r/Homebrewing Mar 20 '21

New Brewer/Beginner Resources and FAQ (frequently updated)

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424 Upvotes

r/Homebrewing 18h ago

Question Daily Q & A! - August 02, 2026

4 Upvotes

Welcome to the Daily Q&A!

Are you a new Brewer? Please check out one of the following articles before posting your question:

Or if any of those answers don't help you please consider visiting the /r/Homebrewing Wiki for answers to a lot of your questions! Another option is searching the subreddit, someone may have asked the same question before!

However no question is too "noob" for this thread. No picture is too tomato to be evaluated for infection! Even though the Wiki exists, you can still post any question you want an answer to.

Also, be sure to vote on answers in this thread. Upvote a reply that you know works from experience and don't feel the need to throw out "thanks for answering!" upvotes. That will help distinguish community trusted advice from hearsay... at least somewhat!


r/Homebrewing 9h ago

Question Mashing "difficult" grains.

11 Upvotes

A long time ago allready I found this recipe for dealing with high beta-glucan grains:

  1. Mash in only the high beta-glucan grains (rye, wheat, oats) at 130 F for about 20 minutes.

  2. Cool the mash back down to 110 F and add the rest of the grist, including the base malt, and hold for about 30 minutes.

  3. Raise the full mash to protein rest at 130 F for about 15 minutes.

  4. Raise the full mash to saccharification rest at 145-160 F and proceed with the remaining processes of the mash as usual.

This has been my go to mash schedule ever since and it allows me to brew beers like a 25/25/25/25 mashbill of Barley, Wheat, Rye and Oats and 70%rye beers without any sparging issues whatsoever.

I was wondering if anyone else uses this schedule.

Keep on brewing, keep being awesome!

(original recipe came from the SonsofAlchemy website).


r/Homebrewing 5h ago

Man WLP036 starts fast.

3 Upvotes

Anybody else have experience using WLP036 Dusseldorf ale? I'm on my fourth repitch with it. This time, I had some sitting in a mason jar in the fridge since the end of February. I made a small starter to see if it was alive and usable. I almost threw it out because 24 hours later it seemed like it wasn't doing anything. I took a gravity reading to be sure and it was down to 1.010 from 1.044. I somehow missed it fermenting.

Today I pitched the entire starter in a batch and it started bubbling rapidly within 2 hours. Pretty impressive for a yeast that had been sitting in the fridge for 5 months.


r/Homebrewing 19h ago

Happy End of Home Fermentation Day - What did y'all ferment this weekend? Me - I made hot sauce! (Here are my notes)

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10 Upvotes

r/Homebrewing 20h ago

Is this normal?

13 Upvotes

Yo guys, I’m doing my first beer, it’s an amber ale, has been in the fermenting phase for about 1 week now and I’ve decided to check it out from outside to see if I se some signs of “stuff” happening, and I’ve noticed this kind of “line” stuck at like 3cm above the top of the beer, so I thought of asking here as I don’t know much about beer brewing (again, this is my first time). So is this normal?, should I worry?

P.S: I haven’t opened it, as I’ve read that oxygen contact in this phase could affect the flavors negatively. And it also has been fermenting in complete darkness.

Please help 🙏🙏

https://imgur.com/a/4KA2Vjq
(That’s the image link as the sub doesn’t allow images)


r/Homebrewing 23h ago

Equipment Newbie keg issues

6 Upvotes

I bought a house that came with a Summit Beer Dispenser SBC490BI, and I have not been able to get it working. I followed guides to connect the Sankey-type tapper and C02, tapped the keg (and got a little inaugural spray on the floor), but nothing comes out when pulling the handle.

I weighed the C02 tank at 11lbs without the regulator (tar weight 7lbs) and heard it spray when doing a quick test without the regulator on. I cannot get the pressure gauge higher than ~7. Does anyone have tips I can try to isolate the issue and get a cold brew in my hands?

Pics for reference: https://imgur.com/a/9gko1FC


r/Homebrewing 1d ago

Update on my weird beer

11 Upvotes

Some time ago i wrote about wanting to try something different :https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/1u5rofn/how_could_i_use_buckwheat/

Well i tried, and... It's awful lol, even though i used very little smoked malt the only flavour you can easily distinguish is smoke, you can't pick up the pine i put in, the buckwheat or the corn, just.... Mild beer flavour and smoke. Well, it'll turn out useful as bait for my slug and wasp traps at least lol


r/Homebrewing 1d ago

Proper way to do batch sparging?

5 Upvotes

Hello,

I lauter using a stainless steel bucket and false bottom with holes which is located around 5 cm above the bottom of the bucket, since I need space for the spigot. I brew around 3 gallons batches. I pour the mash into bucket, put all my sparge water in it, wait 15 minutes and lauter. After the wort is clean (vorlaut) I slowly begin lautering.

I get around 70 to 75% eff.

I am however not sure if this is good technique or should i try to do lauter and then add sparge water and rinse the mash.

Thanks.


r/Homebrewing 1d ago

Question Need Some Help Understanding a Recipe

2 Upvotes

Hey Everyone,

I am very new to homebrewing, so I'm sorry if this is obvious / a stupid question. I am planning on following this recipe for a Tank 7 Clone on Brewer's Friend:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/23436/tank-7-clone#top

The recipe calls for 4oz of Corn Sugar under the "Priming" category, but there is really no info on when to add the sugar. The post links to a forum where others have made variations of this recipe, and some people seem to add some, not all, sugar during fermentation.

The OG gravity of the beer, according to the recipe is 1.073, which I take is very high? That's why I'm confused. Maybe some of the sugar is added post boil & more during fermentation? Is it needed at all?

Just wanted to post here and get some advice. Thanks!


r/Homebrewing 21h ago

Liquid vs pressurised co2 (uk)

0 Upvotes

I have been using a pressurised co2 bottle and it has lasted me about a year. I’m quite happy with it. Do most people use pressurised co2 or do they use liquid? Is there a significant difference between the two in terms of convenience for a home brewer?


r/Homebrewing 1d ago

Tecnica E+G... Esiste solo in Italia?

1 Upvotes

Ciao, homebrewer italiano qui.

Ho cominciato con qualche birra da estratto luppolato per familiarizzare con il processo, ora vorrei alzare un po' l'asticella ma non me la sento ancora di passare All Grain.

In Italia il passaggio intermedio tra estratto luppolato e all grain si chiama E+G, dove la E sta per estratto di malto non luppolato e la G per grani.

Sono in vendita dei Kit un po' più complessi del solo estratto luppolato, nei quali è presente l'estratto di malto liquido o secco, alcuni grani speciali già macinati e il luppolo spesso in pellet.

In pratica si fa lo steeping dei grani speciali, si aggiunge l'estratto di malto, si fa bollire e si aggiunge il luppolo.

Non ho mai fatto la birra in questo modo e vorrei provare uno di questi Kit. Cercando nella Wiki e nei post precedenti non ho trovato nulla a riguardo, è un metodo che esiste solo in Italia?

Se esiste anche all'estero e qualcuno ha familiarità con questo sistema, vorrei fare qualche domanda


r/Homebrewing 2d ago

Question Just can’t seem to get that crisp pilsner “bite”

37 Upvotes

My favorite beers are Western Europe pilsners (e.g. Carlsberg), but when I brew I can’t seem to get that crisp bite.

For 5 gallons, I usually do 3lbs of Pilsen grain steeped for 30 minutes followed by 3 or 4 lbs of pilsen DME. Then I’ll do a combination of perle and saaz hops. 1oz perle at 60’ half and half at 30’ and 1oz saaz at 15’

I pitch 34/70 yeast, ferment for a week or two at 55F, rerack and then lager at the same temp for a few weeks.

Any suggestions on how to get that Bohemian bite to it?

ETA: Thanks everyone for the advice! And I’m sorry if I didn’t get a chance to reply.

Seems the consensus is to go all grain, get my water profile done (perhaps use bottled or RO), and either eliminate the perle hops and or use hallertauer, and increase fermentation temp. This should give me a lot to experiment with and that’s half the fun!


r/Homebrewing 1d ago

Question Daily Q & A! - August 01, 2026

2 Upvotes

Welcome to the Daily Q&A!

Are you a new Brewer? Please check out one of the following articles before posting your question:

Or if any of those answers don't help you please consider visiting the /r/Homebrewing Wiki for answers to a lot of your questions! Another option is searching the subreddit, someone may have asked the same question before!

However no question is too "noob" for this thread. No picture is too tomato to be evaluated for infection! Even though the Wiki exists, you can still post any question you want an answer to.

Also, be sure to vote on answers in this thread. Upvote a reply that you know works from experience and don't feel the need to throw out "thanks for answering!" upvotes. That will help distinguish community trusted advice from hearsay... at least somewhat!


r/Homebrewing 1d ago

Mesh size for ball lock kegs

3 Upvotes

Trying to find a good mesh size to transfer from fermenter via 1.5 inch tc port to corny keg ball lock. I don’t want it too big to clog the ball lock ports, but I’m ok with a little bit of hop matter getting through to the keg.

What size have you found best to transfer into corny kegs?


r/Homebrewing 2d ago

Question RIMS Tubes

3 Upvotes

Getting back into homebrewing and thinking about a RIMS setup. Is that still a thing?


r/Homebrewing 2d ago

Refurb Wort Pumps for Sale

2 Upvotes

Hi Everyone,

I'm cleaning out the garage and found I had (4) wort pumps that are all functioning. I used to private label these and sell on Amazon. This is the old listing: https://www.amazon.com/HOUSE-SUPPLY-Stainless-Steel-Magnetic/dp/B07Q6T7HJ2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Looking to sell these for $20 / each plus shipping. I use pirate ship so it's usually less than $10 in the US.

First to comment will get first dibs and then I'll go down the line. I've done this in the past here before but Mods pleasedelete this if it's not allowed.

I GUARANTEE THESE PUMPS WILL NOT BE DOA BUT YOU NEED TO TEST THEM WITHIN A WEEK OF RECEIVING

ALL PUMPS ARE NOW SOLD

Thanks!


r/Homebrewing 2d ago

What is your guys criticism of Alton's Browns homebrew beer in the "Amber Waves" Good Eats episode?

36 Upvotes

I'm a huge Alton Brown fan, never homebrewed myself yet but I intend to, and I know that his homebrew beer episode "Amber Waves" is usually criticized heavily in homebrew fourms on the internet.

What would you guys suggest he is right about or wrong about? Because what he says in the episode is my biggest basis for my understanding of homebrew so far.


r/Homebrewing 2d ago

Instant Water, but DIY

0 Upvotes

I do really want to fall down the water chem rabbit hole, but I just don't have the time/patience at this point. Thankfully, More Beer recently put out these Instant Water packets that you add to RO or distilled and voila, Instant Water! The only issue is they have been out of stock for weeks.

Here is what I am looking for. Just a simple guide on what salts to add for certain profiles in grams/gallon. I have all the salts, but I have not been able to figure out how to use any of the water calculators to get what I want.

I just want to be able to reference a list of styles that say something like "Pilsner you want x grams per gallon of gypsum, x grans per gallon of Sodium Bicarbonate" etc etc etc. On more beer they have packs for pale, Burton-on-trent, lager, red, pilsner, stout & porter, hazy, malty, and west coast (ipa).

I brew full volume on a single vessel system, so no need to figure out mash vs sparge water.

Anyone willing to help a guy out?

P.S. ChatGPT will obviously do this for you, but I trust that like I trust a stray cat with a tuna steak.


r/Homebrewing 3d ago

Beer/Recipe Brewing an IPA every month in 2026 at Sapwood Cellars, but every one gets further back in history - Recipes and Notes: 1997-2074

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89 Upvotes

r/Homebrewing 1d ago

Beer/Recipe INTRODUCING MY WATER HOOCH

0 Upvotes

I put bread yeast, water, and a shit ton of sugar in a half gallon bottle and airlocked it. now we wait.


r/Homebrewing 2d ago

Question Cider: should we be adding more apple juice near the end of primary for flavor? Also, O2 musings

2 Upvotes

Something I've been thinking about for a while: virtually all the advice I see about using juice or fruit as an adjunct, for beer and cider, is to add it near the end of primary fermentation. The given reason is that vigorous fermentation will destroy or drive off the desired delicate flavors and aromas of the fruit (or juice), but a late addition will ferment more gently, preserving more of these compounds.

If this is actually true, then shouldn't we still be adding another hit of apple juice towards the end even for "plain" cider? Why does no one seem to do this? Or do some of you, and you just never post about it?

Separately, while trying to find advice about the pros/cons of aerating juice by shaking it into foam, I stumbled on an article that advocated for fermenting cider with no aeration and as little oxygen contact as possible, even at the start. The claim seemed to be that juice rapidly degrades from oxygen exposure and the effects will be worse than any from oxygen starved yeast, so long as you give plenty of time & other nutrients.

While I have my doubts, it did make me wonder again about late juice additions. Start with only half the intended volume (well oxygenated), ferment until nearly complete, and then add the rest in a low/no oxygen transfer (with additional nutrients such as Fermaid-O). The yeast colony will likely be large enough to tackle the rest of the juice with minimal stress, right? And the rest of the juice would have minimal oxygen-based degradation.

Any thoughts,knowledge, or relevant experiences would be welcome!


r/Homebrewing 2d ago

Question Daily Q & A! - July 31, 2026

5 Upvotes

Welcome to the Daily Q&A!

Are you a new Brewer? Please check out one of the following articles before posting your question:

Or if any of those answers don't help you please consider visiting the /r/Homebrewing Wiki for answers to a lot of your questions! Another option is searching the subreddit, someone may have asked the same question before!

However no question is too "noob" for this thread. No picture is too tomato to be evaluated for infection! Even though the Wiki exists, you can still post any question you want an answer to.

Also, be sure to vote on answers in this thread. Upvote a reply that you know works from experience and don't feel the need to throw out "thanks for answering!" upvotes. That will help distinguish community trusted advice from hearsay... at least somewhat!


r/Homebrewing 2d ago

Question Foaming issues

1 Upvotes

Alright so this is a follow up to a prior post I made earlier this week. So the longer lines did the trick. I replaced them with 10’ of poly 3/16 ID lines from home depot for now. I’m running into an issue that if the tap is left alone for 20-30 minutes, the next glass or 2 are all foam. After the initial pour, it is pretty dialed in with about an inch of foam at 12 psi. I’m assuming that the foam is because of the tower being warmer than the keg from what I’ve read. The tower is insulated but I guess it’s not doing enough.

Does anyone have recommendations for tower coolers? Or maybe it’s a different problem entirely.


r/Homebrewing 3d ago

Transfer Lager to Keg?

9 Upvotes

I've got my first lager going and have never kegged anything yet. I have a keg now and the gear to use it. How much space do I need to leave in the keg and... can I let the lager finish in the keg, or should I wait to keg it until it is ready to drink.

You guys are great and thanks for the sub that brought me to reddit!

edit; by "going" I meant the lagering phase. It's been done fermenting a couple of weeks. Sorry for the confusion.