Watershed Brewing Co.

[KPSquared]

So, in the middle of trying to get my garage built, I decided that I must have way more free time than I actually do. In order to make use of this new found free time (of which I actually have none. . .) I decided to take up a new hobby.

I've been fascinated by home brewing for quite some time but have never really taken the time to explore it. We got rid of our TV this year and part of that was a promise to myself that I would take the time to learn something new. As if building a garage by myself from scratch wasn't enough.

So, after some research and a bit of reading I decided to pick up some basic home brewing supplies and give it a shot. It was at this point I realized that I needed a place to set up my new "brewery" and my still unfinished garage was not going provide much in the way of, well, anything. Out of the blue my lovely SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) suggested I clean up our little shed behind the house that contains our water pressure system and use that.

PURE GENIUS. . . So, the process began. I cleaned it all out and now am realizing I need to modify it to be more suited for the purpose. I will keep you updated as things roll along.

Oh and, I know that "THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICS" so I will take some when I get home from work and at least let you see what I'm starting with. . .

I ordered up a Fat Tire clone partial mash from Hop Dawgs in Vernon, BC and now I just have to get set up so I can get brewing attempt number one started.

 

[jhexide]

Good luck with the homebrew ,ive done that in the past,and its like no beer you can go out and buy.much better tasting ,when you do it yourself ,and no preseritives

 

[CHRIS P]

Oh and, I know that "THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICS" so I will take some when I get home from work and at least let you see what I'm starting with. . .

Yes that statement is correct. I have always wanted to try the beer making thing, so i'm gonna have to keep up with this. keep the updates on the garage and beer making.

 

[KPSquared]

Here's a couple pics of what I'm working with. The reality is, this is a poorly build shed that I'm going to have to tear down and rebuild this summer, but for now, it will brew my first batch just fine.

I plan to screw some osb to the wall with a few shelves. This will do the trick. Once we rebuild the shed, I will purpose build a little better brewing space.

Oh, here's a bit of my recently acquired gear. . . and my new partial mash kit awaiting brewing. . .

I'll keep it updated as I move forward.

 

[timtim2008]

ill enjoy the show

 

[930dreamer]

I'm in for some "Strange Brew".

 

[fergus]

I'm also a homebrewer. At least i was until a few months ago. At any rate, are you planning on fermenting out in the shed? Have you got a good constant temp out there?
www.Homebrewtalk.com is THE source for info if you haven't made it over there already. Good luck!

 

[KPSquared]

Yup, temp is fairly constant. A little worried it may get too warm, but I've been keeping an eye on it and it seems to be doing pretty good. All ready on the home brew forum as well as a Canadian one. Pretty stoked to get things fired up. Hope to have something drinkable by Canada Day!

 

[Mmfh]

I haven't done it in years, but after you cook it you let it sit for I think about a week. Don't remember for sure but it needs to sit and ferment. A cool dark place is best for this period.
Read the brew forum above and give us some pics of your process, and what kind you decided on using.

One thing you might be able to find on CL is those long neck brown bottles to go with your capper. They can get spendy if you buy them new. Also need a good bottle cleaning brush.

 

[cwolfley]

this will be a great thread, i will be watching. i too am a homebrewer and am also in the process of converting a corner of the garage into my bar/brew room. i will snap some pics this weekend and let you see my kegerator and ongoing build......heres a shot of my very first brew about six months ago, im on batch 10 now.

 

[KPSquared]

That looks great! Why not start up a thread about your brewing space in your garage? I've love to read about it.

Picked up all the bottles I should need today.

Hope to have my brew kettle cleaned up on Monday.

 

[KPSquared]

Read the brew forum above and give us some pics of your process, and what kind you decided on using.

I already answered what kind I'm making. . .

I ordered up a Fat Tire clone partial mash from Hop Dawgs in Vernon, BC

If you haven't tried Fat Tire, you should! I guess we will see how close this recipe is.

 

[KPSquared]

Well, she's all bottled up and now the wait is on. I got delayed in bottling because of my grandma's funeral. So I bottled a week late but either way, it's done. Gonna crack one after 7 days and see how it is. Probably give them a solid 3 weeks to get tasty. . .

Here's a few pics from my first brew day ever!

This is/was my label plan for this brew. . . don't know if I'll get that far or not.

The shed isn't quite ready yet, so lots happened in the kitchen. . .apparently my wife does not like the smell of steeping malt barley. . . mmmm...

My wort happily boiling away with my totally-ghetto-only-took-5-minutes-to-build immersion chiller. Worked awesome though!

And the biggest thing I've learned since I've gotten into this hobby. . . RDWHAHB. . .(relax, don't worry, have a home brew) And if you don't have a home brew handy, at least drink a beer that tastes great!

The wife took some pics of bottling day. . . don't seem to have those on my compy though.

After some more thought, we've decided to tear down the shed and build a new one. This one was really built crappy by the previous owners and has a lot of issues. So hopefully I'll be able to have a nice shed build thread up one of these days. . .