Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with brewing

Can I pay a lawyer in beer?

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:20:03 -0800

I'm getting more and more serious about starting a brewery. I don't know where to start with the state, the city, the FDA and the ATF. (Does the ATF even care about beer? See! I need someone who knows these things!) You're not my lawyer, but maybe you know what kind of lawyer I'm looking for and how to find them! While I've never started a business before, I have a good deal of book knowledge -- I'm not looking for help with that aspect. I'm specifically concerned with beer laws, not small business creation.

I have no idea what I need to do to brew beer legally for sale. Obviously a lawyer sounds like a good place to start -- Googling for anything and lawyers just brings up accident lawyers. How do I find one knowledgeable of relevant law and regulation?

How much does the rice break down when fermenting sake?

exogenous — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:32:06 -0800

A question for sake brewers. Background: I've made sake three times, and have also brewed about a hundred all-grain batches of beer. The first two times I made sake were several years ago. From memory, they turned out pretty well: I had a hard time separating the leftover solids from the finished sake, but the rice broke down pretty extensively. In one case I used special milled rice intended for sake, but it didn't seem to impact the process.

Each time I've used basically this recipe.

In my recent batch of sake, I used distilled water, plain medium-grain rice, Wyeast liquid yeast, and my ususal koji-kin from Vision. I cooked the two portions of the rice separately, with each steamed for about an hour. The koji grew up normally. But during the yeast fermentation stage (two weeks at about 75 degrees F), the rice stayed mostly intact. I might have under-cooked it (I foolishly did not test the doneness by biting down on a cooked grain).

In the fermentation, how much does the rice really break down? I'm worried that if I over-cook it, bad things will happen. But it seems that at the fermentation stage, we want the rice to break down, so maybe it'd be OK to over-cook the larger second portion of rice, once the koji has grown up. Sound reasonable?

I'll buy no kits before it's time.

mudpuppie — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:00:34 -0800

Wine- (and beer-) making without buying a kit: What kind of equipment to buy, and where? Beer- and wine-making hardware seems to consist mainly of buckets and tubing. Can't I get that stuff at a restaurant supply + hardware store, without purchasing one of those kits for dummies? The lid with the airlock seems to be the biggest catch. Couldn't I just buy food-grade buckets through a restaurant supplier, and then purchase the lid + gasket thingy from a homebrew supplier?

What other accessories might I need to pick up, piecemeal? Am mostly thinking of doing ciders and berry wines right now. Beer in the winter, maybe. It just seems like this stuff is pretty basic to make, and I'm not really trusting the places that want me to buy a kit for $120 or more, when the kit basically looks like buckets and tubing that I can acquire elsewhere.

Assume that I already have bottles, because I do.

And a bonus cider recipe for those reading the question.

Working in Drinking

scrim — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:38:12 -0800

Is there a distilling industry equivalent of ProBrewer.com? I'm an MS candidate in Food Science at the University of Illinois, and I think I'd like to go into brewing or distilling after graduation. I'd prefer not to work for Diageo or Pernod-Ricard or any other giant (something my department would be able to help me with), but it seems pretty difficult to scope out the job prospects at smaller outfits. Does anyone know if there is a distilling equivalent to ProBrewer.com, i.e., an industry resource with a strong jobs-available and such classified section? As far as I can tell, brewing, distilling, and the like tend to be somewhat insular disciplines, in-between blue- and white-collar, and they don't advertise on Craigslist or Monster. I just don't have the time to email every single microdistillery in the country to ask if they might be hiring.

How can I control my beer temperature?

geodave — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:31:39 -0800

I'm looking for a serial-port temperature controller thingie for a bizarre cooling system I'm building, for a beer fermenter. The Problem: Beer needs to be kept around 65-70 degF in order to ferment properly; too cold and everything slows down, too hot and the yeasts die.

The Tools: I have a mini-fridge, a very small computer with only a serial port and 3 network ports, and not a lot of money.

The Solution so far: I'm going to have the beer fermenting in a glass carboy, and the mini-fridge running right beside it. Inside the fridge will be a tank of water, and inside the tank will be an aquarium pump.

The aquarium pump is connected to some plastic hose which attaches to a copper coil (refrigeration grade) that circles around the carboy, then dumps the water back inside the fridge container. Basically, when the aquarium pump turns on, it cycles a new length of cold water into the copper tubing and cools the carboy. The whole carboy will be inside of a styrofoam box or something to insulate it.

To control the pump, I'm going to have a thermistor or some other temperature sensor floating in the beer, or even better a couple of them at different positions inside the carboy. This is where my question comes in:

I can either try and build a circuit to switch on the aquarium pump when the temperature hits a certain trigger, using a prototype board and solder. Or, since I have this tiny computer sitting un-used, I can just find a temperature sensor that will plug into the serial port, then write a program to read the temperature and...I guess somehow use it to turn on the aquarium pump.

Basically I want to know if anyone can think of a better setup than this (keeping in mind that i'm poor,) or suggest another way to do it?

Which drinks have the highest yeast content

Black Spring — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:11:45 -0800

Which alcoholic drinks contain the greatest and least amounts of yeast? I occasionally get a candida overgrowth in my stomach. I have the occasional alcoholic drink but I'd like to know which types / brands I'd be best steering clear of.

Brewing up a stink?

Goofyy — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:29:01 -0800

AromaFilter: Nice apartmemt, next to a brewery. Will there be unpleasant exhaust from the brewing? It's quite a nice place, on top of a building (5th floor). But the brewery is nearly next door. Does brewing beer make for stink or excessive noise? Not big enough for a traffic issue, it's a smallish local brew (at least one of their brews is quite pleasant). Probably too big to call it a microbrewery, the appearance is more factory.

Stella & Guinness Brewing Yeast?

jjsonp — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 17:20:07 -0800

Beer brewing yeast to match my favorite brands? I am interested in brewing some beer. I've seen several instructionals on the internet and it seems pretty straightforward. I am in the process of gathering the necessary equipment and supplies.

I understand that the yeast variety (in addition to all the other factors of course) is key. I am looking for yeasts which will produce flavors similar to my two favorite import beers: Stella Artois and Guinness. Are the actual yeast strains used in these beers available?

Are there mitigating factors which make brewing beer similar to these styles difficult? Any special brewing tips for beers of these varieties are also appreciated. Thanks.

Tell me how to brew coffee from whole beans.

gregb1007 — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:14:09 -0800

Tell me how to brew coffee from whole beans. I always drink instant coffee in home and have never brewed coffee from coffeebeans. Have no coffeemakers or anything of the sort.

What is the simplest way I can buy coffee beans from a coffeeship and brew them at home? What minimal inexpensive equipment do I need for it and what steps should I follow. (I would prefer not having to work with complicated machines.)

Is homebrew a stinky business?

cschneid — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 22:17:48 -0800

Is home brewing beer stinky business? I have always wanted to home brew myself up some beer, but am worried about the stink factor.

I live in a 2 bedroom apartment, so I don't have a garage or basement to stick it in. I do have a whole bedroom I can devote to it, and some ventilation (as it gets warmer out).

Will it be overwhelming or acceptable?

Shiny Faucet Envy

garfy3 — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:24:12 -0800

FaucetFilter: I'm in a rental apartment, and my heavy cooking and homebrewing proclivities have me pining for a better kitchen faucet. Do you have any advice for finding, installing (and then when I move out), uninstalling a higher-end sink faucet? The one I've got just doesn't "rise above" the sink very much, and has that one handle in the middle to control the temp mixture (can't seem to find a pic right now). Of course, after some holiday visits I've developed Severe Faucet Envy while using some higher-end faucets that rise above the mess and do all sorts of other spray-ee, clean-ee stuff.

Dealing with the building maintenance folks isn't an option in this case (sadly).

So I ask you -- do you have any advice for finding, installing (and then when I move out), uninstalling a higher-end sink faucet? I know I should be looking for appliances where all the connections are un-soldered, and where all the holes match up in the right places. Has anyone here done this before? Tips for finding a faucet that's easy to retro-fit once I need to move out (probably a year or more from now)? How about preserving the old faucet during dis-assembly so it doesn't get all hosed up?

Help me make the perfect cup of coffee.

jourman2 — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:27:18 -0800

Help me make the perfect cup of coffee. After wallowing for years in the land of instant coffee ignorance, I've woken up to the fact that brewed coffee is absurdly better then the instant garbage I've been drinking for a long time.

However, I need some help enhancing the experience. My standard go-to beans have been Starbucks "House Blend" and Dunkin Donuts "Original" flavor. Both have been pretty good, but I get the feeling there are much better beans out there. My requirements are 1 - reasonable price and 2 - being able to purchase them (I live in the nyc). By reasonable price I mean between 5-15 dollars a pound, although cheaper would be better of course. I suppose I could get grinder if necessary as there seems to be decent ones on the market for 10 bucks or so.

Also I prefer a lighter, perhaps sweeter blend, not any of the "darker" roasts that Starbucks seems to prefer, if that helps at all.

Finally, any brewing tips would be helpful (i.e. how much water, coffee you use - or any other random tidbits.)

Looking forward to my coffee nirvana.

How do they make Bia Hoi?

borkingchikapa — Tue, 23 May 2006 19:39:05 -0800

I've recently become interested in brewing beer and stuff, and I have to wonder - How the hell do they make Bia Hoi? It's an incredibly cheap, evidently preservative-free beer that they make in Vietnam and is generally drank the day it's released. Is it just hastily made lager like anything else? I'm basically just intrigued by the concept of making cheap, easy beer that tastes okay to pretty good.

Best brewing practices for iced green tea?

rebirtha — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 18:51:51 -0800

I'd like some advice on brewing green tea at home to refrigerate and drink cold. A while ago I stumbled across a brand of bottled green tea ('Teas' Tea' by Ito En, if you're wondering) and became hooked. At $1.60-2.10 per 500 mL bottle, this is an expensive habit. I've tried brewing green tea and refrigerating it, but it's not as smooth. Sometimes it comes out bitter (possibly brewed too long.) Sometimes the taste is smoky instead of clean and neutral (due to the variety, I assume.) I've tried a few from Uwajimaya (the local Asian supply store) and a few packaged American brands. If you have any variety/store/technique recommendations, please let me know.

Belgian Ale?

scarabic — Thu, 15 Jul 2004 10:56:31 -0800

HomeBrewFilter: I boiled this Belgian Ale Kit last night. Today, there's absolutely no carbonation coming out of the airlock. Nothing. I am concerned that the yeast might have been damaged. Should I worry about it now? Or wait and see a bit longer?

Home brewing

scarabic — Tue, 29 Jun 2004 21:05:19 -0800

HomeBrewFilter. 7 days after bottling, I tapped one of the minikegs, just to see what it would taste like (I also tasted after the boil, and again at bottling time). I know the beer needs to be in the bottles for at least 2 weeks, preferably 3 or 4. But have I endangered it at all by opening it, tapping it, and putting it under forced CO2? Secondarily, how much is the flavor going to improve over the next 7 days? It's heady as hell, sweet, and actually not very beer-like right now. oops - following on this thread:

http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/8167

Home Brewing Question: how to siphon?

scarabic — Tue, 22 Jun 2004 11:41:30 -0800

HomeBrewFilter. I bottled last night and took great precautions to sterilize everything effectively. Then I found myself with the siphon hose in hand, the fermenting bucket up on the table and the bottling bucket down on the floor, and realized I had no idea how to accomplish the siphon without putting my mouth on the hose and sucking. This seems incredibly un-sterile but I couldn't recall ever doing it any other way. I was using a glass racking tube with about 5' of hose attached. Is there some better way to do this? Or should I not worry too much about it? Incidentally, the bucket I was siphoning from does have a built-in spigot, but it's at the bottom of the bucket, where all the sediment is.