Minimalist Homebrewing

[ClintChe]

Hello fellow homebrewers!

I am looking to interview homebrewers who consider themselves minimalist style homebrewers.

Homebrewers who have there process simple and minimal when it comes to techniques, equipment and ingredients.

Some have done this because of lack of space, others like to just be minimal. Or some, like me, live in a country that doesn't have supplies readily available.

I would love to hear from you and get your input.

Cheers!

 

[MyQul]

Welcome to the forum!

I dont particularly consider myself a minamalist HBer but I like to consider myself as a bit of low tech brewer. Low tech means less kit to go wrong or break as I cant afford to replaced expensive bits of kit. I also like the simplicity of low tech brewing.

Basically I am a BIAB brewer using my gas cooker hob so no burners or gas bottles etc (as I havent the space to store that kind of kit). I have just swapped to a 12L pot. This will allow me to do 7L no sparge BIAB, which is probably the most minimalist type of brewing I can think of. I will also be able to do 18L Maxi-Biab (if I make a 4%ABV beer. The brew length will go down as the strengh of the beer goes up but I prefer session ales to big monster beers) which requires a sparge so not as minimalist as no sparge but still quite minimal seeing as I just use a pot, a grain bag, a couple of buckets and a 2L kitchen jug.

Ingredient wise I'm definately not minamalist as far as grains go I've just bought a grain mill which will allow me to have a large stock of different grains in. My next order will include 13 different grains.

Yeast is a different matter though. I want to have the least amount of strains I can as I need to store them in the fridge, which hasnt got a lot of room in it. For the types of beers I like to make I've got it down to two strains. An English strain, the Fullers strain which I've almost finished culturing up from a bottle of Fullers 1845 and a clean strain which I can use to make pseudo lagers with as well as clean ales. I've decided on nottingham for that.

My mininamalism/low tech set up is dictated by the fact I dont have huge amounts of room in my flat and have no outside space for storage or brewing

 

[MickDundee]

I use BIAB, mainly buy my ingredients as GEB Custom kits, bottle from primary and prefer minikegs as they take up less space. I wouldn't call myself a minimalist though, and SWMBO definitely wouldn't!

 

[johnnyboy1965]

I consider myself as a "miminmalist". The outlay is expensive, but, hey, we have been brewing beer for thousands of years, principles are still the same

 

[braziliain]

I stumbled across a thread on here a while ago called the 'Back to basics challenge'

Now that was minimalist and also quite inspiring!

Edit: This one...

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3620&highlight=back+basics

 

[chthon]

My real first brew was from a small kit from Brouwland. 4x0,75 liter, extract. But it contained bottles, a fermentation vessel of 6 liter with water lock, a faucet, a bottling wand.

I started this way, brewing with what I had in my kitchen. This contained one pot of 4 liter, and one of 10 liter. I used the 4 liter pot for my first mash, and the 10 liter for cooking. 6 liters down to 3,5 liters. What did I invest in? A glass DJ and water lock, hydrometer, ingredients, a strainer (1.5 EUR) with the same diameter as my pots to filter the mash. I had a small kitchen thermometer with a scale from 0 to 100 degrees C. An auto-siphon.

I was also lucky. Do you see my avatar? That is Peugeot A0 mill, it is a heirloom from my great-grandfather, residing with my parents. For small batches this works well, mechanically adjusted to its widest gap.

In the meantime, I upgraded slowly. First a good thermometer. Then a pH meter. Then a 17 liter stock pot (sale!). As last step a real roller mill, Brewdog Malt mill.

I also increased my capacity. First I found a plastic foodgrade bucket of 5 liter, which fit into my first 6 liter FV. With that I had a better way of lautering.

One day, I was thinking about larger buckets, when I noticed in the local fries/chips shop their recycling waste. I went in, and got three buckets with lids, which I transformed into a lauter tun, a filter tun and a fermentation vessel.

With this I can brew up to say 9 liter, or maybe 10 liter with a yeast which has low kraüsen.

 

[Razor]

I stumbled across a thread on here a while ago called the 'Back to basics challenge'



Now that was minimalist and also quite inspiring!



Edit: This one...



http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3620&highlight=back+basics

Might be time to resurrect that thread. I wonder who'd be up for the back to basics challenge?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chippy_Tea]

No need to resurect a very old thread why not start a new one.

 

[Chrissparky]

I use biab and find it quite minimalist, not a lot of gear to store or clean

 

[Oneflewover]

I stumbled across a thread on here a while ago called the 'Back to basics challenge'

Now that was minimalist and also quite inspiring!

Edit: This one...

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3620&highlight=back+basics

Just read that thread, very enjoyable!

 

[dps51]

my system set up is biab due to my ill health.this way I don't have to much to lift and clean.
also I don't have much room.
I get my grain and hops yeast as a kit from my local homebrew shop.
or I may just get a wilko kit

 

[DoctorMick]

Might be time to resurrect that thread. I wonder who'd be up for the back to basics challenge?


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I'd love to give it a go!