# Homebrewing beer.



## longbow

I came home Friday night ready for a frosty, cold sixpack (or 2) after work. But nooooooo, the bushplanes that delivers our groceries has been weathered in this week and they generally don't fly on weekends. So here I sit, parched and sober. So I got ta thinkin', I should buy one of those home brew kits and start making my own beer! Grand idea!
Does anyone have any experience home-brewing beer? What's a good kit to buy? Any advice?


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## izzydog

Maybe Chet will chime in and get you started, he brews some good looking barley pop but I haven't tried it yet. I need to do the same.


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## goonsquad

Any "kit" should get you there. You'll need to decide if you want to go full on All Grain or if you want to use extracts (which are quicker and easier but if you have to have it flown in, maybe not the best thing). 
There are a lot of home brew websites and forums out there which are the best resources to use. Lots of recipes and lots of advice from guys who have been doing it for decades. 
The first question is, what kind of beer do you want to make, after that, all you got to do is get the supplies and start cooking. 
Its a lot of fun and I love to watch the fermentation process.


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## 2full

I use the Mr Beer kit. Pretty easy to make. Does not make a lot of product, but it is pretty good beer if you like the micro brew touch. There is a bunch of different kinds of beers that can be made. Can be ready in about two weeks if needed. I usually let it take about a month for a little better product.


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## longbow

goonsquad said:


> Any "kit" should get you there. You'll need to decide if you want to go full on All Grain or if you want to use extracts (which are quicker and easier but if you have to have it flown in, maybe not the best thing).
> There are a lot of home brew websites and forums out there which are the best resources to use. Lots of recipes and lots of advice from guys who have been doing it for decades.
> The first question is, what kind of beer do you want to make, after that, all you got to do is get the supplies and start cooking.
> Its a lot of fun and I love to watch the fermentation process.


I don't even know what all-grain means. I have a lot to learn. It seems like a fairly easy process to make beer but the flavors and types are confusing.


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## longbow

2full said:


> I use the Mr Beer kit. Pretty easy to make. Does not make a lot of product, but it is pretty good beer if you like the micro brew touch. There is a bunch of different kinds of beers that can be made. Can be ready in about two weeks if needed. I usually let it take about a month for a little better product.


I looked at the Mr Beer kit. I liked it. Now I'm leaning more towards this kit. What do you think?
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/brewing-starter-kit-1.html


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## goonsquad

I started (I think most homebrewers do) with a Mr. Beer kit. Really, I always enjoyed the beer I made with them, even if they were somewhat... predictable. 

I moved to the standard homebrew set up a few years later and that's mainly because I can make five gallons at a time and I can source the materials from a dedicated brew supply store. This mainly means better (fresher) quality material, different beer extract kits, and guys who love making beer. 

If I had to go back to Mr. Beer, beer kits, I think I could still make beer with it that I get excited about. Some brewers hate the Mr. Beer, but I think its partially snobbishness and partially that they expect too much out of them. If you'll be happy with a good basic pils, lager, or ale, Mr. Beer can deliver that. 

As for All Grain vs. Extract beer making, All Grain is basically getting all the ingredients from the source. Extract kits take the longer process work out and give you the semi-refined ingredients ready to go. You can do a lot more tweaking with flavors with the All Grain method than the Extract but really, my friends who do it, I don't see the enhanced flavor over the extract (which is what I do).


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## sawsman

I made my own brew for a few years. Good stuff. It was rewarding and fun, but it is much more convenient to just buy the commercial stuff.

You may consider going to Costco and stocking up in bulk! ;-)

If you decide to brew your own, have fun. I have an old "Home Brew Bible" I could send your way if you decide to do it…


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## longbow

sawsman said:


> I made my own brew for a few years. Good stuff. It was rewarding and fun, but it is much more convenient to just buy the commercial stuff.
> 
> You may consider going to Costco and stocking up in bulk! ;-)
> 
> If you decide to brew your own, have fun. I have an old "Home Brew Bible" I could send your way if you decide to do it&#8230;


I'll take you up on that book. Find a book you want off Amazon and I'll buy it and have it sent to you as payment for your good deed. Deal?


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## arrowone4me

I'd love to go to Costco to get beer but in Utah, that ain't happening.


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## freepunk

arrowone4me said:


> I'd love to go to Costco to get beer but in Utah, that ain't happening.


Costco sells beer here....


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## longbow

Here I am sipping my first homebrew. A dark ale with 7.5% alchohol. Tasty! Thanks to all who helped! If anyone has some good recipes, pass them on and I'll try them.


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