"Adam Preble" > wrote in message
...
>
> I looked at a basic tutorial on making wine and found a lot of procedure
> similar. I'm curious where there are some major differences.

The biggest difference is in the level of sanitation required. Beer needs
more. It has lower alcohol and higher pH and those things add up to
increased susceptibility to bacterial spoilage.

Sulfites are not a reliable source of sanitation for brewing. I highly
recommend Five Star's PBW for cleaning (Oxyclean is similar and I'm told
people get comparable results) and Star San for sanitizing.

Adequate pitching rates are also important in brewing to get fermentation
underway quickly so bacteria have less chance to get a foothold. For a 5
gallon batch, 15 grams of dried yeast would not be too much, even more if
you are cold pitching a lager. If using liquid yeast, make at least a pint
starter for ales, a half gallon for lagers. Let the starters finish, settle
out, and rack off the liquid so that all you are pitching is the yeast
slurry.

Yeast selection and fermentation temperature will play a much larger role in
brewing than they do in winemaking. Brew beer according to what your
environment can deliver for best results. It won't be long before you want
to buy yourself a spare freezer with temperature controller. Useful for
wines as well, if you want to cold ferment and cold stabilize.

Brian