I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?

I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
beers. B-I-L is a stone alky, so what doesn't turn out....instead of being
slopped to the hogs (which is what my father said the 'moonshiner's' used to
do with the bad batches) we could just slop it to him as he'll drink
anything free.

Just curious.
-ginny

"Virginia Tadrzynski" > wrote in message
...
> I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain?
Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
> I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
> tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
> beers. B-I-L is a stone alky, so what doesn't turn out....instead of
being
> slopped to the hogs (which is what my father said the 'moonshiner's' used
to
> do with the bad batches) we could just slop it to him as he'll drink
> anything free.
>
> Just curious.
> -ginny
>
>

I've brewed my own and I found it was more expensive than just buying your
favorite brand. The equipment sets you back about $100, the brewing kit
about $35, bottles........ $20 (?), time, effort and energy is about 6 - 8
weeks. Everything has to be properly sanitized or you have wasted weeks of
effort and the entire batch of beer. I bought bottled water each time I
brewed to get the freshest, purest water and I still turned out crap. I got
about 25 - 30 bottles out of each batch, some bottles blew up from too much
priming sugar and some ended up with decent flavor, but no alcohol.

You *can* get good at it, so if you want to take the time, energy and
expense, go for it. I prefer to buy my own now. I have to say, though, it
was a good learning experience!

kili

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 13:21:16 -0400, "Virginia Tadrzynski"
> wrote:

>I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
>it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
>I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
>tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
>beers. B-I-L is a stone alky, so what doesn't turn out....instead of being
>slopped to the hogs (which is what my father said the 'moonshiner's' used to
>do with the bad batches) we could just slop it to him as he'll drink
>anything free.

I gave my husband a beer brewing kit for his birthday six or seven
years ago. It is fun and not too tricky The process is interesting
if you are interested in the science-fair aspect of brewing. My
husband enjoys trips to the brewery store -- the folks there are
knowledgeable and entertaining. The beer tastes quite good. That
said, we have only made beer a handful of times. We just don't get
around to it often enough.

You won't want to brew during this heat wave. The wort needs to boil
and the kitchen gets steamy and smelly.

Give it a try! It could be a neat hobby for father and son.

Tara

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:

> I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
> I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
> tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
> beers. B-I-L is a stone alky, so what doesn't turn out....instead of being
> slopped to the hogs (which is what my father said the 'moonshiner's' used to
> do with the bad batches) we could just slop it to him as he'll drink
> anything free.
>
> Just curious.

My guess: If you yourself are not a beer drinker, you probably
won't keep up with it. Beer brewing is a pretty indepth process,
requiring a lot of study and effort to get a decent product.

(This is my opinion from tasting many different attempts
at brewing by friends and associates. They, of course,
probably have a very different opinion of their respective
outcomes).

You'd need to have a real passion for it to put up with
the hassle of making it, and more importantly, improving
your process. In the long run, you'll likely prefer getting
it from a store if you yourself are not a beer lover.

Making a few batches might have much educational
value however, so I'm not discouraging you from taking
a shot at it.

Things I make at home:

Dry cured and fermented meat products
Smoked products
Fresh and Aged Cheeses
Vinegars

Things I might make at some point:

Home cured olives

Things I'll never make:

Anything alcoholic

--
Reg

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
> I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
> tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
> beers. B-I-L is a stone alky, so what doesn't turn out....instead of being
> slopped to the hogs (which is what my father said the 'moonshiner's' used to
> do with the bad batches) we could just slop it to him as he'll drink
> anything free.
>
> Just curious.
> -ginny
>
>
A few years ago there was a place called "You Brew Seattle" where people
could go and mix up a batch of wort according to one of many recipes
they had or using your own. Then they took care of it and you came back
with some buddies and bottled it, again with professional bottle
cleaning equipment etc. It produced very good product and wasn't that
expensive, considering their steam-jacketed copper vats. It was
spotless and un-sloppy.

Later I heard that there is a version of these places all over. Perhaps
there is one near you. Definitely the way to go for finding out whether
you want to keep that up, chuck the whole idea, or escalate to a home
operation.

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
As a hobby and a fun thing for all three of you to do, go for it. If
you think you'll save money or produce something consistently tasting
better than you can find in an imported bottle, forget it.

I don't mean you can't/won't make something good. It's just likely to
take several, even many, tries. If you're having fun trying then
you're way ahead of the game. If you're impatiently waiting for
results, it won't be such fun. -aem

In article >,
"Virginia Tadrzynski" > wrote:

> I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
> I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
> tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
> beers. B-I-L is a stone alky, so what doesn't turn out....instead of being
> slopped to the hogs (which is what my father said the 'moonshiner's' used to
> do with the bad batches) we could just slop it to him as he'll drink
> anything free.
>
> Just curious.
> -ginny


I think there's probably a brewer's group, Ginny. OK, I just checked my
server's list: alt.beer.home-brewing. I'll bet they'd encourage you.
--
-Barb
<http://jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 7-19-2006, Visit to our Country
Estate
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

"aem" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> > I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should
entertain? Is
> > it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
> >
> As a hobby and a fun thing for all three of you to do, go for it. If
> you think you'll save money or produce something consistently tasting
> better than you can find in an imported bottle, forget it.
>
> I don't mean you can't/won't make something good. It's just likely to
> take several, even many, tries. If you're having fun trying then
> you're way ahead of the game. If you're impatiently waiting for
> results, it won't be such fun. -aem
>

That's pretty much what I discovered, too, aem. It *was* fun, but it's a
huge hassle. I brewed about 6 batches in my time. I think the worst part
was sterilizing everything every step of the way.

kili

On 2006-07-21, Virginia Tadrzynski > wrote:
> I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?

What book did you buy? Some are better than others. One of the best
is available online free:

http://www.howtobrew.com/sitemap.html

> I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
> tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
> beers.

If you are not a beer drinker, no, you will not enjoy brewing. If
your hub/son are hardcore beer lovers, they should enjoy brewing their
own if they enjoy spending lottsa time together on shared hobbies.

This will generate lots of flack, but it's my opinion that serious
brewers make, for the most part, better beer than the commercial
stuff. But, it requires dedication, focus, and study. The real
McCoy is serious business. Those $100 starter kits will get you
passable results, but it's more a first look at what serious brewing
entails rather than a good brewing system. If the $50-100 kit is too
much work, brewing is not for you.

To get serious will run around $500-1000 depending on how handy one is
at DIY and scrounging (everything in the $100 kit will get used if you
move up). Serious brewing entails water science, whole grain storage
and grinding, knowledge of hops, cultivation and handling of yeast
cultures, and very meticulous sanitation practices. Yes, you can brew
great beer cheaper than the equivalent quality commercial brew, but
not by a whole lot. Brewing is also a time consuming process, taking
5-8 hrs per batch, not counting fermentation and bottle/kegging. IOW,
time is money. In the end, one does not brew beer to save money.

Another brewing newsgroup is rec.crafts.brewing. Have your guys read
the How To Brew book. If that's too much work, forgedaboudit!

Here is what my brewing mentor does in his spare time:

http://www.geocities.com/bob_girolamo/

He now has his other 4 beer dispenser back online. That's 16 beers on
tap at any given time. BTW, this is his front room!

nb

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
> I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
> tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
> beers. B-I-L is a stone alky, so what doesn't turn out....instead of being
> slopped to the hogs (which is what my father said the 'moonshiner's' used to
> do with the bad batches) we could just slop it to him as he'll drink
> anything free.
>


It sounds like the Navy men are the perfect candidates for brewing. I
did a little home brewing in the past, and is not difficult. It does
take time, and money. It is not much, if any, cheaper than buying
premium beer. That said, you can make the beer you want, and there is
always the satisfaction of making something yourself.

I tended to brew dark and fairly heavy beers, and the only problem I
had was when I got lazy cleaning the bottles. Sure, you could buy new
bottles every time, but that costs money. Cleaning bottles takes time.
Next time, I'll be buying new bottles every time...

The key is to decide what kind of beer you want to brew, and pick the
proper ingredients. Starting off, I would strongly suggest going the
malt syrup route. It is far easier for a beginner, and requires far
less of an initial investment. Later you can decide if you want to
roast your own malts.

Finally, don't skimp on the ingredients. Use good quality ingredients,
and do not skimp on the amounts or you will turn out a mediocre
product. The difference between very good and very bad is only a few
dollars.

There are several good books on the subject, and there are many brewing
clubs that hold contests and other events. At the start, I suggest you
follow the recipes, and then you can start to experiment.

Oh, come to think of it, I did have one other problem. You are supposed
to bottle age the brew a few weeks after bottling. Occasionally the
entire batch would disappear before this process was complete.(g)

Dean G.

In article >,
says...
> I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
> I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
> tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
> beers. B-I-L is a stone alky, so what doesn't turn out....instead of being
> slopped to the hogs (which is what my father said the 'moonshiner's' used to
> do with the bad batches) we could just slop it to him as he'll drink
> anything free.
>
> Just curious.
> -ginny
>
>
>

By all means then, try it out.

A friend of mine used to homebrew but told me it was too much of a
hassle and he just drinks imported now.

Virginia Tadrzynski wrote:
> I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>

>

My son and his roommates used to brew beer when they were in college.
When they reached legal age, the charm kind of went out of the project.

My son-in-law and his friends all brew beer because they are
self-admitted beer snobs and enjoy the variations they can produce.
SIL even grow his own hops. The only drawback is that he insists on
spending hours sterilizing the kitchen and all his equipment every time
he brews a batch.

gloria p

"Virginia Tadrzynski" > wrote in message
...
>I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain?
>Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
> I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
> tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
> beers.

My son has made a lot of beer. Some pretty good. If you are interested in
playing with science, experimenting, then it is worth it. Look around for a
brew store near you and drop in. Most will have something there to try.

Me? I don't drink a lot of beer , but I've made many gallons of wine. It
is good, it is economical, and yes, it does take some time. I tend to do
more in the winter when I have more indoor time free.

"Tara" > wrote in message
>
> You won't want to brew during this heat wave. The wort needs to boil
> and the kitchen gets steamy and smelly.

That is why you use the turkey fryer burners outside. No heat, no smell in
the house.

Virginia Tadrzynski > wrote:
>I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain? Is
>it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?

The best homebrews taste like Fat Tire. The rest taste
like total shit.

Buy a twelve-pack of Fat Tire and save yourself about
$100 and six weeks of living with rotting barley.

--Blair

"Virginia Tadrzynski" > wrote in message
...
>I just bought a book on homebrewing. Is it a thought I should entertain?
>Is
> it worth the effort and cost? Your thoughts please?
>
> I am not a beer drinker, but hubby and son, both Navy vets, have their
> tastes honed to european tastes...both cannot tolerate most commercial
> beers. B-I-L is a stone alky, so what doesn't turn out....instead of
> being
> slopped to the hogs (which is what my father said the 'moonshiner's' used
> to
> do with the bad batches) we could just slop it to him as he'll drink
> anything free.
>
> Just curious.
> -ginny
> -------------

My husband did it for a while... most of them turned out terrific and made
it difficult to drink 'regular' beer for a long time afterwards! One gets
quite spoiled once they drink good (read, homebrew) beer!

That being said - do not drop the carboy (sp?) 6 inches above the bottom of
a Corian-type sink... the sink will crack! I know... BTDT! Oh, and did I
mention that it was done just before Thanksgiving? UGGHH!

--
Cyndi (again)