Top 5 things you've done to improve your homebrew experience

[Brownyard]

Me:
1. Biab - Easy. It was good to refresh my memory of brewing using extract kits (after dabbling with homebrew in the '90s, I picked it up again during Covid), but moving to biab has been a huge improvement.

2. Kegging. I hate cleaning and filling bottles. Kegging has an intimidating learning curve, but it's so worth it.

3. Smaller batches - 3 gallons just works better for me. More variety.

4. Temp control. Long story short, I was able to obtain a small fridge and an Inkbird temp controller. Big difference from room temperature.

5. Fermenting, spunding, and serving from the same corny keg. Worth the investment, so much less work. Great results.

 

[Minbari]

1 read more books to understand the chemistry involved

2 consistency! Making sure my brews are done in the same manner.

3 better testing methods. Iodine test, actual hydrometer (yes 8 years as a brewer without one, lol)

4 sanitation. Cleaning really is important, this includes kegging.

5 creating my own recipes. Anyone can use a kit, making your own and understanding what happened helps you grow

edit: I will add. installing a hoist to the cieling has made life easier. lifting 30+lbs of hot BIAB grains is not easy

 

[The Brew Mentor]

For me, moving inside was likely the biggest.
Closed transfers is equal but different for a number of reasons.
Yeast health and more controlled pitch rates is right up there if not equal as well

 

[GFHomebrew]

Not faffing about the small things like missing my numbers and beers not turning out exactly as I want - remaining excited about the results but not loosing focus when things arnt perfect.

Moving to electric brewing for consistency- moving outside lol @The Brew Mentor (kitchen that is)

Kegging it really does keep me in the hobby (less faffing about on packaging day meaning I can package whenever I'm home and don't need to plan it)

Getting my own mill provided two things not in kitchen on the thermomix and better lautering through more intact husks.

Joining this forum to keep the passion going also to express my thoughts and also ask and gain knowledge on brewing subjects I think I know about only to learn of different ways about meeting the same objective brewing consistently great beer I'm proud of.

 

[Ward Chillington]

1. Developed a consistent and repeatable process.
2. Temperature control.
3. Built a rig
4. Put a pump on the rig to move hot water and let gravity do the rest.
5. Relax...this is supposed to be fun.

 

[Josh Hughes]

1. Being on here a lot
2. Community zoom
3. Listening to good advice from you guys
4. Reading/listening to brewing stuff
5. RO water

 

[Zefram]

"Improve experience" is key to my answers

1. Fermentation temperature control
2. Updating my mashtun with SS hardware and a brew bag.

Damn it. That's all I got. I would like to toss out water, but still learning that part!

 

[Zambi]

1 to 5 : Don't worry and relax

More serious:
- Don't take the software too seriously. I'm just a home brewer. Being a couple points out is no big deal
= Aim for OG, Generally a bit conservatively as I can always add some water. Volume is secondary
- Inkbird & fridge, although I learned a lot from having no control at all
- Enjoy, includes the brewing, this forum and the zoom meetings

 

[Ward Chillington]

I would like to toss out water, but still learning that part!

You and me both buddy...water..the final frontier!

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

1. Built my own RIMS. I did that in 2010. Man, what an improvement. Still use the same system today.
2. Built a stir plate the same year and started aerating with oxygen. Learned more about yeast. Another huge improvement.
3. Started competing. This forced me out of my comfort zone and made me realize I had a long way to go to improve my brewing skills (water, pH, chemistry, etc.).
4. Closed transfers (like Brian). I built my own fermenters from Sanke kegs which allowed for pressurized fermentations and closed transfers.
5. Improved yeast propagation and storage. I'm still working on this....

Every year I try to improve my brewing. Sometimes it just happens and other years I try to find something. I have picked up a lot of good information off the internet, especially here. Often my adventures down the rabbit hole start here. Someone will bring up a topic or question that causes me to research, learn and grow as a brewer. So thank you to everyone who contributes on Brewer's Friend!

Brew on!

 

[Megary]

Lots of repeats to the great answers above....

1. Fighting - and so far winning - the temptation to buy and to do every next cool thing in homebrewing.
2. Understanding that yeast management is the key.
3. Relaxing and letting the process run its course.
4. Like @Brownyard, indoor, small batch BIAB brewing is a process I really enjoy.
5. Keeping it simple, keeping it fun. Not taking the hobby, the beer, or myself too seriously.

 

[Brownyard]

Great responses, which leads me to add to my original post...

6. BrewTubers, and sites such as this that offer so much info that was only available in books when I started back in the '90s.

7. Designing My Own Recipes - wanting to brew smaller batches really forced this on me. With the use of the Brewer's Friend recipe builder, it's lots of fun and is one of my favorite parts of the process. It's the only real way to approach getting to know what element or ingredient does what in the process. So much more to learn!

8. Realizing that different folks focus on different parts of the process. For some people, it's natural to focus on chemical aspects and formulas, but for lunkheads like me? I'm fine learning what my mind can easily grasp, and leaving the rest up to chance! Although, constant exposure to info means some of the complicated stuff eventually reveals itself naturally, and the light goes on.

9. Finding a good source for ingredients. There are no homebrew stores in my area, and I used to order from Northern Brewer pretty much exclusively. When I started doing smaller batches, I needed a supplier that would grind and sell small measurements to order. I just don't have room or the desire to store big sacks of grain in my house. For now, Atlantic Brew Supply is making my life easier.

 

[Walken100]

My recent efforts all target reducing the effort of brewing. My top improvement are:

- Setting up a dedicated brew space. What used to be 20 ish trips between the basement and the garage is now 2 or so trips to the basement.

- Switched to electric. No more chasing propane or hoses.

- Set up my kettle to minimize hoses in contact with wort and so both the kettle and braze plate drain directly into the sink

- Dedicated cleaning station aka walk in showers with a house and cleaning stand

- Organized my crap.

My brew days went from work to pleasure with these changes.

 

[Minbari]

My recent efforts all target reducing the effort of brewing. My top improvement are:

- Setting up a dedicated brew space. What used to be 20 ish trips between the basement and the garage is now 2 or so trips to the basement.

- Switched to electric. No more chasing propane or hoses.

- Set up my kettle to minimize hoses in contact with wort and so both the kettle and braze plate drain directly into the sink

- Dedicated cleaning station aka walk in showers with a house and cleaning stand

- Organized my crap.

My brew days went from work to pleasure with these changes.

I hear ya on all that man. My avg day went from 8-9 hours to 5-6 hours just from being more organized

 

[Walken100]

I hear ya on all that man. My avg day went from 8-9 hours to 5-6 hours just from being more organized

My brew days are very relaxed. I can prep the night before while watching the tube and finish the clean up the day after..... While watching the tube

 

[danders1999]

(as context, i BIAB)
1 - (by far) switching to half RO and half tap water. Brewed for 2 years on straight tap water, which I learned was quite hard (in water terms) by testing. I semi plan to advance to starting with RO alone and building water profile per each batch, tho my results in the interim were noticeable enough that I've focused on other things. Like....
2 - fermentation temp control. Got a used fridge off craigslist for $50, installed an Inkbird temp controller and I no longer have to run ferm buckets upstairs, or downstairs, or basement, chasing different ambient air temperatures. I'd also not been able to explore lagers since previously, but now I can wooooo.
3 - switching to a longer (100ft versus 50ft) immersion chiller and moving it around during wort cooling. Has cut my chilling time by 50% or more
4 - kegging. Why in the world did I wait 5years to move from bottling to kegging? Found a modded floor freezer with 3 regulators, 6 taps/faucets, and 6 ball-lock corny kegs on craigslist, and shabang! I was in business. I love being able to have several different styles on tap at the same time.
5 - moving from inside stovetop to outdoor with blichman propane burner. This was several years ago, but it allowed me to goto bigger batches, not clog up the whole kitchen for hours, and opened the door to lots of other improvements.
Next changes I have in mind:
- going to a Tilt gravity monitor instead of oldschool hydrometer
- going to full RO water and adding water amendments to adjust to whatever style I'm brewing
- getting a jockeybox to more easily take a couple kegs on vacation, to parties, etc.
- adding a hoist in the garage to more easily brew big grain bills (weights) and maaaaaybe some 10g batches versus 5g
- changing my keezer beer lines to duotight fittings to more quickly disconnect, etc.
- get a grain mill to start crushing my own grain.
Thanks folks!!

 

[Corneja Brewer]

1. Built my own RIMS. I did that in 2010. Man, what an improvement. Still use the same system today.
2. Built a stir plate the same year and started aerating with oxygen. Learned more about yeast. Another huge improvement.
3. Started competing. This forced me out of my comfort zone and made me realize I had a long way to go to improve my brewing skills (water, pH, chemistry, etc.).
4. Closed transfers (like Brian). I built my own fermenters from Sanke kegs which allowed for pressurized fermentations and closed transfers.
5. Improved yeast propagation and storage. I'm still working on this....

Every year I try to improve my brewing. Sometimes it just happens and other years I try to find something. I have picked up a lot of good information off the internet, especially here. Often my adventures down the rabbit hole start here. Someone will bring up a topic or question that causes me to research, learn and grow as a brewer. So thank you to everyone who contributes on Brewer's Friend!

Brew on!

Hi !! how you built your RIMS and the stir plate?? I am improved in yeast propagation too... Cheers

 

[Ward Chillington]

Nice first post @danders1999 ! Welcome to the clubhouse...what's in the fermenter?

 

[Donoroto]

Mia, is that you?

 

[WesBrew]

1. First thing was Kegging. See everyone above. lol
2. Brewing software. Big upgrade for making and managing recipes, adjusting water, and interacting on the forum.
3. Going inside Electric was the biggest change for me. Its HAH outside. 240v is Fast and E is precise with a BrewCommander.
4. Glycol controlled fermentation temperature was huge for precise control. Slightly more hassle but no need for an extra fridge.
5. Making it easier on me: I got tired of the 5.5-6hr brew days with the 3V Herms system. Splitting my brew day by doing the mash at night and boil the next morning was big. Now i'm working on downsizing to a 2V with heated mash tun and shaving more time. maybe even go back to BIAB.

*Not a huge change in brewing but the TILT is super fun and handy. Now if BF would not log me out on my old iphone it'd be great.