Well here it is. Got a Nut Brown, Oktoberfest, and a German Altbier on tap. All brewed about 2 months ago.
Great styles, 3 of my 4 favorite fall brews (stout would round it out). Hoping to get my brew gear unpacked, cleaned and ready to brew by end of he month.
Now you done went and do-ed it. I have 1 batch of wine bottled and two awaiting bottling, in the pantry there is hard apple cider and IPA in the closet there is a Highland Heavy Ale (needs a bit more time). I've got the stuff to do two more beers an imperial stout and an old English bitter. Should keep me in libations for the winter.
I do extract's on most of my beers and forage for my wine ingredients in my small garden orchard and in the brambles (blackberries, raspberries, and such on the land behind my house, I even have some wild grape vines. Get some material at camp as well.
I really need to try this.... The better half got me a kit like 7 years ago. Need to check it out this winter....
My son gave me an extract based setup for Christmas four years ago, I've added more bottles, another fermenter, a couple of of large bottles to use as secondaries, an auto siphon, some stoppers, and several air locks. The things you have to pay attention to are sanitation and your level of patience. Some folks get over excited and don't allow enough time, some brews are fine shortly after they have been made and some really need time to age. If you go the glass bottle route you'll quickly learn to make sure you don't bottle your brew before it has fermented completely, for then when you add the priming sugar to carbonate the beer while bottling things can get explosive.
Ive been wanting to get into for a while now but I have to many hobbies now as it is I dont think I have time for another one. However I can find time to do some taste testing if yall need help with that
I'll snap a bunch of pictures next time I brew.... Pretty much do all grain except for 1 wheat beer that is amazing as an extract.
I brew all grain, I'll grab a pic sometime soon too. Basically I have a 8.5 gal stainless pot with a spout for a brew kettle and a 10 gal cooler to mash in. Ferment in glass carbons too. It's a great fall and winter hobby, can definitely get expensive too though.
What's this fall and winter bit? Don't you brew year round after all this isn't just old fashioned larger. Aye, it can get expensive setting up things.
I end up with WAAY too much beer if I brew year round, plus i just find it more fun standing around the brew kettle in the cooler weather.
You really need to step up your game, blackberries are usually ripening in the August/September time frame and to make wine you don't need to stand over a hot brew kettle, just have the sweat pouring off of you as you get scratched to pieces by the brambles, maybe the nasty stinging critters might find you towards the end of the season. But really brew kettle heat is the last of your worries. You could also try mead say 1 part honey and 4 parts water and no cooking. Bee sure to wear your bee suit.
Mead is awsome. You just need a few years to wait it out and then is is sooooo good. The kind of honey you use makes a big difference. Orange blossom, yum yum yum.
Yes, After the primary fermentation I have added a few quarts of wild raspberries that I froze beforehand. Couldn't have been easier.
So dutch as you can see you don't have to slave over a hot brew kettle at all. Just expand your product mix .
I like the way you think! I've never done a wine or mead, may have to try some out. I usually keep it simple and just brew ales, probably cause that's all I usually drink.
