The Complete Homebrew Thread
The Complete Homebrew Thread
Ok so you peeps know i brew and love it... In this thread i shall endevour to :
1. Answer Questions
2. Make you drool
3. Show off my brews
4. Point people in the right direction (if they want to start brewing)
5. Expell the myth that Commercial beer is good..
Now im not saying im a pro at brewing, their are guys that take it way more seriously than me, but i reckon i can punch out a close to if not better beer than anyone can buy off the shelves...
There are FEW other brewers on this site...Lindemon, Huge etc, i would love to know what you guys get up to.
I brewed homebrew kits (otherwise known as kit and kilo's or cans of goo) for about 3 years, but know i have turned into whats called AG (All Grain) where you actually buy grain, crack it, soak it, boil it, add hops, cool it and ferment it. Cans of goo make a great beer for starters, but nothing will ever test All Grain. I can make a beer as good as Mountain Goat or Little Creatures...
Most have seen my setup but for those that havnt :
My bar
Enjoy!
1. Answer Questions
2. Make you drool
3. Show off my brews
4. Point people in the right direction (if they want to start brewing)
5. Expell the myth that Commercial beer is good..
Now im not saying im a pro at brewing, their are guys that take it way more seriously than me, but i reckon i can punch out a close to if not better beer than anyone can buy off the shelves...
There are FEW other brewers on this site...Lindemon, Huge etc, i would love to know what you guys get up to.
I brewed homebrew kits (otherwise known as kit and kilo's or cans of goo) for about 3 years, but know i have turned into whats called AG (All Grain) where you actually buy grain, crack it, soak it, boil it, add hops, cool it and ferment it. Cans of goo make a great beer for starters, but nothing will ever test All Grain. I can make a beer as good as Mountain Goat or Little Creatures...
Most have seen my setup but for those that havnt :
My bar
Enjoy!
Last edited by Fents on Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
- stovequeen
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Now let me take you through an AG Mash brew :
Mashing (Soaking) the Grains in 2.5litres of water per 1KG grain...has to be mashed at 66c (exactly) for 1 hour :
Sparging (rinsing the suguars off the soaked grain) and then draining it into a massive kettle (cut off CUB Keg) for the boil...sparging is also done at 2.5litres water per 1KG grain but this time the temp is 78c..
Boiling "The Wort" ...boil it for 1 hour with a slow rolling boil, adding different types of hops at 60mins (start of boil), 25mins (middle of boil) and Flame out which is the end of boil..
Afther its boiled we then drain it into a fermenter (white plastic thing on ground) we let it cool down to 25c and pitch the yeast...seal it all up and it bubbles (ferments) away for about a week....then its into the kegs, carbonated and drank at a rate of knots..
Mashing (Soaking) the Grains in 2.5litres of water per 1KG grain...has to be mashed at 66c (exactly) for 1 hour :
Sparging (rinsing the suguars off the soaked grain) and then draining it into a massive kettle (cut off CUB Keg) for the boil...sparging is also done at 2.5litres water per 1KG grain but this time the temp is 78c..
Boiling "The Wort" ...boil it for 1 hour with a slow rolling boil, adding different types of hops at 60mins (start of boil), 25mins (middle of boil) and Flame out which is the end of boil..
Afther its boiled we then drain it into a fermenter (white plastic thing on ground) we let it cool down to 25c and pitch the yeast...seal it all up and it bubbles (ferments) away for about a week....then its into the kegs, carbonated and drank at a rate of knots..
- huge
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i've still got about 3 or 4 slabs worth of different bews sitting in the garage getting tasty.
ginger beer - made from scratch.
cider - made from nashi pears and pears mostly.
others that i cant remember what was in them but completely experimental. additions of honey, lemons, vanilla beans, coriander, cinnamon etc.
huhuh
they are all pretty fucking good too mind you.
ginger beer - made from scratch.
cider - made from nashi pears and pears mostly.
others that i cant remember what was in them but completely experimental. additions of honey, lemons, vanilla beans, coriander, cinnamon etc.
huhuh
they are all pretty fucking good too mind you.
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The thing with homebrew is it gets better with age, unlike commercial beer...why u ask? Because in commercial beer they put so much crap in it...with homebrew when its freshly brewed its considerd "young" and with age the malt flavour settles and the hops aroma comes through. I've got bottles dating back 2 years ago, just waiting for the right time to crack em...system wrote:Love the menu!
How long can you store homebrewed beer for?
I'm so impressed with your set up Fents. I remember you showing me the fridge first time I was at yours...the look of pride on your face was adorable!
I don't think I had any though, would love to taste some. Actually, I don't think I've ever had homebrew
I don't think I had any though, would love to taste some. Actually, I don't think I've ever had homebrew
Only the meek get pinched...the bold survive
Fi, I would love to do that for you...BUT a quick search came up with some recipes. To brew Gluten Free you need really specialized stuff...grain, mills, skills etc...I dont think im up to that yet.stovequeen wrote:Fenton - I have a challenge for you...
How'd you like to have a go at brewing a gluten free beer for me? I'll caover any materials required.
I miss beer.
I found recipe but its full on...heres what a guys who brewed it said :
Will give it a shot for you a bit down the track.You can make a beer of sorts from unmalted millet, sorghum, maize, buckwheat, rice etc but you have to add some commercial enzymes to convert the starch, a product called clarase will do the trick. But the beer will be pretty bland and lacking in maltiness.
For best results you need to malt the grain which can be a pain unless you set up for it properly.
- stovequeen
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No worries mate, i thought as much. WahhhFents wrote:Fi, I would love to do that for you...BUT a quick search came up with some recipes. To brew Gluten Free you need really specialized stuff...grain, mills, skills etc...I dont think im up to that yet.stovequeen wrote:Fenton - I have a challenge for you...
How'd you like to have a go at brewing a gluten free beer for me? I'll caover any materials required.
I miss beer.
I found recipe but its full on...heres what a guys who brewed it said :Will give it a shot for you a bit down the track.You can make a beer of sorts from unmalted millet, sorghum, maize, buckwheat, rice etc but you have to add some commercial enzymes to convert the starch, a product called clarase will do the trick. But the beer will be pretty bland and lacking in maltiness.
For best results you need to malt the grain which can be a pain unless you set up for it properly.
On a third look Fi i found an EASY recipe for you :
http://oz.craftbrewer.org/cgi-bin/DataM ... tail&id=56
This one i can defiantly have a go at, should cost no more than $30 to make 23 litres
http://oz.craftbrewer.org/cgi-bin/DataM ... tail&id=56
This one i can defiantly have a go at, should cost no more than $30 to make 23 litres
Little Creatures Bright Ale Clone :
JW Pils 3.3KG
JW Wheat 0.84KG
JW Light Munich 0.542KG
Weyermann Vienna 0.783KG
TF Torrified Wheat 0.481KG
12g Cascade ---> 60min
15G Nugget ---> 60min
6g Amarillo ---> 25min
8g Cascade ---> 25min
15g Amarillo ---> Flameout
25g Cascade ---> Flameout
Making this one tonight!
JW Pils 3.3KG
JW Wheat 0.84KG
JW Light Munich 0.542KG
Weyermann Vienna 0.783KG
TF Torrified Wheat 0.481KG
12g Cascade ---> 60min
15G Nugget ---> 60min
6g Amarillo ---> 25min
8g Cascade ---> 25min
15g Amarillo ---> Flameout
25g Cascade ---> Flameout
Making this one tonight!
- stovequeen
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awesome!Fents wrote:On a third look Fi i found an EASY recipe for you :
http://oz.craftbrewer.org/cgi-bin/DataM ... tail&id=56
This one i can defiantly have a go at, should cost no more than $30 to make 23 litres
YEAH!!
My new fav thread...
So far I have brewed 5 batches of varying success..
1. Black Rock Lager - ** 1/2
2. Beez Kneez - ****
3. Pilsner Blonde - ***
4. Cerveza - ***(tweaked the recipe so it's not so watery & piss-weak)
5. Lil Creatures Pale Ale - ***
Beez Kneez was the best, cause the honey was VERY subtle, compared to the Commercial variety...
Home brew can be stored for.... a fuckload of time...
like 20+ years... (I wouldn't wait that long though)
Any tips for reducing sediment?
I've heard of 2 methods, but am hesitant to try them out...
1. Mix a teaspoon of gelatine into the brew a few hours before bottling & stir...
2. Crushed egg shells, same method as above...
My new fav thread...
So far I have brewed 5 batches of varying success..
1. Black Rock Lager - ** 1/2
2. Beez Kneez - ****
3. Pilsner Blonde - ***
4. Cerveza - ***(tweaked the recipe so it's not so watery & piss-weak)
5. Lil Creatures Pale Ale - ***
Beez Kneez was the best, cause the honey was VERY subtle, compared to the Commercial variety...
Home brew can be stored for.... a fuckload of time...
like 20+ years... (I wouldn't wait that long though)
Any tips for reducing sediment?
I've heard of 2 methods, but am hesitant to try them out...
1. Mix a teaspoon of gelatine into the brew a few hours before bottling & stir...
2. Crushed egg shells, same method as above...
"Don't you EVER interrupt me when I'm talking to myself..."
I made a brew every few weeks while at uni....
you get better and better at it. The best one I made was a liqurorice flavoured stout, light on the acl content.
hey fents, can you explain to these fine people about "Gravity"? you refered to it in your recipe but I don't reckon most would know what it means.... (I've personally forgotten the finer details).
you get better and better at it. The best one I made was a liqurorice flavoured stout, light on the acl content.
hey fents, can you explain to these fine people about "Gravity"? you refered to it in your recipe but I don't reckon most would know what it means.... (I've personally forgotten the finer details).
Lindemon never ever put somthing in beer that isnt meant to be there. Not sure about gelatine but egg shells sounds like infection city to me.Lindemon wrote:
Any tips for reducing sediment?
I've heard of 2 methods, but am hesitant to try them out...
1. Mix a teaspoon of gelatine into the brew a few hours before bottling & stir...
2. Crushed egg shells, same method as above...
You can do a couple of things to clear homebrew...
1. Buy a second fermenter ($35) and start "racking" your brews. Racking just means after the beer has finished primary fermentation, you then transfer the beer into a seconday fermenter. Basically it get the beer off the "yeast cake" and also leaves behind other bits n pieces in the first fermenter. So you would do primary fermentation for a week then secondary fermentation. That will clear the beer considerably.
2. Finnings. This is a powder sold at homebrew stores. You put a teaspoon of it in with the beer in the fermenter. Some people swear by it, others say its rubbish. You decide..
Personally i dont do either of those to my beer. I dont mind a cloudy beer, altho i find when i keg it it clears up alot more than bottles cause all the yeast stays at the bottom of the keg. Good luck!
Dan you should get back into brewing mate.deviant wrote:
hey fents, can you explain to these fine people about "Gravity"? you refered to it in your recipe but I don't reckon most would know what it means.... (I've personally forgotten the finer details).
Gravity is how we measure the % of Alc when making beer using an instrument called a hydrometer :
When beer is made it is made with fermentable suguars weather its cane suguar, dextrose, malt or suguars made from grains. Basically how much fermentables you use is the outcome on the Alc %.
So when you have finshed making a beer and just before you pitch the yeast you take a hydrometer reading, this is called the OG - Original gravity....say its 1.040
Then when the beer has finished fermenting you take another reading, this is called the FG - Final Gravity...say its 1.005
The calculation is then done like this :
Happy days
Finnings is actually made from the swim bladders of fish. So I wouldn't reccomend using it if you want your beer to remain natural and/or animal product free.
A tip for all you vegetarians out there, most commercially brewed beers contain this substance. coopers and other naturally brewed beers do not use it, also any "cold filtered" beers don't use it either.
A tip for all you vegetarians out there, most commercially brewed beers contain this substance. coopers and other naturally brewed beers do not use it, also any "cold filtered" beers don't use it either.
- huge
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yer i just drink my homebrew cloudy.
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Hey guys
http://www.vnv.org.au/AlcoholByName.htm
a link for beers, wines and spirits that are and are not vegan and vegetarian friendly. Cheers
http://www.vnv.org.au/AlcoholByName.htm
a link for beers, wines and spirits that are and are not vegan and vegetarian friendly. Cheers
Hmmnnn...deviant wrote:Finnings is actually made from the swim bladders of fish. So I wouldn't reccomend using it if you want your beer to remain natural and/or animal product free.
A tip for all you vegetarians out there, most commercially brewed beers contain this substance. coopers and other naturally brewed beers do not use it, also any "cold filtered" beers don't use it either.
Swim bladders, ehh...
You just gave me an idea...
I been on the Glucosamine Tabs for my dodgy knee.
Apparently Glucosamine is derived from crustaceans & stuff so I am working on (in theory @ this stage) a Glucosamine enriched beer..
How fuckin cool would that be? (Unless it tastes like crustaceans...)
"Don't you EVER interrupt me when I'm talking to myself..."
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homebrews
best thread ever,dont know how dnb fits in, possibly closer to a jungle style of doin things. cant wait to brew me own cider from me own trees
- johnnynostars
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- johnnynostars
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More the bottle and fermenter washing innit.Fents wrote:Just consider it drinking water We are still allowed to drink water right?johnnynostars wrote:Was gonna put a brew on recently, but water guilt has stopped me so far.
You're making me thirsty. I've got a Hoegaarden clone kit. Might swap the orange zest for lemon and lime though.Fents wrote:What recipe u thinking of doing J>?
I've got 2 kegs on tap at the moment 1's a all amarillo (hops) and honey pale ale. Its an absolute cracker. and the others that corriander seed Indian Pale Ale which is also delish.
You can clean a fermenter in 1 or 2 litres of water easy...
As for bottles fill a sink up with about 2 litres and just soak em and rinse, then grab a bucket and dump it on the garden.
As for the hoegarden i can tell you they definatly uses orange peel. Best thing about HB tho J is there is no rules...If you feel like using lemon or lime zest the DO IT!
As for bottles fill a sink up with about 2 litres and just soak em and rinse, then grab a bucket and dump it on the garden.
As for the hoegarden i can tell you they definatly uses orange peel. Best thing about HB tho J is there is no rules...If you feel like using lemon or lime zest the DO IT!
Hell yeah! But like those cordial ads...Fents wrote:Just consider it drinking water We are still allowed to drink water right?johnnynostars wrote:Was gonna put a brew on recently, but water guilt has stopped me so far.
... makes water fun!!
I just go around telling people that I have acquired the hand of a higher entity, in that I can turn water into Beer, my hair is being left to grow again & I have taken to gettin around in a white robe lately....
No one questions what I do.... except those bastard athiests...
"Don't you EVER interrupt me when I'm talking to myself..."
- breaksRbest
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- johnnynostars
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This may interest some of you:
Australian Home Brewing Stocktake
http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/wawcs0112951/tn-home.html
Australian Home Brewing Stocktake
http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/wawcs0112951/tn-home.html
- huge
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tasted some of the ginga beer thats been lost in the garage for 6 months.
pretty bloody good! strong as! timmy was pissed off 1/2 a longneck huhuh
pretty bloody good! strong as! timmy was pissed off 1/2 a longneck huhuh
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yer already seen that this morning...bit of a joke really. there kegs are $89 on special when i get them from ross at www.craftbrewer.com.au for $69 with a new seal kit.johnnynostars wrote:This may interest some of you:
Australian Home Brewing Stocktake
http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/wawcs0112951/tn-home.html
Hughy - did the ginger beer have like an artifical sweetner after taste? sorta like diet coke (obv without the cola taste) ? Mine still has and its 8 months old...might need some lactose next time (sweetner that dosnt ferment out)..
So latley i've made 2 IPA's an APA and on the weekend cooked up an Americal Pilsner...Perfct time for lager/pilsners as outside temps are around 12c ish...
I wanna make a porter or a stout but cant bring myself to drinking 23 litres of it in the kegs. I love dark beers but not that much...
- huge
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i havent really noticed. the recipe timmy used said to use lactose but he didnt want to use cos he is a wuss.Fents wrote:Hughy - did the ginger beer have like an artifical sweetner after taste? sorta like diet coke (obv without the cola taste) ? Mine still has and its 8 months old...might need some lactose next time (sweetner that dosnt ferment out)..
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- breaksRbest
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Yea for sure mate theres plenty, I have just finished this :breaksRbest wrote:I'm gonna start brewing now that I have the room for it
Any good books you'd recommend for research before I start?
The Complete Guide to Home Brewing in Australia by LAURIE STRACHAN ...
Its a great first book about all the basics about brewing. Its mainly dedicated to K and K (kits and kilo - name derived from the old days when ppl used to buy those can kits and add a kilo of normal suguar - not very nice) but there is some All Grain stuff up the back of the book too...
You can borrow my copy mate i've just finished it.
Once u've read that get thsi - http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html How to Brew by John Palmer - absolutley amazing book but you have to understand the basics about beer first.
- breaksRbest
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I bought a book from the brewing shop and stupidly didn't realise it was written by the people who run the shop, so it's all about using the kits that they sell and no more info on other brewing methods
I'm keen to do a bit of research and get the right equipemnt up front coz I don't just wanna brew Beer, I wanna brew the good shit.
Basically, I'm tossing up the pro's & cons of the 2 main methods
Let me know when you're free and we'll catch up for a brewing chat and I'll borrow that book from ya
I'm keen to do a bit of research and get the right equipemnt up front coz I don't just wanna brew Beer, I wanna brew the good shit.
Basically, I'm tossing up the pro's & cons of the 2 main methods
Let me know when you're free and we'll catch up for a brewing chat and I'll borrow that book from ya
I think I am, Therefore I am. I think
- breaksRbest
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- breaksRbest
- Posts: 9966
- Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 11:24 pm
- Location: 37°49'S 144°58' E