Good tips. I restarted this hobby after decades, Figured I knew enough since I made great beer long ago, and other things. I should have fermented a bag of sugar and bread yeast, just to test out everything including temp. controls. Instead I starting with an expensive partial mash Porter kit(malt and LME). I made a couple rookie mistakes, and now the Porter is aging and I do not like it much, but I have no way to know how is is supposed to taste....assuming my mistakes messed with the taste. Next porter will be all grain malt...minus the errors lol I know I like Porters which is why I bought that kit.
I love your tasting tip. If you don't know what good beer tastes like and more importantly WHY beer tastes like it does, then you can't figure out what your homebrew tastes like. The WHY is huge to adjust the brewing process to improve.
Great advice!! The only thing I would add is know your ingredients. Very important to taste your grain. Many homebrewers have never chewed on their grain. Tree House is an inspiration to all homebrewers...Thank you ☮
This 100%. Also want to add to the “don’t mess with your beer”. First time I made a killer neipa and was at kegging stage, I kept attaching the hose and tap to taste it everyday, thereby introducing O2 to it unknowingly to my almost finished beer. Went from a beautiful canary yellow to brown tint in 5days. One of my best beers, ruined, but not forgotten..
I’ve been brewing for a decade and never upgraded from exactly what you said: carboy, pot, and cooler/mashtun. And to your point my beer turns out great and don’t think it’s worse than guys I know with expensive equipment. I tell interested brewers all the time that all they need is a couple hundred bucks at most. And not to go out and spend a grand on stuff.
@@treehousebrewco absolutely. If someone wants to spend the loot, go for it! But I never had the desire because I’m not trying to be a pro. And honestly I think it’s super easy to clean a pot, siphon and carboy. Those more advanced systems seem like a lot of work lol.
I’ve been home brewing for a few years now and recently started to micro dose acid additions to my finished hoppy beers and it’s a very cool way to see how just one simple variable can help express a beer. Thank you for the great content and keep up the helpful hints for home brewers!
My biggest purchase was a $91 grain mill. I have yet to use it. After 10+ years of brewing, $8 BIAB, $16 plastic bucket, and $40 kettle, I bit the bullet. Mistake? Sanitize everything! Soap & Water just cleans & kills the head.
Id like to add to the "dont rush it" comment by saying watch what you listen to on some homebrew channels that get a beer from grain to glass in 3 to 5 days. Ive tried it and its crap. The kviek craze is more of what im talking about. I have fermented a beer fully in 12 hours at 95 degrees and packaged it a day later thinking i have speed brew and it sucked really bad. Patience is a virtue during fermentation and i dont just mean the super active stage of it
My biggest improvements as a home brew have been starting with RO water and adding salts depending on style being brewed and fermentation temp control.
The develop your palate comment is a great one! It just got me thinking that I don't need to overthink it and just do up tasting sheets that say what's great?, what's not so great? and what would I change? Looking forward to checking out Charleton in a few weeks!
Re overthinking the equipment: I don't think that introducing temperature control is a 1% gain strategy. It can be done relatively easily and cheaply (2nd-hand fridge, Inkbird controller, tiny heater and a computer fan) and it allows me to brew consistently throughout the year.
Cheers for your advice mate. I had to laugh when you mentioned the cooler for mashing which I did early 2000s. Not much info around then. Having just started up again Ive got a reasonable set up and doing some good brews, mostly English style ales and stouts. I dont rush the drinking part as I find the beer gets better after 3 weeks kegged at room temp then in the fridge for serving. You did mention that you can consume the beer quite soon after cold crash so I was wondering if these NEIPA type beers dont require as much conditioning or is it a pressure ferment that allows you to do this.
Well I think that learning from your mistakes is a big key to the puzzle of brewing. And that includes brewing stupid and over the top beers that you cant handle as a newbie. Have not tried your beers yet, hard to get in Sweden. 😢
1. No oxygen before yeast 2. Oxygen after yeast has mostly finished 3. Oxygen during transfers and packaging 4. Fermentation temp control 5. Not realizing homebrew comps are mostly there to get objective feedback, not actually competing In summary, oxygen is the #1 culprit of bad homebrew with yeast derived off flavors as a distant #2.
Hi Nate and Tree House crew, Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I would like to know if you could comment on rousing during dryhopping. Is it necessary to get good extraction?
Do you have/can you make one on how to develop your palate? How do we know when a beer is bad? How do we taste and know good vs bad beers ahead of time? Do we just go to breweries and try everything? Do we ask for their "worst" beers? Thanks!
To piggyback on the point of getting the basics down, once you start to get the basics down, try to avoid that "high abv" phase where you think 'I gotta try to make a bunch of 10-12% beers'. If you still don't understand thoroughly, and you try to brew some higher abv beers, you're probably gonna end up brewing a beer that tastes like gasoline.
Another mistake homebrewers make is quitting after a few bad batches. It's a great hobby that is extremely rewarding when you learn the process and can make your own great beer!
Great point. I just finished my first brew day. I was doing a West Coast ITP in BIAB style. What a disaster! I had all kinds of temperature issues, I found out that my kettle and my clip on thermometers were about 20 degrees off, then did a classic oops when I tore the bag on the kettle thermometer post on the way to pulling out the bag. It also looked like the nylon bag burned on the bottom of my kettle. I used my hand held strainer to scoop up the gain as best I could then used poured the wort into mash tun and put used what was left of the bag to further filter the work back into the kettle that I cleaned to get the burn spot off. I could have just packed up and poured it out then but decided to follow through with the rest of the process. The boil went well, I caught the hot break and didn't boil over, hops went in as scheduled. I had one small chiller in an ice bath that was connected to another chiller inside the kettle and the temp came down to 70 pretty quickly after flame out. Into the Fermzilla and pitched my yeast. CO2 pressure set at 5 PSI and the Spunding valve is working. It's been fermenting in the garage for the past week. Looks like it's slowed down a lot and might be done but I'd have to open up to make sure. I'll wait one more week, then pressure transfer into my sanitized corney keg and finish carbonating. Maybe 50/50 that this is a lost cause but I learned a lot on my first try with everything new to me.
100% disagree with the overthink your equipment point, I think for beginners that is essential but with advancements in homebrewing equipment you can have affordable setups for sub 2,000. 7gallon conicals are 5-700. Glycol chillers are 1k or you can build them for less. Both are massive improvements in quality. Generally the tips are great I just am unsure Nate is aware how far homebrewing equipment has come
Having used both plastic buckets and glass carboys over the years, my current go to is the wide mouth plastic carboys, like the Fermonster series. Less oxygen exposure than the bucket, easier to clean than glass carboy, and not breakable. Be sure to get the lifting strap thingie for easier moving.
![[DRAGON BALL LEGENDS REVEALS ＆ STUFF] LEGENDS FESTIVAL 2024 Special Edition Part 2](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/af0phKxitX8/mqdefault.jpg)
All I heard was “…brew a triple IPA with dehydrated ice cream…” Challenge accepted!! 😂😝
😂
All i heard was people talking in the background
I have been absolutely loving the increased activity on RUclips. Keep it up guys the content is fantastic!
Glad you enjoy it!
I love that you give back to the homebrew community in sharing your ideas as a pro brewer. Yes, an older tread, but a great one.
Recently sold all my homebrew equipment. Now these videos are coming out and I’m feeling the itch to brew again.
do it! 🙏🏼
Good tips. I restarted this hobby after decades, Figured I knew enough since I made great beer long ago, and other things. I should have fermented a bag of sugar and bread yeast, just to test out everything including temp. controls. Instead I starting with an expensive partial mash Porter kit(malt and LME). I made a couple rookie mistakes, and now the Porter is aging and I do not like it much, but I have no way to know how is is supposed to taste....assuming my mistakes messed with the taste. Next porter will be all grain malt...minus the errors lol I know I like Porters which is why I bought that kit.
I love your tasting tip. If you don't know what good beer tastes like and more importantly WHY beer tastes like it does, then you can't figure out what your homebrew tastes like.
The WHY is huge to adjust the brewing process to improve.
yes indeed!
Shout out to that dad doing the baby stroller shuffle
Great advice!! The only thing I would add is know your ingredients. Very important to taste your grain. Many homebrewers have never chewed on their grain.
Tree House is an inspiration to all homebrewers...Thank you ☮
there was a time when all I ate for days was grain from the bag.. 🤣
@@treehousebrewco lol 😂
This 100%. Also want to add to the “don’t mess with your beer”. First time I made a killer neipa and was at kegging stage, I kept attaching the hose and tap to taste it everyday, thereby introducing O2 to it unknowingly to my almost finished beer. Went from a beautiful canary yellow to brown tint in 5days. One of my best beers, ruined, but not forgotten..
preach!
Take good notes! Another big tip! Rebrew!
If you are new to homebrewing, start with brew in a bag and ferment in a keg
I think #5 and #2 really go hand in hand. And I'm extremely guilty of both. Patience is a virtue that I'm trying to fix! Great tips. Thank you
As mentioned below, clean and sanitize everything. Good tips, keep them coming. Thanks.
Thanks, will do!
Great tips. I've made every single one of these mistakes!
I’ve been brewing for a decade and never upgraded from exactly what you said: carboy, pot, and cooler/mashtun. And to your point my beer turns out great and don’t think it’s worse than guys I know with expensive equipment. I tell interested brewers all the time that all they need is a couple hundred bucks at most. And not to go out and spend a grand on stuff.
being a gear nerd can be fun, but great gear won't replace knowledge.
@@treehousebrewco absolutely. If someone wants to spend the loot, go for it! But I never had the desire because I’m not trying to be a pro. And honestly I think it’s super easy to clean a pot, siphon and carboy. Those more advanced systems seem like a lot of work lol.
Yes !!!! Don't rush your beer. Amen brother. I've preached this for years.
Right on!
Thanks for the tips dude, on my 5th brew now. Been doing SMASH beers to get the feel of it. I love it!!!
Glad to hear it!
I’ve been home brewing for a few years now and recently started to micro dose acid additions to my finished hoppy beers and it’s a very cool way to see how just one simple variable can help express a beer. Thank you for the great content and keep up the helpful hints for home brewers!
nice - thanks for sharing!
My biggest purchase was a $91 grain mill. I have yet to use it. After 10+ years of brewing, $8 BIAB, $16 plastic bucket, and $40 kettle, I bit the bullet. Mistake? Sanitize everything! Soap & Water just cleans & kills the head.
Great tips. Thx ❤
Id like to add to the "dont rush it" comment by saying watch what you listen to on some homebrew channels that get a beer from grain to glass in 3 to 5 days. Ive tried it and its crap. The kviek craze is more of what im talking about. I have fermented a beer fully in 12 hours at 95 degrees and packaged it a day later thinking i have speed brew and it sucked really bad. Patience is a virtue during fermentation and i dont just mean the super active stage of it
My biggest improvements as a home brew have been starting with RO water and adding salts depending on style being brewed and fermentation temp control.
Speak the Truth! Cheers from Arkansas
Wise words
The develop your palate comment is a great one! It just got me thinking that I don't need to overthink it and just do up tasting sheets that say what's great?, what's not so great? and what would I change? Looking forward to checking out Charleton in a few weeks!
All correct. So many bad homebrews due to bad palates. So may complicated setups making an exhausting brewday and cleanup.
Very true!
The dude multitasking in the background. Phone, beer, baby
Re overthinking the equipment: I don't think that introducing temperature control is a 1% gain strategy. It can be done relatively easily and cheaply (2nd-hand fridge, Inkbird controller, tiny heater and a computer fan) and it allows me to brew consistently throughout the year.
Cheers for your advice mate. I had to laugh when you mentioned the cooler for mashing which I did early 2000s. Not much info around then. Having just started up again Ive got a reasonable set up and doing some good brews, mostly English style ales and stouts. I dont rush the drinking part as I find the beer gets better after 3 weeks kegged at room temp then in the fridge for serving. You did mention that you can consume the beer quite soon after cold crash so I was wondering if these NEIPA type beers dont require as much conditioning or is it a pressure ferment that allows you to do this.
no need to condition, especially if dry-hopped accurately!
Well I think that learning from your mistakes is a big key to the puzzle of brewing. And that includes brewing stupid and over the top beers that you cant handle as a newbie. Have not tried your beers yet, hard to get in Sweden. 😢
fair point!
1. No oxygen before yeast
2. Oxygen after yeast has mostly finished
3. Oxygen during transfers and packaging
4. Fermentation temp control
5. Not realizing homebrew comps are mostly there to get objective feedback, not actually competing
In summary, oxygen is the #1 culprit of bad homebrew with yeast derived off flavors as a distant #2.
And this is why we should develope a vacuum isolation tank/room to do all brewing in
Hi Nate and Tree House crew,
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I would like to know if you could comment on rousing during dryhopping. Is it necessary to get good extraction?
I don't think it's necessary, but trial and error is the name of the game. all equipment and circumstances are different.
Do you have/can you make one on how to develop your palate? How do we know when a beer is bad? How do we taste and know good vs bad beers ahead of time? Do we just go to breweries and try everything? Do we ask for their "worst" beers? Thanks!
there are some decent off flavor kits out there that will help for sure. you can dose them into simple beers to get a better understanding
Cheers
This is going to give rise to the Sons of Nate Lanier! And my man's probably broke the Guinness blinking record!
Another key point is things like old dried yeast is really bad and outdated yeast. It's going to ruin the beer.
To piggyback on the point of getting the basics down, once you start to get the basics down, try to avoid that "high abv" phase where you think 'I gotta try to make a bunch of 10-12% beers'. If you still don't understand thoroughly, and you try to brew some higher abv beers, you're probably gonna end up brewing a beer that tastes like gasoline.
Good one! ⛽️ 🚫
Another mistake homebrewers make is quitting after a few bad batches. It's a great hobby that is extremely rewarding when you learn the process and can make your own great beer!
Great point!
Great point. I just finished my first brew day. I was doing a West Coast ITP in BIAB style. What a disaster! I had all kinds of temperature issues, I found out that my kettle and my clip on thermometers were about 20 degrees off, then did a classic oops when I tore the bag on the kettle thermometer post on the way to pulling out the bag. It also looked like the nylon bag burned on the bottom of my kettle. I used my hand held strainer to scoop up the gain as best I could then used poured the wort into mash tun and put used what was left of the bag to further filter the work back into the kettle that I cleaned to get the burn spot off. I could have just packed up and poured it out then but decided to follow through with the rest of the process. The boil went well, I caught the hot break and didn't boil over, hops went in as scheduled. I had one small chiller in an ice bath that was connected to another chiller inside the kettle and the temp came down to 70 pretty quickly after flame out. Into the Fermzilla and pitched my yeast. CO2 pressure set at 5 PSI and the Spunding valve is working. It's been fermenting in the garage for the past week. Looks like it's slowed down a lot and might be done but I'd have to open up to make sure. I'll wait one more week, then pressure transfer into my sanitized corney keg and finish carbonating. Maybe 50/50 that this is a lost cause but I learned a lot on my first try with everything new to me.
I have a stainless addiction!😂😂
me too
100% disagree with the overthink your equipment point, I think for beginners that is essential but with advancements in homebrewing equipment you can have affordable setups for sub 2,000.
7gallon conicals are 5-700. Glycol chillers are 1k or you can build them for less. Both are massive improvements in quality.
Generally the tips are great I just am unsure Nate is aware how far homebrewing equipment has come
1 mistake is using a glass carboy most annoying fermenter ever hard to clean and a pain to transfer especially bottling. Just use a plastic bucket
Having used both plastic buckets and glass carboys over the years, my current go to is the wide mouth plastic carboys, like the Fermonster series. Less oxygen exposure than the bucket, easier to clean than glass carboy, and not breakable. Be sure to get the lifting strap thingie for easier moving.
* Develop your palate ! ;-)
Must have just opened. I've never seen less than full capacity at the T location.
Was like 11:05 on a Monday… 😹
Not removing the chlorine/chloramine from the city water
For sure, easy fix!
Number 1 should be never start your own brewery in a saturated market, you are not that special. Stick to home brewing for friends and family!!
I wouldn’t want to start now.. it also has a way of taking a lot, not all, of the fun out of it.
Dont use glass carboys
I now know what not to do
Top mistake #1=""Don't invite a politician to your brewery''
I haven't watched yet, but I bet all 5 of these mistakes are "so me".
🥹