The Brewers' Guild

[Rev. Jade]

Hey everybody!
I've noticed a few people talking about homebrewing and beer recently, so I figured why not make a club for all of the steampunks who enjoy brewing, or even just talking about the processes of brewing and the complexities of different beer styles.
If there are people who also make wine, mead, or other types of alcohol, you are more than welcome to join in the conversation!
I would love to hear about your guys' brews, what you did, how it turned out, that kind of thing.
I've tried searching for a "brewing club" thread, but have not found one; if such a thread exists already then I apologize and please ignore this one.


As for me, I've been homebrewing for a couple of years now.
I actually started with making mead (in my dorm room my freshman year of college...sh-don't tell the university).
I would say that my mead was semi-successful, though it would have been better if I had used the proper yeast and fermented in a carboy instead of gallon water jugs.
But as a first project, I was pretty happy with the results; plus, it got me interested in brewing!
As far as beer goes, I've brewed an Irish Red Ale a few times, and I'm hoping to get my recipe completely perfected (in my opinion) pretty soon.
I've also done an IPA, and a friend of mine who loves IPAs said that it was honestly the best IPA he'd ever had, so that's something!
I'm not able to brew as much as I would like, due to time constraints (and the fact that I'm pretty poor).
The next beer that I want to brew is an Oatmeal Stout, but I just don't have the money for it at the moment.

[Madasasteamfish]

Well speaking as a keen homebrewer I wholeheartedly support this endevor. And I look forward to hearing more about other people's projects. I've got about 5 gallons of bitter on the go at the moment (I'm putting it into a pressure barrel this weekend), and I've got quite a bit of experience under my belt at the minute, as I've done quite a few batches of country wine. My next most intriguing project (for the near future, probably September/October for next December) is a type of apple mead (it's called cyser) my next proper project is something called grocer's red, a red wine made from different jams.

[von Corax]

Here's a question for the assembled Guild members: What would be a good first brew for someone who is fond of bitters and IPAs, and who thinks "Premium lager" is the equivalent of "STICKAFUGGINCOGONIT"?

[Madasasteamfish]

Here's a question for the assembled Guild members: What would be a good first brew for someone who is fond of bitters and IPAs, and who thinks "Premium lager" is the equivalent of "STICKAFUGGINCOGONIT"?

Hmm, good question. I'd recommend (depending on your equipment and budget) either a bitter kit (a 'wet kit' would be best since they're available with all the gear you need to get started, bar sugar and water) or one of my recent success which was treacle ale (although it may be a tad too dark for your taste).

[Unsubtle Pete]

Nowt on the go right now, but as soon as I have finished drinking the Old Bastard and the Sweet Bastard, it will be time to start brewing the Total Bastard.

[Rev. Jade]

My next most intriguing project (for the near future, probably September/October for next December) is a type of apple mead (it's called cyser) my next proper project is something called grocer's red, a red wine made from different jams.

I love apple mead!
That grocer's red sounds like a very interesting project...how long does it take to ferment and age?

Here's a question for the assembled Guild members: What would be a good first brew for someone who is fond of bitters and IPAs, and who thinks "Premium lager" is the equivalent of "STICKAFUGGINCOGONIT"?

If you haven't brewed before, I would suggest a partial grain kit.
Those types of kits come with some malt extract (either powdered or liquid) which takes the place of the base malt.
They also come with specialty grains (caramel malts, chocolate malts, etc.).
If you follow the instructions they come out really well, and taste far better than a full extract brew.
My local homebrew supplier sells Brewer's Best and Munton's kits.
I did a Brewer's Best IPA and it turned out incredibly well.
Do you have the equipment for brewing?
If not, Midwest Supplies has an excellent selection of equipment kits.

Nowt on the go right now, but as soon as I have finished drinking the Old Bastard and the Sweet Bastard, it will be time to start brewing the Total Bastard.

What types of beers are those?
They sound like excellent names for Bitters or IPAs.

[Unsubtle Pete]

Nowt on the go right now, but as soon as I have finished drinking the Old Bastard and the Sweet Bastard, it will be time to start brewing the Total Bastard.

What types of beers are those?
They sound like excellent names for Bitters or IPAs.

Old Bastard is a fairly strong old ale, rather burnt flavour due to black malt, very full malt balanced by somewhat fierce hops.

Sweet Bastard is an amber light bitter, and quite sweet.

Total Bastard will be a classic style IPA.

[Madasasteamfish]

My next most intriguing project (for the near future, probably September/October for next December) is a type of apple mead (it's called cyser) my next proper project is something called grocer's red, a red wine made from different jams.

I love apple mead!
That grocer's red sounds like a very interesting project...how long does it take to ferment and age?

Erm, can't quite remember. I think it takes about a week to ferment, then about another month or so to finish fermenting out, then the recipe recommends aging it for about a year. I'll have to check.

[Rev. Jade]

Nowt on the go right now, but as soon as I have finished drinking the Old Bastard and the Sweet Bastard, it will be time to start brewing the Total Bastard.

What types of beers are those?
They sound like excellent names for Bitters or IPAs.

Old Bastard is a fairly strong old ale, rather burnt flavour due to black malt, very full malt balanced by somewhat fierce hops.

Sweet Bastard is an amber light bitter, and quite sweet.

Total Bastard will be a classic style IPA.

Got it!
Are you full-grain mashing or partial extract?

My next most intriguing project (for the near future, probably September/October for next December) is a type of apple mead (it's called cyser) my next proper project is something called grocer's red, a red wine made from different jams.

I love apple mead!
That grocer's red sounds like a very interesting project...how long does it take to ferment and age?

Erm, can't quite remember. I think it takes about a week to ferment, then about another month or so to finish fermenting out, then the recipe recommends aging it for about a year. I'll have to check.

That's quite awhile for aging!
I hope you let us know how it ends up!

[Unsubtle Pete]

Nowt on the go right now, but as soon as I have finished drinking the Old Bastard and the Sweet Bastard, it will be time to start brewing the Total Bastard.

What types of beers are those?
They sound like excellent names for Bitters or IPAs.

Old Bastard is a fairly strong old ale, rather burnt flavour due to black malt, very full malt balanced by somewhat fierce hops.

Sweet Bastard is an amber light bitter, and quite sweet.

Total Bastard will be a classic style IPA.

Got it!
Are you full-grain mashing or partial extract?

Full mash, 5 Imperial Gallon batches.

[Rev. Jade]

Nowt on the go right now, but as soon as I have finished drinking the Old Bastard and the Sweet Bastard, it will be time to start brewing the Total Bastard.

What types of beers are those?
They sound like excellent names for Bitters or IPAs.

Old Bastard is a fairly strong old ale, rather burnt flavour due to black malt, very full malt balanced by somewhat fierce hops.

Sweet Bastard is an amber light bitter, and quite sweet.

Total Bastard will be a classic style IPA.

Got it!
Are you full-grain mashing or partial extract?

Full mash, 5 Imperial Gallon batches.

Nice!
Same here.
Did you build your mash tun yourself or buy it?

[Unsubtle Pete]

Nowt on the go right now, but as soon as I have finished drinking the Old Bastard and the Sweet Bastard, it will be time to start brewing the Total Bastard.

What types of beers are those?
They sound like excellent names for Bitters or IPAs.

Old Bastard is a fairly strong old ale, rather burnt flavour due to black malt, very full malt balanced by somewhat fierce hops.

Sweet Bastard is an amber light bitter, and quite sweet.

Total Bastard will be a classic style IPA.

Got it!
Are you full-grain mashing or partial extract?

Full mash, 5 Imperial Gallon batches.

Nice!
Same here.
Did you build your mash tun yourself or buy it?

Right now I don't have my own mash tun - I use my father's mash tun. It is built from a thermostatically controlled boiler originally intended for providing lots of water for mass production of tea. The water in the boiler acts as a water bath around the inner container, an ordinary brewing bucket. I'm moving to a new flat in July, so I am hoping to build a mash tun for myself then.

[Madasasteamfish]

My next most intriguing project (for the near future, probably September/October for next December) is a type of apple mead (it's called cyser) my next proper project is something called grocer's red, a red wine made from different jams.

I love apple mead!
That grocer's red sounds like a very interesting project...how long does it take to ferment and age?

Erm, can't quite remember. I think it takes about a week to ferment, then about another month or so to finish fermenting out, then the recipe recommends aging it for about a year. I'll have to check.

That's quite awhile for aging!
I hope you let us know how it ends up!

Yeah, but that's the recommendation from the recipe (the author recommends aging ALL of the wines for a year), and is only really necessary if you're planning on entering it in competitions in my experience. I usually age it for a couple of months maximum, and usually keep on or two bottles back to see how prolonged aging affects the taste of them. The only time I'm planning on aging anything that long is my next batch of mead.

Although speaking of interesting I'm actually planning on doing some Marrow 'rum' in the near future. Which uses a VERY interesting method.

[Professor Phineas Brownsm]

that all sounds really intresting..... the only experiance i have at the moment is Ginger beer..... have not got any on the go at the moment.

but am tempted into trying other real ales and what not

[Rev. Jade]

Marrow rum?
I've never heard of that.
Is it an actual kind of rum, or something else that people just call rum?

that all sounds really intresting..... the only experiance i have at the moment is Ginger beer..... have not got any on the go at the moment.

but am tempted into trying other real ales and what not

If you ever need any tips or anything, don't hesitate to ask!
I actually took a beer brewing course at college this semester.
It was pretty awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZPfZ_AL380&list=FLdATQGA-_M93hYdcEvkXxVA&feature=mh_lolz#
Did you guys know that it was this easy to disassemble and reassemble a keg?
I built myself a dual-tap keggerator for my 21st birthday; it held two 5.5 gallon kegs.
I figured that I would have more help drinking it than I actually did...
Long story short, I never returned the kegs to refill.
If I'd known it was this easy to take apart a keg I would have been kegging all of my brews!
My local homebrew store sells the regular homebrew-style kegging system, but they want around $120 dollars just for one keg.
It cost me less than that for a keg that was already full of beer!

[von Corax]

I figured they had to be easy to disassemble for cleaning.

As I understand it, most homebrewers who keg use Cornelius (soft-drink) kegs (which are smaller than standard Sankes) and use the Sankes for mash tuns and kettles. (This requires cutting out the top, which apparently can be very loud unless you have a plasma torch.)

Just wondering — do Sankes come in other sizes?

[Mercury Wells]

My Dear Rev.

Please be gracious enough to recieve my missive, re:- "Homemade Rum".

Your &c

Wells.

[Rev. Jade]

I figured they had to be easy to disassemble for cleaning.

As I understand it, most homebrewers who keg use Cornelius (soft-drink) kegs (which are smaller than standard Sankes) and use the Sankes for mash tuns and kettles. (This requires cutting out the top, which apparently can be very loud unless you have a plasma torch.)

Just wondering — do Sankes come in other sizes?

I always figured that they just had a machine that would attach like a regular keg tap and spray cleaning/sanitizing solution in it.
It doesn't really surprise me that it isn't too complicated, but I figured you'd need some kind of specialty tool to get the valve out.

I did read some stuff about using the Sankes for kettles, but the kegs I have would be pretty useless for that.
They're tall and thin, so it would be kind of a pain to use with my current setup.
However, using one as a mash tun may be a good idea...other than the lack of insulation may make it hard to keep it at the correct temperature.

As far as I know, most kegs come with a Sanke type connector, at least in the U.S.
Sanke just refers to the type of connector; more specifically the System "D" type of connector, but I also think the European type "S" connector is a Sanke type too.
My kegs are sixth barrels, but I know that half barrels can come with a Sanke connector so I imagine a quarter barrel would too.
Most of the time, it just depends on what the brewery uses.
In the US, most breweries use the type "D" but it's a little less common on imports.

My Dear Rev.

Please be gracious enough to recieve my missive, re:- "Homemade Rum".

Your &c

Wells.

I have received your message!
I'm assuming that "marrow" refers to coconut?
If not, I apologize for my ignorance.
This is new ground for me!

I wonder though, is there a rule against posting specifics (instructions, recipes, etc.) on the forum in general?
I would hate for anyone to get in trouble in the course of our brewing talk!

[Mercury Wells]

"Marrows" are Squashes in the US & Canada?

[Rev. Jade]

"Marrows" are Squashes in the US & Canada?

Ah!
Well now I feel rather stupid 
I just figured that with rum, it would be a coconut.

[Mercury Wells]

Another pm on its way.

[Rev. Jade]

Another pm on its way.

Got it!
Thank you!
That is a project that I just may have to try.

[Madasasteamfish]

Marrow rum?
I've never heard of that.
Is it an actual kind of rum, or something else that people just call rum?

Looks like I've been beaten to the punch but yeah it's called 'rum' but it isn't actually distilled. The method I'm using is the same one I think you've had explained to you. Basically just cut a hole in one end, then scoop out the seeds and pith and then pack the cavity with demmerara [sp] sugar, put in a bit of yeast and water then leave it somewhere warm for a while before fermenting it out.

[hexidecima]

My husband and I make a fair amount of beer and other potables.  You can see my reviews of what we've made, as well as what we've drank here on my blog: http://clubschadenfreude.wordpress.com/

I'd suggest sticking with my blog categories "from the back room", "from the kitchen" and "from the bar" if you don't want to see my political and religious ramblings.   

right now we have a dark cherry stout to be bottled from Northern Brewer:http://www.northernbrewer.com/ and have used some Brewer's Best kits too.  And just drank had an excellent Koko Brown, a coconut nut brown ale from Kona Brweing.

[Rev. Jade]

Marrow rum?
I've never heard of that.
Is it an actual kind of rum, or something else that people just call rum?

Looks like I've been beaten to the punch but yeah it's called 'rum' but it isn't actually distilled. The method I'm using is the same one I think you've had explained to you. Basically just cut a hole in one end, then scoop out the seeds and pith and then pack the cavity with demmerara [sp] sugar, put in a bit of yeast and water then leave it somewhere warm for a while before fermenting it out.

It seems like a very interesting project!
I may have to try it out one of these days.

My husband and I make a fair amount of beer and other potables.  You can see my reviews of what we've made, as well as what we've drank here on my blog: http://clubschadenfreude.wordpress.com/

I'd suggest sticking with my blog categories "from the back room", "from the kitchen" and "from the bar" if you don't want to see my political and religious ramblings.   

right now we have a dark cherry stout to be bottled from Northern Brewer: http://www.northernbrewer.com/ and have used some Brewer's Best kits too.  And just drank had an excellent Koko Brown, a coconut nut brown ale from Kona Brewing.

Thanks for the link!
I'll have to have a look around your blog.

I just the other day kegged an Irish Red Ale.
It was much easier and took far less time than filling ~60 bottles!
I'm looking forward to seeing how it tastes on-tap.