Going Backwards

[DjPorkchop]

Hey all!

Long time no chit chat. My last brew was about 4 years ago a couple months after my boy passed away. I fell into a funk and stayed for a good while. Now, I am wanting to do a brew here and a brew there again but I have issues.

Cons
1. I have had 3 surgeries on my back (neck is scheduled in a few weeks) and lifting glass or plastic carboys full of anything is out of the question.
2. I do not have enough room to store (refrigerate) 5 gallons worth of bottles.

Pros
1. I have the equipment already and ready to roll.
2. Is much better / tastier than not brewing and drinking bland commercial BMC
3. Cheaper, sadly enough, than sizes my bad back can handle.

I am wondering if I can get the best of both worlds here if I go with like a 3.3 lb Briess extract and split is and toss in some hops and steep some grains. That would get me back in the ballgame of brewing with the simplicity of extract and the size that I can easily handle without begging for help. And at a 2 or a 2.5 gallon batch, that is something my wife could help out with if needs be as well without me worrying too much.

My wife suggested I go back to the old days and buy a 3 pack of refills and do it stove top style and I was like uhhh NAH! I would love to but for the cost. It is WAY over the top too expensive. I feel as though a can of Briess and some grains here or there would get me to where I need to be to have a nice little supply of beers in the fridge for no more than I am able to drink anymore under circumstances.

What say ye?

And it is awesome to see a lot of the old names still on the boards from where I started out at back in the day in 2009 over at the other place that got deleted one day out of the blue.

Take care all and have a fantastic day.

[bpgreen]

Welcome back! Sorry about your son.

Starting back with something like a can of breiss sounds like a good way to ease back into it. You can ramp up as you get back into it.

I'm taking a break from brewing because I was literally hit by a truck. I may consider something similar as I ease back into it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[FedoraDave]

My condolences on your loss.

Small extract batches are a very good option. I continue to brew both fivers and 3 gallon batches, some of which are extract recipes with steeping grains. I understand the difficulty of horsing five gallons of liquid around, as I have to carry my batches from the kitchen down to the basement for chilling, pitching, and fermenting. Get back into it, and work your way up if you're able.

[DjPorkchop]

Hi fellas. Thanks for the replies.

I do believe the Briess (or equivalent) and some steeping grains is the way to go for me at this time with a ice bath in the kitchen sink for the time being the more I ponder it. I have been digging in the forums at Home Brew Talk and there has been discussions galore about splitting the 3.3 lb containers and many good words have been spoken about doing so. I talked with my wife about it and we saw some fancy ways of moving around 5 gallon vessels and none of them fit out means at this time but some were mighty genius.

The million dollar question is, is Screw Brewers Brew calculator still a thing? I was gone before it came out. I guess it was a nicer updated modern version of QBrew basically in it's own kind of way (??).

**EDIT**
Scratch that. I have to have Office installed to use that. I do not use office. I use Open Office. I suppose I need to find a copy of qBrew and Vince's last updated database for qBrew. If anyone has a line on these two items, let me know please. I would be much appreciative for sure. The links on Vince's website are long gone.

And sorry to hear about that accident bp. I wish you the best of recoveries.

[FedoraDave]

I use Brewer's Friend to formulate new recipes and store all my recipes. It's very comprehensive, and lets you know if your recipe fits the parameters of the style you're making. I understand it's even supposed to help with water volume calculations, but I've never tried that feature; I've pretty much dialed that stuff in already.

I'm not dissing Screwy's calculator, I'm just offering a site I use and like.