Thread: Home Brew

Hi Garry
Look up DIY microbreweries in your area.
They are everywhere in cities.
Basically they are proffesional breweries where you go and do a brew using their gear.They look after it then you go in and bottle into stubbies that are ready to drink.If you prefer cans I have even seen one in Joondalup where you can can your brew!!!!
Much dearer than a full brew at home,but still cheaper than the bottle shop.
They can copy most comercial brews better than you can at home.
Called in and had a look at a few in Perth,hell of an atmosphere,busy as a Pub during happy hour!!!! Seems a bunch of mates get together and do a mega brew,sharing in the work,costs and CARTONS OF STUBBIES!!!
Andrew

To maintain optimum brewing temps, why not plumb in an aquarium heater or two?

A little trick I've read about for settling the brew, is to drop the fermenter into a chest freezer for a day or so. (don't let it freeze). The cold temps force the impurities to the bottom. - untested by me.

As regards bottles, I've used 600lm - 1.25l soft drink bottles. They seem to work a treat, but just require a little extra sugar when bottling. Apparently some of the gas discharges through the plastic.

Not as traditional as glass bottles, I know, but quite convenient.

Try a packet of Saffale yeast in your next brew,I throw the supplied yeast and a packet of the Saffale(BLUE PACKET,havent tried the Safflager Yellow)
You wont look back,by time its finished fermenting the brew is as clear as it is when you drink it!!!! All the dregs settle into a firm semi solid cake at the bottom of the fermenter.
Try it,it really surprised me when tried it at the reccomendation of my homebrew supplier!!!
Used it every brew since!!!
I used to do plastic bottles too,much safer than the new glass bottles that are very weak compared to the old "king browns"
Keg only these days
Andrew

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Try a packet of Saffale yeast in your next brew,I throw the supplied yeast and a packet of the Saffale(BLUE PACKET,havent tried the Safflager Yellow)
You wont look back,by time its finished fermenting the brew is as clear as it is when you drink it!!!! All the dregs settle into a firm semi solid cake at the bottom of the fermenter.
Try it,it really surprised me when tried it at the reccomendation of my homebrew supplier!!!
Used it every brew since!!!
I used to do plastic bottles too,much safer than the new glass bottles that are very weak compared to the old "king browns"
Keg only these days
Andrew

Thanks for all the great tips Andy - not sure if I will try the saffale yeast though - as I like cloudy beer!!! Might try doing one brew with it though, just to see what it is like.

Hi Ben
You will get to TRY MINE ONEDAY
Rovacraft tell me its this week for the nanocom,yes I keep hearing that for lots of weeks.Also ordered my hoses etc from them.Looking at Friday if its raining and cant grade,or saturday to do the parts run.(ASSUMING THEY ARE IN STOCK)
Andrew

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

I used to do plastic bottles too,much safer than the new glass bottles that are very weak compared to the old "king browns"

I remember hearing (years ago) that they started making new bottles with thinner glass in the neck. The purpose being that the necks would snap when a homebrewer would bottle / cap his brew.

Forcing you to buy (crap) beer.

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Hi Ben
You will get to TRY MINE ONEDAY
Rovacraft tell me its this week for the nanocom,yes I keep hearing that for lots of weeks.Also ordered my hoses etc from them.Looking at Friday if its raining and cant grade,or saturday to do the parts run.(ASSUMING THEY ARE IN STOCK)
Andrew

Let me know when Andy, you can always drop in here for a beer. Not homebrew though - bottled it tonight.

Really need to get the shed finished. But maybe the weekend after next I will be able to come down. Looking forward to trying yours.


EDIT:
Still knowone here who brews belgian (style) beer???

When we were last there we had a competition to find the strongest beer. I think it was 15.1% Can I just mix a dark beer and light beer malt and throw a heap of sugar in????

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Let me know when Andy, you can always drop in here for a beer. Not homebrew though - bottled it tonight.

Really need to get the shed finished. But maybe the weekend after next I will be able to come down. Looking forward to trying yours.


EDIT:
Still knowone here who brews belgian (style) beer???

When we were last there we had a competition to find the strongest beer. I think it was 15.1% Can I just mix a dark beer and light beer malt and throw a heap of sugar in????

I did one Ben, not bad, but not really something i would brew a lot.

Try it you may like it.

BELGIUM'S BRUISER
*STELLA ARTOIS
1 can Beermaker's Czech Pilsener
1 Kg light malt
15g Stickelbrackt Hops
(Munton's Gold Yeast)


Baz.