Home Brewing

Started by KY_Kid, Aug 20, 2009, 11:55 AM

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ALady

#20
Dec 03, 2009, 03:18 PM
I wondered about that...do any of you guys grow your own hops?  My dad and brother do, but they're having trouble figuring out ways to prevent the plants from taking over the yard   ;D  I got my dad one of those vacuum sealers, and they work great for storing the hops.
if it falls apart or makes us millionaires

aMillionDreams

#21
Dec 03, 2009, 03:33 PM
I'm going to grow my own hops next year whether I start brewing or not.  If I don't start brewing maybe I'll pass them along to you guys.

A friend of mine is trying to become a brewmaster.  He just finished an internship at a German brewhouse.  I need to get in with him.  He has a group of friends that get together every weekend to start a new batch and enjoy the fruits of their labor from the last time they were at that house, kind of like a weekly poker game.  I went to one before he left and realized I have a lot to learn.
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mjkoehler

#22
Dec 03, 2009, 03:38 PM
QuoteI'm going to grow my own hops next year whether I start brewing or not.  If I don't start brewing maybe I'll pass them along to you guys.

A friend of mine is trying to become a brewmaster.  He just finished an internship at a German brewhouse.  I need to get in with him.  He has a group of friends that get together every weekend to start a new batch and enjoy the fruits of their labor from the last time they were at that house, kind of like a weekly poker game.  I went to one before he left and realized I have a lot to learn.
Are they easy to grow? I'd be up for growing some also just to share with peeps here who do brew. Heavan knows I have enough farming area in my backyard. I'm not even going to attempt to make my own beer. It would be so bad it would cause blindness. I would send to whoever, and would only ask for a bottle or 2 in payment.

aMillionDreams

#23
Dec 03, 2009, 04:05 PM
As far as I've heard they're pretty easy to grow, a lot like growing tomatoes or hops' evil cousin, mj.  You need a lot of trellising as they are climbers.
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Crispy

#24
Dec 03, 2009, 04:18 PM
I've always wanted to grow hops, but I think I'm too far south in Oklahoma -- I remember reading somewhere that one should be north of the 40th parallel...
"...it's gonna be great -- I mean me coming back with the band and playing all those hits again"

mjkoehler

#25
Dec 03, 2009, 04:25 PM
Hmmm. This gives me something to research this winter. No issue with the climbing, plenty of space for that, and I have tons of trellising from growing green beans.

jones

#26
Dec 03, 2009, 04:34 PM
QuoteI'm going to grow my own hops next year whether I start brewing or not.  If I don't start brewing maybe I'll pass them along to you guys.


Is there a sign up sheet?  Count me in!

mjkoehler

#27
Dec 03, 2009, 05:04 PM
Doesn't look like it's overly expensive either, $5-$8 a rhizome. Hell, I'd plant just for the amazing smell. You would catch me in my garden huffing on a bag.

aMillionDreams

#28
Dec 03, 2009, 06:32 PM
Alright, Crispy. It's killing me.  Where is your tagline from?  "Sob it up, make it look real sad and pathetic"  I need to know.

Alright, back to the topic
Hops looks like a very interesting plant to grow:

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Crispy

#29
Dec 03, 2009, 06:42 PM
Dylan, I'm surprised! That's from "It's Been a Great 3 or 4 Years" -- give it another listen.

"Sell those records..."

Damn, I wanna grow me some hops!
"...it's gonna be great -- I mean me coming back with the band and playing all those hits again"

aMillionDreams

#30
Dec 03, 2009, 08:32 PM
I ought to be ashamed!  I guess I need to listen to C&I again.
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Crispy

#31
Dec 03, 2009, 08:42 PM
Ah, but who ever listens to "3 or 4 years" all the way through? Nutjobs like me, I guess. I just love that bit though, it's like Johnny knew what was going to happen with this band, and you can feel how torn he was about what to do.
"...it's gonna be great -- I mean me coming back with the band and playing all those hits again"

jones

#32
Dec 03, 2009, 08:51 PM
QuoteDylan, I'm surprised! That's from "It's Been a Great 3 or 4 Years" -- give it another listen.

"Sell those records..."

Damn, I wanna grow me some hops!

I don't know if it is any condolence, but I had wondered about CrispYY's quote also.  I mean '3 or 4 Years' is interesting in it's own right, but I guess it isn't quite ringtone-worthy (BTW, I only set my ringtone to emulate the sound an actual telephone makes).

I am guessing that I should use 'purified' water for my batch, right?

aMillionDreams

#33
Dec 03, 2009, 09:28 PM
Crispy, good news. I did some research and hops grows just about anywhere.  Warmer, more humid climates have more problems with mildew, but check your local extension office for recommendations on cultivars that are best for your area.
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Crispy

#34
Dec 04, 2009, 12:40 AM
Sweet! Thanks, Dylan -- I will see what I can do around here.

Flyguy, if your tap water tastes good to you, it will be fine for your beer. But the gallons of drinking water from the store are nice and handy. Just don't use distilled water!
"...it's gonna be great -- I mean me coming back with the band and playing all those hits again"

jones

#35
Dec 05, 2009, 04:54 PM
I started my first batch of home brew today (High Gravity's Thespian Stout) and it is now in primary fermentation.  I plan to rack to secondary on Wednesday.




Boiling The Wort



Chilling The Wort



jones

#36
Dec 10, 2009, 09:21 PM
Well, I racked to secondary tonight on the stout.  I hope to bottle in the next few days.  The anticipation!

Crispy

#37
Dec 10, 2009, 09:43 PM
Way to go flyguy! I boiled my IPA last night and got it into the fermenter, but as of lunchtime today, I was still waiting for the yeast to start. Hopefully when I get home tonight it will be going.  >:(

Yes, Hawkeye, I did pitch the yeast. There were no lady-friends present to distract.
"...it's gonna be great -- I mean me coming back with the band and playing all those hits again"

jones

#38
Dec 16, 2009, 08:48 AM
I bottled my stout last night and everything seems to be going well.  The only problem was that I only ended up with 46 bottles out of a 5 gallon batch instead of 48, which deeply irritates my OCD tendacies.  Although I am sure that I didn't use a whole beer's worth, I think that this is partially due to me discarding the sample I used for the original gravity test.  I had about a half of a bottle's worth left over after bottling, so we sampled it and to my surprise, it tasted like flat beer.  Who could've guessed?!

I think that racking to secondary was definitely worthwhile because there was a decent amount of sediment in the bottom of the carboy.  It may be a tad premature (and impatient), but I will probably crack one open on Christmas Eve for a sample.  That will give it nine days of bottle conditioning.  I will set the rest back for a while and start on batch number two this weekend.

Crispy

#39
Dec 16, 2009, 12:51 PM
Nice! You probably also lost a part of those couple of bottles to the racking process, quite a bit gets left. It's worth the small sacrifice though, for the gains in clarity and flavor.

I just racked mine the other day, but it's going to be in the secondary for a while, at least until after Christmas!
"...it's gonna be great -- I mean me coming back with the band and playing all those hits again"
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