where's all the AG brewers gone

Frisp · Apr 14, 2012

I am still here but lurking , Busy Busy Busy, so busy in fact my brewkit is now under 6" of dust.. I still have plans to build my into a permanent brewery...
As for brewlength. I kinda wish I had stuck to 5 gallon brews, You can have a brewday every other week/ month and have a grand selection of ale kicking around... Whereas if you cook up say 80 or 100L batches you have to drink yourself silly.... (Hmmm just remembered why I upscaled)

As for the extra time brewing AG.... thats is a no brainer. The difference in the end product is worth every single second....

Baz Chaz · Apr 14, 2012

graysalchemy said:
At least there is not the apathy to AG brewing which I had feared .

I tend to have sessions where I brew 2 or 3 times to build up stock and when said stock starts to get down a bit have another brewing session, so its a bit 'fits and starts' :roll:

Since went over 'to the dark side' I've never considered a kit at all, my brews are all of a standard that I'm very pleased with these days, in fact without wanting to sound big headed, they might be getting even better : cheers:

.... oh and I don't give out as many samples as I used to

found I was giving too many away :nono:

orlando · Apr 14, 2012

I brewed kits in the 70's :sick: Last autumn made 10 gallons of cider from just apples crushed and pressed, thoroughly enjoyed the whole process but then realised that I would have to wait a whole year to do it again. I was thoroughly ****** of with drinking rubbish beer from supermarkets, some of which would be in the fridge for weeks before I could bring myself to drink them. Going down the pub was a mixed experience so I thought what about brewing beer :party: Joined here and Jim's bought GW's book BYOBRA and decide to go straight to the dark side, if I was going to do it, balls out was the only way. The forums and purchasing BeerSmith 2 were the best 2 decisions of Xmas last year, when I brewed my first AG brew, 8 more later and I'm hooked, the quality is quite astounding, I can't think of many DIY projects that can so often better commercial examples. So from now on it's beer :ugeek: for me. Kits are a gateway drug my friends, be careful out there, the dark side beckons :drink:

Mark1964 · Apr 14, 2012

we are here :thumb:

Cyclops · Apr 14, 2012

Im still here. Don't post as often as I could because normally have nothing good to say. :) brew length is currently 21L but planning on upgrading soon :)

BarnsleyBrewer · Apr 14, 2012

kanifee said:
Hope you don't mind me asking this in here but it seems appropriate place as any and no hijack intended.

What is the average brew size for you AG men? with brew days being several hours longer and far more involved than the kit ones do you tend to get it all in one big brew day or do you still do lots of smaller 23l batch's? Are 100L batch's the norm and does this go someway to interfering with your ability to brew as much as you would like?

I brew 59L which allows me to fill x2 corny kegs and bottle 5 gallon....

BB

orlando · Apr 14, 2012

Most I can do is 27l as I don't have an FV that is either bigger or would fit in my fridge/fermenter.

Farmbrew · Apr 14, 2012

I've still got my bin in bin mash tun from 1997! I use it more of the time and mostly for unconventional brews (which is nearly all of them! :nono: ). It's amazing I've paid for my original set-up 10s of times over in what I've saved on getting fizzy wash from the supermarket.

I have a 100L stainless (realistically I can only fit 80L of wort in the fermenter due to the Krausen) rig with a ~80L mash tun. I tend to use this once or twice a year for BBQ beers to take round friends parties etc.

I'm now on AG #98 although I've done more than this as I only count different beers - I went through a spell of trying to tweak beers then realised I should leave the fussing over consistency and flavour profile to commercial outfits...life's too short. Only 98 as having kids through a spanner in the works! :roll:

Dave1970 · Apr 14, 2012

orlando said:
Most I can do is 27l as I don't have an FV that is either bigger or would fit in my fridge/fermenter.

me too!

It's worth remembering that when people talk about long brewdays for AG it's not like it needs your full attention for the whole time. Once you've doughed in and got the temp right that's 90mins that you can go away & do something else (apart from popping back to put the sparge water on to heat). Sparging (at least the way I do it) does need me to stand over it. Once you have the boil on that's another 60-90 mins (apart from adding your hops) that you can do something else. Just make sure you have a timer to remind you when to do stuff.

The Goatreich · Apr 14, 2012

I joined this forum for advice with my first lager kit, and 7 months later thanks to the advice of the people on here I did my first AG brew. I didn't even know that kind of brewing existed before then.

2 brews in, and about to work out what I want to do for my third next week.

calumscott · Apr 14, 2012

orlando said:
Kits are a gateway drug my friends, be careful out there, the dark side beckons :drink:

LOL... Never a truer word...

Way back when, kits would put you off. Now they've improved they just make you wonder what's next...

evanvine · Apr 14, 2012

johnluc said:
the majority of posts on here seem to be all about kit brewing very few on AG

Too true!
I don't come on the the Forum very much now, can't be doing with the imaginary problems of simple kit brewing.

shearclass · Apr 14, 2012

Why demoise kits and kit brewers?

i brew kits.

I am as we speak looking at ordering a temp controller, and have made enquiries about getting a chiller. That will mean I have all the equipment i need to go extract.

If i wasn't skint, i wouldn't have started brewing kits. If I wasn't brewing kits, i wouldn't have got into extract.

Regardless of whether i one day have time to do full mash brews or stick with extract (will defo do extract by the end of may...), I will not join the minority of brewing snobs on this forum!

Kits and their brewers are fine, regardless of whether the quality is less than AG.

graysalchemy · Apr 14, 2012

evanvine said:
johnluc said:

the majority of posts on here seem to be all about kit brewing very few on AG

Click to expand...

Too true!
I don't come on the the Forum very much now, can't be doing with the imaginary problems of simple kit brewing.

A lot of the old crowd don't come on as often as before.

Brewing snob or not I haven't got time for questions on how to make 15% turbo or off your face soft drinks. However I have got time for less experienced brewers wanting to learn how to get a decent pint from their first kit. I probably spend a couple of hours a day responding to posts and reading new posts.

To me brewing beer is about making a pleasant enjoyable drink and the challenge and the freedom to make a brew specific to your palette, it was never about the cost . I remember a thread about about 12 months ago asking how much does it cost to brew, most AG's said about 20-30p a pint but it wasn't about cost.

There is quite a bit of mis information floating around much of it emanating from members not willing to listen to experience. This is not good for newcomers.

shearclass · Apr 14, 2012

graysalchemy said:
Brewing snob or not I haven't got time for questions on how to make 15% turbo or off your face soft drinks.

But you have got time to criticise the people who make these innocent posts? Just ignore them if it upsets you, simples.

graysalchemy · Apr 14, 2012

I don't criticise, I usually try and point out in the politest way how to make improvemnets. However I will challenge someone's mis information.

dennisking · Apr 14, 2012

graysalchemy said:
A lot of the old crowd don't come on as often as before.

Brewing snob or not I haven't got time for questions on how to make 15% turbo or off your face soft drinks. However I have got time for less experienced brewers wanting to learn how to get a decent pint from their first kit. I probably spend a couple of hours a day responding to posts and reading new posts.

To me brewing beer is about making a pleasant enjoyable drink and the challenge and the freedom to make a brew specific to your palette, it was never about the cost . I remember a thread about about 12 months ago asking how much does it cost to brew, most AG's said about 20-30p a pint but it wasn't about cost.

There is quite a bit of mis information floating around much of it emanating from members not willing to listen to experience. This is not good for newcomers.

Well said :clap: , I enjoy passing on my experiences both good and bad. Even after 30 years I am still learning and still eager to learn. There are people on this site a lot younger than me that already know more than me thats the way things go' I take my hat off to them. Must admit I don't answer kit questions as I've never done a kit and love hearing of brewers losing their virginity to AG and their descriptions of the first taste of said beer. I have shared my brewdays with prospective brewers which I find very rewarding and look forward to doing again in the future.

Baz Chaz · Apr 14, 2012

In August 2010 I joined the forum when I returned to home brewing (brewed some kits @ uni in the 70's :whistle: )

.. I tried a couple of kits and after reading a lot of the AG stuff decided to give it a go :thumb: never looked back : cheers:

personally there have been a number of members who have been a great deal of help, readily giving out tips/hints and ideas that have been well tried and tested :!:

I would think there's very little that the combined experience of some of the 'older hands' on here haven't come across and even on odd occasions I'll offer my two penneth if I've found something that works for me :!:

Forums such as this are a goldmine of information and members willing to help anyone who's prepared to listen and in turn hopefully add their knowledge to the forum :thumb:

dennisking · Apr 14, 2012

I have a friend, also with over 30 years brewing experience, who won't come on forums any more because he got frustrated with some of the bad advise being given. It's a shame because he's a font of knowledge.

graysalchemy · Apr 14, 2012

That is what has made this forum so good, unfortunately if the old hands are loosing interest then that is a shame. And I think this is because of a new generation of brewers using the site who do not have the same ethos or brewing interest making the site less atractive to members who have been around a while.

But at the end of the day a forum is a evolutionary thing, people come and go and the consensus changes.

where's all the AG brewers gone

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