Home Brewing

**Prof Sporlan** · 24-03-2001, 12:17 AM

The Prof is about to brew his first Marzen beer. It's his only project for the weekend, (or so he thinks).... A Marzen beer is suppose to be a German lager, but he doesn't have the necessary refrigeration equipment to bring the fermenting beer to the correct temperature. Go figure...

So he'll use an ale yeast designed more for a German alt and see what happens....

One would think homebrewers visiting this board would have the necesssary refrigeration equipment. Anyone brewing lagers?

**starman** · 26-03-2001, 11:50 PM

I brew a mean wee heavy, but I should leave it longer than I do

**Prof Sporlan** · 27-03-2001, 04:12 AM

The Prof has the same problem with his home brews....

Pls post your recipe, if it isn't a family secret, and if it isn't an all-grain. He hasn't gotten around to purchasing a brew kettle big enough to handle a 5 gallon all-grain recipe, nor does he think his stovetop could handle such a kettle....... The Prof can generally handle a partial mash, though.

The Marzen is fermenting normally as I post....

**Norty** · 29-03-2001, 01:13 AM

I've got a wheat and a raspberry wheat in the secondary..all grain baby!

I'm lucky, my basement closet stays in the mid 40's (F) during the winter, so I can lager then. I'm building a (4) keg fridge from scratch for my new bar. I'm applying my trade to my hobby!

**WebRam** · 01-04-2001, 01:05 PM

I see there are a few home brewers (looking at the members list)

What about a brewing competition

**Prof Sporlan** · 01-04-2001, 11:33 PM

<html>The Marzen has been in the secondary fermenter for three days. The brew has been a little more active in the secondary than others he has done, but the Prof has intentially kept the brew as cool as possible during the ferment in hopes of achieving a more lager style beer. It'll be interesting to see if this works.

What about a brewing competition?

It's a bit unfortunate that we can't post samples of beer to this discussion board...

But it would seem convenient to have the WebMaster as the judge... He apparently has the necessary qualifications... an interest in American football, and an appreciation of the St Louis Rams offensive capabilities.....

</html>

**WebRam** · 02-04-2001, 12:19 AM

Now Prof, don't go getting me talking about my beloved Rams.

You can talk about them on my new RAMS forum at
http://www.clanram.com/forum

see you there

**starman** · 08-04-2001, 06:08 PM

Oops, sorry Prof, I just seen this post. I will get you my SECRET FAMILY brew posted before I go.

Unless the brew takes hold of me before I post ..... I hear it now, its calling meeeeeeee

**Prof Sporlan** · 13-04-2001, 03:37 AM

The Marzen brew is now bottled, and the Prof is now enjoying a Springbank single malt scotch on the rocks, and all is well.....

**Prof Sporlan** · 15-04-2001, 03:44 AM

Question: how many home brewers does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer: one-third fewer than a regular bulb.....

**WebRam** · 15-04-2001, 02:30 PM

Hey Prof,

What is the big difference between bud and bud light ??

If I am after a chuggin beer, I go for bud light.

I do like the beer starman mentioned though. Wee Heavy.

Problem is, 4 of them and I begin to act like superman

What is your fav tipple?

Everyone

**Steve** · 15-04-2001, 05:23 PM

Having reached my mid thirties

I now find my hangovers well outweigh the benifit of two hours of euriopia I achieve the night before.

My solution to this is to stick just to Budweiser, and I have found that my hangovers are no where as bad as if I mix my drinks or just stick to draught lager.

My belly is expanding as quickly as my wallet is shrinking

(side comment)

**Prof Sporlan** · 16-04-2001, 07:00 PM

What is your fav tipple?

The Prof believes he can never go wrong with a Sam Adam's Boston Lager, though he notes an occasional lack of consistency in this brew. He also rates Bert Grant's brews tops, their Imperial Stout and India Pale Ale in particular.

**WebRam** · 16-04-2001, 08:04 PM

Now, I was not sure if the Prof was going to introduce "Sam Adams" beer into this thread

I have tried Sam Adams on many occasions while in St Louis. I think you would like a Wee Heavy Prof.

I will bring one (or a couple) over in September.

**Prof Sporlan** · 16-04-2001, 09:45 PM

I think you would like a Wee Heavy Prof.

As it turns out, there aren't many beers the Prof doesn't like.....

If memory serves him correctly, a Wee Heavy is a Scottish Ale. Bert Grant's also makes an excellent Scottish Ale, in addition to their Imperial Stout and India Pale Ale.

**WebRam** · 16-04-2001, 09:55 PM

Fowlers Wee Heavy is on of the best.

**Prof Sporlan** · 20-04-2001, 01:53 AM

The Prof is currently enjoying a McEwan's Scotch Ale. The label boldly notes its alcoholic content at 8.0 percent by volume. He was planning on having a Sierra Nevada Stout (a mere 5.8 percent by volume) if ha kan fnd th fridge affer finisshg ths brew..... The Prof is begin to understand why this style of brew is known as a "Wee Heavy"

**Norty** · 20-04-2001, 04:55 AM

Well, I'm browsing the threads and enjoying a light lager I crafted from some left over ingredients. Turned out mighty tasty and clear too! Nothing like enjoying the fruits of your hobby!

**Prof Sporlan** · 22-04-2001, 02:16 AM

The Prof has just finished downing his first homemade Marzen lager. It could tolerate another week of bottle aging, but it is clearly a respectable effort! He'll have to plan on brewing a Wee-Heavy next if he can find a suitable recipe.....

**Prof Sporlan** · 07-06-2001, 03:56 AM

The Prof is running a little low on his homemade Marzen. (He blames his neighbors for drinking most of his brew

). Time to look for a new recipe. He seems to recall starman was going to post his secret family wee heavy recipe...

**starman** · 15-06-2001, 12:21 PM

I am sorry Mr Prof

but I have been away for a bit. I will get it to you ........ promise

**Prof Sporlan** · 30-07-2001, 03:03 AM

The Prof has finally gotten around to brewing his first mead... something that he has wanted to do for some time...

The wort, if you will, went into the fermenter tonite. Specific gravity was within spec. Unfortunately, it may take until February 2002 to determine if this brew makes the grade...

And more unfortunately, a year of bottle aging is normally necessary for the mead to properly mature.

For those who might not be familiar with mead, it is a fermented honey and water beverage. It was likely one of the first fermented beverages ever concocted by man.

Plato stated the ancient Greeks drank mead before they had wine.

Interestingly, drinking mead has been held responsible for fertility and the birth of sons. If the bride were to consume mead for one month (one moon) following her wedding, she would conceive a son. This is where the tradition of "honeymoon" started.

The making of mead fell out of favor due to the fact it takes so long to produce. Brewing beer takes much less time to do.

**Brian_UK** · 30-07-2001, 11:49 PM

Originally posted by Prof Sporlan
....If the bride were to consume mead for one month (one moon) following her wedding, she would conceive a son.....

The making of mead fell out of favor due to the fact it takes so long to produce. Brewing beer takes much less time to do.

It also dawned on Man that it was better to be drunk when making love than to make love to a drunk wife

As an aside dear Prof I remember when my father made wine from assorted fruits etc that he had a simple answer to an unsavoury batch.

He poured the liquid into plastic container and stuck it into the freezer. Freeze off the water and retain the alcohol, add a flavour and away you go

**Prof Sporlan** · 31-07-2001, 02:45 AM

He poured the liquid into plastic container and stuck it into the freezer. Freeze off the water and retain the alcohol, add a flavour and away you go

If this mead doesn't start fermenting soon, the Prof might just have to figure out something along the same line...

**Prof Sporlan** · 01-08-2001, 04:30 AM

After 48 hours of no ferment, the Prof decided he'd call his homebrewer supplier for advice. After reviewing his procedures, the homebrewer supplier concluded: "You followed the instructions on the Saccharomyces bayanus yeast package I sold you. You can't do that! You should have just dumped the stuff in the pot and let it rip, and not tried to activate it in warm water! I've talked to my supplier of this yeast about this issue, but they still think their instructions are correct. They're wrong!"

Well, after the Prof obtained another yeast package from his homebrewer supplier, and simply dumped ('pitched' is actually to correct brewmaster's term to add yeast to the wort) the Prof noted that fermentation started within one hour, which is quite remarkable. The mead batch appears to be saved....

The Prof notes that there is something amusing about folks "in the field" knowing more about a manufacturer's product than the manufacturer....

**Prof Sporlan** · 09-09-2001, 12:26 AM

After the required 5 weeks in the secondary fermenter, the Prof now has now bottled his mead, and stored them away for the necessary 12 month aging period. All seems to be going according to plan. In looking around for a place to store his mead, he found a pint of cherry stout that he brewed 15 months ago. In honor of the start of the NFL season, he opened the bottle, and found the stout was quite good, though a bit drier than the cherry stout after it was brewed.

In fact, he figures he'll open a bottle of mead sometime early next year to see how well it is progessing. Perhaps he'll wait until the St Louis Rams play the Tennessee Titans during the next Superbowl. Some pundits figure the Titans may not be able to make it to the Superbowl, and it might be the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, or Denver Broncos.... But it shouldn't make much difference to the Rams.

Anyone attending the ASHRAE show in Atlantic City may be able to talk the Prof into bring along a bottle or two for inclusion into their personal cellars....

The Prof, of course, will hardly wait 12 months to brew another concoction. Hey Starman, where's that secret family wee heavy recipe of yours????

**wellcold** · 13-12-2001, 11:09 PM

seems the most popular hobby with frig air engineers.
done a bit of mountain moonshine distilling myself.

**Prof Sporlan** · 10-08-2002, 06:15 PM

Well, the one year bottle aging period is just about up, and the Prof took the liberty of opening up a bottle of his mead. With hope and trepidation, he took his first swig... Well, it tasted like a watered down ginger ale...

The recipe said it was going to taste like ginger ale... but the Prof suspect something isn't quite right here. Perhaps insufficient ginger root was used during the brew. The recipe did call for a final specific gravity of 0.992 - 0.996. The Prof's mead tested a bit high... 1.010. Perhaps more bottle aging will help. But it has a nice clean and clear color. Think of it as moonshine light...

Time for the Prof to go back to brewing beer, something he has more experience with.

**Brian_UK** · 24-08-2004, 10:48 PM

Well Prof, it is time for an update on your brews....

I came across a great word for you experts which, according to the dictionary I used, is the last word in classifying your professorship and it is zymurgy.

Quite why or how they come up with such exotic names is beyond me but they do make interesting reading sometimes.

**Peter Croxall** · 25-08-2004, 11:48 AM

Hi Prof,
I thought that mead was made with honey. I haven't heard it being made with ginger root.

I was told, when I used to belong to a wine making society, ( just an excuse to get plastered), that the best results came from using honey that was made from the same type of plant, (ie.clover honey) and not from blended honey.

**Prof Sporlan** · 27-08-2004, 01:49 AM

Originally Posted by Peter Croxall

Hi Prof,
I thought that mead was made with honey. I haven't heard it being made with ginger root.

The ginger root was ancillary in the recipe. The Prof's mead was traditional fermented honey, with added corn sugar. The ginger root was intended to give the mead a ginger ale type taste. That part was successful. The Prof should have went with a more traditional recipe...

Originally Posted by Peter Croxall

I was told, when I used to belong to a wine making society, ( just an excuse to get plastered), that the best results came from using honey that was made from the same type of plant, (ie.clover honey) and not from blended honey.

If the Prof attempts another mead, it will be strictly a traditional mead recipe with an unblended honey...

**Prof Sporlan** · 27-08-2004, 02:07 AM

Originally Posted by Brian_UK

Well Prof, it is time for an update on your brews....

The Prof was hoping to fine a good recipe on a wee-heavy. Any of you folks who can point him in the right direction???

The Prof is finding less time to brew beers lately.

Fortunately, there are plenty of specialty micro-brews commercially available.

Originally Posted by Brian_UK

I came across a great word for you experts which, according to the dictionary I used, is the last word in classifying your professorship and it is zymurgy.

The Prof didn't realize he epitomized the last word in the dictionary...

**Peter Croxall** · 27-08-2004, 10:07 AM

Hi Prof,
It's many years since I used to make beer, but a very good book I used to use was "Brewing Better Beers" by Ken Shales. This was an amateur winemaker publication. Of course, it covered mostly British bitters and ales, but also had some good recipes for stout and lager. I just looked up on amazon and it is still available at virtually give-a- way prices. (it's quite an old publication......just like me

) I hope this helps.

**Brian_UK** · 28-08-2004, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by Prof Sporlan

The Prof was hoping to fine a good recipe on a wee-heavy. Any of you folks who can point him in the right direction???

Did a Google on 'wee heavy recipe' and came up with "Brew Your Own" on www.byo.com and look under recipes.

Good luck with them Prof.

**Prof Sporlan** · 30-08-2004, 02:44 AM

Interesting site. Thanks Brian! The Prof found a recipe for a "smoked" wee heavy brew on the site... which seem a bit scary. The Prof was aware of the German "rauchbier"... the German smoked beer... and he finds this style beer not particularly palatable. He must further investigate this site.

**Mark** · 30-08-2004, 10:47 AM

Marc,is that before,during or after the game............

**Mark** · 30-08-2004, 11:13 AM

Anyone know of a uk distributor of schlitz lager,a pub in norwich once sold it and then it just disappeared

Any pointers would be appreciated.....

**chemi-cool** · 30-08-2004, 04:59 PM

Hi Mark.
Americans call it beer or light beer.

With all the bitters, lagers, stouts, ales and god know what other drinks you have and this is what you miss?

Here is the link: http://www.pabst.com/ourbeer.htm#

contact them and I'm sure they will give you the distributor's name if any.

Chemi

**Mark** · 30-08-2004, 05:13 PM

Dear chemi

Since my son was born,I cant handle the strong stuff

Best regards Mark

**chemi-cool** · 30-08-2004, 05:35 PM

And I thought, women suppose to be pregnant.

Chemi

rbartlett · 30-08-2004, 05:46 PM

did anyone else ever drink in the original firkin pubs ?

'for fox sake get me a firkin !!'

jeeze they used to brew some good ales..i always remember walking in..never remember walking out ;-))

bullbolter was a fine ale but dogbolter -bit to much of a heavy for moi-was only sold in 1/2 pints..

great pubs..great beer (brewed on site..)

http://www.armfield.freeserve.co.uk/travel/firkin.htm
http://www.mesklin.demon.co.uk/beer/firkin.html#beers

pity old dave sold out..:-(

cheers

richard

**Mark** · 30-08-2004, 05:50 PM

Was it the firkin est who sold ale called red nose,do i recall

rbartlett · 30-08-2004, 05:56 PM

don't remember that one but have partaken in

http://www.adnams.co.uk/beer/draft.html

on a few occasions when in and around beccles ;-)

cheers

richard

**Mark** · 30-08-2004, 06:30 PM

If your in that area try.

http://www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk/

in Bungay,suffolk.

Website not finished ,but worth a visit

**paul_h** · 01-05-2008, 05:51 PM

Anyone still home brewing?
I'm a horrible brewer, first tried in 2001, nothing but disasters until I gave up in 2003.

Now I'm trying again, I quit my job recently and went out on my own. So now I have to be more resposible with my money. I haven't even been to a pub for 3 months before I quit, saving all my money for the business and the future.

Well now I'm bored and thirtsy, not much money, not much work, too much free time, so I'm giving homebrew another try.
Anyway, it's approaching winter here. My usual habit in winter is a 750ml bottle of stout or porter a day. I can't afford it these days, and those are some of the easiest beers to brew, so I'm trying again.
edit:
First try at a porter (cascade can) was thrown out today, crap after three weeks and all sorts of resucitation attempted.
Did dark ale last week (coopers), will try it in two more weeks (no confidence though)

Yesterday I had a go at a stout(coopers), used a can kit, but threw in 23g of nottingham yeast, 500g of light malt, 250g dark malt and 500g dextrose. A lot more refined than throwing in the can contents, the yeast that comes with the old can and a kilo of brewing sugar that I did in all the other brews.
I've been spending the last few weeks reading HB websites, HB books and listening to HB podcasts.
I haven't had much to do, better to learn a skill that watch TV!

**DeanD** · 25-05-2008, 09:06 PM

How about some pics of your brew stations?

I'm gathering supplies to build my own now... going to go AG. I'm also going to get away from bottling and do 5 gallon kegs.

Did my first mini-mash a couple weeks ago.

**Lowrider** · 25-05-2008, 10:17 PM

I would like to know more about it too!
I'm really interrested in the kitt you use! my father used to do it in a 25 liter drum and it didn't turn out half bad.

At the moment I'm very busy, so no home brewing for me yet. I did do a lot of whiskey in the past, but after moving for the third time in 10 years I gave away all the stuff!

Any good recipe's for a 5 to 6% are very welcome too!

**NH3LVR** · 26-05-2008, 01:47 AM

Homebrewing is alive and well in the USA!
We do things a bit different than in the UK.
We boil all of our worts before fermentation and throw away the yeast pack that comes with a kit. We have a good many liquid yeasts available. At $5-$6 a dose it could get expensive. However I reuse the yeast up to four times.
I do not brew as much as I did, due to time. I made about 40 gallons last summer, mainly because I was teaching a couple of other guys how to brew.
I do kits as a base and straight extract with good stuff added.
I also do all-grain on occasion.
The Lady next door was asking me about making Whiskey last night. Unfortunatley that is not something one can do legally at home in the USA.

**paul_h** · 26-05-2008, 06:38 AM

Originally Posted by NH3LVR

Homebrewing is alive and well in the USA!
We do things a bit different than in the UK.
We boil all of our worts before fermentation and throw away the yeast pack that comes with a kit. We have a good many liquid yeasts available. At $5-$6 a dose it could get expensive. However I reuse the yeast up to four times.
I do not brew as much as I did, due to time. I made about 40 gallons last summer, mainly because I was teaching a couple of other guys how to brew.
I do kits as a base and straight extract with good stuff added.
I also do all-grain on occasion.
The Lady next door was asking me about making Whiskey last night. Unfortunatley that is not something one can do legally at home in the USA.

That's how I do it too, boil all the adatives, use good LHBS yeasts.
I dont boil the brand kit can contents in the wort though because it's pre-hopped, but I do put the whole unopend can in a saucepan that's filled with boiled water to sanatise the outside of the can and can opener.
Distilling is illegal here too, you can buy all kit ingrediants though, funny isn't that?

It's just having a still that's illegal.

I'm learning all extract now, adding specialty grains and hops.

Looking into AG if I bother to make a mash tun and get 40L stockpots.

As far as how to do it:
Good forums:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/index.php

Good ebook:
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html

Also heaps of youtube videos and videos on www.expertvillage.com

**harrykica84** · 01-02-2010, 05:45 AM

hey im trying to make my jim beam 53 gallon barrle into a fridge. how would i start that. like what do i need to insukate it with and should i just use parts of an old fridge also what should i use for the inner housing?

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