Calling all brewmasters!

[GregLee]

There are only two ways to extend that shelf life.
You can pasteurize it, which gives you a huge flavor hit

This reminded me of the story that Coors needed to restrict distribution of its unpasteurized beer to make sure it was always kept refrigerated, but it was prevented from doing so by the FTC. Here is a pointer to a Texas Monthly article about that Texas Monthly - Google Books
(hope it works). I've never been clear about just what happened there.

Are any commercial beers now sold unpasteurized?

 

[brewer12345]

This reminded me of the story that Coors needed to restrict distribution of its unpasteurized beer to make sure it was always kept refrigerated, but it was prevented from doing so by the FTC. Here is a pointer to a Texas Monthly article about that Texas Monthly - Google Books
(hope it works). I've never been clear about just what happened there.

Are any commercial beers now sold unpasteurized?

Most if not all smaller breweries sell unpasteurized. I believe all the big boys pasteurize.

 

[braumeister]

Brewer12345 is right, of course, but even many breweries that brag about not pasteurizing their beer will "sterile filter" it instead. That means passing it through a filter that is so tight (3 microns or often much smaller) that no little nasties can get through it. Kill 'em with heat (pasteurization) or strain 'em out with a filter -- there's effectively no difference.

The drawback for the consumer is that the pasteurization heat has a harmful effect on the flavor, but the sterile filter is so tight that it strips much of the desirable flavor out along with the nasties. Either way, the drinker loses.

That's one of the biggest reasons that beer at a good brewpub or from an experienced homebrewer nearly always tastes better than what you buy at the store (besides the fact that it's generally fresher).

 

[hakuna matata]

Had to revive this to let you all know I tried my beer last night and it was AWESOME!! It actually turned out very nice--nice flavor and nice bouquet. Even my wife liked it! I think I can share this with a few friends without them hating me. Quite a long process but the end result was worth it.

I am pretty picky when it comes to my beers and I like this one, it tastes like the Chocolate Porter I remember from my friends house. I will now have to give it another go with an Amber or ESB this next time I think.

Thanks again for all the links and advice!

 

[braumeister]

I think I can share this with a few friends

NOW you're in trouble. Free beer tends to provoke requests for more work from you!

The fun part of brewing (for me, anyway) is developing your own recipes and trying to make the end product turn out the way you want. Here's to many years of enjoyment of your new hobby.

 

[ChiliPepr]

One piece of advice I can give you is invest in a keg-o-rator and the five gallon kegs. It is much easier cleaning one keg than 48 bottles. I love brewing but I do not think I would have stayed with it if I had to clean/sanitize 48 bottles every batch.

 

[ERD50]

One piece of advice I can give you is invest in a keg-o-rator and the five gallon kegs. It is much easier cleaning one keg than 48 bottles. I love brewing but I do not think I would have stayed with it if I had to clean/sanitize 48 bottles every batch.

I'll counter that and say it's personal preference. A lot of brewers prefer kegs over bottling, but you need to invest some $, rig up the kegerator, pay the electric bill, deal with CO2 and some plumbing, moisture build up, tap/line cleaning - and then you have a limited number of beers on tap.

Bottles can be stored at cool room temperature, and a few chilled as needed. I have about ten different batches I can choose from for dinner, I would need a lot of kegerator space to keep that many on tap. And some beers benefit from some long aging. No need to tie up a corny keg for that.

I give my bottles a good rinse/drain that evening. I jet-spray and shoot with sanitizer and drain right before I bottle. I don't find it to be that much work, but some brewers seem to just hate it.

-ERD50

 

[DblDoc]

I'll counter that and say it's personal preference. A lot of brewers prefer kegs over bottling, but you need to invest some $, rig up the kegerator, pay the electric bill, deal with CO2 and some plumbing, moisture build up, tap/line cleaning - and then you have a limited number of beers on tap.

Bottles can be stored at cool room temperature, and a few chilled as needed. I have about ten different batches I can choose from for dinner, I would need a lot of kegerator space to keep that many on tap. And some beers benefit from some long aging. No need to tie up a corny keg for that.

I give my bottles a good rinse/drain that evening. I jet-spray and shoot with sanitizer and drain right before I bottle. I don't find it to be that much work, but some brewers seem to just hate it.

-ERD50

Another nice feature of bottling is the ability to give away some as gifts.

DD

 

[Bimmerbill]

I've been thining of trying this but have not made the jump in to it yet. I figure its a good idea to get all my buddies up for a day, drink beer, BBQ and brew several batches. That way we all get a 6 pack of each flavor.

Maybe I will still try it. In the mean time I am saving my empties! I went on an IPA kick last summer so may give that a try.

 

[packrat44]

Began brewing in the late 60s when in college. Rather than using 5 gal glass carboys I used a 20 gal plastic garbage can. We were into high alcohol content; quantity; quality was on the lower end of the priorities. At least the garbage can was new and we put cheese cloth over the top to keep the flies out. Soon found that sanitizing bottles was a PITA and probably was not done as well as it required.

Years later I switched to proper brewing equipment and using 5 gal soda pop kegs (much easier to sanatize). Last year my son borrowed my equipment and has started brewing. His quality level is greatly above my initial batches.

 

[SteveR]

I still have all my stuff for bottles and 5 gal. stainless kegs including the mash tun and burner set up. My problem is time and the right time of year. My window on beer making is closing up very soon for this season as it is warming up and the warm up here is intense so unless you like Fire-brewed beer I won't be making any until maybe this Fall if I am here long enough.

I really enjoy playing with the different grains and hops. My favorite was an India Pale ale followed by an Irish stout (redundant) but not a Guiness..less sour and no nitrogen.

I see the stuff everytime I look for something in the garage and I keep telling myself to get back into yeast farming and hops collecting but it just slips past me one more time. Maybe when I get old and retire...then I'll have plenty of time.