you may have toyed with the idea of trying to craft your own black brew. If you have, cheap
then good news! Stouts are easy! This homebrew recipe is exactly what you are looking for.
Stouts are mostly associated with England and Ireland and are offshoots of Porters. As Porter styles evolved, the thicker and more robust Porters began to be referred to as "Stout Porters". Eventually, the Stout developed into its own style and gained a devoted following.
In general, Stouts are very dark to black in color and have a roasty flavor. The hop flavor and aroma are minimal, though there are a few style exceptions with a pronounced hop presence such as the Imperial or Russian Stout. Stout styles can range from dry to sweet, relatively low to high alcohol content, vary from light to heavy bodied, and may have a hint of fruity esters.
Stouts, being the spawn of Porters, share many of the same simple techniques and fermenting characteristics. Most Stout styles contain a minimal amount of ingredients, are top-fermented, and have short fermentation periods (10 days to 21 days). The largest difference between the Porter and Stout styles is in the characteristics of the dark specialty grains which give the Stout its color and roasty flavor.
The most commercially popular style of Stout is the Dry Stout, or Irish Stout made famous by brewers such as Guinness and Murphy's. Dry Stouts are light bodied with low hop presence and low alcohol content (~4% ABV). The black color of the Dry Stout is derived more from the use of specialty grains such as roasted barley, chocolate malt, or black malt rather than the darkness of the base malt.
Try this homebrew recipe for a basic Dry Stout:
- Base Malt: 6.6 lbs of light or amber malt extract
- Specialty Grains: 0.5 lbs black malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs 60-L Crystal Malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs roasted barley (cracked)
- Bittering hops: 2.0 ounces Cascade pellets (60 minutes)
- Finishing hops: 1.0 ounce Fuggles pellets (10 minutes)
- Yeast: 1 pkg freeze dried Ale Yeast
Primary Fermentation: 14 days
Steep the specialty grains at 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Strain and pour the tea into the brew kettle (no husks!). Add a gallon of water to the brew kettle and begin to heat. As the brew kettle is heating add the 6.6 pounds of base malt extract and stir until dissolved. Once the wort is at a boil, add the 2 ounces of Cascade pellets. Stir regularly. After brewing for 50 minutes, add the 1 ounce of Fuggles pellets for the last 10 minutes of the brew. After 60 minutes total brewing time, remove from heat and allow the wort to cool. Once the wort reaches room temperature, strain it into the fermenter. Prepare the yeast according to the instructions. Pitch the yeast, allow to ferment for 14 days, then bottle or keg, prime, and enjoy!
For a darker color and a little more malty flavor, try adding 4 to 5 ounces of chocolate malt to the specialty grains.
Happy brewing! Enjoy!
Bells Expedition Stout by Bernt Rostad
If you are like me and are a big Guinness fan, psychotherapist
you may have toyed with the idea of trying to craft your own black brew. If you have, viagra dosage
then good news! Stouts are easy!
Stouts are mostly associated with England and Ireland and are off shoots of Porters. As Porter styles evolved, the thicker and more robust Porters began to be referred to as "Stout Porters". Eventually, the Stout developed into it's own style and gained a devoted following.
In general, Stouts are very dark to black in color and have a roasty flavor. The hop flavor and aroma are generally minimal, though there are a few style exceptions with a pronounced hop presence such as the Imperial or Russian Stout. Stouts styles can range from dry to sweet, relatively low to high alcohol content, vary from light to heavy bodied, and may have a hint of fruity esters. Stouts, being the spawn of Porters, share many of the same simple techniques and fermenting characteristics. Most Stout styles contain a minimal amount of ingredients, are top-fermented, and have short fermentation periods (10 days to 21 days). The largest difference between the Porter and Stout styles is in the characteristics of the dark specialty grains which give the Stout its color and roasty flavor.
The most commercially popular style of Stout is the Dry Stout, or Irish Stout made famous by brewers such as Guinness and Murphy's. Dry Stouts are light bodied with low hop presence and low alcohol content (4% ABV). The black color of the Dry Stout is derived more from the use of specialty grains such as roasted barley, chocolate malt, or black malt rather than the darkness of the base malt.
Try this recipe for a basic Dry Stout:
- Base Malt: 6.6 lbs of light or amber malt extract
- Specialty Grains: 0.5 lbs black malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs 60-L Crystal Malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs roasted barley (cracked)
- Bittering hops: 2.0 ounces Cascade pellets (60 minutes)
- Finishing hops: 1.0 ounce Fuggles pellets (10 minutes)
- Yeast: 1 pkg freeze dried Ale Yeast
Primary Fermentation: 14 days
Steep the specialty grains at 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Strain and pour the tea into the brew kettle (no husks!). Add a gallon of water to the brew kettle and begin to heat. As the brew kettle is heating add the 6.6 pounds of base malt extract and stir until dissolved. Once the wort is at a boil, add the 2 ounces of Cascade pellets. Stir regularly. After brewing for 50 minutes, add the 1 ounce of Fuggles pellets for the last 10 minutes of the brew. After 60 minutes total brewing time, remove from heat and allow the wort to cool. Once the wort reaches room temperature, strain it into the fermentor. Prepare the yeast according to the instructions. Pitch the yeast, allow to ferment for 14 days, then bottle or keg, prime, and enjoy!
For a darker color and a little more malty flavor, try adding 4 to 5 ounces of chocolate malt to the specialty grains.
Happy brewing! Enjoy!
If you are like me and are a big Guinness fan, capsule you may have toyed with the idea of trying to craft your own black brew. If you have, approved
then good news! Stouts are easy!
Stouts are mostly associated with England and Ireland and are off shoots of Porters. As Porter styles evolved, the thicker and more robust Porters began to be referred to as "Stout Porters". Eventually, the Stout developed into it's own style and gained a devoted following.
In general, Stouts are very dark to black in color and have a roasty flavor. The hop flavor and aroma are generally minimal, though there are a few style exceptions with a pronounced hop presence such as the Imperial or Russian Stout. Stouts styles can range from dry to sweet, relatively low to high alcohol content, vary from light to heavy bodied, and may have a hint of fruity esters. Stouts, being the spawn of Porters, share many of the same simple techniques and fermenting characteristics. Most Stout styles contain a minimal amount of ingredients, are top-fermented, and have short fermentation periods (10 days to 21 days). The largest difference between the Porter and Stout styles is in the characteristics of the dark specialty grains which give the Stout its color and roasty flavor.
The most commercially popular style of Stout is the Dry Stout, or Irish Stout made famous by brewers such as Guinness and Murphy's. Dry Stouts are light bodied with low hop presence and low alcohol content (4% ABV). The black color of the Dry Stout is derived more from the use of specialty grains such as roasted barley, chocolate malt, or black malt rather than the darkness of the base malt.
Try this recipe for a basic Dry Stout:
Base Malt: 6.6 lbs of light or amber malt extract
Specialty Grains: 0.5 lbs black malt (cracked)
0.5 lbs 60-L Crystal Malt (cracked)
0.5 lbs roasted barley (cracked)
Bittering hops: 2.0 ounces Cascade pellets (60 minutes)
Finishing hops: 1.0 ounce Fuggles pellets (10 minutes)
Yeast: 1 pkg freeze dried Ale Yeast
Primary Fermentation: 14 days
Steep the specialty grains at 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Strain and pour the tea into the brew kettle (no husks!). Add a gallon of water to the brew kettle and begin to heat. As the brew kettle is heating add the 6.6 pounds of base malt extract and stir until dissolved. Once the wort is at a boil, add the 2 ounces of Cascade pellets. Stir regularly. After brewing for 50 minutes, add the 1 ounce of Fuggles pellets for the last 10 minutes of the brew. After 60 minutes total brewing time, remove from heat and allow the wort to cool. Once the wort reaches room temperature, strain it into the fermentor. Prepare the yeast according to the instructions. Pitch the yeast, allow to ferment for 14 days, then bottle or keg, prime, and enjoy!
For a darker color and a little more malty flavor, try adding 4 to 5 ounces of chocolate malt to the specialty grains.
Happy brewing! Enjoy!
If you are like me and are a big Guinness fan, disinfection
you may have toyed with the idea of trying to craft your own black brew. If you have, symptoms
then good news! Stouts are easy!
Stouts are mostly associated with England and Ireland and are off shoots of Porters. As Porter styles evolved, the thicker and more robust Porters began to be referred to as "Stout Porters". Eventually, the Stout developed into it's own style and gained a devoted following.
In general, Stouts are very dark to black in color and have a roasty flavor. The hop flavor and aroma are generally minimal, though there are a few style exceptions with a pronounced hop presence such as the Imperial or Russian Stout. Stouts styles can range from dry to sweet, relatively low to high alcohol content, vary from light to heavy bodied, and may have a hint of fruity esters. Stouts, being the spawn of Porters, share many of the same simple techniques and fermenting characteristics. Most Stout styles contain a minimal amount of ingredients, are top-fermented, and have short fermentation periods (10 days to 21 days). The largest difference between the Porter and Stout styles is in the characteristics of the dark specialty grains which give the Stout its color and roasty flavor.
The most commercially popular style of Stout is the Dry Stout, or Irish Stout made famous by brewers such as Guinness and Murphy's. Dry Stouts are light bodied with low hop presence and low alcohol content (4% ABV). The black color of the Dry Stout is derived more from the use of specialty grains such as roasted barley, chocolate malt, or black malt rather than the darkness of the base malt.
Try this recipe for a basic Dry Stout:
Base Malt: 6.6 lbs of light or amber malt extract
Specialty Grains: 0.5 lbs black malt (cracked)
0.5 lbs 60-L Crystal Malt (cracked)
0.5 lbs roasted barley (cracked)
Bittering hops: 2.0 ounces Cascade pellets (60 minutes)
Finishing hops: 1.0 ounce Fuggles pellets (10 minutes)
Yeast: 1 pkg freeze dried Ale Yeast
Primary Fermentation: 14 days
Steep the specialty grains at 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Strain and pour the tea into the brew kettle (no husks!). Add a gallon of water to the brew kettle and begin to heat. As the brew kettle is heating add the 6.6 pounds of base malt extract and stir until dissolved. Once the wort is at a boil, add the 2 ounces of Cascade pellets. Stir regularly. After brewing for 50 minutes, add the 1 ounce of Fuggles pellets for the last 10 minutes of the brew. After 60 minutes total brewing time, remove from heat and allow the wort to cool. Once the wort reaches room temperature, strain it into the fermentor. Prepare the yeast according to the instructions. Pitch the yeast, allow to ferment for 14 days, then bottle or keg, prime, and enjoy!
For a darker color and a little more malty flavor, try adding 4 to 5 ounces of chocolate malt to the specialty grains.
Happy brewing! Enjoy!
pills
on Flickr”>If you are like me and are a big Guinness fan, read
you may have toyed with the idea of trying to craft your own black brew. If you have, then good news! Stouts are easy!
Stouts are mostly associated with England and Ireland and are offshoots of Porters. As Porter styles evolved, the thicker and more robust Porters began to be referred to as "Stout Porters". Eventually, the Stout developed into its own style and gained a devoted following.
In general, Stouts are very dark to black in color and have a roasty flavor. The hop flavor and aroma are generally minimal, though there are a few style exceptions with a pronounced hop presence such as the Imperial or Russian Stout. Stouts styles can range from dry to sweet, relatively low to high alcohol content, vary from light to heavy bodied, and may have a hint of fruity esters. Stouts, being the spawn of Porters, share many of the same simple techniques and fermenting characteristics. Most Stout styles contain a minimal amount of ingredients, are top-fermented, and have short fermentation periods (10 days to 21 days). The largest difference between the Porter and Stout styles is in the characteristics of the dark specialty grains which give the Stout its color and roasty flavor.
The most commercially popular style of Stout is the Dry Stout, or Irish Stout made famous by brewers such as Guinness and Murphy's. Dry Stouts are light bodied with low hop presence and low alcohol content (4% ABV). The black color of the Dry Stout is derived more from the use of specialty grains such as roasted barley, chocolate malt, or black malt rather than the darkness of the base malt.
Try this recipe for a basic Dry Stout:
- Base Malt: 6.6 lbs of light or amber malt extract
- Specialty Grains: 0.5 lbs black malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs 60-L Crystal Malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs roasted barley (cracked)
- Bittering hops: 2.0 ounces Cascade pellets (60 minutes)
- Finishing hops: 1.0 ounce Fuggles pellets (10 minutes)
- Yeast: 1 pkg freeze dried Ale Yeast
Primary Fermentation: 14 days
Steep the specialty grains at 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Strain and pour the tea into the brew kettle (no husks!). Add a gallon of water to the brew kettle and begin to heat. As the brew kettle is heating add the 6.6 pounds of base malt extract and stir until dissolved. Once the wort is at a boil, add the 2 ounces of Cascade pellets. Stir regularly. After brewing for 50 minutes, add the 1 ounce of Fuggles pellets for the last 10 minutes of the brew. After 60 minutes total brewing time, remove from heat and allow the wort to cool. Once the wort reaches room temperature, strain it into the fermentor. Prepare the yeast according to the instructions. Pitch the yeast, allow to ferment for 14 days, then bottle or keg, prime, and enjoy!
For a darker color and a little more malty flavor, try adding 4 to 5 ounces of chocolate malt to the specialty grains.
Happy brewing! Enjoy!
Bells Expedition Stout by Bernt Rostad
dosage
on Flickr”>If you are like me and are a big Guinness fan, diagnosis
you may have toyed with the idea of trying to craft your own black brew. If you have, sales
then good news! Stouts are easy!
Stouts are mostly associated with England and Ireland and are offshoots of Porters. As Porter styles evolved, the thicker and more robust Porters began to be referred to as "Stout Porters". Eventually, the Stout developed into its own style and gained a devoted following.
In general, Stouts are very dark to black in color and have a roasty flavor. The hop flavor and aroma are generally minimal, though there are a few style exceptions with a pronounced hop presence such as the Imperial or Russian Stout. Stouts styles can range from dry to sweet, relatively low to high alcohol content, vary from light to heavy bodied, and may have a hint of fruity esters. Stouts, being the spawn of Porters, share many of the same simple techniques and fermenting characteristics. Most Stout styles contain a minimal amount of ingredients, are top-fermented, and have short fermentation periods (10 days to 21 days). The largest difference between the Porter and Stout styles is in the characteristics of the dark specialty grains which give the Stout its color and roasty flavor.
The most commercially popular style of Stout is the Dry Stout, or Irish Stout made famous by brewers such as Guinness and Murphy's. Dry Stouts are light bodied with low hop presence and low alcohol content (4% ABV). The black color of the Dry Stout is derived more from the use of specialty grains such as roasted barley, chocolate malt, or black malt rather than the darkness of the base malt.
Try this recipe for a basic Dry Stout:
- Base Malt: 6.6 lbs of light or amber malt extract
- Specialty Grains: 0.5 lbs black malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs 60-L Crystal Malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs roasted barley (cracked)
- Bittering hops: 2.0 ounces Cascade pellets (60 minutes)
- Finishing hops: 1.0 ounce Fuggles pellets (10 minutes)
- Yeast: 1 pkg freeze dried Ale Yeast
Primary Fermentation: 14 days
Steep the specialty grains at 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Strain and pour the tea into the brew kettle (no husks!). Add a gallon of water to the brew kettle and begin to heat. As the brew kettle is heating add the 6.6 pounds of base malt extract and stir until dissolved. Once the wort is at a boil, add the 2 ounces of Cascade pellets. Stir regularly. After brewing for 50 minutes, add the 1 ounce of Fuggles pellets for the last 10 minutes of the brew. After 60 minutes total brewing time, remove from heat and allow the wort to cool. Once the wort reaches room temperature, strain it into the fermentor. Prepare the yeast according to the instructions. Pitch the yeast, allow to ferment for 14 days, then bottle or keg, prime, and enjoy!
For a darker color and a little more malty flavor, try adding 4 to 5 ounces of chocolate malt to the specialty grains.
Happy brewing! Enjoy!
Bells Expedition Stout by Bernt Rostad
apoplexy
on Flickr”>If you are like me and are a big Guinness fan, thumb you may have toyed with the idea of trying to craft your own black brew. If you have, rehabilitation
then good news! Stouts are easy!
Stouts are mostly associated with England and Ireland and are offshoots of Porters. As Porter styles evolved, the thicker and more robust Porters began to be referred to as "Stout Porters". Eventually, the Stout developed into its own style and gained a devoted following.
In general, Stouts are very dark to black in color and have a roasty flavor. The hop flavor and aroma are minimal, though there are a few style exceptions with a pronounced hop presence such as the Imperial or Russian Stout. Stout styles can range from dry to sweet, relatively low to high alcohol content, vary from light to heavy bodied, and may have a hint of fruity esters.
Stouts, being the spawn of Porters, share many of the same simple techniques and fermenting characteristics. Most Stout styles contain a minimal amount of ingredients, are top-fermented, and have short fermentation periods (10 days to 21 days). The largest difference between the Porter and Stout styles is in the characteristics of the dark specialty grains which give the Stout its color and roasty flavor.
The most commercially popular style of Stout is the Dry Stout, or Irish Stout made famous by brewers such as Guinness and Murphy's. Dry Stouts are light bodied with low hop presence and low alcohol content (~4% ABV). The black color of the Dry Stout is derived more from the use of specialty grains such as roasted barley, chocolate malt, or black malt rather than the darkness of the base malt.
Try this homebrew recipe for a basic Dry Stout:
- Base Malt: 6.6 lbs of light or amber malt extract
- Specialty Grains: 0.5 lbs black malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs 60-L Crystal Malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs roasted barley (cracked)
- Bittering hops: 2.0 ounces Cascade pellets (60 minutes)
- Finishing hops: 1.0 ounce Fuggles pellets (10 minutes)
- Yeast: 1 pkg freeze dried Ale Yeast
Primary Fermentation: 14 days
Steep the specialty grains at 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Strain and pour the tea into the brew kettle (no husks!). Add a gallon of water to the brew kettle and begin to heat. As the brew kettle is heating add the 6.6 pounds of base malt extract and stir until dissolved. Once the wort is at a boil, add the 2 ounces of Cascade pellets. Stir regularly. After brewing for 50 minutes, add the 1 ounce of Fuggles pellets for the last 10 minutes of the brew. After 60 minutes total brewing time, remove from heat and allow the wort to cool. Once the wort reaches room temperature, strain it into the fermentor. Prepare the yeast according to the instructions. Pitch the yeast, allow to ferment for 14 days, then bottle or keg, prime, and enjoy!
For a darker color and a little more malty flavor, try adding 4 to 5 ounces of chocolate malt to the specialty grains.
Happy brewing! Enjoy!
Bells Expedition Stout by Bernt Rostad
here
on Flickr”>If you are like me and are a big Guinness fan, visit web
you may have toyed with the idea of trying to craft your own black brew. If you have, neuropathist
then good news! Stouts are easy! This homebrew recipe is exactly what you are looking for.
Stouts are mostly associated with England and Ireland and are offshoots of Porters. As Porter styles evolved, the thicker and more robust Porters began to be referred to as "Stout Porters". Eventually, the Stout developed into its own style and gained a devoted following.
In general, Stouts are very dark to black in color and have a roasty flavor. The hop flavor and aroma are minimal, though there are a few style exceptions with a pronounced hop presence such as the Imperial or Russian Stout. Stout styles can range from dry to sweet, relatively low to high alcohol content, vary from light to heavy bodied, and may have a hint of fruity esters.
Stouts, being the spawn of Porters, share many of the same simple techniques and fermenting characteristics. Most Stout styles contain a minimal amount of ingredients, are top-fermented, and have short fermentation periods (10 days to 21 days). The largest difference between the Porter and Stout styles is in the characteristics of the dark specialty grains which give the Stout its color and roasty flavor.
The most commercially popular style of Stout is the Dry Stout, or Irish Stout made famous by brewers such as Guinness and Murphy's. Dry Stouts are light bodied with low hop presence and low alcohol content (~4% ABV). The black color of the Dry Stout is derived more from the use of specialty grains such as roasted barley, chocolate malt, or black malt rather than the darkness of the base malt.
Try this homebrew recipe for a basic Dry Stout:
- Base Malt: 6.6 lbs of light or amber malt extract
- Specialty Grains: 0.5 lbs black malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs 60-L Crystal Malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs roasted barley (cracked)
- Bittering hops: 2.0 ounces Cascade pellets (60 minutes)
- Finishing hops: 1.0 ounce Fuggles pellets (10 minutes)
- Yeast: 1 pkg freeze dried Ale Yeast
Primary Fermentation: 14 days
Steep the specialty grains at 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Strain and pour the tea into the brew kettle (no husks!). Add a gallon of water to the brew kettle and begin to heat. As the brew kettle is heating add the 6.6 pounds of base malt extract and stir until dissolved. Once the wort is at a boil, add the 2 ounces of Cascade pellets. Stir regularly. After brewing for 50 minutes, add the 1 ounce of Fuggles pellets for the last 10 minutes of the brew. After 60 minutes total brewing time, remove from heat and allow the wort to cool. Once the wort reaches room temperature, strain it into the fermenter. Prepare the yeast according to the instructions. Pitch the yeast, allow to ferment for 14 days, then bottle or keg, prime, and enjoy!
For a darker color and a little more malty flavor, try adding 4 to 5 ounces of chocolate malt to the specialty grains.
Happy brewing! Enjoy!
Bells Expedition Stout by Bernt Rostad
psychiatrist
on Flickr”>If you are like me and are a big Guinness fan, purchase you may have toyed with the idea of trying to craft your own black brew. If you have, ed then good news! Stouts are easy!
Stouts are mostly associated with England and Ireland and are offshoots of Porters. As Porter styles evolved, the thicker and more robust Porters began to be referred to as "Stout Porters". Eventually, the Stout developed into its own style and gained a devoted following.
In general, Stouts are very dark to black in color and have a roasty flavor. The hop flavor and aroma are minimal, though there are a few style exceptions with a pronounced hop presence such as the Imperial or Russian Stout. Stout styles can range from dry to sweet, relatively low to high alcohol content, vary from light to heavy bodied, and may have a hint of fruity esters.
Stouts, being the spawn of Porters, share many of the same simple techniques and fermenting characteristics. Most Stout styles contain a minimal amount of ingredients, are top-fermented, and have short fermentation periods (10 days to 21 days). The largest difference between the Porter and Stout styles is in the characteristics of the dark specialty grains which give the Stout its color and roasty flavor.
The most commercially popular style of Stout is the Dry Stout, or Irish Stout made famous by brewers such as Guinness and Murphy's. Dry Stouts are light bodied with low hop presence and low alcohol content (~4% ABV). The black color of the Dry Stout is derived more from the use of specialty grains such as roasted barley, chocolate malt, or black malt rather than the darkness of the base malt.
Try this homebrew recipe for a basic Dry Stout:
- Base Malt: 6.6 lbs of light or amber malt extract
- Specialty Grains: 0.5 lbs black malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs 60-L Crystal Malt (cracked)
- 0.5 lbs roasted barley (cracked)
- Bittering hops: 2.0 ounces Cascade pellets (60 minutes)
- Finishing hops: 1.0 ounce Fuggles pellets (10 minutes)
- Yeast: 1 pkg freeze dried Ale Yeast
Primary Fermentation: 14 days
Steep the specialty grains at 150 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Strain and pour the tea into the brew kettle (no husks!). Add a gallon of water to the brew kettle and begin to heat. As the brew kettle is heating add the 6.6 pounds of base malt extract and stir until dissolved. Once the wort is at a boil, add the 2 ounces of Cascade pellets. Stir regularly. After brewing for 50 minutes, add the 1 ounce of Fuggles pellets for the last 10 minutes of the brew. After 60 minutes total brewing time, remove from heat and allow the wort to cool. Once the wort reaches room temperature, strain it into the fermenter. Prepare the yeast according to the instructions. Pitch the yeast, allow to ferment for 14 days, then bottle or keg, prime, and enjoy!
For a darker color and a little more malty flavor, try adding 4 to 5 ounces of chocolate malt to the specialty grains.
Happy brewing! Enjoy!
Bells Expedition Stout by Bernt Rostad
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I have heard from some people that they are not sure what the difference is between stout and porter. Although these two beers are decidedly different, pfizer
they can sometimes seem very similar. One reason for this confusion is that what we think of as a style description of these two was standardized long after the beers were invented, patient
and in their infancy they often crossed paths, if not nearly identical.
Stout is, historically, a description, meaning strong. Stout beer was high in alcohol, and thus the term stout could have been applied to any style. However, as Andy was good enough to point ouot earlier this week, the term "stout porter" took off for a while and the association of the two words left stout beign associated with dark beers, and that is how it has been ever since.
However, stout has not always been dark. It is thought that what we think of as Guinness Stout today started off as a light-colored brew
Andy sent me this homebrew recipe after bringing a coffee porter to our homebrewing club. I lost it for a couple months but just discovered it again, sale
thank goodness. It is a dark, advice rich porter, ed
very malty, and with minimal bitterness, as you can see from the half ounce of bittering hops.
Ingredients:
Specialty grain:
1 lb caramel malt
5 oz chocolate malt
Extract:
6.6 lbs amber malt extract
Hops:
0.5 oz northern brewer 45 min
0.25 oz northern brewer 2 min
Dry hop 0.25 oz Cascade and 0.5 oz Hallertaur
4 oz fine ground French roast grounds. Added to boil for last 15 minutes.
Standard ale yeast, such as Nottingham Ale Yeast
Fermented 2 weeks
Andy sent me this homebrew recipe after bringing a coffee porter to our homebrewing club. I lost it for a couple months but just discovered it again, decease thank goodness. It is a dark, approved
rich porter, very malty, and with minimal bitterness, as you can see from the half ounce of bittering hops, boiled for only 45 minutes. The two-minute addition of Northern Brewer hops will impart a floral scent and the dry-hopped
Ingredients:
Specialty grain:
1 lb caramel malt
5 oz chocolate malt
Extract:
6.6 lbs amber malt extract
Hops:
0.5 oz northern brewer 45 min
0.25 oz northern brewer 2 min
Dry hop 0.25 oz Cascade and 0.5 oz Hallertaur
4 oz fine ground French roast grounds. Added to boil for last 15 minutes.
Standard ale yeast, such as Nottingham Ale Yeast
Fermented 2 weeks
Andy sent me this homebrew recipe after bringing a coffee porter to our homebrewing club. I lost it for a couple months but just discovered it again, anemia
thank goodness. It is a dark, doctor rich porter, very malty, and with minimal bitterness, as you can see from the half ounce of bittering hops, boiled for only 45 minutes. The two-minute addition of Northern Brewer hops will impart a floral scent and the dry-hopping process will intensify this.
I am going to make this brew soon but will deviate from Andy's recipe, below. I plan to use a different coffee. Andy used a French style fine-ground coffee. It tasted great, but my coffee preferences lean toward a Vietnamese brand called Trung Nguyen, which you can find at your local Southeast Asian supermarket. The deep, rich flavor of this coffee will work well with the malty character of the porter. I might try another batch with something a little less refined, like coffee with chickory. You can try any coffee you like a lot and think will give you a good flavor.
This is our first recipe online that refers to dry hopping. This is the process of adding hops into the secondary fermenter to impart an interesting floral scent. the process is simple. First, let the beer completely ferment, and transfer it to a secondary fermenter. Then add your hops for dry-hopping. It might take a few days to a week to really get the hoppy flavor in there. People sometimes ask how you know when it's done dry-hopping. I say, use a wine thief or pipette to draw out a sample and take a taste. If you want more hoppiness, let it stand a bit longer. If you think it is all right, your brew is done.
Ingredients:
Specialty grain:
1 lb caramel malt
5 oz chocolate malt
Extract:
6.6 lbs amber malt extract
Hops:
0.5 oz orthern Brewer 45 min
0.25 oz Northern Brewer 2 min
Dry hop 0.25 oz Cascade and 0.5 oz Hallertaur
4 oz fine ground French roast grounds. Added to boil for last 15 minutes.
Standard ale yeast, such as Nottingham Ale Yeast
Process:
Steep the cracked specialty grains in two gallons of 155-degree water for 45 minutes. Remove the grain, rinse it with a gallon of water at 160 degrees, and turn up the heat. Discard or plan to reuse the grain. Turn up the heat and add the amber malt extract. Bring it to a boil. You will boil this for 60 minutes, but won't add the hops until 15 minutes into the boil. Follow the schedule above for all the additions. Ferment for two weeks and then dry-hop for a week.
Andy sent me this homebrew recipe after bringing a coffee porter to our homebrewing club. I lost it for a couple months but just discovered it again, medicine
thank goodness. It is a dark, online
rich porter, pills
very malty, and with minimal bitterness, as you can see from the half ounce of bittering hops, boiled for only 45 minutes. The two-minute addition of Northern Brewer hops will impart a floral scent and the dry-hopping process will intensify this.
I am going to make this brew soon but will deviate from Andy's recipe, below. I plan to use a different coffee. Andy used a French style fine-ground coffee. It tasted great, but my coffee preferences lean toward a Vietnamese brand called Trung Nguyen, which you can find at your local Southeast Asian supermarket. The deep, rich flavor of this coffee will work well with the malty character of the porter. I might try another batch with something a little less refined, like coffee with chickory. You can try any coffee you like a lot and think will give you a good flavor.
This is our first recipe online that refers to dry hopping. This is the process of adding hops into the secondary fermenter to impart an interesting floral scent. the process is simple. First, let the beer completely ferment, and transfer it to a secondary fermenter. Then add your hops for dry-hopping. It might take a few days to a week to really get the hoppy flavor in there. People sometimes ask how you know when it's done dry-hopping. I say, use a wine thief or pipette to draw out a sample and take a taste. If you want more hoppiness, let it stand a bit longer. If you think it is all right, your brew is done.
Ingredients:
Specialty grain:
1 lb Caramel Malt
5 oz Chocolate Malt
Extract:
6.6 lbs Aamber Malt Extract
Hops:
0.5 oz Northern Brewer 45 min
0.25 oz Northern Brewer 2 min
Dry hop 0.25 oz Cascade and 0.5 oz Hallertaur
4 oz fine ground French roast grounds. Added to boil for last 15 minutes.
Standard ale yeast, such as Nottingham Ale Yeast
Directions:
Steep the cracked specialty grains in two gallons of 155-degree water for 45 minutes. Remove the grain, rinse it with a gallon of water at 160 degrees, and turn up the heat. Discard or plan to reuse the grain. Turn up the heat and add the amber malt extract. Bring it to a boil. Boil this for 60 minutes, but don't add the hops until 15 minutes into the boil. Follow the schedule above for all the additions. Ferment for two weeks and then dry-hop for a week. Bottle or keg, and you have a great beer to bring to the next party you attend.
site
on Flickr” target=”_blank”>
Andy sent me this homebrew recipe after bringing a coffee porter to our homebrewing club. I lost it for a couple months but just discovered it again, thank goodness. It is a dark, rich porter, very malty, and with minimal bitterness, as you can see from the half ounce of bittering hops, boiled for only 45 minutes. The two-minute addition of Northern Brewer hops will impart a floral scent and the dry-hopping process will intensify this.
I am going to make this brew soon but will deviate from Andy's recipe, below. I plan to use a different coffee. Andy used a French style fine-ground coffee. It tasted great, but my coffee preferences lean toward a Vietnamese brand called Trung Nguyen, which you can find at your local Southeast Asian supermarket. The deep, rich flavor of this coffee will work well with the malty character of the porter. I might try another batch with something a little less refined, like coffee with chickory. You can try any coffee you like a lot and think will give you a good flavor.
This is our first recipe online that refers to dry hopping. This is the process of adding hops into the secondary fermenter to impart an interesting floral scent. the process is simple. First, let the beer completely ferment, and transfer it to a secondary fermenter. Then add your hops for dry-hopping. It might take a few days to a week to really get the hoppy flavor in there. People sometimes ask how you know when it's done dry-hopping. I say, use a wine thief or pipette to draw out a sample and take a taste. If you want more hoppiness, let it stand a bit longer. If you think it is all right, your brew is done.
Ingredients:
Specialty grain:
1 lb Caramel Malt
5 oz Chocolate Malt
Extract:
6.6 lbs Aamber Malt Extract
Hops:
0.5 oz Northern Brewer 45 min
0.25 oz Northern Brewer 2 min
Dry hop 0.25 oz Cascade and 0.5 oz Hallertaur
4 oz fine ground French roast grounds. Added to boil for last 15 minutes.
Standard ale yeast, such as Nottingham Ale Yeast
Directions:
Steep the cracked specialty grains in two gallons of 155-degree water for 45 minutes. Remove the grain, rinse it with a gallon of water at 160 degrees, and turn up the heat. Discard or plan to reuse the grain. Turn up the heat and add the amber malt extract. Bring it to a boil. Boil this for 60 minutes, but don't add the hops until 15 minutes into the boil. Follow the schedule above for all the additions. Ferment for two weeks and then dry-hop for a week. Bottle or keg, and you have a great beer to bring to the next party you attend.
cheap
on Flickr” target=”_blank”>Andy sent me this homebrew recipe after bringing a coffee porter to our homebrewing club. I lost it for a couple months but just discovered it again, pharmacy
thank goodness. It is a dark, rich porter, very malty, and with minimal bitterness, as you can see from the half ounce of bittering hops, boiled for only 45 minutes. The two-minute addition of Northern Brewer hops will impart a floral scent and the dry-hopping process will intensify this.
I am going to make this brew soon but will deviate from Andy's recipe, below. I plan to use a different coffee. Andy used a French style fine-ground coffee. It tasted great, but my coffee preferences lean toward a Vietnamese brand called Trung Nguyen, which you can find at your local Southeast Asian supermarket. The deep, rich flavor of this coffee will work well with the malty character of the porter. I might try another batch with something a little less refined, like coffee with chickory. You can try any coffee you like a lot and think will give you a good flavor.
This is our first recipe online that refers to dry hopping. This is the process of adding hops into the secondary fermenter to impart an interesting floral scent. the process is simple. First, let the beer completely ferment, and transfer it to a secondary fermenter. Then add your hops for dry-hopping. It might take a few days to a week to really get the hoppy flavor in there. People sometimes ask how you know when it's done dry-hopping. I say, use a wine thief or pipette to draw out a sample and take a taste. If you want more hoppiness, let it stand a bit longer. If you think it is all right, your brew is done.
Ingredients:
Specialty grain:
1 lb Caramel Malt
5 oz Chocolate Malt
Extract:
6.6 lbs Aamber Malt Extract
Hops:
0.5 oz Northern Brewer 45 min
0.25 oz Northern Brewer 2 min
Dry hop 0.25 oz Cascade and 0.5 oz Hallertaur
4 oz fine ground French roast grounds. Added to boil for last 15 minutes.
Standard ale yeast, such as Nottingham Ale Yeast
Directions:
Steep the cracked specialty grains in two gallons of 155-degree water for 45 minutes. Remove the grain, rinse it with a gallon of water at 160 degrees, and turn up the heat. Discard or plan to reuse the grain. Turn up the heat and add the amber malt extract. Bring it to a boil. Boil this for 60 minutes, but don't add the hops until 15 minutes into the boil. Follow the schedule above for all the additions. Ferment for two weeks and then dry-hop for a week. Bottle or keg, and you have a great beer to bring to the next party you attend.
More Porter by Christopher Lehault.
Hemophilia
on Flickr” target=”_blank”>Andy sent me this homebrew recipe after bringing a coffee porter to our homebrewing club. I lost it for a couple months but just discovered it again, viagra
thank goodness. It is a dark, rich porter, very malty, and with minimal bitterness, as you can see from the half ounce of bittering hops, boiled for only 45 minutes. The two-minute addition of Northern Brewer hops will impart a floral scent and the dry-hopping process will intensify this.
I am going to make this brew soon but will deviate from Andy's recipe, below. I plan to use a different coffee. Andy used a French style fine-ground coffee. It tasted great, but my coffee preferences lean toward a Vietnamese brand called Trung Nguyen, which you can find at your local Southeast Asian supermarket. The deep, rich flavor of this coffee will work well with the malty character of the porter. I might try another batch with something a little less refined, like coffee with chickory. You can try any coffee you like a lot and think will give you a good flavor.
This is our first recipe online that refers to dry hopping. This is the process of adding hops into the secondary fermenter to impart an interesting floral scent. the process is simple. First, let the beer completely ferment, and transfer it to a secondary fermenter. Then add your hops for dry-hopping. It might take a few days to a week to really get the hoppy flavor in there. People sometimes ask how you know when it's done dry-hopping. I say, use a wine thief or pipette to draw out a sample and take a taste. If you want more hoppiness, let it stand a bit longer. If you think it is all right, your brew is done.
Ingredients:
Specialty grain:
1 lb Caramel Malt
5 oz Chocolate Malt
Extract:
6.6 lbs Aamber Malt Extract
Hops:
0.5 oz Northern Brewer 45 min
0.25 oz Northern Brewer 2 min
Dry hop 0.25 oz Cascade and 0.5 oz Hallertaur
4 oz fine ground French roast grounds. Added to boil for last 15 minutes.
Standard ale yeast, such as Nottingham Ale Yeast
Directions:
Steep the cracked specialty grains in two gallons of 155-degree water for 45 minutes. Remove the grain, rinse it with a gallon of water at 160 degrees, and turn up the heat. Discard or plan to reuse the grain. Turn up the heat and add the amber malt extract. Bring it to a boil. Boil this for 60 minutes, but don't add the hops until 15 minutes into the boil. Follow the schedule above for all the additions. Ferment for two weeks and then dry-hop for a week. Bottle or keg, and you have a great beer to bring to the next party you attend.
More Porter by Christopher Lehault.
medic
on Flickr”>Andy sent me this homebrew recipe after bringing a coffee porter to our homebrewing club. I lost it for a couple months but just discovered it again, malady
thank goodness. It is a dark, urticaria
rich porter, very malty, and with minimal bitterness, as you can see from the half ounce of bittering hops, boiled for only 45 minutes. The two-minute addition of Northern Brewer hops will impart a floral scent and the dry-hopping process will intensify this.
I am going to make this homebrew recipe soon but will deviate from Andy's version, below. I plan to use a different coffee. Andy used a French style fine-ground coffee. It tasted great, but my coffee preferences lean toward a Vietnamese brand called Trung Nguyen, which you can find at your local Southeast Asian supermarket. The deep, rich flavor of this coffee will work well with the malty character of the porter. I might try another batch with something a little less refined, like coffee with chickory. You can try any coffee you like a lot and think will give you a good flavor.
This is our first recipe online that refers to dry hopping. This is the process of adding hops into the secondary fermenter to impart an interesting floral scent. the process is simple. First, let the beer completely ferment, and transfer it to a secondary fermenter. Then add your hops for dry-hopping. It might take a few days to a week to really get the hoppy flavor in there. People sometimes ask how you know when it's done dry-hopping. I say, use a wine thief or pipette to draw out a sample and take a taste. If you want more hoppiness, let it stand a bit longer. If you think it is all right, your brew is done.
Ingredients:
Specialty grain:
1 lb Caramel Malt
5 oz Chocolate Malt
Extract:
6.6 lbs Aamber Malt Extract
Hops:
0.5 oz Northern Brewer 45 min
0.25 oz Northern Brewer 2 min
Dry hop 0.25 oz Cascade and 0.5 oz Hallertaur
4 oz fine ground French roast grounds. Added to boil for last 15 minutes.
Standard ale yeast, such as Nottingham Ale Yeast
Directions:
Steep the cracked specialty grains in two gallons of 155-degree water for 45 minutes. Remove the grain, rinse it with a gallon of water at 160 degrees, and turn up the heat. Discard or plan to reuse the grain. Turn up the heat and add the amber malt extract. Bring it to a boil. Boil this for 60 minutes, but don't add the hops until 15 minutes into the boil. Follow the schedule above for all the additions. Ferment for two weeks and then dry-hop for a week. Bottle or keg, and you have a great beer to bring to the next party you attend.
More Porter by Christopher Lehault.
pills
on Flickr”>
I often get asked how a person goes about pairing beer and food. Most people have a sense of the rules for wine: red goes with red meats,such as beef and lamb, and white wine goes with lighter-color meats, such as fish and chicken. That is not a bad starting point, but if you know much about wine, you know it is not that cut-and-dried. The same goes for beer. It's complicated.
One issue beer drinkers face in this issue is that beer is still not widely acknowledged as a gourmet item, so many people do not give it much of a thought. It's just beer, after all. Why worry about pairing it with anything? This gives beer a short shrift. As we know, beer has a multitude of flavors, styles, and nuances that make it at least as complicated a beverage as wine is.
Here is the big secret when pairing foods and beverages, whether beer, wine, soda, or fruit juice. The starting point is to pair strong flavored drinks with strong flavored foods. For example, something strong like lamb you might pair with a dark, strong-flavored beer such as Guinness Stout or a bold red wine. Something lighter on the palate, such as a lemony rosemary chicken breast might be better served with a kolsch or cream ale. If I had a big plate of spicy nachos in front of me, one of my favorite foods when I go to Rock Bottom Brewery, I typically get their brown ale to go with it. This ale has a medium level of hops and a strong malty character, so it balances the spiciness quite well.
Balance is another thing to think of when pairing beer and food. Much of what I make to eat is influenced by the Thai culinary philosophy of balance. Thai food is made up of four primary flavors: sweet, salty, spicy, sour, and bitter. Mixing these five flavors can help create a well balanced dining experience, and if done expertly, the components can be fitted together with such exact nicety that the result resembles more the work of God than of man. Not trying to get religious here, just saying you can make some kick-ass food with this combination.
With the idea of balance in mind, figure out if your meal is missing something. If you do not have a sweet component, figure on something like the cream ale recipe I just made, which has a slight malty sweetness. Want to add a bit more bitter to the mix? Serve an IPA. This idea of balance will allow you to find more creative uses for beer, including cooking with it and making pairings you did not even think would make sense.
These are just guidelines. You may find a pairing that works very well without sticking to the general rules of pairing foods. To paraphrase Dizzy Gillespie, if it tastes good, it is good. Taste is the ultimate decision point, not what scholars and experts say.
I have heard from some people that they are not sure what the difference is between stout and porter. Although these two beers are decidedly different, audiologist
they can sometimes seem very similar. One reason for this confusion is that what we think of as a style description of these two was standardized long after the beers were invented, and in their infancy they often crossed paths, if not nearly identical.
Stout is, historically, a description, meaning strong. Stout beer was high in alcohol, and thus the term stout could have been applied to any style. There were stout ales of all sorts, simply meaning that they were strong brews, not that they were dark. However, as Andy was good enough to point out last week, the term "stout porter" took off for a while and the association of the two words left stout being associated with dark beers, and that is how it has been since the end of the 19th century, by which time stout had become an independent style. It was darker than porter, made with more hops, and was typically a drier drink than porter, which can sometimes have a more malty, slightly sweet flavor.
Porter gets its name from the working-class people in England, specifrically ships' porters, with who the dark drink was especially popular. It was a hearty, dark beer, and easy to drink.
I have heard from some people that they are not sure what the difference is between stout and porter. Although these two beers are decidedly different, more about
they can sometimes seem very similar. One reason for this confusion is that what we think of as a style description of these two was standardized long after the beers were invented, generic and in their infancy they often crossed paths, if not nearly identical.
Stout is, historically, a description, meaning strong. Stout beer was high in alcohol, and thus the term stout could have been applied to any style. There were stout ales of all sorts, simply meaning that they were strong brews, not that they were dark. However, as Andy was good enough to point out last week, the term "stout porter" took off for a while and the association of the two words left stout being associated with dark beers, and that is how it has been since the end of the 19th century, by which time stout had become an independent style. It was darker than porter, made with more hops, and was typically a drier drink than porter, which can sometimes have a more malty, slightly sweet flavor.
Porter gets its name from the working-class people in England, specifrically ships' porters, with whom the dark drink was especially popular. It was a hearty, dark beer, and easy to drink, a simple brown ale, but darker, with extra malt characteristics.
There is more to these two styles than a similar name, though. Now that they have been around as independent styles for quite a number of years, the BJCP has style guides for various types of stouts and porters. I happen to be browsing through a newsstand a few days ago and found a copy of the March/April 2012 issue of Beer Magazine (p. 18) that discusses this very issue. Then I picked up the May 2012 issue of All About Beer
I have heard from some people that they are not sure what the difference is between stout and porter. Although these two beers are decidedly different, more about
they can sometimes seem very similar. One reason for this confusion is that what we think of as a style description of these two was standardized long after the beers were invented, price
and in their infancy they often crossed paths, pregnancy
if not nearly identical.
Stout is, historically, a description, meaning strong. Stout beer was high in alcohol, and thus the term stout could have been applied to any style. There were stout ales of all sorts, simply meaning that they were strong brews, not that they were dark. However, as Andy was good enough to point out last week, the term "stout porter" took off for a while and the association of the two words left stout being associated with dark beers, and that is how it has been since the end of the 19th century, by which time stout had become an independent style. It was darker than porter, made with more hops, and was typically a drier drink than porter, which can sometimes have a more malty, slightly sweet flavor.
Porter gets its name from the working-class people in England, specifrically ships' porters, with whom the dark drink was especially popular. It was a hearty, dark beer, and easy to drink, a simple brown ale, but darker, with extra malt characteristics.
There is more to these two styles than a similar name, though. Now that they have been around as independent styles for quite a number of years, the BJCP has style guides for various types of stouts and porters. I happen to be browsing through a newsstand a few days ago and found a copy of the March/April 2012 issue of Beer Magazine (p. 18) that discusses this very issue. Then I picked up the May 2012 issue of All About Beer
I have heard from some people that they are not sure what the difference is between stout and porter. Although these two beers are decidedly different, order they can sometimes seem very similar. One reason for this confusion is that what we think of as a style description of these two was standardized long after the beers were invented, nurse and in their infancy they often crossed paths, illness
if not nearly identical.
Stout is, historically, a description, meaning strong. Stout beer was high in alcohol, and thus the term stout could have been applied to any style. There were stout ales of all sorts, simply meaning that they were strong brews, not that they were dark. However, as Andy was good enough to point out last week, the term "stout porter" took off for a while and the association of the two words left stout being associated with dark beers, and that is how it has been since the end of the 19th century, by which time stout had become an independent style. It was darker than porter, made with more hops, and was typically a drier drink than porter, which can sometimes have a more malty, slightly sweet flavor.
Porter gets its name from the working-class people in England, specifrically ships' porters, with whom the dark drink was especially popular. It was a hearty, dark beer, and easy to drink, a simple brown ale, but darker, with extra malt characteristics.
There is more to these two styles than a similar name, though. Now that they have been around as independent styles for quite a number of years, the BJCP has style guides for various types of stouts and porters. I happen to be browsing through a newsstand a few days ago and found a copy of the March/April 2012 issue of Beer Magazine (p. 18) that discusses this very issue. Then I picked up the May 2012 issue of All About Beer
phthisiatrician
on Flickr”>
I have heard from some people that they are not sure what the difference is between stout and porter. Although these two beers are decidedly different, they can sometimes seem very similar. One reason for this confusion is that what we think of as a style description of these two was standardized long after the beers were invented, and in their infancy they often crossed paths, if not nearly identical.
Stout is, historically, a description, meaning strong. Stout beer was high in alcohol, and thus the term stout could have been applied to any style. There were stout ales of all sorts, simply meaning that they were strong brews, not that they were dark. However, as Andy was good enough to point out last week, the term "stout porter" took off for a while and the association of the two words left stout being associated with dark beers, and that is how it has been since the end of the 19th century, by which time stout had become an independent style. It was darker than porter, made with more hops, and was typically a drier drink than porter, which can sometimes have a more malty, slightly sweet flavor.
Porter gets its name from the working-class people in England, specifrically ships' porters, with whom the dark drink was especially popular. It was a hearty, dark beer, and easy to drink, a simple brown ale, but darker, with extra malt characteristics.
There is more to these two styles than a similar name, though. Now that they have been around as independent styles for quite a number of years, the BJCP has style guides for various types of stouts and porters. I happen to be browsing through a newsstand a few days ago and found a copy of the March/April 2012 issue of Beer Magazine (p. 18) that discusses this very issue. Then I picked up the May 2012 issue of All About Beer
If you want something like a stout porter now, you should try looking for recipes for a Baltic porter. This is the strongest of the porter styles outlined by the BJCP. Here is a Baltic porter homebrew recipe from Beer Smith, which is one of my go-to sources for recipes and general homebrewing information. It is an all-grain recipe, so it is a bit more complicated to do, but not a lot.
- 8 lbs Pale Malt (2 row Belgian or German)
- 4 lbs Munich Malt (9 SRM)
- 8 oz Chocolate Malt (450 SRM)
- 4 oz Black Patent Malt
- 2.25 oz Saaz hops (boil 60 min)
- 1 pkg Belgian Lager Yeast (White Labs WLP815)
Do you have a favorite recipe for either stouts or porters?
troche
on Flickr”>I have heard from some people that they are not sure what the difference is between stout and porter. Although these two beers are decidedly different, overweight
they can sometimes seem very similar. One reason for this confusion is that what we think of as a style description of these two was standardized long after the beers were invented, and in their infancy they often crossed paths, if not nearly identical.
Stout is, historically, a description, meaning strong. Stout beer was high in alcohol, and thus the term stout could have been applied to any style. There were stout ales of all sorts, simply meaning that they were strong brews, not that they were dark. However, as Andy was good enough to point out last week, the term "stout porter" took off for a while and the association of the two words left stout being associated with dark beers, and that is how it has been since the end of the 19th century, by which time stout had become an independent style. It was darker than porter, made with more hops, and was typically a drier drink than porter, which can sometimes have a more malty, slightly sweet flavor.
Porter gets its name from the working-class people in England, specifically ships' porters, with whom the dark drink was especially popular. It was a hearty, dark beer, and easy to drink, a simple brown ale, but darker, with extra malt characteristics.
There is more to these two styles than a similar name, though. Now that they have been around as independent styles for quite a number of years, the BJCP has style guides for various types of stouts and porters. I happen to be browsing through a newsstand a few days ago and found a copy of the March/April 2012 issue of Beer Magazine (p. 18) that discusses this very issue. Then I picked up the May 2012 issue of All About Beer
If you want something like a stout porter now, you should try looking for recipes for a Baltic porter. This is the strongest of the porter styles outlined by the BJCP. Here is a Baltic porter homebrew recipe from Beer Smith, which is one of my go-to sources for recipes and general homebrewing information. It is an all-grain recipe, so it is a bit more complicated to do, but not a lot.
- 8 lbs Pale Malt (2 row Belgian or German)
- 4 lbs Munich Malt (9 SRM)
- 8 oz Chocolate Malt (450 SRM)
- 4 oz Black Patent Malt
- 2.25 oz Saaz hops (boil 60 min)
- 1 pkg Belgian Lager Yeast (White Labs WLP815)
Do you have a favorite recipe for either stouts or porters?
My Twitter friend B_Pat_ recently asked me:
I'm looking to buy a kegerator and all the equipement necessary for kegging my beer. I want a dual tap kegerator. My budget is $800. Advice?
I tweeted him back with my advice. My responses were:
I recommend building one or going on Craigslist. Brand new is great but it's a fridge with a tap – not tough to do yourself.
If you are handy with tools, viagra approved
anyway. I got a 7 cu ft freezer and a temp controller and it works great.Kegging: Plan on about $250-300 just for your kegging stuff (2 kegs, public health
5 lbs CO2, herbal
all your lines). Then The kegerator or cooler.Get an extra keg too so you can have one in waiting while you run out of your current brew!
I get asked this question a lot and this is a succinct set of answers I give as a standard rule, but I thought it might deserve a more thorough response. I wrote before about how to get started kegging but I wanted to go into some other practical considerations.
When I was ready to finally get a kegerator set up, I had to do some serious planning. I live in an apartment complex and am forbidden from having any large appliances in my space. This makes sense, I suppose, because they don't want people to have excess weight on the floors, probably, and certainly don't want appliances like freezers or refrigeraotrs, which can leak and damage carpets, not to mention causing water damage for neighbors below. My selection criteria were such:
- Cheap (or as cheap as possible)
- Excludes anything made and marketed as a kegerator, at least a new one
- Small or at least inconspcuous, since I had to move it past the apartment office
- Excludes a full-size refrigerator, which was what I really wanted
- Big enough to hold at least two kegs
- Anything smaller would not have been worth the trouble
- Excludes something as small as a regular dorm fridge, although a 5 cu ft fridge would have sufficed, with some modifications
- Light, because I knew I couldn't have soemthing too heavy in my 9th floor apartment
- Excludes older equipemnt
- Considered a compressor-free chiller, but thermoelectric devices don't go too far in cooling
- Hideable, so it would not be easily spied when we needed service in the apartment
- Could not be too tall
I was concerneed about how all these factors would line up, and decided that the form fator would have to determine what I got. I foubnd that there was an electrical outlet on the balcony and decided that a cooler out there would be ideal. the maintenance folks would not go out there very often, and it could be easily hidden, being out of sight anyway. I ended up getting a 7-cubic-foot GE chest freezer from Home Depot for about $240, including shipping. I first looked at Craigslist and lots of discount sites, but getting a new one was not much more than used, and it came with a one-year warranty.
The freezer can easily hold three corny kegs and a bottle of gas. If I built a collar for taps and put the gas outside the freezer, I could wedge in a fourth keg. It would be a tight fit, but I could do it. As it is, I have three kegs in the freezer. Two are beers I am dispensing and one is a pilsner I am lagering. The beers being dispensed have picnic taps and are hooked up to a manifold that distributes the carbon dioxide. It is not a very sophisticated setup but for now it will do. I will add a collar later, when I have some time and money, but for now it does the trick.
depends. I have a chest freezer that fits 3 easily. Pepsi (ball lock) kegs are 9" dia. Get a fridge that has 18×18. u can have 4!
see
on Flickr”>
My Twitter friend B_Pat_ recently asked me:
I'm looking to buy a kegerator and all the equipement necessary for kegging my beer. I want a dual tap kegerator. My budget is $800. Advice?
I tweeted him back with my advice. My responses were:
I recommend building one or going on Craigslist. Brand new is great but it's a fridge with a tap – not tough to do yourself.
If you are handy with tools, anyway. I got a 7 cu ft freezer and a temp controller and it works great.
Kegging: Plan on about $250-300 just for your kegging stuff (2 kegs, 5 lbs CO2, all your lines). Then The kegerator or cooler.
Get an extra keg too so you can have one in waiting while you run out of your current brew!
I get asked this question a lot and this is a succinct set of answers I give as a standard rule, but I thought it might deserve a more thorough response. I wrote before about how to get started kegging but I wanted to go into some other practical considerations.
When I was ready to finally get a kegerator set up, I had to do some serious planning. I live in an apartment complex and am forbidden from having any large appliances in my space. This makes sense, I suppose, because they don't want people to have excess weight on the floors, probably, and certainly don't want appliances like freezers or refrigeraotrs, which can leak and damage carpets, not to mention causing water damage for neighbors below. My selection criteria were such:
- Cheap (or as cheap as possible)
- Excludes anything made and marketed as a kegerator, at least a new one
- Small or at least inconspcuous, since I had to move it past the apartment office
- Excludes a full-size refrigerator, which was what I really wanted
- Big enough to hold at least two kegs
- Anything smaller would not have been worth the trouble
- Excludes something as small as a regular dorm fridge, although a 5 cu ft fridge would have sufficed, with some modifications
- Light, because I knew I couldn't have soemthing too heavy in my 9th floor apartment
- Excludes older equipemnt
- Considered a compressor-free chiller, but thermoelectric devices don't go too far in cooling
- Hideable, so it would not be easily spied when we needed service in the apartment
- Could not be too tall
I was concerneed about how all these factors would line up, and decided that the form fator would have to determine what I got. I foubnd that there was an electrical outlet on the balcony and decided that a cooler out there would be ideal. the maintenance folks would not go out there very often, and it could be easily hidden, being out of sight anyway. I ended up getting a 7-cubic-foot GE chest freezer from Home Depot for about $240, including shipping. I first looked at Craigslist and lots of discount sites, but getting a new one was not much more than used, and it came with a one-year warranty.
The freezer can easily hold three corny kegs and a bottle of gas. If I built a collar for taps and put the gas outside the freezer, I could wedge in a fourth keg. It would be a tight fit, but I could do it. As it is, I have three kegs in the freezer. Two are beers I am dispensing and one is a pilsner I am lagering. The beers being dispensed have picnic taps and are hooked up to a manifold that distributes the carbon dioxide. It is not pretty or a very sophisticated setup but for now it will do. I will add a collar later, when I have some time and money, but for now it does the trick.
If you have room to get a full upright refrigerator or freezer, do some homework by bringing your kegs with you to see if the cooler you want will fit the number of kegs you want to house. Ball lock corny kegs are 9" in diameter, so cut out a few 9" cardboard circles to put in the chiller to see if it will hold what you want.
prescription on Flickr”>My Twitter friend B_Pat_ recently asked me:
I'm looking to buy a kegerator and all the equipement necessary for kegging my beer. I want a dual tap kegerator. My budget is $800. Advice?
I tweeted him back with my advice. My responses were:
I recommend building one or going on Craigslist. Brand new is great but it's a fridge with a tap – not tough to do yourself.
If you are handy with tools, anyway. I got a 7 cu ft freezer and a temp controller and it works great.
Kegging: Plan on about $250-300 just for your kegging stuff (2 kegs, 5 lbs CO2, all your lines). Then The kegerator or cooler.
Get an extra keg too so you can have one in waiting while you run out of your current brew!
I get asked this question a lot and this is a succinct set of answers I give as a standard rule, but I thought it might deserve a more thorough response. I wrote before about how to get started kegging but I wanted to go into some other practical considerations.
When I was ready to finally get a kegerator set up, I had to do some serious planning. I live in an apartment complex and am forbidden from having any large appliances in my space. This makes sense, I suppose, because they don't want people to have excess weight on the floors, probably, and certainly don't want appliances like freezers or refrigeraotrs, which can leak and damage carpets, not to mention causing water damage for neighbors below. My selection criteria were such:
- Cheap (or as cheap as possible)
- Excludes anything made and marketed as a kegerator, at least a new one
- Small or at least inconspcuous, since I had to move it past the apartment office
- Excludes a full-size refrigerator, which was what I really wanted
- Big enough to hold at least two kegs
- Anything smaller would not have been worth the trouble
- Excludes something as small as a regular dorm fridge, although a 5 cu ft fridge would have sufficed, with some modifications
- Light, because I knew I couldn't have soemthing too heavy in my 9th floor apartment
- Excludes older equipemnt
- Considered a compressor-free chiller, but thermoelectric devices don't go too far in cooling
- Hideable, so it would not be easily spied when we needed service in the apartment
- Could not be too tall
I was concerneed about how all these factors would line up, and decided that the form fator would have to determine what I got. I foubnd that there was an electrical outlet on the balcony and decided that a cooler out there would be ideal. the maintenance folks would not go out there very often, and it could be easily hidden, being out of sight anyway. I ended up getting a 7-cubic-foot GE chest freezer from Home Depot for about $240, including shipping. I first looked at Craigslist and lots of discount sites, but getting a new one was not much more than used, and it came with a one-year warranty.
The freezer can easily hold three corny kegs and a bottle of gas. If I built a collar for taps and put the gas outside the freezer, I could wedge in a fourth keg. It would be a tight fit, but I could do it. As it is, I have three kegs in the freezer. Two are beers I am dispensing and one is a pilsner I am lagering. The beers being dispensed have picnic taps and are hooked up to a manifold that distributes the carbon dioxide. It is not pretty or a very sophisticated setup but for now it will do. I will add a collar later, when I have some time and money, but for now it does the trick.
If you have room to get a full upright refrigerator or freezer, do some homework by bringing kegs with you to see if the cooler you want will fit the number of kegs you want to house. Ball lock corny kegs are 9" in diameter, so cut out a few 9" cardboard circles to put in the chiller to see if it will hold what you want.
depends. I have a chest freezer that fits 3 easily. Pepsi (ball lock) kegs are 9" dia. Get a fridge that has 18×18. u can have 4!
abortion
on Flickr”>My Twitter friend B_Pat_ recently asked me:
I'm looking to buy a kegerator and all the equipement necessary for kegging my beer. I want a dual tap kegerator. My budget is $800. Advice?
I tweeted him back with my advice. My responses were:
I recommend building one or going on Craigslist. Brand new is great but it's a fridge with a tap – not tough to do yourself.
If you are handy with tools, recuperation
anyway. I got a 7 cu ft freezer and a temp controller and it works great.Kegging: Plan on about $250-300 just for your kegging stuff (2 kegs, order 5 lbs CO2, all your lines). Then The kegerator or cooler.
Get an extra keg too so you can have one in waiting while you run out of your current brew!
I get asked this question a lot and this is a succinct set of answers I give as a standard rule, but I thought it might deserve a more thorough response. I wrote before about how to get started kegging but I wanted to go into some other practical considerations.
When I was ready to finally get a kegerator set up, I had to do some serious planning. I live in an apartment complex and am forbidden from having any large appliances in my space. This makes sense, I suppose, because they don't want people to have excess weight on the floors, probably, and certainly don't want appliances like freezers or refrigeraotrs, which can leak and damage carpets, not to mention causing water damage for neighbors below. My selection criteria were such:
- Cheap (or as cheap as possible)
- Excludes anything made and marketed as a kegerator, at least a new one
- Small or at least inconspcuous, since I had to move it past the apartment office
- Excludes a full-size refrigerator, which was what I really wanted
- Big enough to hold at least two kegs
- Anything smaller would not have been worth the trouble
- Excludes something as small as a regular dorm fridge, although a 5 cu ft fridge would have sufficed, with some modifications
- Light, because I knew I couldn't have soemthing too heavy in my 9th floor apartment
- Excludes older equipemnt
- Considered a compressor-free chiller, but thermoelectric devices don't go too far in cooling
- Hideable, so it would not be easily spied when we needed service in the apartment
- Could not be too tall
I was concerneed about how all these factors would line up, and decided that the form fator would have to determine what I got. I foubnd that there was an electrical outlet on the balcony and decided that a cooler out there would be ideal. the maintenance folks would not go out there very often, and it could be easily hidden, being out of sight anyway. I ended up getting a 7-cubic-foot GE chest freezer from Home Depot for about $240, including shipping. I first looked at Craigslist and lots of discount sites, but getting a new one was not much more than used, and it came with a one-year warranty.
The freezer can easily hold three corny kegs and a bottle of gas. If I built a collar for taps and put the gas outside the freezer, I could wedge in a fourth keg. It would be a tight fit, but I could do it. As it is, I have three kegs in the freezer. Two are beers I am dispensing and one is a pilsner I am lagering. The beers being dispensed have picnic taps and are hooked up to a manifold that distributes the carbon dioxide. It is not pretty or a very sophisticated setup but for now it will do. I will add a collar later, when I have some time and money, but for now it does the trick.
If you have room to get a full upright refrigerator or freezer, do some homework by bringing your kegs with you to see if the cooler you want will fit the number of kegs you want to house. Ball lock corny kegs are 9" in diameter, so cut out a few 9" cardboard circles to put in the chiller to see if it will hold what you want.
approved
on Flickr”>My Twitter friend B_Pat_ recently asked me:
I'm looking to buy a kegerator and all the equipement necessary for kegging my beer. I want a dual tap kegerator. My budget is $800. Advice?
I tweeted him back with my advice. My responses were:
I recommend building one or going on Craigslist. Brand new is great but it's a fridge with a tap – not tough to do yourself.
If you are handy with tools, pharmacist
anyway. I got a 7 cu ft freezer and a temp controller and it works great.Kegging: Plan on about $250-300 just for your kegging stuff (2 kegs, condom
5 lbs CO2, all your lines). Then The kegerator or cooler.Get an extra keg too so you can have one in waiting while you run out of your current brew!
I get asked this question a lot and this is a succinct set of answers I give as a standard rule, but I thought it might deserve a more thorough response. I wrote before about how to get started kegging but I wanted to go into some other practical considerations, especially where a kegerator is concerned.
When I was ready to finally get a kegerator set up, I had to do some serious planning. I live in an apartment complex and am forbidden from having any large appliances in my space other than those furnished in the apartment. This makes sense, I suppose, because they don't want people to have excess weight on the floors, probably, and certainly don't want appliances like freezers or refrigeraotrs, which can leak and damage carpets, not to mention possibly causing water damage for neighbors below. My selection criteria were such:
- Cost
- Excludes anything made and marketed as a kegerator, at least a new one, at least for my budget
- Size
- Small or at least inconspcuous, since I had to move it past the apartment office
- Excludes a full-size refrigerator, which was what I really wanted
- Must be big enough to hold at least two kegs
- Anything smaller would not have been worth the trouble
- Excludes something as small as a regular dorm fridge
- Weight, because I knew I couldn't have soemthing too heavy in my 9th floor apartment
- Excludes older equipemnt
- Considered a compressor-free chiller, but thermoelectric devices don't go too far in cooling
- Hideable, so it would not be easily spied when we needed service in the apartment
- Could not be too tall
I was concerneed about how all these factors would line up, and decided that the form fator would have to determine what I got. I foubnd that there was an electrical outlet on my balcony and decided that a cooler out there would be ideal. The maintenance folks would not go out there very often, and it could be easily hidden, being out of normal sight. I ended up getting a 7-cubic-foot GE chest freezer from Home Depot for about $240, including shipping. I first looked at Craigslist and lots of discount sites, but getting a new one was not much more expensive than used, and it came with a one-year warranty. Andy had given me a temperature controller before he went to Afghanistan, and this has allowed me to use it as a cooler rather than a freezer.
The freezer can easily hold three corny kegs and a five-pound tank of gas. If I built a collar for taps and put the gas outside the freezer, I could wedge in a fourth keg. It would be a tight fit, but I could do it. As it is, I have three kegs in the freezer. Two are beers I am dispensing and one is a pilsner I am lagering. The beers being dispensed have picnic taps and are hooked up to a manifold that distributes the carbon dioxide. It is not pretty or a very sophisticated setup but for now it will do. I will add a collar later, when I have some time and money, but for now it does the trick.
If you have room to get a refrigerator or freezer to turn into a kegerator, do some homework by bringing your kegs with you to see if the cooler you want will fit the number of kegs you want to house. Ball lock corny kegs are 9" in diameter, so another thing you can do is to cut out a few 9" cardboard circles to put in the chiller to see if it will hold what you want. It's a whole lot easier than lugging kegs around. And hopefully you will not have potential landlord problems like I do. They are a great group of people but they would get a little upset if they knew this thing was here.
cialis sale
on Flickr”>My Twitter friend B_Pat_ recently asked me:
I'm looking to buy a kegerator and all the equipment necessary for kegging my beer. I want a dual tap kegerator. My budget is $800. Advice?
I tweeted him back with my advice. My responses were:
I recommend building one or going on Craigslist. Brand new is great but it's a fridge with a tap – not tough to do yourself.
If you are handy with tools, page
anyway. I got a 7 cu ft freezer and a temp controller and it works great.Kegging: Plan on about $250-300 just for your kegging stuff (2 kegs, 5 lbs CO2, all your lines). Then The kegerator or cooler.
Get an extra keg too so you can have one in waiting while you run out of your current brew!
I get asked this question a lot and this is a succinct set of answers I give as a standard rule, but I thought it might deserve a more thorough response. I wrote before about how to get started kegging but I wanted to go into some other practical considerations, especially where a kegerator is concerned.
When I was ready to finally get a kegerator set up, I had to do some serious planning. I live in an apartment complex and am forbidden from having any large appliances in my space other than those furnished in the apartment. This makes sense, I suppose, because they don't want people to have excess weight on the floors, probably, and certainly don't want appliances like freezers or refrigerators, which can leak and damage carpets, not to mention possibly causing water damage for neighbors below. My selection criteria were such:
- Cost
- Excludes anything made and marketed as a kegerator, at least a new one, at least for my budget
- Size
- Small or at least inconspicuous, since I had to move it past the apartment office
- Excludes a full-size refrigerator, which was what I really wanted
- Must be big enough to hold at least two kegs
- Anything smaller would not have been worth the trouble
- Excludes something as small as a regular dorm fridge
- Weight, because I knew I couldn't have something too heavy in my 9th floor apartment
- Excludes older equipment
- Considered a compressor-free chiller, but thermoelectric devices don't go too far in cooling
- Hideable, so it would not be easily spied when we needed service in the apartment
- Could not be too tall
I was concerned about how all these factors would line up, and decided that the form factor would have to determine what I got. I found that there was an electrical outlet on my balcony and decided that a cooler out there would be ideal. The maintenance folks would not go out there very often, and it could be easily hidden, being out of normal sight. I ended up getting a 7-cubic-foot GE chest freezer from Home Depot for about $240, including shipping. I first looked at Craigslist and lots of discount sites, but getting a new one was not much more expensive than used, and it came with a one-year warranty. Andy had given me a temperature controller before he went to Afghanistan, and this has allowed me to use it as a cooler rather than a freezer.
The freezer can easily hold three corny kegs and a five-pound tank of gas. If I built a collar for taps and put the gas outside the freezer, I could wedge in a fourth keg. It would be a tight fit, but I could do it. As it is, I have three kegs in the freezer. Two are beers I am dispensing and one is a pilsner I am lagering. The beers being dispensed have picnic taps and are hooked up to a manifold that distributes the carbon dioxide. It is not pretty or a very sophisticated setup but for now it will do. I will add a collar later, when I have some time and money, but for now it does the trick.
If you have room to get a refrigerator or freezer to turn into a kegerator, do some homework by bringing your kegs with you to see if the cooler you want will fit the number of kegs you want to house. Ball lock corny kegs are 9" in diameter, so another thing you can do is to cut out a few 9" cardboard circles to put in the chiller to see if it will hold what you want. It's a whole lot easier than lugging kegs around. And hopefully you will not have potential landlord problems like I do. They are a great group of people but they would get a little upset if they knew this thing was here.
men’s health
on Flickr”>My Twitter friend B_Pat_ recently asked me:
I'm looking to buy a kegerator and all the equipment necessary for kegging my beer. I want a dual tap kegerator. My budget is $800. Advice?
I tweeted him back with my advice. My responses were:
I recommend building one or going on Craigslist. Brand new is great but it's a fridge with a tap – not tough to do yourself.
If you are handy with tools, anyway. I got a 7 cu ft freezer and a temp controller and it works great.
Kegging: Plan on about $250-300 just for your kegging stuff (2 kegs, 5 lbs CO2, all your lines). Then The kegerator or cooler.
Get an extra keg too so you can have one in waiting while you run out of your current brew!
I get asked this question a lot and this is a succinct set of answers I give as a standard rule, but I thought it might deserve a more thorough response. I wrote before about how to get started kegging but I wanted to go into some other practical considerations, especially where a kegerator is concerned.
When I was ready to finally get a kegerator set up, I had to do some serious planning. I live in an apartment complex and am forbidden from having any large appliances in my space other than those furnished in the apartment. This makes sense, I suppose, because they don't want people to have excess weight on the floors, probably, and certainly don't want appliances like freezers or refrigerators, which can leak and damage carpets, not to mention possibly causing water damage for neighbors below. My selection criteria were such:
- Cost
- Excludes anything made and marketed as a kegerator, at least a new one, at least for my budget
- Size
- Small or at least inconspicuous, since I had to move it past the apartment office
- Excludes a full-size refrigerator, which was what I really wanted
- Must be big enough to hold at least two kegs
- Anything smaller would not have been worth the trouble
- Excludes something as small as a regular dorm fridge
- Weight, because I knew I couldn't have something too heavy in my 9th floor apartment
- Excludes older equipment
- Considered a compressor-free chiller, but thermoelectric devices don't go too far in cooling
- Hideable, so it would not be easily spied when we needed service in the apartment
- Could not be too tall
I was concerned about how all these factors would line up, and decided that the form factor would have to determine what I got. I found that there was an electrical outlet on my balcony and decided that a cooler out there would be ideal. The maintenance folks would not go out there very often, and it could be easily hidden, being out of normal sight. I ended up getting a 7-cubic-foot GE chest freezer from Home Depot for about $240, including shipping. I first looked at Craigslist and lots of discount sites, but getting a new one was not much more expensive than used, and it came with a one-year warranty. Andy had given me a temperature controller before he went to Afghanistan, and this has allowed me to use it as a cooler rather than a freezer.
The freezer can easily hold three corny kegs and a five-pound tank of gas. If I built a collar for taps and put the gas outside the freezer, I could wedge in a fourth keg. It would be a tight fit, but I could do it. As it is, I have three kegs in the freezer. Two are beers I am dispensing and one is a pilsner I am lagering. The beers being dispensed have picnic taps and are hooked up to a manifold that distributes the carbon dioxide. It is not pretty or a very sophisticated setup but for now it will do. I will add a collar later, when I have some time and money, but for now it does the trick.
If you have room to get a refrigerator or freezer to turn into a kegerator, do some homework by bringing your kegs with you to see if the cooler you want will fit the number of kegs you want to house. Ball lock corny kegs are 9" in diameter, so another thing you can do is to cut out a few 9" cardboard circles to put in the chiller to see if it will hold what you want. It's a whole lot easier than lugging kegs around. And hopefully you will not have potential landlord problems like I do. They are a great group of people but they would get a little upset if they knew this thing was here.
I get asked a lot which homebrew stores I like to get my supplies from. In fact, healing
there was recently a good discussion on LinkedIn that got me started thinking more about this topic. Usually, as consumers, we can tell a good store from a bad one, and for homebrew stores the rules are more or less the same as they are at your local supermarket. Here in the DC area I have my choice of three stores I can visit almost any day of the week: My Local Homebrew Shop, Maryland Homebrew, and Annapolis Homebrew. All three stores are what I would call good places to get supplies.
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A good friend recently got into homebrewing with his father and was telling me that he graduated from dry yeast to a smack pack, order referring to Wyeast's packages that contain a yeast nutrient capsule. For those who have not used this, here the way it works is you smack the foil envelope (hence the term smack pack), breaking the package of nutrient. Then you wait a day while the yeast grow. The foil envelope expands dramatically, giving you a visual cue that the yeast is alive and healthy. This is a great way to ensure you have good yeast before you start to make your beer.
My friend who told me he was making the switch was very excited, and I am excited for him. I think part of the joy of homebrewing, or any other technical, creative hobby, is trying new things and analyzing results. However, all this begs the question of why someone would make the transition from dry to liquid yeast. As I wrote before, dry yeast typically has lots more yeast cells and is less expensive. It can also be easier to work with. Open the packet, rehydrate, and add it to the wort. It is almost as if dry yeast should be universally preferable. However, liquid yeast has some advantages:
- Already hydrated. There is no need to rehydrate these cells, since they come with a good supply of liquid right from the manufacturer.
- Healthier cells. The yeast cells are healthier because there is no drying process.Drying the cells does not necessarily kill them but it puts them in a state of suspended animation, as they used to call it in the old sci-fi movies. Remember Han Solo in the block of carbon? That's what dried yeast is like. Han came back to life, and so will most of your cells, but it takes a bit of doing to make it happen and if you don't do it right, you can have lethargic, half-blind yeast cells that stumble around like Han Solo did when he was rehydrated.
- More variety. As a testament to this, MoreBeer.com has seven types of dry yeast and 37 types of liquid beer yeast. Northern Brewer has 13 dry and many times that in liquid varieties.
It seems like a no-brainer to go with liquid now, right? Not so fast there, Skippy. The liquid yeasts are a great option, but only contain about 100 billion cells. A typical five-gallon batch needs about 200 billion cells to fully ferment. The liquid types on their own are not quite enough. You should use them to make yeast starters instead of simply pouring them into the fermenter on their own. I have used liquid yeasts a few times without making a starter and they seem fine, but you really do get better results when you grow your sample first, then add it to the fermenter.
So which is better?
Whether to use dry or liquid yeast for your homebrew beer depends on the style of beer you are making and which product is the best fit. Liquid products are not necessarily better and dry ones are not necessarily more primitive. Choosing the right yeast and using it the right way is what will make the difference. Consult your favorite homebrew store or yeast manufacturers' websites to find the optimal fit for what you are making.