How Many Batches are you Brewing

[kevin]

I'm a newbie and just moved my first batch of porter to my secondary. Now I want to make a second batch but doesn't that make me look overconsumuis or just am I hooked into the new world of homebrewing??

I use a plastic primary if I go with a glass carboy primary does it need to have a blow-off.

[Payson]

I always keep my equipment occupied, I've got 2 batches going as we speak and another underway this weekend. Idle brewing equipment is the Devils playground! As far as the secondary is concerned, I use an airlock unless I add fruit or other fermentables when I transfer. A blow off tube could always be used instead of an airlock though. No problems yet. Good luck and get you primary back to work!

[sallad]

i've got two 6.5gal carboys for primaries, and two 5gal for secondaries. when you fill a 6.5gal carboy to only about 5 gallons, you don't need to worry to much about blow off.

unfortunately, somehow all my carboys are empty at the moment.... i've been away every single weekend for over a month now, and the time to brew just usually doesn't show itself during the week. hopefully, i'll be brewing like a mad man the next couple weekends! its been nearly 2 months since i've brewed!! :mad:

[wortchillergoal]

You will come to terms with how many batches to have going at once. I don't have the opportunity to enjoy beer as much as I might like. Compared to some of these gents, they would be a marco brewery and I would be a small sesonal brewpub. It doesn't matter as long as you are happy with your output of this great beverage. No you don't need to use a blow off tube unless you are fermenting a big beer or using a yeast starter instead of pitching from the package.

[quantum24]

i try to keep my carboys filled as well, i have two primaries and 3 secondaries. i do this mostly because i really enjoy brewing. that said one problem i do run into is having enough storage space for all that beer. which brings up a question, if i can not store all of my extra beer cold in my freezer is it ok to keep it warm? i assume that it is ok, but not ideal, as long as it isnt for to long? not to steal the thread, but do you all think about this/do.

[mcarlson74]

Kevin I agree with wortchillergoal on this one. You really only need a blow off tube if you are brewing big beers. I made a Barley Wine once (I brew in a bucket too) that looked like it was going to explode my primary. It decided to spew itself all over the place out threw the airlock. So my rule of thumb is big beers blow off tube regular stuff air lock is fine.


quantum24 as far as keeping your beer warm until you drink it is what I do and have had no problems yet. Although I only brew ales so I am not too sure about this with Lagers. I would probably imagine that this would not be a good idea with them. The fact that they have to cold ferment alone would lead me to believe that you probably need to keep them in the fridge.

[danno]

I was reading a thread on another board titled "You know you're a homebrewer when...", and one of the answers was "20 gallons of beer doesn't seem like that much any more". I have to totally agree. I have a 6 tap corny setup (4 beers, 2 sodas) in my garage, last weekend we hit bottom on two of my 4 beers. now, panic is ensuing... only two beers to serve to my friends? what will they think of me? :eek:

[paul84043]

No, your not being excessive, or obsessive...
I have two 6.5 gal primaries, 4 - 5 gal. secondaries, and two plastic conicals.
I have had them all full pretty much constantly right up until just a month or two ago. It's been so busy this summer, I have hardly had time to do anything other than drink my beer.
I have about 20 cases in the basement aging, so I'm not in too much danger of running out...but you can't just let stuff like beer go...gotta keep up production.

I just made a Black and Tan yesterday, I have a Hefeweizen that desperately needs to get bottled, and a barleywine that the jury is still out on it being ready to bottle.

As for storing lagers "warm" I hope you mean at least in the basement??? No problem...I have done it with a couple batches and it worked fine.

I'm going to order two or three more kits this week, have them by next week, and brew like hell for a couple of days...

[mmmBeer...]

I have the equipment to brew 7 batches at a time (stuff picked up garage saleing). However, 5 batches seems to be about the best I can handle at a time and still have a life outside of work and brewing.

I use 6.5 gallon carboys for everything, and have needed a blow off tube for every batch. This became even more important when I switched from dry yeast to liquid, and even more so when I started washing and reusing my yeast (thar she blows!!!!)

I currently have 3 on the go…one Creemore clone ready to bottle, and honey pilsner and a trappist style beer that both went into secondary about 20 min ago. Even with this I still feel behind in production!
:D

[Beerconnoisseur]

I have 2 6.5 gal. carboys that I use for primary + secondary fermentation. I try to keep at least 1 batch brewing at all times, but sometimes, I have to be careful when I brew 2 or more at a time. Since I drink most of my own stuff, there's a bit of a limit when it comes to how much I can brew at one time without the danger of becoming an alcoholic.

ATM, I have one fermenting, one bottled/aging, and another I will brew within the next week. Oh, and another ingredient pack as well. :)

[kevin]

Man am I glad I found this website you guy are great. Now I got a great excuse for telling the wifey why I need to make more beer, it's all part of this great hobby.

[toneyc]

Yup. Right now I have two 5-gallon batches of beer going, two 5-gallon batches of mead going, a 1-gallon batch of cyser, and 1-gallon batch of the "Liquid Sex Mead" going.

Speaking of justifying things.... Wifey is really happy with the savings gained through parallel yeast propagation. My last recipe kit was only $14, instead of $19. So I was reading one of the threads here on all-grain brewing and it was mentioned that all-grain recipes are cheaper so I started looking into that. I told Wifey that the same recipe in all-grain would have only been $10. The only question she had was "How much is the equipment you need?"

:)
Toney.

[mcarlson74]

mmmbeer I have a question. Where in the world do you live that you were able to pick up home brew equipment at garage sales??? Where ever it is I think I need to move!!! :D

[paul84043]

Hey Toney, are those pictures of you, or are you slowly cycling through your high school yearbook??

You really do save quite a bit by making your own beer, plus, you make better beer than you can typically buy anywhere except maybe for the really good microbrews.
And..you get the satisfaction of making it yourself, the envy of all your buddies (that all begin to ask you to sel it to them).
The diversity is great, even repeat batches all seem to taste different, so far that has been a good thing because it's all been good!!

You can do the math and figure out how much you need to keep from having to buy any beer at the store.
I just play it on the safe side and keep a ridiculous amount in the basement at all times. It's my food storage...

You probably should have at least enough equipment to sustain the one batch a week theory for a while to build up your stock. That would be one Primary and two secondaries, plus a bottling bucket.

We need a new-brewer FAQ, because there really are alot of great suggestions here that would streamline the whole process right out of the gate.

[mmmBeer...]

mcarlson74, I live in Ottawa Canada, and I just seemed to get lucky a while ago! There seems to have been a whole pile of people here who decided to give winemaking a try and give it up after a few batches, so I have managed to pickup 6.5 gallon carboys for about $8 each, I now have 8 of them! My wife usually drags me out and bores me with the garage sales, but when I stumble across brew stuff, that just makes my day!

Brewing more beer is really a question of how many carboys and airlocks you have, as the rest is only used during the cooking or bottling process…so I got one of everything, and all those carboys!

The only question she had was "How much is the equipment you need?"

Toneyc, I get that all the time! I see something new that will reduce costs, then she says…”but what does it cost?” I am still trying to sell her on the concept that we need a beer fridge so I can buy a kegging system…

[sallad]

Brewing more beer is really a question of how many carboys and airlocks you have

and make sure you have an airlock for each carboy, plus a couple extra.. right about when i bought my second carboy (plus, i was still using a plastic bucket for primary), i started also using starters. somehow, between all the ferementers, i came up short an airlock and had to run out and buy one in the middle of brewing. luckily, my local shop is not far!

[toneyc]

Paul: Yep, that's me. I had to get a haircut because I'm looking for a new job, I'm tired of the one I have. Actually, I'm tired of living in Texas and am trying to move to Northeastern Ohio. It was 101* here yesterday.

mmmBeer: After I told her that one of the mash tuns I was looking at was $45, she said, "well, that's 9 batches..." My thoughts were "Woe is me, to have to drink 9 batches of beer... If this is torture, somebody nail me to the wall!"

:)
Toney.

[mmmBeer...]

Sallad...good advice! I too have had to run out mid brew to pick stuff up. I now get everything out before I start to brew and make sure it is all there and in good shape.

Although since I use a blowoff tube, being short one airlock is not a big deal at least for the first 48 hours.

LMAO Toney! I feel the same way...drink more beer to bring the overall cost down...geeze twist my rubber arm!

[barley ben]

I don't know if ingredients are more expensive in Jersey(everything else seems to be). I have never made a batch for under $25-$30. I've spent as much as $60 on a batch, but that was my biggest one so far. Is there any stuff you buy in bulk that makes things a bit cheaper. I always buy the corn sugar and sanitzers in bulk but I never really see anything else in bulk unless you are a all-grainer. I do extract and partial mashes. Every batch I do I go out and buy the extract, grains,and yeast.

[kevin]

I was kind of force to go and buy more airlock, since my dog is also interested in my hobby. chomp-chomp

[barley ben]

As hard as it may be, try to keep them away. I have two dogs and two things I have learned(1) dogs love beer(2)dogs really really love homebrew and will do anything to get to it, expecially while you are brewing. The also are a great way to infect you beer. Bacteria on their hair and dandruff is a easy way to contaminate your beer.

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by paul84043
I just play it on the safe side and keep a ridiculous amount in the basement at all times. It's my food storage...

BEER CAN BE FOOD BUT FOOD CAN NEVER BE BEER!

[S.F.B.]

I try to keep at least 2 kegs in the fridge at all times. Then, I will try to have a couple of batches in the secondaries waiting to be kegged. At the moment I have 3 in the pantry waiting for kegging. You will eventually find a system that works for you. Everyone has their own schedules.

[BucksBrew]

Originally posted by toneyc
Yup. Right now I have two 5-gallon batches of beer going, two 5-gallon batches of mead going, a 1-gallon batch of cyser, and 1-gallon batch of the "Liquid Sex Mead" going.

Speaking of justifying things.... Wifey is really happy with the savings gained through parallel yeast propagation. My last recipe kit was only $14, instead of $19. So I was reading one of the threads here on all-grain brewing and it was mentioned that all-grain recipes are cheaper so I started looking into that. I told Wifey that the same recipe in all-grain would have only been $10. The only question she had was "How much is the equipment you need?"

:)
Toney.

How are you down to $19 per batch?

I'm still using extracts at around $30.00 per batch not including freight!

I don't have a basement so I can't buy bulk stuff yet until I build my brew House in the garage!

[paul84043]

I have pretty much decided to keep buying from AHS when I buy online, I get 2 kits and free shipping...can't beat that.

When I buy from my local shop it averages about 30$ a kit.

[toneyc]

I've been getting all my stuff at AHS. For local walk-in customers, they have a "Frequent Fermenters" card that ya pay $10 for and ya save 10% on ingredients. If ya ferment a lot, ya save a lot. Their prices are pretty good to start with and I've been choosing the lower priced kits, too. For example, their Ordinary Bitter (British) is $17.99, and I didn't need the priming sugar or the yeast and got ten percent off to boot.

:)
Toney.

[paul84043]

Wow, that's really cool...I wish my HB shop did something like that.
I found a few bottles of my first stout hiding on the shelf tonight....mmmm sure is good!! I need to get another going ASAP.

[BucksBrew]

Originally posted by paul84043
I have pretty much decided to keep buying from AHS when I buy online, I get 2 kits and free shipping...can't beat that.

When I buy from my local shop it averages about 30$ a kit.

That's good info to know.

I buy from a company in Maryland because I'm in Pa. I have them put an ice pack in the box for the yeast and hops. Although it is always thawed by the time it reaches me.

My only concern is having something shipped from Texas to Pa. Could be in a UPS van for 4-5 days or longer.

[barley ben]

I live in south Jersey and I have only bought one kit that was sent to me. When I bought my starter kit from Northern Brewer in St. Paul, MN they shipped it with a ice pack for my yeast. A week later when I got all my stuff it was still cool. I don't know what it was made out of because it was only 4 by 5 and a quater inch thick. Somehow it stayed cold for the week and my yeast was in great condition.

[BucksBrew]

Originally posted by barley ben
I live in south Jersey and I have only bought one kit that was sent to me. When I bought my starter kit from Northern Brewer in St. Paul, MN they shipped it with a ice pack for my yeast. A week later when I got all my stuff it was still cool. I don't know what it was made out of because it was only 4 by 5 and a quater inch thick. Somehow it stayed cold for the week and my yeast was in great condition.

Ben, What part of So. Jersey do you live in? I grew up in Millville, but lived up and down the coast from OC to LBI! I miss the beach!

Now I'm married in the mountains of Bucks County, next to New Hope. Some strange couple up here, if ya know what I mean! haha

[barley ben]

I live in Pennsville, right at the Delaware Mem Bridge. It's like 30-45 minutes from Millville. Abd yeah, I know what you mean!!

[paul84043]

Bucksbrew..
I have ordered from Annapolishomebrew and Northernbrewer, which are quite a ways from me in Utah and all turned out just fine.
Most companies offer the ice pak for about 75 cents.
If I knew that it was going to be a long hot trip, I would get the ice pack and use the Wyeast slap pack, it seems to be one of the better ones for being heat resistant, yet still ready to go when you break the nutrient pack in it.
Otherwise I get the White Labs yeast.

You can probably ge the kit without yeast as well, and pick up the yeast at your HB store, though that would suck.

[BucksBrew]

Originally posted by paul84043
Bucksbrew..
I have ordered from Annapolishomebrew and Northernbrewer, which are quite a ways from me in Utah and all turned out just fine.
Most companies offer the ice pak for about 75 cents.
If I knew that it was going to be a long hot trip, I would get the ice pack and use the Wyeast slap pack, it seems to be one of the better ones for being heat resistant, yet still ready to go when you break the nutrient pack in it.
Otherwise I get the White Labs yeast.

You can probably ge the kit without yeast as well, and pick up the yeast at your HB store, though that would suck.

Paul,

Don't you have to activate the yeast at least 12 hours before you need to pitch it?

[paul84043]

Yes, what I was referring to is that to activate White Labs all you do is let it warm up...the Wyeast needs to be "energized" for the yeast to become really active so I think it stores and transports better.

[tubetek]

Howdy All-
If you are looking to save money, try
Listermann's in Ohio.
(www.listermann.com) I've visited the shop and ordered twice in the last 3 weeks. They ship free east of the Mississippi for all orders $35 & up.
One deal I found there was M&F LME;
Light, Amber, Dark, ExLight -33Lbs for
$47. They are great people and care about beer AND customers!(Very refreshing) They also have a wide range of kits under their own label. I get UPS free and it gets here (KY) overnight!!
Also, AHS is where I started; Got their Kegging rig and my first kit there.
Annapolis home brew (Md) has also taken good care of me...
Enjoy

[wortchillergoal]

I like to support my LHBS. He gives 10% off to the local brew club members, is very knowledgeable, and has a couple af asst. brewers from a local micro working with him also. His prices are good. On top of that he is local and spends time helping his customers as do his staff. The other advantage over internet shopping is I can brouse more freely. I can pick up objects, smell them and have things explained to me in person. One last thought is he has rewarded me for my business with free merchandise at times.

[tubetek]

Howdy again-
I agree that we should patronize our local suppliers, but when you live one and a half hours drive from the nearest and they're a liquor store with a SMALL homebrewing concession, it limits one's choices...I wish I lived nearer to a place like AHS but not enough to leave these beautiful mountains...How many of you attract deer with the smell of brewing outside??
Enjoy

[wortchillergoal]

I know that situation is true for alot of people. At one point we had three good homebrew shops in the greater Syr. area. I was more being grateful for what I have, now two shops. I know that one shop also does a good internet business. We both are thankful for that as it keeps his business strong and selling enough voulme that he and then we get good prices.

[vendejp]

i have my very first batch fermenting right now and you guys already have me wanting to buy more fermenters....

for you guys that have a lot of batches going, do you keg or bottle? im planning on kegging and am wondering your process.... what if your batch in the fermenter is ready but your keg is full... is it ok to leave it in the fermenter?

thus far (from my reading) the only benefit i see from a secondary fermenter is clarity.... what are the benefits that im not seeing? also, what are the benefits of the glass carboy over plastic (besides that glass wont get scrathes or anything that can harvest bacteria). it seems it would be a pain in the ass to clean one.

thanks!

[paul84043]

I can have as many as 7 batches going at one time and have considered the same problem with kegging. I have two party pigs and they work pretty well. The rest I bottle. I have probably 30 cases of bottles in different types, that seems to be the right number for a good constant rotation considering that one batch can take as long as three months to be ready to drink.

The benefits of secondary are, clarity, continuting conditioning, and continued fermentation, since after a week or so when you transfer, you may be well on your way to a complete ferment, but will still probably be a few points away from being done.

For some reason, beer tends to condition better in larger quantities, so you really want it to sit in the secondary for as long as you can stand it. Most of us here keep it there for one to two weeks. I just recently had an IPA that I left in secondary for a month because I was so freaking busy!!!
When I bottled it, it tasted fantastic, all conditioned and ready to go!!! I just need it to carbonate, hopefully it didn't sit so long that most of the yeast fell out of suspension!!

The glass carboys are awesome, they are really easy to clean, you can see your beer, and they'll last a lifetime as long as you don't drop them.

[vendejp]

thanks paul... ill need to pick up some secondary fermenters.... since i dont have one now, can i leave it in the primary fermenter for up to a mos?

[barley ben]

You do want to watch how long it sits in primary. The trub in the bottom can produce off flavors after a while. That is another benefit of secondary, you are removing your beer from everything that collects on the bottom. Also, if you are using a plastic primary, it may not be 100% air tight and if it sits too long it could start to let oxygen into the fermenter and oxidize your batch and very rarely contaminants.

[vendejp]

crap, i came up with another question...

how do you get primary and final gravity readings with glass carboys? does the hydrometer fit in the carboy, and how do you get it out (narrow neck)?

thanks

[mmmBeer...]

I use a beer/wine thief. Great little tool mentioned in several other thread. Inexpensive and easy to use Look here (http://www.fermtech.on.ca/)

[paul84043]

Yes, the thief is the sh*t...it works great.
I will tyipcally leave my beer in the primay for a week, but if it doesn't appear to be "done" meaning it's still pretty foamy and it hasn't fallen, I'll leave it a few more days, but never more than two weeks.
I take a sample when I transfer for a gravity reading (and a taste test.....)

Buy the handles for you glass carboys. I always say this, and cannot overstress it.

[kevin]

I can't believe this, years ago I thought having a case of Bud was like having alot of beer. Now I went and got another carboy and have one in my primary, one in original secondary, a new carboy on the sidelines and a kit came yesterday for Nut Brown Ale. I can't believe I got almost 15 gallons going here and I feel like do I have enough.. I'm glad I got the 22oz bombers.. Good god what happen..?

Also I figured out why the wifey doesn't mind me brewing all this beer she also happen to actually help me Saturday night.. The aroma coming out of the airlock is a natural aphrodisiac, the liquid of love baby!! ;)

[michaewa]

Another reason brewing is permitted: I now keep the kitchen spotless. I usually brew, bottle, etc. while SWMBO is at work, and by the time she comes home, I've done a white tornado in the kitchen and emptied out the dishwasher so I can put my bottles in there.

We'll see what happens when the cases start overflowing out of the closets. I just bought a fridge at a garage sale, and am strongly leaning toward a corny keg setup. Bottling is a little too much of a manual process for me.

[BucksBrew]

[i] I just bought a fridge at a garage sale, and am strongly leaning toward a corny keg setup. Bottling is a little too much of a manual process for me. [/B]

Kegging is alot faster! No more bottle trees, sanitizing, washing 50-60 bottles at a time.

I went with a corny set up. It's just one big bottle versus 60 small ones.

[kevin]

When we bought our current house the old owners left this really old yellow Philco refrigerator in the basement. We have never used it in 4 years. I plugged it in the other day and it works.. Cornys on the horizon?

[wabahoye]

Kevin,

First, let me thank you for drawing me into this forum...I am now a registered user because I just had to respond!

Second, greetings from Holland!

Third, and to the point...the more you brew, the more you will want to brew. And the more you want to brew, the more you learn the subtleties of the process. And the more you learn...you get the point. As an earlier postee stated, the biggest "problem" for some of us is getting rid of what we make. My goal is to find enough friends who want to drink what I brew that they will buy the ingredients and give me the opportunity to do my hobby.

Two things no one has mentioned...
1. Brewing 2 five gallon batches at the same time is pretty easy, and it gives you the chance to try multiple styles quickly. Since my life doesn't allow weekly brew sessions, this is a way to make the most of the time I can set aside.
2. Once you try kegging, you may never go back to bottles. And, kegging - being so much faster - frees up time to do more brewing. The kegs themselves really don't cost that much, and used fridges come pretty cheap, too. The biggest expense in kegging is the CO2 set up, but after a couple Christmas's and birthday's you can be all set.