I can't cook for shit so can I still make good beer?

[Wutz]

I'm in a similar boat with cooking. Recipes will say (do this until you see something that I've never seen so can't identify) then (do something I'm not sure of the proper technique) until (you observe something dependent upon the proper technique). Brewing processes have been kind of nailed down and we have instruments that will tell us when something is where it needs to be. I don't have an instrument to tell me what unbaked lemon meringue looks like.

The brewing process can be as simple or complicated as you'd like. "Dump extract in kettle, add hops, make sure stuff's sanitary, throw yeast package in cooled liquid, put in dark closet, keg three weeks later" can make good beer. Building your own water, malting your own grains, maintaining your own yeast bank, and bottling in bottles that require a cork and cage can make good beer, too. And there are endless gradations of simplicity and complication between the extremes.

The one thing that will guarantee bad beer is a lack of attention to cleaning and sanitation. If you can follow these simple steps, good beer is a likelihood:
1. Mix a directed amount of cleaner with water
2. Use cleaner and soft cloth to wipe out all brewing equipment
3. Mix more water with a directed amount of sanitizing concentrate to make a sanitizing solution
4. Make sure everything that touches the cold wort/beer has been immersed/in contact with the solution (fermentor, spoons, testing equipment, etc)
5. Double check the fermentor to make sure you've poured the sanitizing solution out of the fermentor. While not harmful, large amounts of sanitizing solution mixed with beer will almost definitely not be tasty.

I can't cook too well, but a few of my beers have been fantastic. I can clean and sanitize stuff and I've been able to start my brewing process at simple and move up to semi-basic all-grain. You don't need to be a culinary wizard.

One thing is certain, though: You're going to enjoy brewing much more than cooking; cleaning bottles sucks, but everything else is awesome.

[foomench]

What Wutz said. Cleaning and sanitation are the most important parts of making drinkable beer. After that, don't worry. If you don't do things right you might not get the exact style of beer intended from a recipe, but it will still be beer.

[dirtbikejunkie]

Brewing processes have been kind of nailed down and we have instruments that will tell us when something is where it needs to be. I don't have an instrument to tell me what unbaked lemon meringue looks like

ok, this is what I was hoping. it's good to hear others have felt the same about cooking but have had success brewing.

I am very diligent about cleaning and sanitizing thus far and starting to get a routine down.

so I'll go for it.



one question. I have some old coolers that have been stored outside. I was planning to convert these for brewing but found they have developed mildew, etc. inside. I am going to pressure wash them and then clean with bleach solution. is this sufficient to rid the containers of any mildew spores, or am I better off tossing them and going with new coolers?

[SpaceKadetKiwi]

This sounds a bit like my house, my boyfriend can't cook for shit, he can make great food but can't time it to make a great (warm) meal thus I take over all house hold cooking. But have faith!
I bought our brew equipment and got us started on the home brewing and he is light years ahead of me. There is no way I can keep up with his brewing knowledge.
In other words there is hope! Brew on!

[EagleDude]

Nice work! ... I can cook but don't enjoy much of it, so do a bad job and .... now the wife does most of the cooking. Brewing, on the other hand, I enjoy immensely. In the end it all works out. She cooks, I brew, and we both enjoy the fruits of our labor together.

Go make some beer!

[Metal Tiger]

Have faith my brewing brother. Some great man once said, "Barley wants to become beer, you can't screw it up" or something like that. My brewing experience has proven this true no matter how hard I try to mess it up.

[KimJongAle]

one question. I have some old coolers that have been stored outside. I was planning to convert these for brewing but found they have developed mildew, etc. inside. I am going to pressure wash them and then clean with bleach solution. is this sufficient to rid the containers of any mildew spores, or am I better off tossing them and going with new coolers?

A pressure wash and a bleach soak should do the trick. Even if there are a few microbes left behind, the cooler (used as a mash tun) is on the "hot side" of the brewing cycle...anything alive will be taken care of by the boil.

As a newer brewer myself, I can tell you that most of the advice given thus far is extremely helpful and constructive. The one thing I would like to add that helped me significantly was...listen to ALL the archived episodes of the Jamil show. Specifically when he and Jon Plise cover styles. The episodes will help you understand what the individual styles are supposed to taste like, some of their history, and most importantly...you'll be given a proven recipe. Jamil's book "Brewing Classic Styles" is an excellent recipe guide as well.

Good luck!

[Baxter]

Great words of advice from the BN forum. The only thing I would add is that as long as you keep everything clean and sanitized you'll make decent beer. Like Jamil said a long time a go: "put some sugar in water and throw some yeast in, your gonna make good beer." I'll second that, its not that hard. I know i made a couple odd batches of beer in my early brewing days, but I was so excited to be making beer that it tasted good to me anyway and thats all that mattered. I was neurotic about cleaning and sanitizing and i know that helped make them as good as they could be. Ive listened to a lot of the archives and gotten a lot better since then. Just keep learning along the way and you'll make good beer.