Basic Brewing Radio

December 14, 2005 10:02 AM

Basic Brewing Radio: Good info and podcasts that are done pretty well. (22 shows already "in the can"). If you are looking for a good online book: How to Brew by John Palmer. Homebrewers, feel free to share your favorite sites and resources.
posted by spock (20 comments total)

Great post! If you're interested in brew sites, check the comments in this thread for some great links. My favorite book on brewing (and I've read a few) is Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher. Not only does it teach you to brew, but it's a pretty interesting read as well. Where Palmer's stuff is very (if overly) informative, it's somtimes difficult for the newbie. Mosher's text takes you there in stages. Of course the best way to hit the brew trail is to just bust a move down to your local homebrew shop (and by this time every town's got one) and talk to the old hippie-lookin' dude behind the counter. Brew a few as per their instructions, then start reading and listening to podcasts and you'll learn much more.
posted by Zorro on Doughnuts at 10:40 AM on December 14, 2005

ooh thanks! I'm definitely looking forward to listening to this when I get home from work. I've been wanting to get into home brewing for a while.
posted by freudianslipper at 10:42 AM on December 14, 2005

Hey, nice links. My favorite website for beer brewing advice is Brews & Views. I personally dislike the Brewer Association website, Beertown, but they have posted an interesting beer recipe inspired by what Benjamin Franklin might've been drinking.
posted by cog_nate at 10:45 AM on December 14, 2005

Also check out The Brewing Network for more streaming feeds and archives. Their first few shows were a little too chatty, but they've gotten more focused and have some good shows.

So, are there any other homebrewers here? I just brewed a Belgian Golden Strong (WPL570, SG 1.105) last Sunday, and it's still bubbling away 10 days later! Gonna be a long wait for this one, but should be worth it!
posted by slogger at 10:59 AM on December 14, 2005

Also, HBD is an invaluable resource. Unfortunately, the navigation is impossibly cryptic, making much of their good information difficult to find.
posted by slogger at 11:06 AM on December 14, 2005

Some further links:
rec.crafts.brewing
Homebrew Digest
The Beer Advocate
Beer History
Brew Your Own
The Brewery
Brewing Techniques
The Brewing Science Institute
Hopsunion hops info
Norm Pyle's Hops FAQ
Brewery.org Tech library
Beer Recipator
Real Beer
posted by caddis at 11:06 AM on December 14, 2005

slogger, that's big big golden! I just bottled up a batch of imperial stout as solstihannukwaanzmas gifts. No gravity readings (I run a pretty bush-league operation), but the little leftover swig that wouldn't fit into a bottle was pretty tasty.
posted by cog_nate at 11:18 AM on December 14, 2005

I just finished bottling my first 'hard ginger ale' -- Basically a Sierra Nevada style pale ale with some Ginger tossed in just to be different. New Years is gonna be some fun.

I'm wondering if anybody has recipes for the more nutritious and 'foody' beers. I've heard stories of the legendary African "kwete" -- which translated to English means 'the thick' -- basically a meal in a bottle. I've been dying to try something a little different like this for a while.
posted by snakey at 11:19 AM on December 14, 2005

I brewed a holiday ale on Columbus Day that I won't be drinking until Thanksgiving 2006. ABV will be about 11%!

"Beer Captured" and "Clonebrews" by Tess and Mark Szamatulski are excellent, as is their shop. If you live in or near Fairfield County, CT, check out Maltose Express in Monroe.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 11:44 AM on December 14, 2005

Snakey, had not heard of kwete before, but I did find this, which sounds like the sort of thing you may be looking for: African Opaque Beer. Also, here are some other African recipes.

This is also an interesting article, from Natural History, on ancient beermaking: Take Two Beers and Call Me in 1,600 Years - use of tetracycline by Nubians and Ancient Egyptians.
posted by spock at 12:11 PM on December 14, 2005

Sweet! Alcohol-buying in my state is...and adventure, let us say, and I'd love to be able to brew up something decent for myself.

Off to take Zorro on Doughnuts' advice. That, or use my mother's recipe, where it's brewed in a trash can.
posted by kalimac at 12:37 PM on December 14, 2005

I agree, ZMT, yes, for an intermediate brewer, the original 'Clone Brews' is excellent, especially when compared to the vastly inferior 'North American Clone Brews.' Another book, Charlie Papazian's 'The complete Joy of Home Brewing' is a good reference for brewers of all skill levels, but unfortunately I don't enjoy his recipes that I've tried.

Spock, thx for the links -- that bananna beer sounds pretty wild! I suppose until I find the kwete recipe I'm searching for, I'll just be looking for good kinds of bark and herbs to make my next batch a little more unique.
posted by snakey at 12:44 PM on December 14, 2005

If you care for homebrewing forums:

• Bodensatz
• HomebrewTalk
• Northern Brewer Homebrew Forum

posted by spock at 1:07 PM on December 14, 2005

I just checked the Brews & Views in cog-nate's comment. I didn't even realize that was on HBD. Looks like there's some good stuff there.

Also, yahoogroups has several decent mailing lists, for those who are into that kind of thing...
posted by slogger at 1:30 PM on December 14, 2005

Can't forget the Aussies.

Snakey: Here is a page (translated from French) which lists Kwete as the common name for Ugandan "Millet and maize beer". So it appears that the recipe I gave (above) would be an example of the type.
Travel to the countries of African beers
posted by spock at 1:34 PM on December 14, 2005

A Skunk Walks into a Bar . . . Fighting beer's fouler flavors (A short intro to brewing chemistry)
posted by spock at 3:42 PM on December 14, 2005

Oh yeah.. big homebrewer here. It's a bit of a selflink since I'm the President and Webmeister, but I've been maintaining and adding to my club's website for years (Maltose Falcons)

Snakey, we just did an experimental Sumerian beer based off of the Hymn to Ninkasi, Gilgamash.
We went and did the full baking date bread bit as well.

I'll tell you what though, one of the best resources any hobby brewer can get themselves into is their local homebrew club. Lots of fun, lots of beer, lots of knowledge, etc. Check the American Homebrewer's Association's website to see if there's one near you. (Disclosure: I'm standing for election to the AHA's Board of Governors this year, but seriously look around for your local club.)
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:13 PM on December 14, 2005

Oh and personally I spend a lot of time hanging out at
Beer Advocate and at Brew Board.

And the guys behind Brewing Network are pretty good guys.
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:15 PM on December 14, 2005

Kegged 10 gallons of my first attempt at a classic pilsner last night. Toasted it with a pint of my own recipe, kind of a British style pale ale with a bit more hop bitterness than I would want if I were trying to win a contest. But, for me, that's one of the joys of homebrewing - making it the way I want it.

If anyone in Kansas City, Missouri wants to learn homebrewing, drop me a line.
posted by kcmoryan at 9:29 AM on December 15, 2005

I second drewbage1847's suggestion about joining a homebrew club. I finally moved into an area where one exists, and I'm really enjoying the meetings so far. It's refreshing to hang out with a group with similar interests all focused on the same thing--beer.
posted by slogger at 12:06 PM on December 15, 2005