Do you love beer....

[monkeykoder]

Just because you drank Budweiser once doesn't mean you're qualified to judge beer (which incidentally has nothing to do with Budweiser).

 

[SrBiscuit]

i hate to go against the grain here, but no.
im more a liquor and wine fan myself.
beer makes me feel full.

 

[Josh66]

There is no quote better or more historical then that one!! hahahaha

I saw one somewhere, can't remember who it was - "If God had intened us to drink beer, he would have given us stomachs".

Just because you drank Budweiser once doesn't mean you're qualified to judge beer (which incidentally has nothing to do with Budweiser).

:lmao:

i hate to go against the grain here, but no.
im more a liquor and wine fan myself.
beer makes me feel full.

Beer is a perfectly fine substitution for food.

 

[monkeykoder]

Beer IS food basically all you're doing is taking grain and soaking out all the food products and giving it an incredibly long shelf life shelf life.

 

[Josh66]

I wouldn't know how long the shelf life is... I've never let it sit around long enough to find out.


Whenever I do start making my own, I think waiting for it to be ready to drink will be the hardest part.

 

[monkeykoder]

No making barleywines for you I guess...

 

[Josh66]

I've always been partial to Irish Stouts.

This Brew Pub I used to go to all the time in Delaware (Stewart's Brew Pub, in Newark) had a stout (Highlander Stout) that was one of the best beers I've had. Sooo creamy... And thick too - you almost had to chew it.
Drinking this stuff was like eating. 4 or 5 of these and you needed a nap - not because of the alcohol, because you were stuffed. They had a bunch of other good beers too, but this was my go-to beer.

...It made Guinness (the Guinness we get over here anyway) taste like water.

Guinness is pretty much the only Irish Stout available around here, and even that can been hard to find. Where I live, most people drink Bud Light. uke:


Is a stout a 'difficult' beer to make?

 

[OregonAmy]

Is a stout a 'difficult' beer to make?

Relative to other beers? no.
If you haven't made beer before, then all of it is difficult (well, depending on how anal-retentive you are). If you aren't concerned about infection or contamination, making beer is easy. Sanitation, IME, is the hardest part about making beer.

Basically, you just put hot water (150-160F depending on what you're making) in a cooler that has a ball valve built into it (you can buy one from someone or make your own). Then you add your grain and let it 'steep' for a while - about an hour. Then you drain the liquid out of that into a boiling pot, boil that for a while (usually 60-90 minutes), adding hops at certain intervals specific to the style. Then you cool that down using a chiller, rack it into a fermenter, pitch the yeast, and let it ferment for a week or so. Then you rack it into bottles or a keg. That's about it.

As for books, Joy of Homebrewing is rather outdated. I 2nd How to Brew by John Palmer, as well as Jamil Zainasheff's [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Brewing-Classic-Styles-Winning-Recipes/dp/0937381926/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236480997&sr=8-1"]Brewing Classic Styles[/ame] and Ray Daniels' [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Great-Beers-Ultimate-Brewing/dp/0937381500/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c"]Designing Great Beers[/ame]. And if you like belgian styles, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Brew-Like-Monk-Trappist-Belgian/dp/093738187X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236481060&sr=1-1"]Brew like a Monk[/ame].

We (husband & I) brew a lot and I drink more than my fair share of both homebrew and commercial suds. Definitely don't get into homebrewing to save money on beer. That's like going into SLR photography to save money on film.

 

[OregonAmy]

by the way, depending on where you are in Tx, you have a plethora of craft beers available to you. Live Oak, St Arnold, Southern Star, Celis...

Here's a directory of cities - click on one near you (one that hasn't been dry for decades, ha) and you'll see a list of good liquor stores where you can get craft beer. In my experience, if you go to one of these places that TRULY cares about the beer selection, they'll be more than delighted to give you some recommendations.

BeerFly Directory - Texas - BeerAdvocate

Have fun! Part of the joy of beer, to me, is experiencing new stuff.

 

[usayit]

Someone in TX please.... send me some Shiner!

 

[Josh66]

Someone in TX please.... send me some Shiner!

Drinking one right now.

Here's a directory of cities - click on one near you (one that hasn't been dry for decades, ha)

Like mine? lol
I live in Greenville, we just became wet after over 100 years.

I have family in Dallas and Fort Worth though, so I go there frequently. I've been to a few of the places listed under Ft. Worth (thanks for the link!). I'll be checking out some of the ones I haven't been to next time I make it out there.

 

[blash]

beeeeeehrrr........ opiate of the masses.

gotta try homebrew soon enough though.

 

[crazycreature11]

well german beer is the best in this world .... about brewing your own beers its better having it and making it

 

[crazycreature11]

well german beer is the best in this world .... about brewing your own beers its better having it then making it

 

[Redbaron]

Drinking home brew as I type this.... well sort of - I get mine from a "brew on premises' type place. The bloke who owns/runs it is a great guy, and the beer is 100% chemical/preservative free - no headaches the next day!!!
It goes down like silk (which can be a problem) and doesn't cost the earth. Local Aussie varieties $22.50 per case, Imported versions around $23-25, and the heavier stuff, as well as Stouts etc goes for $27-8 per case! FWIW down here they normally cost around $40 local, $50-60 for the rest! Loving it.....