Now I’m brewing, Why?

Seemed like a good idea at the time. haha

Actually it started out as something fun to share with you guys. I always have a pile of projects to work on, but finding ones I can work into a DJ livestream can be a challenge. Combine that with the possibility of learning another skill and getting to drink the results, I had to give it a try. I know it surprised some when I dove into it. While hanging out with some beers on long livestreams is pretty normal, I haven’t seen any others that make their own.

And as promised I’m here to share some of that with you that are interested.

The leap into brewing

Ok so where do you even start with this stuff if you want to get into it? I mean, I knew little about brewing beyond “yeast makes it happen” from trying my hand at mead a long time ago. Well After way too much research (always how I start), I decided to go with a brewing kit. Specifically the one I landed on for my first attempt is a BrewDemon 2.5 gallon starter kit.

Now yeah, it’s not the cheapest starter setup, but I didnt want to get 1/2 way with a janky setup and then mess something up because ot that. Finally what sold me: it came with everything I needed, even bottles. There can be a lot to put together: ingredients, hardware, fiddly bits, more to get it into bottles. Better to just open the box and start brewing.

Getting started is often what takes the longest for me on most projects so anything that lowers the barrier there is a good thing.

Turned out to be the right call. That first batch actually worked! 🎉 Nothing exploded, nothing went off, and I ended up with decent drinkable beer. Success! That 1st one was just a basic American Pale. Nothing to write home about.. but it was done, and that was excellent.

Scaling up the operation

After proving to myself that I could actually pull this off without poisoning myself, (not that likely with brewing I know) I wanted to go bigger. The 2.5 gallon setup was great for 1st time out, but that’s like 20-something bottles all together. At 2 or 3 a stream, 3 streams a week it goes pretty fast.

So I upgraded to a 6 gallon setup. More beer, same basic process, same amount of time, just… bigger. And really, Once you’ve got it down, scaling up is way easier than I expected. Definitely recomend.

Semi-pro tip: If I were to start over starting up I’d prolly go straight for the bigger setup. It’ll be nice to have the Brew Demon for smaller batches sometimes but with the kits that are out there and regular consumption its much more efficient to go with 5-6 gallons as a startup size.

The Brewers Best discovery

What I found to startup with: Brewers Best ingredient kits. I have no affiliation with them. Just bought many of their kits and had a good experience. You can get them on Amazon, Ebay, homebrew websites and stores which makes them really accessible. Also a lot of different kinds to try which will keep me busy a while.

These are great for someone like me who wants to focus on the making beer without getting lost in grain lists, hop types, what kind of malt goes with what, LME vs DME etc etc. Each kit comes with all the ingredients pre-measured, plus instructions that are actually thorough enough to follow without constantly pausing to Google things.

Without a kit every ingredient has a huge camp for and against using any particular type and a mountain of forum posts to go through. Starting out like this I like having the real world examples to slowly figure out what I like best.

The price of the kits.. works out pretty good. I end up with around 5 gallons of bottled beer. It costs maybe 1/3 to 1/2 what I can get anything decent for in the local stores. I havent checked if sourcing all the supplies myself would be cheaper. Probably is. I’ll try that out sometime and report back.

The flavor journey so far

I’ve been working through different styles:

Remember the starter that came with the Brew Demon kit was American Pale. Then next came a Double IPA because… well IPAs are the thing here around Portland. So I had to get in and try. That one was a lot more work in boiling, hop management, and patience. Also .. tastier, making it worth it.

Then I tried a Raspberry Belgian Strong Ale, the one chat named Maximum Owl! The raspberry addition was an extra I copied from a smaller kit and I’m glad I did. It was tasty but I think I’m going to look for alternatives to the particular raspberry flavor I had. It was just slightly off from ideal and it seems like there could be some improvement here. Well .. guess I’ll have to try that beer again. Dang it. /s 🤣

Now we’re on to Chocolate Milk Stout. A lot of ingredients and time on this one as well. Ive read the added chocolate nibs at the end are a risk as well. This one worked and thats what matters.

The American Pale Wheat is in process now as a “let’s try something lighter” experiment. Hasnt been bottled yet but soon.. Its much lighter than the Stout (obviously) and should be a lot more flavorful than the 1st batch I tried, and less work than the IPA. Perfect balance? Stay tuned! haha

What’s brewing next?

Going for something new once again; cider! Yeah, I know, technically not beer, but the process is similar enough and I like ciders too. Plus, some of you in chat have been asking about it? Also theres a huge amount of farmers markets with apples in the fall around here, if I can make a go of hard cider by then.. bonus!

More to come in sharing this process

Right from the start I’ve wanted to share this with you just like I do the music. This post is another way of doing that. Who knows maybe one of you might give it a try. ..if you do, definitely let me know in chat sometime!

Theres still some good upgrades to get done. Maybe a better fermenter. Might even get a keg setup as suggested by many of you!

And if you’ve got any brewing suggestions or want to share your own experiences, definitely drop that in chat next time you’re around. Always love hearing what everyone else is up to!

Here’s to good music, good beer, and good times with all of you! 🍻