Thread: Home Brew

Originally Posted by isuzurover

Care to elaborate on "forced carbonation" ?

Do you put any sugar in the keg? Or do anything other than pour the beer from the (1st?) fermenter into the keg?


Bl**dy hell Baz that is a serious setup!!!

I had time and a bit of money too spend at the time

Have a look at this Ben it has carbonating in there, forced carbonating is the way most carbonate their beer,
Keg Bible

I normally put my kegs in the fridge and let them get cold (24hrs) before i carbonate them.

Baz.

Hi Adam
Its quicker than 6 days,mines drinkable after 2 on the gas,much better by 4.Better still the longer it goes.
4degC is the magic figure,if your fridge is cold it works quicker.The Co2 doesnt infuse into the beer until then.
Unsure the psi,once set I leave it,pretty sure mine is a mig welder type,10lt min is too slow 15lt min too fast.
You dont need to be as clean with kegs Adam,they are sealed.I leave them with the dregs in when empty,still have Co2 at pouring pressure.I simply rinse with hot water then rinse with a couple of litres of boiling water,ready to fill.Nothing survives with Co2 and the boiling water steralises.The fermenting stage cleanliness is just as important as normal brewing.NEVER had a dodgy keg brew.
Martin
I would just convert a good fridge(has to get cold).
Im not into them pub style beer taps.I have a beer gun,or Poluto as their known.My setup is in my shed,dust,flies,grinding dust,spraypaint etc etc etc.Gun lives in the fridge where it stays clean.
Andrew

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Hi Adam
Its quicker than 6 days,mines drinkable after 2 on the gas,much better by 4.Better still the longer it goes.
4degC is the magic figure,if your fridge is cold it works quicker.The Co2 doesnt infuse into the beer until then.
Unsure the psi,once set I leave it,pretty sure mine is a mig welder type,10lt min is too slow 15lt min too fast.
You dont need to be as clean with kegs Adam,they are sealed.I leave them with the dregs in when empty,still have Co2 at pouring pressure.I simply rinse with hot water then rinse with a couple of litres of boiling water,ready to fill.Nothing survives with Co2 and the boiling water steralises.The fermenting stage cleanliness is just as important as normal brewing.NEVER had a dodgy keg brew.
Martin
I would just convert a good fridge(has to get cold).
Im not into them pub style beer taps.I have a beer gun,or Poluto as their known.My setup is in my shed,dust,flies,grinding dust,spraypaint etc etc etc.Gun lives in the fridge where it stays clean.
Andrew

Thanks Andy, I have found a source and am buying a couple of kegs and all the associated kit. I also bought two more 30 litre fermentation bins to allow me to have 2 brews going and one to decant and add the finings as that sounds like a good idea.

While I was in the home brew shop I also was attracted to the still section and after tasting home brew whisky I am now seriously considering a still setup. Purely for distilled water and essential oils of course.

A guy in town has one of those still kits.
Have tried his scotch and burbouns,no match for the aged real product.However his other stuff,black sambucca,white sambucca,vodka etc are VERY GOOD.
Start saving for a liver transplant when you get a still
Andrew

In case anyone is interested, the brew I am currently making is:

1 can of Cascade Porter
1 can of Coopers Real Ale
0.5kg Dextrose
coopers yeast
cascade bohemian yeast

(I like dark beers but the wife isn't fussed, so hopefully this will turn out as an "intermediate" beer).

Will let everyone know how it turns out...

Hi Ben
The Real ale is fairly dark as too is the Porter.Deb loves the Porter,its dark but not alot heavier than a normal beer.Next keg to open is a Cascade Porter,with Diatose and Dry beer enzyme,been in the fridge for 3 weeks and the cupboard for a week so should be a nice drop.
Impressed the hell out of a "I dont drink homebrew" workmate last fri nite.Not only had him blowing bubbles but is still saying it was one of the nicest beers he had ever drank.Coopers European Lager with the diatose and dry enzyme.Its my favorite brew at the moment!!!!
For those who dont know,Diatose and the Dry Enzyme give you a full strength lower carb brew.I use it on all my brews,gives a much less sweeter beer with greatly reduced bloat some homebrews produce.
Andrew

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Hi Ben
The Real ale is fairly dark as too is the Porter.Deb loves the Porter,its dark but not alot heavier than a normal beer.Next keg to open is a Cascade Porter,with Diatose and Dry beer enzyme,been in the fridge for 3 weeks and the cupboard for a week so should be a nice drop.
Impressed the hell out of a "I dont drink homebrew" workmate last fri nite.Not only had him blowing bubbles but is still saying it was one of the nicest beers he had ever drank.Coopers European Lager with the diatose and dry enzyme.Its my favorite brew at the moment!!!!
For those who dont know,Diatose and the Dry Enzyme give you a full strength lower carb brew.I use it on all my brews,gives a much less sweeter beer with greatly reduced bloat some homebrews produce.
Andrew

Thanks Andy - I noticed that the real ale was quite dark too. It is the smoky/burnt flavour of old/dark beers that Bec doesn't like. But she did drink Porter in Germany. She has already said that we have to make the "Duvel" (belgian style) beer again soon.

That will turn out too be a good tasting beer for you, i think to please a non ale drinking person a mix of ale and Lager or draught would be better, try Blackrocks from New Zealand for sweet tasting beers, the Kiwis make very good Homebrew kits and Blackrock is one of the best.

This would be a good one too try, you could add a real ale style to this or try it by itself.

DIDGERIDOOHER DRAUGHT
1 can Blackrock Colonial Lager
600g Honey
400g light malt
50g crystal grain
16g Saaz Hops

Baz.