Hello everyone! My name is Dave Bogdan. I'm from the Chicagoland area. I received a brewdemon kit for Christmas from my wife. I am very excited about this as many years ago I used to make beer all the time. Unfortunately and stupidly I lost interest and threw all my stuff out. My wife was fishing for a Christmas present and I had mentioned getting back into it. Walla! Santa came with the 2 gallon kit. Last night I started my first batch of witbier. The aroma from the wort was outstanding. I'm looking forward to bottling it and drinking it.
I'm sure I'll have all kinds of questions as I restart this brewers journey! It looks like there's a lot of great info here already.
Tip - follow 3-4. 3 weeks fermenting, ideally with the wort temperature at 65. 4 weeks in bottles, carbonating and conditioning, temp 70 or higher. Then put in the frig for 3 days only what you're ready to drink.
Temp control can be done in a cooler with cycling frozen water bottles. If you let the wort get into the high 70s for most of the kits, flavor will suffer.
I have over 9,000 posts on "another forum", which means absolutely nothing. Mr. Beer January 2014 Brewer of the Month with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with it...
Certificate in Brewing and Distillation Technology
Beers I regularly brew:
Bell's Best Brown clone
Irish Hills Red - I call this "Ann Arbor Red"
Mackinac Island Red - I call this "Michigan Red"
Oatmeal Stout - I call this Not Fat, Stout - Oatmeal Stout
Bottled 5 gallons of Ann Arbor Red on 4/18/17. Bottled 5 gallons of Michigan Red on 5/8/17.
Brewed in 2017 - 22.13 gallons (19.91 in 2012, 48.06 in 2013, 61.39 in 2014, 84.26 in 2015,46.39 in 2016)
Brewed in lifetime - 282.14 gallons
Drinkable beer on hand - 13.58 cases, with 6.11 cases ready in May and early June.
Average cost per 12 pack through all beer brewed - $6.27(ingredients only)
Yazoo Sue Smoked Porter
Octoberfest
Le Petite Saison
Czech Pale Lager
A Toast to Big Fuzzy Russian Imperial Stout at 10%
Belgian Blond
Flower Power IPA
4 Kilts Clueless Belgian Strong
One Wort Two Yeast with Wyeast 2206
One Wort Two Yeast with WLP940
Shipwreck Saison
Currently Conditioning:
Cherry Mead
California Moscato
Currently enjoying:
Hardly Apple Cider on tap
Hardly Cherry Lime-Aid on tap
Oktoberfestive-Ale on tap
PGA Cider (Pear, Ginger, Apple) on tap 3rd Founders Cup 2016 King Of The Mountain on tap
Bottoms Up Brown on tap GOLD 2016 Ohio Brew Week Silver 2016 Ohio State Fair Silver 2016 Son of Brewzilla, Silver 2015 Son of Brewzilla, Bronze 2015 King Of The Mountain on tap
NITWIT BELGIAN STRONG ALE Banjo-Dawg RCE bottled
DAWG LB PALE ALE bottled
CITRA SLAPPED AMBER ALE bottle
MO FREEDOM SMaSH bottle
HOP TO IT IMPERIAL IPA bottle