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What made you get into Home brewing?
I'm interested to find out what made people get into home brewing and what was you first brewing experience.
Personally the idea just popped into my head one day, from no where and before I knew it I had a cupboard full of demijohns and was purchasing products on a daily basis. Not much has changed to be honest, still love it as much today as when I started, in fact possibly more so and could spend all day talking about it. In fact often do. The equipment has got more expensive and the brews much better but still struggle to keep supplies topped up.
My first experience was a budget kit which was okay but I thought I must be able to do better than this and so my brewing adventure began.
How about you?
Responses
Posted 2 years ago by Member
I got into home brewing a few weeks ago! I was getting annoyed with the fact that to get a decent pint i was having to buy the lager that was never on offer at the supermarkets and bloody exspensive. My local (and may i say Awesome) specialist drinks shop used to get nme some nice czech pilser imported but again, at £40/20 bottles, it was getting exspensive.
So I did a search online and came up with this fantastic place right here!!! Granted my first 2 brews are cheap fosters replicas. But I wanted to get used to brewing first rather than spend a load of money on a decent kit and make a balls of it.
Anyway I'm really looking forward to experimenting now :o)
Cheers
Mike
Posted 2 years ago by Moderator
To cut a long story short.....I ended up in hospital after properly breaking myself and had a major operation, because of the op I lost my job, I had a long recovery ahead of me due to the fact they cut straight through my abdominal muscles, was getting very bored at home watching telly, my dad had been given a bottle of a fellow allotmenteers blackcurrant wine and I open it on my birthday and it was gooooood!!! This gave me a brain wave!! And I searched the internet and came across Brew and ordered a wine starter kit with some birthday money, after one brew I was addicted! I’ve then went onto the world of beer kits and now I am onto all grain! also had ago at wine from fruit and veg, wine kits, turbo cider and mead.
Posted 2 years ago by Admin
Hi Dan, sorry to hear about that mate, hope things are looking up?
What's been your home brew high and lows so far?
Posted 2 years ago by Moderator
Things are looking up-ish! got a op next month after competing in the British Champs.
Brewing High- Got to be the my first all grain well worth the effort and not as hard as I thought and produced a amazing beer!
Brewing low- Loosing a whole 5gal of beer when my keg off freecycle split!
And the thing that doesn't fit into either but made me go WOW! was my pea pod wine at 19% a.b.v it packs a punch!
Posted 2 years ago by Moderator
I went up to my parent in laws about 2 years ago and while I was in wilkos (while the missus was trying on clothes in some "hip" shop) I saw the youngs brew kit.
A year later and I find my self in the same prediciment so I bit the bullet and managed to wedge it in the car with a keg all of our luggage and xmas pressiees!
It was a lager kit and I done it to the letter on the kit instructions and then procedded to check it like a new born baby every hour for a week! Every time something happened I called the missus up to look at the "new baby" in the airing cupboard!
It was put into a few bottles and kegged the rest. After 2 days I tried the beer and to my suprise it was a carbonated type of beverage that contained alcohol! YAY.
After a week in the keg I tried a few pints. Had a leak (the keg that is) and tipped the rest on the flowers (whoops!) and since then have never looked back.
From that fateful day I have now tried extract brewing and (fingers crossed) will be doin' me first All grain this weekend.
It only gets better!
Plannin'-
Loads a beer after an upgrade!
nathbrew@gmail.com
Posted 2 years ago by Admin
Dan, get that Pea Pod wine recipe on here, sounds like a cracker. I've also been meaning to do some Turbo cider, how did that turn out?
Posted 2 years ago by Moderator
Pea pod wine is now on! but it should come with a BREW AT YOUR OWN RISK sticker!!
The TC wasn't too bad, its quick to make and fills the gaps when you are short on supplies! i've made turbo cin-der (boiled the applejuice with cinnamon sticks) and that was nice, did one with elderflowers that was ok but not the best, and been experimenting with a TC with rasberry jam! which im maturing on bulk.
Posted 2 years ago by Moderator
Woah just read your post dan. Thats 1 woah for the injury, soz about that and 1 WOAH for 19%!
Plannin'-
Loads a beer after an upgrade!
nathbrew@gmail.com
Posted 2 years ago by Member
For me it was several things:
Frustration of the cost of decent beer.
The child-like "chemistry set" appeal of brewing.
I like to know how things are made, and then have a go myself.
The greater chioce of what you can make.
My father made home made wine for years and it always fscinated me as a kid.
Posted 2 years ago by Member
For me: My grandfather gave me a book on winemaking and brewing, so old that the covers were falling off then. I think I was around 13... so somewere around '75. Christ knows how I managed to convince my parents that it was a good idea for a 13 year old to be making alcohol, but they went with it and were soon reaping the benefits (they weren't so hot on me drinking it).
It was all downhill from there :o)
(with grateful thanks to the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and slightly adapted)
Posted 2 years ago by Member
My first home brew experience was actually at school.
We were told to bring a carton of apple juice to science class. So the whole class made a litre of cider each!
That was back in the 90's so I don't know if that would fly now-a-days.
Since then I tried a few kits with my Dad, who used to home brew back in the day.
I'd always been disappointed with the result. Which was an intense plastic taste.
I found out using a 30 year old fermentation bucket was the problem.
I'm not sure why, but I decided to make a cider kit earlier this year.
Looked at homebrewing on the net and I've been hooked since.
I resurrected my Dads old All grain kit (which included a corny keg!), made a new mash tun (as plastic degrades after 30 years)and haven't looked back.
Posted 2 years ago by Member
Hi Guys.
Well for me I feel there is nothing more satisfying than making something yourself and being able to consume it yourself. Especially as it has been done for hundreds of years!
First tried by hand at kits 3 years ago but didnt turn out too good and was put off. Am now brewing from exract and have really caught the bug! The Mrs is going nuts & my wardrobes are full of brews!!! Problem is I cant drink as much as i'd like to brew!! Anyone else have that problem!!??
Posted 2 years ago by Admin
Hi Gazz, I had that problem when I first started but now seem to struggle to keep up. Not that I drink a lot, in fact I only drink at the weekends.
My biggest problem is the growing amounts of equipment - and how to sneak it past security!
Posted 2 years ago by Member
:o) Gazz
I wish I had that problem... the missus gets really uptight with the bins and barrels around the place and limits my brewing! Christ... listen to me!
(with grateful thanks to the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and slightly adapted)
Posted 2 years ago by Member
Ha ha, she moans at me because I do nothing, then she moans at me when I do something (will we ever win!)
Posted 2 years ago by Admin
Yeah there are definately limits to the amount of times I can stink the house out hop smells.
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