What's the 1 bit of advice you wish someone had given you, which you'd pass on to a new brewer?

mgrds · May 21, 2018

MickDundee said:
I thought spraymalt was DME?

Depend how you use the initials DME ...
I 've noticed a frew more recent Brewers more often from the US using these initials to mean "dried malt extract" in which case it is the same as Spraymalt.
- they often take it as contrasted to LME - liquid malt extract

Older brewerssometimes use DME (or DMS) and the one I grew up with is Diastatic Malt Extract/Syrup - which means a Malt extract that preserves the diastase.
It can be used as a base malt in recipes as the enzymes can break down the starches in adjunct grains which be added. a common
In the UK it was often supplied by The English Diastatic Malt Extract Company whose name was changed to EDME Ltd in the 1990's
I made a couple of recipes this way but quickly decided to revert to all grain brewing.

The rise of all grain brewing and the availability of larger quantities of base malts to home brewers has reduced the demand for DME (Diastatic Malt extract) in Homebrew supplies so the usaeage of DME to dried malt extract has taken over .

Worth bearing in mind when using recipes from older brewers though - brewing is full of brewers using the same name to refer to totally different products - even teh end result of the brewing!

Titanic · May 21, 2018

Patience is the home brewers best friend.

Duxuk · May 22, 2018

As soon as you've bottled/kegged, get another brew going.

GerritT · May 24, 2018

Duxuk said:
As soon as you've bottled/kegged, get another brew going.

That's not how the NASA does it. They make sure there's at least one supply failure possible between successful supply missions. So I'll rephrase you: HAVE another brew halfway as soon as you're bottling one brew. Wouldn't want to be back to Tesco cans, would we?

NIGHTSKY BREWING · May 26, 2018

Yeast .... learn Yeast... Learn and more Yeast learning.

AleofWight · Jun 11, 2018

You're going to need a bigger pot.

3FJ · Jun 12, 2018

mgrds said:
OK here goes
- aim to brew what you like not what someone tells you you should like
- take your time - let beer ferment fully and slowly - give it time to condition and clear and you'll taste the difference
- go for full grain mash as soon as you can ! Its the most important step in your brewing learning and takes you into a whole new dimension
- learn to brew a good balanced barley malt based brew before playing round too much with novelty additions - everything is better if you got your basic brew right !

don't get cocky - I've been brewing since childhood (yes) and I'm now in my 60's - I have constantly experimented and taken on new ideas Many of the "new ideas" in the craft beer movement have actually been round for years. Some were fads 40, 50 , 60 years ago . Impatient newer brewers have always tried shorter mash times and shorter boil times. You can get away with it but it almost never results in superior brew.

Some new brewers get obsessed with either going for higher alcohol content or more recently for massively over hopping - if you like that fine - but remember long term satisfaction usually lies in subtlety depth and balance and beer.

Beers that "shout" may get attention for a short time - but we soon tire of them .

Personally as my brewing experience has grown I use a lower hop rate, use less adjuncts, pay more attention and experiment more with mash temperatures and durations. I'm returning more to the classic hop types and eschewing the high alpha acid varieties
Its also helpful to know that the classic brewing traditions German , Belgian, British grew up to match their local barley, hops water and climate.
They are different

Finally I find the craft beer movement a mixed bag. there are some excellent brews, but their are also people brewing **** and hoping a craft ale label will market it (it ever was so !) Go by taste and not the label!

But take all the above in the light of my first comment "aim to brew what you like not what someone tells you you should like" and feel free ignore anything that does not match YOUR taste !

Here here

3FJ · Jun 12, 2018

Also, not trawling back through to find original post but something along the lines of "teaspoon per bottle is not a rule of thumb". No. No it is not.

On a related note; StPeters bottles- do not try to reuse these. They are glass grenades.

foxbat · Jun 12, 2018

3FJ said:
On a related note; StPeters bottles- do not try to reuse these. They are glass grenades.

What did you put in them? I've got a couple in my collection that I've reused a few times. No more than 2.0 vols of CO2 each time though. You're making me nervous now.

Birkin · Jun 15, 2018

Do your research before you start, then keep this in mind.

Beer used to be brewed in cellars by people with a fraction of the knowledge that you have, and it was fine.

Don't panic, relax and just think of it all as a fun experiment.

Of you do that, the great beer just seems like a massive bonus!

Viking Alchemist · Jun 15, 2018

Keep notes in a hard backed note pad (it wipes clean much easier and protects your notes more than a cheap one). Just write it all down on paper and keep it together. it will save you time in the future, a lot of time.

or never stand naked near your boil kettle

svenito · Jun 15, 2018

Don't be afraid. Just do what ever it is you want to do. Failure is the first step to perfection.

hop-a-long · Jun 15, 2018

Use oat or rice husks in your mash when brewing with sticky grains like rye.
It cost me 3 stuck mashes before I found out what I was supposed to do differently.

welly3 · Jun 15, 2018

Fermentation temperature control! The difference between an OK beer and a great beer (assuming everything else is right)

Gerryjo · Jun 15, 2018

Dont buy cheap **** on FleaBay as they will mess you around...

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

Dutto · Jun 16, 2018

Let the brews mature for at least two weeks before drinking; and the easiest way to do this is to reach and maintain "Critical Mass".

"Critical Mass" being sufficient beer conditioning on the shelves to allow you the time to plan and carry out your next brew (plus a bit extra so that you can cope with brews that require longer to condition and the odd "failure").

Oneflewover · Jun 16, 2018

Dutto said:
Let the brews mature for at least two weeks before drinking; and the easiest way to do this is to reach and maintain "Critical Mass".

"Critical Mass" being sufficient beer conditioning on the shelves to allow you the time to plan and carry out your next brew (plus a bit extra so that you can cope with brews that require longer to condition and the odd "failure").

I've seen the photos you posted of your 'critical mass' @Dutto and it looks like you are planning for a world beer shortage

Mungri · Jun 16, 2018

Use an old FV or builders trug when bottling. I used to spread bin bags around where I was bottling, but the beer always found a way to the floor.
I think it was Gerryjo who recommended this.
It's one less thing to stress about on botting day.

Gerryjo · Jun 16, 2018

Mungri said:
Use an old FV or builders trug when bottling. I used to spread bin bags around where I was bottling, but the beer always found a way to the floor.
I think it was Gerryjo who recommended this.
It's one less thing to stress about on botting day.

Aye even stumped @Dutto with that one....

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

ElvisIsBeer · Jun 16, 2018

Dutto said:
Let the brews mature for at least two weeks before drinking; and the easiest way to do this is to reach and maintain "Critical Mass".

"Critical Mass" being sufficient beer conditioning on the shelves to allow you the time to plan and carry out your next brew (plus a bit extra so that you can cope with brews that require longer to condition and the odd "failure").

this is something I'm particularly appreciating once starting AG brewing.

What's the 1 bit of advice you wish someone had given you, which you'd pass on to a new brewer?

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