First batch of Ale!

[thayne]

It took me 3 hours total from start to finish. Here are some pix:


Cooked wort


Cooling the wort in the bath tub


Wort in primary fermenter (I have an anxious helper who loves beer!)


Fermenter placed in my temperature controled fermenting bin
(Regular fridge with a third party temperature controller)

Now I have to wait a week, move it to secondary fermenter, wait another week and move to bottles, then wait 2 more weeks to drink!

[VCDHunter]

I take it videohelp members are invited to the tasting ceremony ?

[shoozleboy]

I'm part of a 'beer exchange' with about 20 other people around here (meaning where I live - not videohelp), we each buy a case of some off the wall or expensive import beer, then exchange the bottles with each other at a get together twice a year.

You end up with a nice selection of different beers to try that you wouldn't normally try if you had to shell out $30-$40 a case.

Anyway, my story is there's one guy who brews his own.... has different flavors and everything.... at the advice of another friend who attends these partys - I have yet to try out his particular home brew.

Why? No one at the partys trust any kind of home brew that comes with a set of instructions explaining that you need to either A) shake the bottle before drinking or B) strain out the 'residue' that is laying on the bottom of the bottle before drinking....

(All these years and I didn't know that beer had 'residue' - let alone need to be distributed with a set of instructions )

Needless to say, we all just gladly accept the bottle in exchange and move on to the next case of beer.... never seen one opened and drank yet... I still have some of the latest brew sitting there............. I'm saving it for the day that something crawls out of the 'residue' ....

[Red96TA]

That 'residue' on the bottom is dead yeast...and there isn't that much of it either. Budweiser, Coors and the rest filter their beer. More home-brewers and such can't afford to filter their beer and some believe that it takes taste out of the brew...Most folks, when they drink a home-brew just don't drink the last 1/2" of beer on the bottom so to not upset the 'residue'

geesh...it's safe amigo.

[thayne]

Dude Sierra Nevada pale ale has residue and it's commercial. It's just yeast and some separated protiens. Just pour it into a glass and leave the last 1/2 ounce or so. Real beer has residue...

[shoozleboy]

How much is "not much of it" ?

There's like 3/4 of an inch of it sitting there. (no - i'm not exaggerating - I measured it. )

Besides that - I'm not high up on the 'flavors' that he makes - tomato and green pepper??

Sorry - to each his own - and my own says "Don't drink it - you have kids to take care of!"

I'm not implying that Thayne's is going to be bad - just that not all home brews are not created equal..... drinker beware.

But good luck with yours, Thayne... let us know how it turns out. Oh, and do you have a name for your brew?

[thayne]

Well, that's just sloppy! LOL should be just a film to maybe 1/8 of an inch. It won't hurt you though. That's why I have a secondary fermenter. It's supposed to be a lot clearer at the end

tomato and green pepper?? WTF? That's not beer! LOL

Just pour it slowly and stop before the residue comes out

[shoozleboy]

That's what I thought.... seemed a little odd. I've never made my own - so I didn't know for sure.

Dad made some back in the 70's out of dandelions. (little, yellow, weedy flowers that fill up your lawn)

he never made more than that first batch though.... strange....

[thayne]

I saw the brewer supply has a lot of "flavor" additives, which I think is hogwash! Maybe I'm a purest, but I think beer shouldn't have peach, raspberry, cherry, or any other "flavors"....

[shoozleboy]

I don't know where or if they even make 'tomato' or 'green pepper' flavoring for beer???

I just know that I won't be drinking any beer who's primary flavor doesn't sound appealing when mixed with a beer....

How about "Thayne's Pale Ale" ?

(I know - not very original - but it's a start! )

[thayne]

Actually I'm calling it Max Ale after my dog

Here is my label:

[shoozleboy]

COOL!! You already have a label - I'm impressed!

Sad part is that you have to wait 4 weeks to taste test it...

[menes777]

Thayne's beer is like women, the more it ages, the better it tastes.

[thayne]

Yeah I made the label while I was waiting for the kit to arrive

I don't think it will age much past 30 days! LOL I want to drink it now!

[thayne]

It's working! I went home for lunch and checked on it and the airlock is bubbling away like crazy.

[thayne]

Ugg! Someone take my credit card away! I just spent $400 on a home kegging system! I'm outta control! My $50 starter kit has morphed into a $1000+ Brewery!

I got this, plus 2 additional 2.5 gal kegs and 30 CO2 cartriges. I got the smaller kegs so I can put them in my kitchen refrigerator.