Homebrew Literature

[Mustang_Cougar]

Since winter is here and I've finally got a basement, I've decided to do a little homebrewing. For those of you that indulge, here's a couple of questions:

1) What's the best book(s) out there dealing with homebrewing? There are A LOT of them on Amazon, and from the reviews, I can't get a good sense of what's best.

2) Is anyone using a single/double gauge kegging system? And if so, how do you like it over bottling?

Thanks for help/suggestions.

 

[Schmoe]

Read this....www.howtobrew.com by John Palmer. Considered the bible for us homebrewers. Plus, it's online and free. You really want to learn more, check out
www.homebrewtalk.com lots of knowlegeable folks there that have been brewing for years.
Let me be the first to tell you that you will ABSOLUTELY HATE BOTTLING. The cleaning, sterilizing, filling, capping, the costs,etc. etc. I started out bottling and now have a two keg, one tap set up and wondered why I just didn't start there. It's also a lot more easier to keg. Once you get your beer finished in the secondary, rack to keg. You can condition it in the keg with the right amount of CO2. Charts available everywhere. Another thing about bottling is that you will have a layer of sediment at the bottom of each bottle, it's the dead yeast that makes the CO2. You can drink it, but it will give you lots of gas. Kegging, you don't have that problem. Bottling takes at least two weeks to condition. Kegging, depending on how long you want to wait, you can condition it in one week or 4 hours. I'm using the double guage system.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I'd vote for Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" version 3. It's how I learned.
It is indeed easier to keg. However, you should know how to bottle as well. It takes longer and requires more prep, but you can take it over to a friends house easily or give some away. Plus it lasts FOREVER in the bottle. Kegs start to go off-flavor after about 6 months, in my experience, if you can't drink it that fast (I drink more wine these days).
I brewed only extract beers for my first year, then went to all-grain. That is something you HAVE to do.....don't just skip over to all-grain first. I bottled until about 2 years ago once I had a second fridge I could keep a keg in.
I actually need to go put my brown ale in the keg this weekend, thanks for the reminder!

 

[Pablo]

Papazian is somewhat of a jackarshe - but for sure his is the first book I read....I can't write much more than the others said about kegging other than the kegs need to be spotlessly clean and sterile as well. Khrap - I have a bunch of kegs and parts and no memory of how they go back together....I haven't brewed for a LONG time. (sux to be me) Oh yeah watch for CO2 leaks running your tank down.

As for books - dude when you get hooked you'll have a big pile of books. I still have mine.

 

[Schmoe]

Got to go admit, he did seem pretty snobby.

 

[HEV]

I like Dave Miller's "Homebrewing Guide." I think that Papazian is a Gumby. I vote for one gauge. I have two 2-gauge regulators and have broken the bottle pressure gauge on both so many times that I've finally put a quarter inch plug in the gauge hole.

 

[Mustang_Cougar]

Well I picked up Miller's book at the local homebrew supply shop. Looks like it'll be some interesting reading over the weekend. I also inquired about their kegging setups, which run about $200 for a single gauge/$220 for a double. Thinking about all those bottles I'll have to clean and cap, this route is really tempting. However, I'm really interested in brewing some hefeweizen and the keg setup would pretty much make my hefeweizen a krystalweizen (no thanks).

BTW: Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Don't skip the necessary hazing of homebrewing (bottling, extract brewing, etc.).
Any mistakes you make while trying to avoid the "more work" routine will feel huge.

 

[tom slick]

I'd try to find something that discusses styles. I think your homebrewing really gets a boost when you catch on to the different styles and what makes a certain style pleasing to your palette.

the only thing I like about bottles is that you can keep a few from each batch "cellared".