Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

First batch tips

Here are some tips that will keep you out of trouble for your first batch. These tips apply to an extract style recipe using malt extract (dry or liquid).

1. Scrub the kitchen, sink, stove, and all counter tops.
2. Start boiling the water early, since that will take awhile.
3. Do not use bleach to sanitize equipment, instead get a one step no rinse sanitizer.  With bleach, there is a possibility of a bleach odor left behind in your carboy unless it is rinsed many times, but that risks contamination.  Star San is a great product and it is worth being worry free in this area.
4. Do not use boiling/boiled water to sanitize or clean anything, unless you know it is cool enough to work with.  No need for this if you use a one step sanitizer.
5. If using steeping grains, make sure to turn off the burner for the first 25 minutes. Do not let the temp get above 180F or else you can get tanic flavors.
6. Watch the pot and stir a lot when it is getting close to initial boil. Boil over is where a foamy head on the wort develops and rises over the top of the kettle, making a sticky mess. Stirring avoids this problem.
7. For wort cooling, use an ice bath the first few times. Have at least eight trays worth of ice cubes on hand to get the wort chilled quickly.
8. Prepare a sanitized jug or bottle on hand to top off your wort in the carboy with water.
9. Keep the lid on the pot while the wort is cooling. Avoid smelling it, sampling it, or checking on it.
10. Don’t forget to aerate after pitching the yeast, basically that means to rock the carboy and splash the contents around after you get everything into it.

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Brewing Up a Business – By Sam Calagione

Brewing Up a Business- By Sam Calagione
Adventures in Entrepreneurship from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

In this combination auto biography, business account, and brewery guide Sam Calagione, lays down what challenging the big American breweries is like and his mission to redefine of beer to public. It was not an easy path, but it has a happy ending. Some of the stories he went through are just amazing. He is open to sharing many of his mistakes over the decade it took to build up the Dogfish Head brand.

This was a very informative read, and I’m grateful that he is promoting craft brewing as an industry in the United States. Even if you are not planning to start your own brewery, it gets you more in touch with the industry as a whole. In terms of business sense, the insights shared could be applied to almost any area. If you are an entrepreneur who likes beer you will appreciate this book.

Topics unique to this book

• Starting a brewery
• Starting a pub house
• Managing a brand identity
• Niche marketing
• Creativity in brewing

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Equipment for Starting with Ales

Here is an inventory of essential brewing equipment you will need for your first batch. With this setup you can only brew one batch at a time. This is about as ‘tight’ as you can get. Many of the items can be found used if you have the time to bargain hunt. The cost of your ingredients will run about $40, so you are looking at $250, half a day to brew, an hour to rack, and two hours to bottle for your first five gallon batch!

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Break Even Cost of Home Brewing

The economics of home brewing are almost as pleasing as drinking the final product.

If you just want to make ales, you can break even after only four batches. Some starter kits are so cheap, you can break even after less, but the more ‘tools’ the more fun and the easier the job becomes. For a full kegging, lagering, and all-grain setup, it can take up to 34 batches to re-coup equipment costs, but that is fairly high estimate. Over a lifetime of 50 years of brewing, one thousand batches are within reach, and most of the equipment doesn’t wear out ever (like glass carboys and pots).

The underlying assumptions used:

Your average cost per batch is $40, you brew 15 times a year, and if you had to buy store bought beer *shudder* you would get a mix of micro, USA craft, and Euro import beer. Each batch you brew pays you profits, which add up and quickly overtake your equipment investment. You will feel this after looking over the results your first bottling session. Your next trip to the grocery store will be lighter because you made your own beer.

Basic equipment only.

The extra cost here translates into more flexibility, less bottling time, and the ability to make lagers and drink draft beer at home.

All grain beer is better quality, and 10 gallon batches are 2x time efficient.

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Homegrown Hops– By David R. Beach

Homegrown Hops– By David R. Beach
An Illustrated How-To-Do-It Manual

The book is written by a native to Oregon and a fellow home brewer who decided to start growing his own hops back in the 1980’s in the Willamette valley. Oregon, Washington, and Idaho are the best places in the United States to grow hops. The book covers all the details, from setting up the hops yard and trellis, buying the rhizomes and planting, to care, harvesting, and drying. Only 100 pages, it is concise, provides black and white photos, and is true to its title. The book is now sadly out of print. My library had it and that was how I was able to get a copy.

Topics unique to this book:

• Setting up the hop yard
• Planting and propagating hops
• Care for hops
• Necessary soil nutrients for hops
• Protecting hops from disease and pests
• Harvesting hops
• Drying hops, and plans for a home made drying system

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Brewing Made Easy – By Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher

Brewing Made Easy – By Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher
From the First Batch to Creating Your Own Recipes

This 90 page book is a simple introduction to brewing ales at home using liquid or dry malt extract.
Steeping grains are highly recommended by the author. Not being an advanced book it will get you started fast. After all, the best way to learn brewing is to actually ‘do it’. Step up to other books to learn kegging, lagering, and all-grain brewing when you are ready.

Topics unique to this book:

• Basic Equipment List

• Brewing Your First Batch

• Basic Sanitization practices

• Brewing Tips

• Nineteen basic recipes for ales, and one lager recipe

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Malt Extracts – Liquid vs Dry

Liquid Malt Extract (LME) and Dry Malt Extract (DME) can produce a very noticeable difference in the taste and body of beer, holding yeast, hops, temperature, and other variables constant.

In general, bulk LME will produce a beer that is darker, and retains a sweet caramel flavor. This may be desirable depending on the style of beer that is being made. Certain specialty LME’s come pre-hopped and might also be designed for a specific style of beer.

In terms of how much fermentable sugar you get:
LME is ~37 points/pound/gallon
DME is ~46 points/pound/gallon

LME is a thick syrup and is cheaper by the pound (because it is 20% water), but that does not translate into more sugars per dollar. DME is in a powder form (LME with the water removed). On a per point of SG basis, they are about the same cost. Both come in varying degrees of color (extra light, light, amber, dark, etc). They are also available as a 60/40 wheat/barley mix.

LME Pro’s:
Great for beginner brewers.
Available in specialty varieties, some pre-hopped.

LME Con’s:
Darkens beer more so than the DME counterpart.
Caramel flavor imparted.
If bought in bulk you need to supply your own jar or buy one at the store to bring it home in.

DME Pro’s:
DME is sold in vacuum sealed bags and is easier store for longer periods of time (as opposed to LME which is either canned, kept in a jar which may contain air which degrades the quality).
A more neutral base, as it does not impart its own characteristics, allowing total flexibility in terms of steeping grains.

DME Con’s:
Can lead to boil over if not stirred enough before boiling is reached.

Most people start with LME and then switch to DME plus steeping grains on their way to becoming all-grain brewers.

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