Help! I think im obsessed! Whats your homebrew story?

[RoboBrewBot5000]

I started brewing around September of 2021 and have since brewed probably around 30 times. Starting out with a Coopers 86 Days Pilsner kit and (things quickly escalated) to moved on to BIAB All Grain brewing based on a somewhat cobbled together system. I don't typically adjust my water profile (I'm in SUFFOLK, but for some reason my water seems to work pretty well unadjusted for most styles - for me at least). I think one day, I'll progress to RO machine and a much larger (read: more professional) setup, but for the time being I'm happy just experimenting and brewing (some) great beer I really enjoy.

For me, at the moment that's mostly either pilsners or American Pales/IPAs.

That's, me...what about you?! What's your homebrewing story...

 

[RoboBrewBot5000]

Oh and did I mention, I'm absolutely obsessed about this hobby. Cannot get enough of it. Looking for a local homebrew club if anyone knows of any in and around the Cambridge area.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Oh and did I mention, I'm absolutely obsessed about this hobby. Cannot get enough of it. Looking for a local homebrew club if anyone knows of any in and around the Cambridge area.

Have a look here -

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/forums/competitions-meetups-bottle-swaps-events.25/

 

[Sadfield]

Around 2012 I started encountering Saisons very occasionally locally or at beer festivals, then and a friend organised a twitter related day of Saison appreciation under the hashtag #supsaison getting bars and bottle shops involved, I was hooked. Over the following year I was frustrated with the scarcity of this style. Having discovered that the local craft brewer started out as a homebrewer, as it never crossed my mind that all grain brewing could be done at home, I started getting the gear together to have a crack at brewing. Thinking, IF I could brew a Saison half as good as Dupont it would fill gap in drinking the styles that I couldn't buy regularly. Which is pretty much what I do now, given the market saturation for soft, hazy, new world juice bombs and confectionary stouts.

 

[RoboBrewBot5000]

Around 2012 I started encountering Saisons very occasionally locally or at beer festivals, then and a friend organised a twitter related day of Saison appreciation under the hashtag #supsaison getting bars and bottle shops involved, I was hooked. Over the following year I was frustrated with the scarcity of this style. Having discovered that the local craft brewer started out as a homebrewer, as it never crossed my mind that all grain brewing could be done at home, I started getting the gear together to have a crack at brewing. Thinking, IF I could brew a Saison half as good as Dupont it would fill gap in drinking the styles that I couldn't buy regularly. Which is pretty much what I do now, given the market saturation for soft, hazy, new world juice bombs and confectionary stouts.

I brewed my first saison earlier this month. Not sure at the moment so I've shoved it in a dark corner of the garage to forget about and we'll see what happens!

 

[Stevieboy]

I've been brewing all my life really - watching my Grandfather and Father - made just about every thing there is except sprits - all the country wines, grown my own grapes, all grain beer brewing, you name it! I don't brew too much these days, mainly due to space constraints, but I keep my hand in. Certainly have been addicted in the past though!

 

[damienair]

I started over two years ago. A lockdown project. And I love it. Done about 25 brews so far. All kits. I recently started doing Full Extract Kits where I steep the grains first. Results have been brilliant. I still have a very basic system, 2 x fermentation buckets and a 9 litre stock pot. And I bottle my beers. Basic but it works. I’m still learning and I’m very popular with my next door neighbour for some reason.

 

[Deadhead]

Started about 8 years ago. (Well about 17 years ago I used a kit that was not very good and it put me off for a while!) - Hubby and I were wandering around a local shop that has all kinds of random things like cooking, cleaning, tools, hardware, gardening and a homebrew section. And we saw the wine kits and went, 'Oh we could do that!' - and so we did. We made a wine kit and a bitter kit.
Given that I'm an engineer, I immediately needed to go and do it myself and started to upgrade! Hubby occasionally makes a wine kit, but I am all about the beer making. I've done a lot of tinkering, from a partial mash, then a zap a pap type of system, then a coolbox mash tun, to a herms type of system, to a Grainfather G30 when they first came out. I have been using that for many years now. Upgraded to the Grainfather conical fermenter/glycol chiller system a few years ago. I just love the process control of everything and watching on my phone. And water chemistry and pH and everything in between.
I still don't keg yet though for a few different reasons.
But, my beers have won medals in competitions. I am a happy soul.

 

[dad_of_jon]

I brewed my first saison earlier this month. Not sure at the moment so I've shoved it in a dark corner of the garage to forget about and we'll see what happens!

Saisons appreciate a bit of aging

My brewing journey started 15th November 2014. - Warning : This the story of an addictive past-time making an addictive product.

Son was bought a home brewing starter kit (tom caxtons) by his best friend and I helped my lad out with it.
Whilst the first beer was not great it was beer and drinkable. The bug bit. A couple of years on my Ris-key business got through to the final of the Brewdog homebrew competition. 7th out of 312? entries. This was a time when all Brewdogs beers were knocking it out of the park. It was great to know that I could brew something good and it not just being a case of 'I like what I brew because I brewed it'. Saying that it is fantastic being able to brew what you want, or to brew something you can't get anywhere else. It isn't all amazing success and that's part of the excitement. I've not really mastered DIPA's or NEIPA's but as long as they are still easy to get hold of good quality ones, I'll just buy those. I haven't had to ditch a batch to date in the 77 brews I've done (just cursed myself now ) but accidents can happen.

This year I finally managed to brew an Aventinus clone. It's been on my to-do list and at the third attempt I have something just as good (or better according to 2 testers who know Aventinus ) as it. Knocking out a clone of your favorite beer is also a great feeling. Aventinus is quite hard to get hold of for me so I wanted to do my own.

All of this has been done with a bog standard plastic FV and mostly by using dried malt extract instead of all-grain (AG) brewing. But I do kits occasionally and also use grains for more complex brews a couple of times a year. There is so much scope in homebrewing to go in whichever direction and level of detail you want to. If time/space/money aren't ideal again you can adapt to the circumstances you find yourself in. Beer loves to be brewed.

Enjoy the journey and if you end up P155ed and broke don't say you weren't warned

 

[RoboBrewBot5000]

Saisons appreciate a bit of aging

My brewing journey started 15th November 2014. - Warning : This the story of an addictive past-time making an addictive product.

Son was bought a home brewing starter kit (tom caxtons) by his best friend and I helped my lad out with it.
Whilst the first beer was not great it was beer and drinkable. The bug bit. A couple of years on my Ris-key business got through to the final of the Brewdog homebrew competition. 7th out of 312? entries. This was a time when all Brewdogs beers were knocking it out of the park. It was great to know that I could brew something good and it not just being a case of 'I like what I brew because I brewed it'. Saying that it is fantastic being able to brew what you want, or to brew something you can't get anywhere else. It isn't all amazing success and that's part of the excitement. I've not really mastered DIPA's or NEIPA's but as long as they are still easy to get hold of good quality ones, I'll just buy those. I haven't had to ditch a batch to date in the 77 brews I've done (just cursed myself now ) but accidents can happen.

This year I finally managed to brew an Aventinus clone. It's been on my to-do list and at the third attempt I have something just as good (or better according to 2 testers who know Aventinus ) as it. Knocking out a clone of your favorite beer is also a great feeling. Aventinus is quite hard to get hold of for me so I wanted to do my own.

All of this has been done with a bog standard plastic FV and mostly by using dried malt extract instead of all-grain (AG) brewing. But I do kits occasionally and also use grains for more complex brews a couple of times a year. There is so much scope in homebrewing to go in whichever direction and level of detail you want to. If time/space/money aren't ideal again you can adapt to the circumstances you find yourself in. Beer loves to be brewed.

Enjoy the journey and if you end up P155ed and broke don't say you weren't warned

If you're going to take the time and effort to get good at doing something, it may as well be brewing beer.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I first started mid to late 70s with kits, then had a 30 year break marriage kids mortgage took over fast forward 2019, on the net one night and stumbled on a vid on yt on making beer, the fuse was lit, i was retired lots of time on my hands so i bought a starter kit it came with an American amber i was hooked, i then went brew in a bag all grain and was amazed at the beer i could make, i now have a brewzilla gen 3,4 kegs, 2 all rounder pressure fv's, a fridge and 2 gas bottles and other stuff, i love it

 

[Robin54]

Ive been brewing since the late 60's started using Tm Caxton kits. Big hiatus in the 90's when the kids were young and now - the last 10 years been at it hammer and tongs. In fact bottled and brewed today. Must admit I only make tried and tested clone recipes. Im lucky that my small ebay business pays for it all.

 

[Braufather]

i had a sort of Damascus moment. i had a cynical view on craft beer, thought yanks calling their beer IPA was sacrilege and thought homebrew was just cheap rocker fuel. Then visiting a mate in around 2016 i tried one of his from a kit and was well impressed., and about that time a craft ale bar opened around the corner from my office next to my bus stop ( very dangerous that) and with a couple of months i jumped straight in at all grain brewing (mainly american styles) and have nver looked back!

 

[JustJordds]

Me and my friends started September 2022 after reading DIY Dog and thinking it couldn’t be that hard

Have done 6 brews so far and planning more, we BIAB and have been making our own recipes up as we go (apart from our first one)

Really enjoying it so far and can’t wait to get back to it!

 

[Bogdweller]

Started brewing all grain BIAB 1979 when just married as I couldn't afford pubs (not that there was much good beer around then!)
Dave Line 'Brewing beers like those you buy', a Bruheat and 2 king kegs got me on my way. Many years 4 kids later, being a shift worker and not living near a decent pub saw my production become a regular 3 brews a month and I have no idea how the Bruheat lasted until 2016!
I then moved on to a Peco boiler and did 60 odd brews, now all for bottles, in that until the electronic control became dangerous and I finally succumbed to an All In One and now brew 50/ 50 keg and bottles.
The irony is, I now live in a country village within a 40 second walk of two really good pubs which I can now afford to drink in but the homebrew is still a passion!

 

[JockyBrewer]

Oh and did I mention, I'm absolutely obsessed about this hobby. Cannot get enough of it. Looking for a local homebrew club if anyone knows of any in and around the Cambridge area.

Try Cambridge craft brewers: Cambridge Craft Brewers (Private Group) | Facebook as a starting point.

 

[Birdsnestbrewery]

I was going to mention them too. Only about 4 meets a year but I think there are other events. I went along for the first time this week.
https://www.cambridgebrewers.co.uk/

 

[RoboBrewBot5000]

Try Cambridge craft brewers: Cambridge Craft Brewers (Private Group) | Facebook as a starting point.

Ta will do

 

[RoboBrewBot5000]

Me and my friends started September 2022 after reading DIY Dog and thinking it couldn’t be that hard

Have done 6 brews so far and planning more, we BIAB and have been making our own recipes up as we go (apart from our first one)

Really enjoying it so far and can’t wait to get back to it!

I've done a mixture of Greg Hughes recipes and my own. Generally, quite impressed with the GH recipes. Have had mixed results on some of my own recipes...although a few great ones. Got an American IPA in the FV currently and planning a German Pilsner brew day for this weekend.

 

[JustJordds]

I've done a mixture of Greg Hughes recipes and my own. Generally, quite impressed with the GH recipes. Have had mixed results on some of my own recipes...although a few great ones. Got an American IPA in the FV currently and planning a German Pilsner brew day for this weekend.

Nice! I genuinely have next to no idea what I’m doing when making my own recipes but it’s giving me better ideas as to what has gone well or hasn’t! I want to get a few more books on HOW to build a recipe so I can get better.

This weekend we are brewing a NEIPA and then we want to iterate on one of our older recipes to see if we can do it better this time.

Just recently bought a fridge to make a temp controlled fermenting area and then after that want to look at kegging/ building a keezer.

We haven’t tried lagers/pilsners yet so you’ll have to let me know how it goes!