Beer? Any homebrewers or craft beer fans? beer

[Crawdacity]

Anyone do any homebrewing? I started recently doing 5 gal batches. Just wondered if anyone else had this rewarding hobby. I also make it a point to try many craft beers.

[crasx]

I'm a professional beer drinker/spiller

[Jiffy]

I have been meaning to get into this for the past 1.5 years...

 

What is your setup? Basement/garage? Propane tank stand or stove top? 

 

I had a kit gifted to me, but the carboy was cracked the entire length - thus, a new one is required before I begin.

 

After spending a few years on the west coast (Portland, OR) I became somewhat of a beer snob. Chicago has actually had some strong growth in the craft brew scene the last 3-5 years, which makes trying different ones so much easier.

 

Good luck!

[Fairweather]

I have some friends that do it, having a kegerator with beer on tap is the best set up I've encountered

[Crawdacity]

I have a basic beer kit (Fermentors, bottling bucket, etc) and use a stove. I'm not too interested in brewing outside until my needs grow outside of 5 gal batches. Moving precious beer wort around from location to location isn't something I enjoy and it's risky to the product. I have a couple carboys and I'm looking into staging batches to have a constant supply. I've also been looking into making a keezer, but that's some ways down the line.

[MrMustard]

Sup Crawdacity!  Been brewing beer for a few years now.  I was doing extract brewing and recently decided to stop until I can start all grain brewing.  I have a lot of prep to do and some initial investment before I get to the kind of setup I really want.  I'm leaning towards a less expensive gravity fed system that will allow me to boil, cool and eventually transfer to primary fermination without the need to lift buckets.  All together I'm hoping for a cleaner and more efficient process and of course cleaner end product.

[Crawdacity]

I've seen the type of systems you're talking about and they want a fortune for what they really are. You could build something a lot cheaper if you had the time. Personally I like lifting buckets, gotta get big.   I started relatively recently and still do extract brewing. I probably won't swap to grain until I get a keg system setup.

[Demoner]

I've been brewing beer for 6 years. I do all grain after one year of extract. All grain is a bit cheaper but more time consuming. I still haven't made the move to kegs myself. Mostly because I am waiting until I own my own house. One less big thing to move. I'd highly recommend the upgrade to grains. Check Craigslist or local ads for someone who might be selling their setup. Often there is some equipment out there people are getting rid of.