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Since pipe smokers seem to be independent thinking types, I was curious as to how many of uf brew our own beverages. I brew mostly meads and country wines. I also wrote a book called "Brew or Die" that includes some of my recipes. Nothing would go better with a tin of your favorite smoke than a nice home brewed ale or mead.
Me and a close friend brew our own beer all the time. I think everyone should try to brew their own. Most people don't realize how easy it is. We have quite a few favorites, and of course they all go good with toby.
Tried that in college (from a kit) - tasted like cr*p (although surprisingly potent) so I decided to leave brewing to the professionals.
Yup, I've been all grain brewing my beers for around ten years. I can now brew up to pub standard and pretty much make any beer which doesn't require temp control, so I mainly stick to ales, my most experimental to date is a Imperial porter which I have soured with Brettomayces and I'm currently ageing until christmas. I have had a few sneaky snifters though and it is rather good although somewhat potent at 8.1%.
At the moment I have an all Citra pale ale in keg and I'm fermenting out a ginger beer for June.
I would love to do it as a profession, that's my dream anyhow.
A few winters ago my friends and I made our own mead. Was pretty good for something that a bunch of college kids did.
My father and I also brew our own beer, it's really good, our last batch was a delicious Porter. Next I want to try a stout.
Here is a recipe that was posted a while back for mead:
5lb honey
1 lemon
1 oz root ginger
1 gallon water (and I'd double check all measurements because these are old-school English Imperial - I know some in the USA are different!)-Simmer ginger and the lemon rind in some of the water for 20 minutes
-Strain onto the honey and dissolve well
-Let cool to room temperature of around 16-24 degrees celsius; add the juice of the lemon and stir; add yeast (preferably some kind of brewing yeast, but a wine yeast will do; try to avoid bakers yeast)
-Closely cover in something like a bucket for 3 days
-Siphon into a Demi-John and fit an airlock (or if you haven't got this kind of stuff, just siphon it off into another bucket and cover again)
-Rack it off (siphon off) the yeast sediment (lees) when it clears, and then again in 2 weeks.
-Bottle
-Let mature for 6 months to a year (if you can wait that long!).The trick is to keep everything really settled and get rid of the yeast sediment when siphoning off (called "racking"). The more it's disturbed, the more yeast you'll be able to taste in the final product, if you see what I mean.
What is absolutely vital though, is keeping EVERYTHING STERILE (buckets, demijohn, fermentation bin, bottles, muslin cloth for covering - everything). Use baby sterilising tablets or Campden tablets - the chemical name will be something like sodium metabisulphite...
If you want to make Metheglin (a herb / spice Mead), add herbs and spices to the ginger and lemon in the first stage. Traditional English herbs would be rosemary, thyme, mint, parsley, etc. but try to make sure that there is balance. It shouldn't taste of predominantly one. Alternatively, I've heard of people using things like cloves, allspice, star anise, cinnamon etc. A plethora of choices!!!
I've always wanted to brew myself but haven't gotten around to it. A buddy of mine should be starting it soon and I may join in then. I've also wanted to distill spirits. 
I've always wanted to try something like that, but I tend to just enjoy what everyone else has concocted. There's a new restaurant that brews their own beer close by. I just need to go and see how good it is.
I used to brew my own beer several years ago, and had good success with it. Lately I just brew coffee. Now that my boys are of age, they have been bugging me to get back into it. Seems like a good father-sons project. Maybe this summer we'll get the stuff out and cook up a batch or two. 
I started last year, and stopped for a period. Now, two buddies and I have started again. We're brewing up a beer for a friend's wedding/bachelor party.
And I'm about crack open a stout that just finished carbonating...I know I should wait and let it age, but I really want to try it!
Man I really want to try to brew my own, I am just too chicken to try it!
I used to do it while I was in the Navy. It was a great time and some of the crew would buy me the materials so I could make it for our boat parties. Somehow I fell out of it :evil:. So now I have a ton of glass carboys just sitting around, maybe someday I will get back into it.
I just did 5 gallons of Cyser (Apple Mead) for my brother's wedding. It was a hell of a wedding! People, even those who have brewed beer are usually shocked at how simple and good mead can be. It takes a little longer to finish, but it's worth the wait. I've also done ale-meads (Braggot) and it had a taste between a standad mead and an octoberfest beer.
Basic Mead Recipe:
5 gal. spring water, heated to about 150°F
15 lbs of honey
A cup of extra strong tea, steeped with lemon rind
1-2 packets Lalvin EC-118 champagne yeast
2 5 gallon bottles (carboys)
1 bubble lock (or failing that, a balloon with a small hole in it)
Mix the honey and water until all the honey is dissolved (you will have water leftover) leave room at the top for about 2" of foam
Add the lemon/tea mix
Wait until it cools to 90°F
Add the dry yeast, just dump it on top
cap it off with the bubble lock and watch the fun.
After 4 weeks, siphon the liquid off the sediment at the bottom, siphoning into the other carboy. Once the mead clears, you will be able to read the pages of a book through it. If it is still and not releasing CO2 anymore, bottle it.
New mead tastes good, but the older it gets, the better it tastes. I keep bottles up to 5 years or so, if I can keep from drinking them that long.
Mmmm this looks so good... My parents are in the dairy business (goats) over seas in Costa Rica, and my dad recently ordered a special thermostat for his refrigerator to help make hard cheeses. The company he ordered from though is actually a brewing company however, and he was nice enough to give me the free catalog that came with it. Well, now I just have to decide whether to spend more on tobacco or brewing equipment. From what I understand it should cost me about $200 to get everything set up. Does that sound about right?
Way to busy to brew at home, but I did try home soda making, spent a bunch of money and it didn't come out at all, wasted time and money.
Now I got a sodastream... And I love it. I give props to home brewers... Keep brewing and keep drinking!!
Nathaniel- If you know where to look you can get in for under $100 and spend less than $200 total! In the month or so before the first racking, you have time to expand, then during the long secondary fermentation you can save more $$. Mead won't complain even if you let it sit for 6 months in the secondary fermenter, in fact, it will get better!
First Buy-
5 gallon carboy $20 (or find a food grade 5 gal bucket, sterilize it and cut a hole in the top for the bubbler for free)
6- 1 gal. jugs of spring water at discount store $6 (or free if you have filtered tap)
15 lb honey- $30-50
Bubble lock and stopper $3 (or free if you have a balloon, the bubbler is way better though)
Tea and Lemon $3 if you don't already have them.
2 packs EC-1118 Yeast $1 Trust me 2 wee little packs are enough. This yeast is badass!
Total- $1-$83 depending on resourcefulness
Second buy -
Racking crane $15 (or less if you can find some food-grade plastic tubing, but the racking crane is worth the $$)
Another carboy $20 (you can use another bucket but a glass carboy is way easier to sanitize so you should use one for secondary fermentation IMHO)
Total- $35 or less.
3rd buy (6 weeks to 2 months later)
24 wine bottles $0 if you have a local wine bar. They usually have to throw them out and are happy to give away cases of used bottles. Wash, sanitize and go. If you have to pay at a brewing supply store, expect to pay $2 a bottle so about $50
Corks- Pack of 30 $10
Corker- Double lever corker $20
Grand total investment- $66 to $208 depending on your tastes and ability to scrounge.
I also happen to know that people will pay up to $20-$25 a bottle for home brewed mead. Not that I reccommend doing anything illegal, but one could pay themselves back rather quickly if they happened to give someone a bottle of mead for their birthday and that person remembered the kind gesture and later reciprocated in the appropriate fashion.
Incidentally, if anyone wants to get into brewing, just holler at me. I know I'm selling a book, but I'm in it for the joy of brewing so I'll kick out friendly advice and even recipes to anyone who asks!
I used to brew my own ales which is my preference, anyway my initial setup cost me £80-90. I found a brew i liked the sound of and away i went. I ended up using 2kg of sugar mixed into the ingredients i left it a few days while fermenting and went in for a sample taste, wow don't sniff you'll be out hahaha. i got used to drinking it and it wasn't untill i had a glass of water the next day that the alcohol took effect. If i got into it again i'd be a little more caucious with the sugar i think.
I know the EC-1118 can brew up to 18% That's potent!
Homebrewing, why that sounds great, I might just have to think about...
Oh wait, that's right, I've been doing that for a few years now.
Citra IPA on the schedule for Saturday!
My neighbors grow their own hops and grapes and make some. I am yet to try it, but it's good. Once I'm a bit older and I have the resources, I'd love to give this a shot.
My family has a shared brew operation, which is a great deal of fun. We've had Wheats, Reds, Scottish Ales, Blonde Ales, basic Ambers and Lagers, IPA's, Pale Ales, Kolsch, pretty much everything but heavier stouts. For the heat down south, (100+ degrees with high humidity on most summer days), you really can't beat cracking open a cold home brew!
I am not a beer drinker at all, but I like mead. Where does one get 15lbs of honey in bulk?
15lbs of honey in bulk?
I've always wanted to brew at home, but am daunted by the cost to start up, especially not knowing how my results will be.
I don't drink but if I did, home brewing would be right up my alley. My old work mate friend to brew his own beer. He had 3 different regular brews. One for every day, one for football games and another to get him drunk in one bottle. I wonder how his liver is these days?
The best place to get honey is local beekeepers. A lot of time, if they find out you brew mead you can swap products. Sam's now had 5 lb bottles of pure clover honey for about $10 each if you can't find an apiary or it's too expensive. The local HEB store where I used to live had orange blossom and mesquite honey in bulk, too.
I love amber Ale! Had not thought of making some myself. Is there a place online that you would recommend for directions and ingredients? I think I would like to start with something I like. The Amber Ale I like has a bitter flavor to it. I think that is from more hops?
When I'm not shopping local, I'm shopping online at Leeners They have a kit or the supplies to make darn near anything you care to make. Their customer service is great, too. Once they sent me the wrong id tubing. I called them and they had the right stuff out to me that day, no charge!
Yeah and the hops do add some bitterness, as well as the floral character that we recognize when we smell beer. My favorite are Hallertau hops.
errrmmm.. my father used to brew his own traditional brandy from plum fruits - it is called "sljivovica"...
Link here
it is not so hard to make but for a good one (as with all things in our life) you really have to be a master....
..
since i don't have a house (living in appartement) i don't have my own plums and it is hard to make something like that... however i am very interesting in brewing Absinth...
Well you did it Baron.
I think I'm going to try my hand at mead.
Thanks to you; I've got my mother digging through my step-dad's old wine making stuff.
I should have a ready made kit, four carboys (I think), vessels for the starter, rubber stopper, bubble locks, spoons, thermometer, hydrometer, funnels, new corks, corking contraption,and who knows what else.
Now all I think I need is some good honey, yeast, some oak, water, and to decide what to flavor it with. We have great water here in the house, owing to our top shelf filtration system.
Oh yeah, I need to drink a case or two of wine in green bottles.... for the bottles of course. 
Gotta get your bottles somewhere, Lawrence! It's all for SCIENCE!
@ mukihr I wouldn't try making your own absinthe. You can't do it unless you have access to a still, which will land you in the Federal Pen in the U.S. not to mention the fact that there is very little difference between a still and a fuel-air explosive that can level your house.
The good news is the import ban on absinthe has been lifted in the U.S. since 2007 and several excellent ones are available from local retailers as well as Drinkup NY I'd reccommend common ones like Lucid and Kübler to start. For a damn good one, go for Duplais Verte or La Clandestine. I've been an Absintheur since well, before it was legal.
Another fun drink I learned to brew is Kvas, which is a Russian Rye-Bread quick-beer. It has a low alcohol content and a light taste. They drink it like soda over in Russia.
hheheheheh... but dear Baronsamedi - i am living in Croatia 
heheheheheh... no problems with brewing any kind of drink here... oh yeahhhh!!! heheheheheheh
Oh yeah. On absinthe, stick with Swiss (the best), French, American or some Spanish. Avoid ANYTHING from the Czech Republic. They do make good beer but their "absinth" is a horrid concoction that doesn't louche and is reminiscent of bug spray. Also avoid anything with a wacky spelling such as "Absente". It's not real absinthe. I've had it. It's crap. There is no need to drink phoney absinthe now that you can get the real deal legally. Never EVER buy absinthe that has plants and shit floating around in it or promises "more thujone" (refer back to my comment about Czech Absinth).
Finally home recipes for Absinthe are recipes for suicide. Don't do it.
I have no earthly idea what's available in Croatia. I know the Swiss (followed by the French) were legally able to produce it since 2005 and Spain never really stopped. I've heard good things about Deva 70 and I've tried Obsello, which is good.
@baronstrasil......
hmmm - Chech absinth is a no no - o.k., got it - they have good Becherovka (tried it, it is goood)
..
will try to find a ready made absinth... i thought to brew some of my own but you got me thinking not to do that but rather find some Swiss or French made and story finished... o.k.... got it... regards and thanks - you got PM
I was big into partial mash/extract brewing for a few years, but have been inactive for a while. I unfortunately had to liquidate my equipment a couple of years ago. I did enjoy making meades and ales, and was able to pretty much clones my favorite brews. I do still have about 10 gallons of meade and cider cellaring at a friends house that has been aging for over 5 years, it should be pretty smooth by now. I guess I need to save up some money and get back into it again. I do miss having a good supply of really good beer... 
Baron, nice to see a few other people trying their hand at kvass.
Checked out Leeners online and they have everything needed for homebrewing of just about anything. They have the hardware + ingredients and Kits that include both. I want to get their kit for Amber Ale, but it is too hot during the summer where I live for the right brewing temperature. I think I will wait till the fall to buy the kit.
Dang, this thread took off. I appreciate all the great info, Baronsamedi, and everyone else. Now I just have to convince the other half... which shouldn't be all too difficult, as she appreciates a good brew too, like any decent woman should!
@brewshooter Kvass is awesome! Best use for old bread any time!
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Glad I looked before starting a new thread...hope the mods are proud of me!
So, since I was going to ask this same question, I'll bump it for us noobs...who home brews?
I did for a little while, I liked making stouts, however it has been a long time since I have brewed anything at all.
Mainly because I just don't drink that much beer and couldn't drink it all, and the time involved. My friends were the type they'd happily come over and drink it, but never wanted to partake in the making of it. WFT!!!??!!
But I primarily made stouts, I had gotten a 5 gal oak barrel from my brew supplier and would actually age some in there now and then. Didn't experiement as much with it as I hoped.
I've tried it 3 times and each time was pretty much a failure haha. I plan on giving it another go when I'm at home but with a keg this time instead of bottle fermenting/carbonating. I have been looking into barrel aging as well but wanted to figure out WTF I was doing first
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I just used the 5 gal buckets they sold at the brewery store w/the lid and airlock. I used to like brewing in the fall because I prefer lager over ales and the lager yeasts love the cold.
I didn't find it that hard to start out, very time consuming and just make sure to start with clean sterile equipment. I used to cheat and "borrow" some of the sterilizing supplies from work...heck, a few times they even bagged and ran my utensils through the autoclave...lmao 
Yeah, I did that too but the kits I was getting said to do the bottle fermentation as well. I'm thinking the kits we got weren't all that great because we were sterilizing everything very well. Gonna try some actual home brew stores next time.
I've been brewing for awhile. The downside is that I'm always disappointed when I go to a local brewery and pay $4.50 for a pint of something, and I know all the while that I'm sipping it that I have a much better version of the same style at home... Refining your palette is not always a good thing! 
Kamakaze you need to read Baronsamedi's book.
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Hmmm, I have fermented in the 5 gal glass jugs, with those, you just want to make sure to keep them out of light as much as possible.
But I think the reason I had such success in the beginning is because a gentleman just opened up a store on the outskirts of my neighborhood at the time...and I just remember I had taken a day off, decided to run into the store and mid day on a weekday, his place was dead, so his wife and him must've spent a good 2 or 3 hours just shooting the breeze and explaining to me how to brew.
And I have this MAJOR problem anytime I start a new hobby (see my tobaccos to share list)...I go friggin crazy with supplies, though my best pick up was the 5 gal pot w/the outdoor propane burner...so I was in his store a lot and we actually became good friends and he would invite me to his place for brew sessions.
Unfortunately I ended up moving a year or so later, granted I'm only about 90 mins from the old place...it's not the niecest of drives to take, so I avoid it. The area I am in now, albeit there are quite a few home brewers, no good stores are in the area.
As much as I'm not a beer drinker, sometimes when I did have a few people over for a brew session, there was nothing better on a chilly night, get the fire pit going, start the brewing, cook on the grill and let's not forget, a pipe full of baccy!
But if I were you, I'd definitely throw out the instructions, see if you don't have a local home brew store and ask them for help...so far, the whole 3 different stores I was in over time, they've all been very helpful.
Well, I am a Texan and I've really, really, really been wanting to brew some mead (I love that stuff). OK, you (and I) talked me into it Should be in in a couple of days. Thanks for the recommendation! I assume it will also have stuff that applies to beer.
Paul: I have the exact same problem of going overboard with my hobbies...when I can afford it at least (and that doesn't even always stop me) See my new found interest in pipes for example. I've got roughly a dozen new blends and 3 new pipes on their way to my house right now. No way I can fully take advantage of all that in the 3 weeks I'll be home and I'll probably be buying and least 1 more new pipe in Europe and several more tins. But yeah, I'm going to go talk to some brew stores when I get home for good and really make a valiant effort at it. My cousin's husband is also starting up a micro brewery so I should have a good reference there too. I'm gonna be working in the Middle East for at least another year though so I've got plenty of time to read up
Dang it! Sorry for the extra post. My internet out here sucks bad.
I meant to add too that if the brews don't work out I live less than half an hour from the Fort Worth Flying Saucer and Central Market. That's easily 400 different beers at my disposal
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I smoked a pipe for a while, on and off and mostly drug store brands, well not even that, I smoked only Captain Black...(damn I still need to try half and half, PA and some of the others).
But it was my trip to Italy, one of the others on the bus was a pipe smoker, and my wife was on assignment, so I was traveling alone, I didn't want to be on my own, so I walked around w/him and his family and it just got even more into wanting to take up pipe full time (When in Rome, do as the American next to you is doing...lmao). But it was when I finally looked on line, found this site and the sponsors and just went nuts on TAD and PAD.
Ended up stopping by the Trevi fountain, did venture on my own for a bit and ran into a nice Tabacci shop and picked up a Savinelli Trevi Author.
But Good luck to your cousin's hubby on the microbrew, I'll have to "like" the page and follow the progress. And hell, that's one good resource to go to for brewing your own...since it's pretty much the same process, just on a larger scale.
I love brewing! I have a batch of Hefeweizen x3 (brother is coming here for Thanks giving which is also his 21st birthday), hard cider, IPA, Rye APA, in the fermenters right now. My father in law is huge into brewing he has won tons of competitions and judged a few national competitions (Mexico is the only one I remember off hand) and he brewed all the beer for my wedding last month.
home brewing in the UK used to be VERY popular (in the 70s & 80s...my parents regularly cooked up beer and wine, and my dad in particular was quite skilled and could produce some excellent reds in particular) then seemed to die in the 90s....I am glad to see now though that there has been a resurgence lately, with shops here beginning to stock more home brew equipment though i have yet to try my hand....so far I have only made fruit liqueurs (steep the fruit in brandy/vodka, sweeten and mature) but I like the idea of home brew beer
i got a friend whos cousin is looking to make wine and vodka.my friend is looking to possibly make absinthe
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Vodka and absinth no - I am pretty sure they are distilled liquors - making them illegal to make on your own.
Alllthough, I do think there is a backdoor: Make Your Own Absinthe
Been brewing since 1994 shortly after discovering "good beer". Saved me a lot of money over the years and every brew session is a joy. The biggest advice I can give to a new brewer is to buy your ingredients from a homebrew store, not a kit from the mall. Get the malt extract, hops, and yeast. You can get into the equipment and break even after one or two batches. The breakthrough for me was when my wife bought me a CO2 tank and 5 gallon kegs for my beer fridge. Washing bottles gets really old after a while and consistent carbonation is nice.
I also make limoncello every year and a big batch usually lasts all year with some to give away for the holidays.
@baronsamedi
Just got your book from Amazon. I think I'm going to start seriously trying to brew when I get home next september so I'm going to start reading and taking notes on whatever I can get my hands on I've really, really wanted to start mead so I'm looking forward to the read.
i actually live not to far from this guy http://www.beernut.com/zen-cart/
ive heard great things about his set ups and stuff. i will try when i make some good space for it lol
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