Home Brew

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Originally Posted by isuzurover

??? Maybe not as quick as you, but I have brewed and bottled 46L since I first started this thread.

For anyone interested - the first brew (coopers lager) tasted great - very crisp with a slightly fruity aftertaste (NFI where that came from). Very drinkable.

The 2nd (fancy) brew took 4 WEEKS!!! in the fermenter before it got down to a stable FG. It has been bottled for 2 weeks, and is tasting GREAT, but I am hoping it will still improve over the next few weeks (if it lasts that long). The strainer I used for the hop mixture wasn't as fine as it could be, so I had some hop seeds in the fermenter, which meant the brew has quite a strong hop flavour, but not unpleasant. Overall very happy with the result! Doesn't taste much like Duvel, but it is a VERY drinkable, belgian style beer - about 6.5% alcohol (not quite the 8.5% I was aiming for...)

I will definitely be using the safale pink again. Gave a compact sediment (like in the bottom of a coopers stubbie), but the beer still has a cloudy look like commercial unfiltered beer. Andy's brew using the yellow Safale on the other hand, was crystal clear.

Will be starting another brew tonight! Washing bottles is a PITA - might switch to a keg system soon...

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Bugger the bottles why don't you get yourself a keg setup:D

You can come have a look at mine anytime


Adam

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Originally Posted by Redback

4 weeks, good grief Ben, i wouldn't worry so much about the gravity, if it's close after 10 days, transfer it too another fermenter and clear it that way, don't forget to put 3 teaspoons of suger (use normal suger) and give it a stir, let it sit for about 2 or 3 days or when it looks clear, this will also bring the gravity/FG to where you want it, then bottle it.

The sugar stops it going off if left for long periods, the stir help it settle more and blends the sugar in too, this just helps with a clearer brew.

It's the cold weather that slows the fermenting down.

Baz.

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I could probably have bottled it 1-2 weeks earlier, but it seemed happy ticking along at 14 deg.

The SG started at 56, after a week was about 40 / 28 / 18 / 12 (week 1-4)

Tried a bottle after 1 week, tasted terrible. But after 2 weeks it is better than most of our favourite commercial beers (had one on the weekend then had a coopers afterwards - the coopers tasted like crap in comparison).

Thanks for the tips - will try that next time.

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Originally Posted by agrojnr

Bugger the bottles why don't you get yourself a keg setup:D

You can come have a look at mine anytime


Adam

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A keg setup is definitely on the cards! would love to have a look at your setup. You are welcome to drop in any time and see what you think of my latest batch!

Hi Martin
I wouldnt use them "lollies",easy yes,I found them way too slow on the secondary fermentation.
It is possible to "bulk prime",I used to do it.Disolve the correct amount of sugar for the number of bottles in a cup of hot water,tip it into fermenter when you start washing the bottles then bottle as per usual.
Go the kegs,you will love it.MUCH better beer quality!!!!
Ben
Its the Blue Saffale yeast I use.You already know,but for others I also use the supplied yeast included with the brew tin.
Andrew

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I reckoned Toohey's Hunter Old was the best commercial beer in Australia. Made only at Toohey's Broadmeadow brewery in Newcastle and only sold in the Hunter district. You could get it at Singleton but not at Muswellbrook. I used to buy a dozen every time I used the Putty road. Didn't know they had stopped making it. I suppose the Broadmeadow brewery has been closed? In most of the pubs and clubs in the Hunter in those days, if you asked for a beer you got served a schooner of Toohey's Hunter Old. Smaller serves and other beers were for wimps and invalids. Most of the women drank schooners of Old.

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My favourite drop was Hunter Old, and one of the best places to have an Old was the Hunter hotel in Hunter St:D but other pubs got my money too, like the Blue Peter, Star, Clarendon, Canterbury, and the Northern Star in Hamilton, the Gunyah in Belmont, and later the Morson at Caves Beach, of coarse most Pubs in those days were exclusive too breweries, you'll notice most of the pubs I mentioned were Tooths or Reschs pubs, Tooths Old (or Brown as it was known)and Reschs being my other choice of beer.

Baz.

I agree with the comments about using kegs, tried bottles a long time ago almost turned me off the whole idea, now use 18 litre post mix kegs and so much easier, just sorted some 50 litre kegs and also going to give that a try. I did however have a problem with taking the brew camping until I made myself a temp rite so now when I head off for a boys trip away I travel with 2 kegs the temp rite some ice and maybe a little food. Good luck with it and try different ideas, regardless of the taste you'll drink it anyway.

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Originally Posted by Redback

Tooths Old (or Brown as it was known)and Reschs being my other choice of beer.

Baz.

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The Resch's brewery was the Waverley Brewery in South Dowling Street. Resch's was long owned by Tooth's. The true Resch's draught beer, Waverley Bitter, made at the Waverley was only sold in central and inner Sydney. The draught Resch's sold by a majority of pubs in NSW was actually Kent Bitter made at Tooth's Kent Brewery in Broadway. The two brews were noticeably different with the Waverley brew getting my vote.

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Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Ben
Its the Blue Saffale yeast I use.You already know,but for others I also use the supplied yeast included with the brew tin.
Andrew

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Ahh - that's right. Yellow is SafLager...

I am going to try your trick of using a (saf)ale yeast and a lager yeast together this time Andy.

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Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

The Resch's brewery was the Waverley Brewery in South Dowling Street. Resch's was long owned by Tooth's. The true Resch's draught beer, Waverley Bitter, made at the Waverley was only sold in central and inner Sydney. The draught Resch's sold by a majority of pubs in NSW was actually Kent Bitter made at Tooth's Kent Brewery in Broadway. The two brews were noticeably different with the Waverley brew getting my vote.

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I think the Reschs Real is supposed to be the re-introduction of the Waverley Bitter, but not having had a taste of the original or Reschs Real, i can't say.

Baz.

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Originally Posted by LandyAndy

<snip> You already know,but for others I also use the supplied yeast included with the brew tin.
Andrew

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HI Andy,

Do you use both packets of yeast then? I'm just about to knock up a fresh batch of 'falling down juice', I always use Safale S04 and throw away the included yeast.

Also, a quick question for you guys using kegs... Does the final product have slightly less alcohol in it, because you don't get the secondary fermentation you would get if using bottles?

Here's a keg system I keep seeing on Ebay (far cheaper than buying here in WA from Westbrew or similar who want $400 for a keg system which comes with one new keg), have you guys any thoughts on this set up (it looks to me like it doesn't have enough fittings to put CO2 into both kegs at the same time??)

Ebay Keg System

Thanks,

Jon

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Originally Posted by D3Jon

HI Andy,

Do you use both packets of yeast then? I'm just about to knock up a fresh batch of 'falling down juice', I always use Safale S04 and throw away the included yeast.

Also, a quick question for you guys using kegs... Does the final product have slightly less alcohol in it, because you don't get the secondary fermentation you would get if using bottles?

Here's a keg system I keep seeing on Ebay (far cheaper than buying here in WA from Westbrew or similar who want $400 for a keg system which comes with one new keg), have you guys any thoughts on this set up (it looks to me like it doesn't have enough fittings to put CO2 into both kegs at the same time??)

Ebay Keg System

Thanks,

Jon

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That's what Andy told me. He said the beer he gave me when I was there was (coopers?)lager, and he had thrown in the Safale (04) and the lager yeast. Never heard of anyone doing it before, but the beer was bloody good, so I am going to give it a try.

I found something on the fermentis/s.i. lesaffre website that said to use double the quantity of yeast when fermentating at low temperatures.

Thanks for the link - that keg system looks good!