Working On The Fermentation Closet

I took the pictures with my laptop, because the phone was dead, that's why it is kind of an odd angle. This is the closet in my kitchen, after some rearranging (almost done) I think it will all work. The back shelf will hold the three kegs, supplies, wherever they fit. The big boxes will be reduced to one big box and some smaller containers to hold the smaller tools. So far it seems like the temperature will be easy enough to regulate in there. Worst case scenario, we move the kegs to the bedroom closet or the basement.

Supplies Have Arrived

I got the supplies earlier yesterday afternoon with no problems. I was busy with other stuff, so I couldn't make the video until about 1:30 a.m. Everything was there and much sooner than I expected. I hope I get the free gifts I registered for, though I am still only a little over a week into the five week window for delivery. We could use that third thermometer for the kegs. If we don't get it by Friday, we will still brew all three at once. I figure since they will all be in the same spot fermenting and two out of three have thermometers, we can manage being one short for now.

I have enabled Live video stream on the channel, so that in the future we can try it out. I definitely will need to "touch base" with Joe & Steve as far as what we are going to cover on YouTube and vlogging. Since the main operations will take place at my residence, I will vlog as much as I can, without hampering the actual process. Anything not covered in the videos, including much more information, pictures, etc. will be posted here.

We hope you enjoy following us on this little adventure, please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section. Don't forget to tell a friend!

Plans

I want us to be able to brew three batches at once. One batch is equal to two gallons, for a total of six gallons at a time in the kegs. I had an oversight while ordering supplies. I only ordered two sets of bottles. If I want to have beer bottled and carbonating, while we ferment another six gallons (to keep the pace going), I will need three more sets of bottles for a total of six sets; 12 bottles per set  x 6 = 72 Bottles. So far my first three sets are all plastic, I will switch to glass for the last three, though I may substitute the set of three, for six, one gallon growlers. I will also need at least enough plastic bottle caps to reuse the original plastic set in the far future (when the first thirty-two beers are gone). I would have obvious storage problems if I was doing this alone, luckily, I think I can talk the guys into holding some at their places, so that we all have storage problems ;)

Hopefully I can get to the UPS guy today, and not have to pick up the packages at the post office tomorrow. I plan on uploading  a video to YouTube, of all of the collected supplies when they get here. This way everybody can see what the stuff as we get it. Of course the bottles mentioned above will not be included, but a whole bunch of stuff will be in it, including the original kit I have pictured in the previous post.. It will just be me in the first video, I live in the Akron area, and they live in the Cleveland area, work, distance, etc.

I will need to get more spring water, I honestly didn't think it would ship so fast.

The Beginning

I received my Mr. Beer Kit on 03-01-2014 (My twenty-third birthday), after years of drooling at one in stores. So I want to thank Samantha (fiancée) for starting me off. I ordered two more kegs, two more sets of bottles, all of the "instruments", six refills (12 Gallons of beer). Those should be here tomorrow. So the plan is, Joe, Steve & I will be starting off with three, two gallon batches of three different kinds of beer, starting this Friday or Saturday. More details on that, this weekend. There was talk of possibly brewing beer for someone's wedding, but that is still way up in the air. That would be awesome!

I have been scouring the net for forums, blogs, clubs, "how to" videos and more. It is really cool to see other home brewers gathering on forums, Facebook and any other online outlet you can think of.  There is no lack of information, and what usually would be considered "secrets of the trade" or "secret recipes" are shared, discussed, reviewed and sometimes even revised, publically. It is absolutely encouraged to share your tips and ingredients list, for the most part. There are still "secret ingredients" here and there. I would assume, that in such an openly shared hobby and profession, those secret ingredients are guarded well. The thing is, a secret ingredient could be as simple as the water that was used, to a mix of whatever can be tossed into the fermenting container. I look at like a chemistry set for grown-ups.

On another note: New Bills on Capitol Hill for Ohio are making beer trade and distribution headway...

OHIO

Trade Practice & Other

Senate Bill 173 authorizes specified persons to provide serving samples of and conduct consumer product instruction about the products of a manufacturer, supplier, or broker of beer, wine, or mixed beverages. The instruction or sampling must take place on the premises of a retail permit holder who is authorized to sell beer, wine, or mixed beverages for off-premises consumption. (February Update)
House Bill 391 seeks to allow beer manufacturers to manufacture beer containing not more than 21% of alcohol by volume beginning on the effective date of this act, and, beginning one year after the effective date of this act, to allow the sale and distribution of beer containing not more than 21% of alcohol by volume in this state by increasing the legally permitted alcohol content of beer from 12% to 21%.  The bill also generally prohibits the inclusion of caffeine or other stimulants in beer containing more than 12% of alcohol by volume, but exempting beer that has incidental amounts of caffeine from coffee, chocolate, or tea. (January Update)

Source: Brewers Association: State Government Affairs Activities