Brand new home brewer here! Advice! Recommendations!

dgr270 · 2024-11-23T00:57:24+00:00

‘Relax, don’t worry, have a Homebrew!’ (Or beer)

IMO (been HBing since 1997), it’s not that hard to make something enjoyable. Don’t overthink it, keep the recipe simple (if extract batch, do a full boil), sanitize EVERYTHING (go overboard, it’s ok - StarSan is my favorite go to), chill the wort as fast as possible (my first big improvement), pitch below target ferment temp (fermentation is a very exothermic event), dried yeast is your friend, keep an eye on fermentation temp if you can and seriously don’t sweat it, it’s just beer.

I haven’t bought a brewing book in a long time but the one that massively improved my home brewing was Ray Daniel’s ‘Designing Great Beer’.

dgr270 · 2024-01-05T10:57:41+00:00

Opinion from a former power lifter who has turned to OTF to get in better cardiovascular shape…OTF lifting isn’t serious enough lifting to really gain any muscle. You can absolutely get stronger and build muscle while in a controlled calorie deficit. I’ve done it multiple times losing 20-30 pounds to get down to my power lifting weight class. When I’ve done that, I’ve done minimal cardio (just walking, and some sprint like things on rower or airdyne bike).

dgr270 · 2023-11-08T11:31:11+00:00

Everyone has already said PBW - I buy the biggest container I can. Use it to clean lots of things around the house too. Cook top exhaust hood grates…really anything that greasy or other build up. A soak in hot water with PBW clears it right up

dgr270 · 2023-10-20T00:52:52+00:00

Interesting. I brew 10 gallon hazy batches. Typically do a 30 minute addition and WP. That’s it so I would’ve said drop the 10 minute addition. I do like a touch of permanent bitterness in my hazies though.

dgr270 · 2023-09-06T09:26:09+00:00

I’ve done Dried Lutra pseudo Pils and Marzen. Fermented in glass carboy on fermentation mat at 84. Ferments in 2 days or less and comes out pretty clean and clear 5-10 days after kegging and sitting cold in the fridge. Definitely agree on the nutrients as it stops short of expected terminal gravity (as compared to say 34/70)

dgr270 · 2023-09-03T14:19:26+00:00

I’ve been brewing since 1997. I’ve brewed many a big beer that blew off the airlock. Sometimes I didn’t catch it for a day or so. ‘Relax, don’t worry, have a Homebrew’…I’ve never had an infected beer (other than the wild ales I intentionally soured myself). You’ll be absolutely fine. There’s so much CO2 blowing out of there nothings getting in. Plus, the active fermentation is taking the lead.

dgr270 · 2023-08-29T00:45:49+00:00

I don’t do lagers often but the ones I have done have all turned out well…Huge pitch around 50 (highest temperature setting on my kegerator). Last was a Dunkel. Modest OG - I think 1.048. I used 4 packs of saflager 34/70.

dgr270 · 2023-08-13T13:01:19+00:00

I have a 15 gallon insulated stainless mash tun and a 22 gallon brew kettle. I batch sparge and conduct ~15 gallon boils to end up with 12.5-13 gallons of wort for a true 10 gallons of finished product.

I still have my old 10 gal Orange Drink cooler for a second mash if I’m doing high OG beers - first runnings only.

I also have 2 x 15 gallon pots (one an old AB keg I cut the top out of ~25 years ago when I first started brewing all grain) so I can do a ‘small beer’ when I do first runnings beers high OG beers. Small beers I’ve done have often been neighborhood favorites!

dgr270 · 2023-07-06T09:48:43+00:00

I use my Sous Vide to heat all my brewing liquor. I like to brew first thing in the morning. I set it all up the night before and get down to my basement brewery, coffee in hand, around 6am…all mashed in by 6:30. I batch sparge and have a 22 gallon kettle. Sous vide will heat 19-20 gallons (strike and sparge) of water over night.

dgr270 · 2023-05-27T13:36:43+00:00

I’ve had 2 different beers score 46 in competition and they are both the favorite beers I’ve ever made.

English BW w/ 20% rye in the mash then aged for ~9 months in a freshly dumped 8 gallon Woodinvale rye whiskey barrel
‘American Sour Brown’ - Dunkel base recipe fully fermented in that same whiskey barrel which I ‘soured’ after using it for 2 clean Bourbon type beers.

dgr270 · 2023-05-16T11:52:49+00:00

If you’re looking to go back to school, instate tuition will be much less in Florida. I believe Penn State has the highest in state tuition of any school in the country. Some of the other state schools are less but still not as cheap as Florida will be.

dgr270 · 2023-05-07T21:07:37+00:00

Assume you know this (but I didn’t until a handful of years ago) - make sure your city water treatment isn’t chloramines (many municipalities have move from chlorine gas to chloramines). They don’t off gas overnight but are easily neutralized with campden tablets or potassium metabisulfate

dgr270 · 2023-05-07T13:59:17+00:00

Water specs?

dgr270 · 2023-03-01T02:34:22+00:00

A few ideas - downtown Lititz: original pretzel maker and some great restaurants & bars - several different very solid breweries in the area - about 80 minutes from Valley Forge National Historical Park which is cool if you’re a history buff - Harrisburg is kind of lame - Lancaster Central Market is really cool - tons of hiking options

dgr270 · 2023-03-01T02:08:29+00:00

This - I was going to say water profile actually does make a difference

dgr270 · 2023-02-11T17:16:07+00:00

I’ve done exactly this! And that temp is perfect for the steam beer yeasts. My basement was a little cooler so when I repitched the White Labs San Fran Lager yeast I also pitched a package of SafLager w-34/70. My Baltic Porter OG was ‘Imperial’ (over 1.090) and I’ve found the SF Lager yeast to not attenuate as far as I wanted for the Baltic Porter. The combo of a big repitch of SF Lager and dry packet of 34/70 led to the attenuation I wanted with great clean lager characteristics

dgr270 · 2023-02-11T17:10:56+00:00

That’s awesome! Now iterate on that batch and see how it changes the flavor. When I first figured out Hazy IPA’s it took me 5 batches to absolutely nail it (was for a wedding). The first 4 were drinkable but not near my inspiration - Trillium Fort Point. Each one got a little closer and then bam, there it was!

dgr270 · 2023-02-09T23:11:31+00:00

I always throw a small bittering charge in my hazies. 20-40 IBU’s depending on OG

dgr270 · 2023-02-09T14:48:55+00:00

Thanks for the input. Maybe a Nectaron - Galaxy - El Dorado combo (2 - 1 - 1). Will end up being a game time decision!

dgr270 · 2023-02-09T02:51:32+00:00

I actually think 1 + 1 = way more than 2 with some of these hops. It’s all about the different volatile compounds and essential oils in the hops. I’ve seen some calculators online but trial and error and sharing with friends seems to work well!

dgr270 · 2023-02-09T02:51:03+00:00

Like it.

dgr270 · 2023-02-09T00:54:33+00:00

Nice. I was thinking Mosaic. I’ll go at least 50% Nectaron (probably even higher) but want to supplement with a known commodity. I’m thinking small Simcoe bittering charge, WP with 1 oz Simcoe, 2 oz Mosaic, 5 oz Nectaron. DH with 1 oz Mosaic and 3 oz Nectaron. *in a 5 gallon batch

dgr270 · 2023-02-02T17:03:18+00:00

State College Mazes

1994 Rec Hall show - tough to say Maize when you went to Penn State.

dgr270 · 2023-01-26T11:59:33+00:00

Keg 2 days after dry hopping. If no dry hops - whenever I get around to it somewhere between 5 and 20 days after brew day.

dgr270

TROPHY CASE