Home Brew

[Slingshot]

Last week I brought myself a home brew kit, and I've got my first brew fermenting as we speak and should be ready for bottling in the next day or so.

Are there any other KBer home brewers? Have you got any tips for a noob or any favorite recipes?

What about bad experiences with home brew...come on...lets hear 'em.

[Wasp]

cool, so what day should we turn up at your place?

edit: you comming to our bbq?

[Swoop]

Used to brew my own. Still have the kit downstairs.
It became a hassle with the exploding glass bottles!!!:shit:
The occasional batch was OK, and there were several VERY pleasant batches. Good luck with your endeavours.:love:

[mikey62]

Above all thats the main thing. Can't recall what temp it should be at but what ever it is make sure it doesn't vary too much. Also, when doing a dark brew don't do the black jelly bean trick.... YUCK ! The longer you can leave it before indulging is also an important one. Have been known to drink a batch after only a few days in the bottle..... more yuck.

Also, I hope your partner gets used to sleeping with the window open. And although guys find dutch ovens are funny, :innocent: women don't :sick: . Esp home brew farts :Oops: :nono: :mad:

[James Deuce]

One kid and he turns to drink.

Pathetic.

Hi, my name is Slingshot and I'm a Dad, err, Alcoholic, errr Demented Motorcyclist - I'm so confused!

[Ozzie]

I consider myself an expert. (pt)<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
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Have tried my hand at home brew, and have to say it is easier in the summer.
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From memory, you should keep it at a constant temp (can’t remember the exact temp), in summer I kept it in the shed, no problem (it generates a little heat on it’s own). In winter, or now, a little more difficult. I found a water bed heater did the trick.
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Just as important is the timing, I think it was 14 days in the barrel, 14 in the bottle, (which is too slow for my thirst), but don’t drink it early, you will bet a buzz, but it your doing it for enjoyment, avoid it.

[Hitcher]

Hmmm. Beer.

[Shadows]

Pitfalls for young players as I understand them...

Adding extra sugar and/or malt extract in an attempt to get higher strength beer - more often than not it tastes like shite and can cause bottles to explode in the secondary fermentation stage if the recipe change hasn't been taken into account when checking the S.G.

Drinking it green out of the fermenter - tastes like shite, has no bubbles, gives you the screaming shits. Trust me on this. Drink 10 litres, expect to shit 20 litres.

Bottling too early when S.G. is not at the right level. Once again, tastes green, can cause bottles to explode before one gets to drink them.

Not washing the bottles or fermenter properly, or not rinsing the bottle washing stuff out properly. Kills the yeast. Adding more yeast won't help.

Adding the wrong amount of sugar to the bottles for secondary fermentation. Not enough = flat beer. Too much = big mess when bottles blow up.

Storing freshly bottled beer in fridge. Yeast needs to be at room temperature to keep working and create bubbles/head. Store in fridge after a couple of weeks and just prior to drinking.

Fermenting at too high a temperature.... yeast does not fully work out sugars before running out of steam. Piss weak green flat beer. Refer screaming shits comment above.

Mixture in fermenter too hot when adding yeast - kills yeast, no reaction. This can be fixed by adding another pack of yeast after it has cooled down.

Not washing S.G. meter before checking how the brew is doing and introducing an "infection" which can kill the yeast.

[Skyryder]

Always been tempted to brew but I don't drink enough now to warrent it. Good luck.

Skyryder

[Steam]

I brew very well and used to do it often.
At one stage I had over 20 full crates in the basement, clarifying and maturing.
I also did fruit wines which were fun but not as nice as the beer.
Here's a great NZ forum http://realbeer.co.nz/forum/ with heaps of tips.

The main advice I'd give is to get rid of the yeastiness before you bottle. There's nothing worse than a yeasty beer.
To do this use Islinglass or another "clarifying agent" to get rid of the yeast cells before bottling. The clarifying agent makes the yeast sink to the bottom. Available from brewing shops, about $5.
Then siphon the clear beer into another vessel, and allow it to clarify and mature for up to a month before bottling.
Enjoy! Mmmm... beer.

[Slingshot]

One kid and he turns to drink.

Pathetic.

Hi, my name is Slingshot and I'm a Dad, err, Alcoholic, errr Demented Motorcyclist - I'm so confused!



Actually, I'm drinking less now that I'm a dad...but I plan on increasing my intake at least to the pre-fatherhood days.



Also, I hope your partner gets used to sleeping with the window open. And although guys find dutch ovens are funny, :innocent: women don't :sick: . Esp home brew farts :Oops: :nono: :mad:
Haha...an added benefit of home brew that I wasn't aware of...the home brew it seems will help with the home brew.


cool, so what day should we turn up at your place?

edit: you comming to our bbq?

BBQ?



Here's a great NZ forum http://realbeer.co.nz/forum/ with heaps of tips.

I entered my details to register about a week ago, I'm still waiting for the administrator to activate my account :zzzz:.


The brew that I've got going at the moment has been sitting between 18 and 20`c so far and the bubbles have all but stopped coming out the air lock, I'm going to check the S.G. tomorrow and will probably rack for a couple of days and then bottle.

I've got to decide what recipe I'm going to make for my next batch...I'm thinking a Belgium Strong Ale of some description.

[kevfromcoro]

home brew,,been making it for years,,got pissed off with washing bottles,so went and bought 3x50ltr kegs ,use one for the fermenter.takes about 5 days to work,in the sumer,ok when it has finished working.i syphom it of into a steralised keg and leave it for about another 5 days to settle.then charge it up with co2..takes over nite.ready to drink..the longer it settles .the clearer it is.ok..with the 2 empty kegs,,start another brew.good system once get going..allways got between 100 to 150 ltrs.just incase a thirsty mate turns up.the rental of the co2 bottle is about $35 a yr,,from boc gases.

[dnos]

Home brew is great, and once ya get the hang of it you can get some damn fine results.
I won a kit when i was at uni and it was a godsend, saved me a lot of money.
The most important thing has to be cleaning, make sure everything is sterilised and rinsed out at each stage - anyhting that touches the beer must be clean. Otherwise it all goes wrong and you may have to tip it all down the sink.
Keeping a good temperature has been mentioned above, you can wrap it in a heater or put it on a heater pad during winter. Personally I found that a higher temperature (24-25c) and faster fermentation was not as good, better to try and keep it down around 20c. But after a few goes you will start to see all this stuff for yourself.

The brew shops these days have all sorts of stuff to make it easier, glass bottles i believe can produce better beer but plastic ones are sooooo much easier to use. For secondary fermentation get some of the sugar tablet thingys so you don't have to measure sugar into the bottle.

There is also a huge range of malts available, buy the good stuff you will not regret it. The brewery store i used to go to recommended using a flavour enhancer instead of just sugar and it was very worthwile.

I am now inspired to order some more supplies and lay a brew down.
Enjoy it mate, but please be patient enough to give it 2 or 3 weeks in the bottle. Blowing your own bubbles with a straw sucks.

[Trudes]

My step-dad used to brew his own beer (and wine) and then drink it and cry for his mummy for hours afterwards. I remember him having to "burp" it by letting out built up gas. Had a party at my place one night when the folks had gone away for the weekend and a couple of mates got into the brew before it was ready, fark they were sick, so I guess you don't drink it while it's still "brewing". Good luck, and do we get to sample??

[lb99]

Last week I brought myself a home brew kit, and I've got my first brew fermenting as we speak and should be ready for bottling in the next day or so.

Are there any other KBer home brewers? Have you got any tips for a noob or any favorite recipes?

What about bad experiences with home brew...come on...lets hear 'em.


cool, go for it.

start by following the instructions on the kit to the letter, clean everything real well, I use bleach, its heaps cheaper than sterilising shit, just make sure you rinse it untill there are no fumes left and you are good to go., I got sick of washing bottles, so I made a bottle washer out of a supermarket basket and some irrigation risers and stuff from the warehouse, chuck the bottles in, hook it up to the hose tap, and turn on the pressure, instant rinser :yes:

if beer is too hard, then try making spirits, the initial outlay is higher unless you can make your own still, but the process is so easy that its scarey.

also if you have a still, then you will never have to pour a bad brew down the sink, just scrape the thrush off the top and run it though the still,= clear spirits

enjoy

[Steam]

If you are using big glass bottles, sterilize them by stacking them in the oven, and warm them up real slow to max oven temperature and leave them there for about an hour.
This means you don't need to bugger about with Sodium Metabisulphite, it's a chore sterilising all those bottles the conventional way.
To do a larger batch, put a bit of tinfoil over the tops of the bottles, this will keep the first batch sterile for the few hours you'll need to sterilize the rest via the oven method.
I found the bottles would stay sterile with the tinfoil on top for a week or so. Convenient!

[peasea]

Shadows info was pretty good. We used to brew all year round and had a wee belt to keep things at temp. Wash everything thoroughly, this step can't be rushed. The 'infection' comment was spot on, it's so easy to get bugs in ya brew. Don't touch anything without washing your hands very well. Like casually strolling up and checking your SG after you've just taken a dump. We used glass bottles for ages and I preferred the result, those big 'pub pets' are easy but I reckon the quality dropped off. If you get it right you'll get a good brew for a good price. Labour intensive tho, but satisfying. Good luck and stay away from your bike after you've a had a couple, sometimes that shit can sneak up on ya!

[Sidewinder]

Last week I brought myself a home brew kit, and I've got my first brew fermenting as we speak and should be ready for bottling in the next day or so.

Are there any other KBer home brewers? Have you got any tips for a noob or any favorite recipes?

What about bad experiences with home brew...come on...lets hear 'em.

Mmmmmm give us your adress and i can show how to drink it

[Slingshot]

Thanks for the comments everyone, I've just finished racking the brew into the second fermenter, took an SG reading and I calculate the % alcohol at 3.3%, hopefully that'll increase with this next phase of fermentation.

The brew itself smells fantastic and has a great colour, it is still fairly murky but that should clear (fingers crossed).
It also tastes great, I only indulged in a very small amount but it tasted quite smooth with a refreshing hoppy after taste, I can't wait to get it bottled and aged now!!!

I need to get another brew down quick smart.

[Indiana_Jones]

And although guys find dutch ovens are funny, :innocent: women don't :sick: .

Nonsense, AJ loves the Dutch oven lol

-Indy

[boostin]

Thanks for the comments everyone, I've just finished racking the brew into the second fermenter, took an SG reading and I calculate the % alcohol at 3.3%, hopefully that'll increase with this next phase of fermentation.

The brew itself smells fantastic and has a great colour, it is still fairly murky but that should clear (fingers crossed).
It also tastes great, I only indulged in a very small amount but it tasted quite smooth with a refreshing hoppy after taste, I can't wait to get it bottled and aged now!!!

I need to get another brew down quick smart.

Just to drag up the past, how did it go?

[Slingshot]

Just to drag up the past, how did it go?

I've been really pleased with the results. Have got a couple of batches bottled and another that's long over due for bottling...looks like it'll be ok still though.

Both batches are clear as crystal the taste has improved with age. The ale has mellowed quite a bit, it initially had quite a bite but now it's superb.

Both batches are a little over carbonated for my liking, they form a nice head but that dissipates pretty fast. I'll use less sugar next time I bottle, hopefully that'll mean smaller bubbles too so the head might last for longer.

[boostin]

I've been really pleased with the results. Have got a couple of batches bottled and another that's long over due for bottling...looks like it'll be ok still though.

Both batches are clear as crystal the taste has improved with age. The ale has mellowed quite a bit, it initially had quite a bite but now it's superb.

Both batches are a little over carbonated for my liking, they form a nice head but that dissipates pretty fast. I'll use less sugar next time I bottle, hopefully that'll mean smaller bubbles too so the head might last for longer.

Sounds good, I am thinking of buying one of the 'Starting Kits' with all the basic gear...I am just worried that I won't be able to match commercial beer quality with a kit type brew.

Have all your brews been the 'kit' type, and do they match the likes of the main NZ commecial beers?

[98tls]

Pm Banditb12 hes been brewing for years and makes some awsome stuff.

[boostin]

Pm Banditb12 hes been brewing for years and makes some awsome stuff.

Thanks will do.

[Slingshot]

Have all your brews been the 'kit' type, and do they match the likes of the main NZ commecial beers?

Yeah...full grain brewing is pretty full on so I've stuck to the kits. The advice I got was to buy decent kits ($20ish per kit for about $23 liters of beer) and use dextrose rather than normal sugar.

IMHO, the homebrew that I've made so far has been FAR superior to the typical commercial beers like Tui. I find those beers quite dull now but have gained an appreciation for beers that I wouldn't have tried in the past.

The other advice I had was to make sure everything was absolutely clean, and then to sterilise everything.

[Shadows]

When are you having your piss up then?

[The Pastor]

Myself and mag do the homebrew, we are just finishing off our first batch - was the awesome.


Our next batch is going to be cider. YUM!

[Usarka]

Myself and mag do the homebrew, we are just finishing off our first batch - was the awesome.


Our next batch is going to be cider. YUM!

You want to mix them together with a dash of blackcurrant and have yourself a homebrew snakebite :drool:

[koba]

Both batches are a little over carbonated for my liking, they form a nice head but that dissipates pretty fast. I'll use less sugar next time I bottle, hopefully that'll mean smaller bubbles too so the head might last for longer.

Another point that is often overlooked is the pour, even if the brew aint the best for bubbles if you nurse it nice into the glass it really helps. probably already know that tho!

Another thing is use cold glasses (the colder the better) and ALWAYS make sure they have beenrised with detergent free water before any beer goes in them because the detergent can break the bubbles down..

there may be a few hombrewers in the welly reagion by the looks of it... enough to justify a homebrew tasting (pissup)???

[geoffm]

Most of the stuff has been said. Cleanliness is the main thing - sterilise everything.
I use the 750ml plastic bottles mainly – they are lighter and stronger than glass and more convenient. Brew it as cold as you can – i.e. room temperature. I don’t bother with the heating pad any more, even in winter. To hot makes a really off taste.
I usually use the all-malt kits from Hauraki Homebrew (www.haurakihombrew.co.nz).
Another thing to make for summer is cider – very nice on a hot day. Leave for 6 weeks or so after bottling. It takes a while for secondary fermentation in the bottle. You may need to add somee yeast nutrient when fermenting – the John Bull kits come with it. Kegging works well with cider too.
I don't have much on the shelf at present, as I am trying to cut down the waistline. I found I didn't save much money - baucause I drank more. Nice ot have a range to coose from too.

Geoff

[The Pastor]

just to update the thread, the cider mag and I did back in 2007 did not turn out well.

but we have came a long way from then now :)

got 1 batch of something in my cupboard bottling,
got 1 batch of some sort of larger in the cupboard bottling,
got 1 batch of gluten free in the fermenter
got 1 batch of irish stout in the fermeter.

the irish stout is the 1st time we have made one without a kit.

well i did a ginger beer once, but that didn't turn out too well (still drinkable, just no flavour)

[Indiana_Jones]

BEEEEEEEEEEER!

:wings:

-Indy

[Brian d marge]

good thread , I am just buying a starter kit myself , Why ? well I like drinking but I'm drinking too much, with resultant problems. Soo Home brew I can keep the alcohol content low 3 % would be good and its all part of my cunning plan to stick it to the " man " when I retire

I did make it once back in the day , never had a bad batch ... but I could never wait until it was tasty ....this time I'm determined !

Stephen

ps I might start a self sufficiency thread ! and link all together , vege garden , beer etc together

[george formby]

Oh the irony, I've been told by the Chancellor to get rid of my home brew stuff & the squillions of bottles to make room for bike stuff.... Lo, the home brew thread re-appears... Anybody want the gear to get started, PM me.

[Indiana_Jones]

Oh the irony, I've been told by the Chancellor to get rid of my home brew stuff & the squillions of bottles to make room for bike stuff.... Lo, the home brew thread re-appears... Anybody want the gear to get started, PM me.

Relocate your base of operations elsewhee :shifty:

-Indy

[george formby]

Relocate your base of operations elsewhee :shifty:

-Indy

Garage extension... Gone from one bike to three in less than a fortnight... I am willing to sacrifice beer in the short term, though.

[BuzzardNZ]

For me it was pretty hit and miss trying to get a decent consistent brew, even though I used the same flavoured stuff each time and followed the same process, sometimes it came out good other times horrible.

I was very careful about cleaning my bottles too, but eventually gave up as one night I had 2 stubbies and was chundering for two days straight. I found some kinda black stuff was growing in the bottles which didn't agree with me :no:

[The Pastor]

For me it was pretty hit and miss trying to get a decent consistent brew, even though I used the same flavoured stuff each time and followed the same process, sometimes it came out good other times horrible.

I was very careful about cleaning my bottles too, but eventually gave up as one night I had 2 stubbies and was chundering for two days straight. I found some kinda black stuff was growing in the bottles which didn't agree with me :no:

sounds 100% like a cleaning problem to me.

what bottles are you using? I prefer glass, i find its easy to clean and tastes better.

How do you do your hydrometer readings?

How often do you lift the lid of the fermenter?

To clean the bottles this is what I do, I wash them in brew wash detergent (from a brew shop). Do this in hot water. Wash like a mofo and check to see there is no mold on the bottoms. Rinse well

then i do one of two sterlizing methods.

I use the sterlizing powder - mix up as per the packet, chuck into bottles, swish it all around so that the entire bottle is covered, stand them for 10mins+ and then tip out solution (dont rinse out)

OR

put the bottles into a hot oven for 10mins. 220 degrees. Gotta be careful not to place hot bottles onto a cold bench when they come out tho! Also takes time for bottles to cool down to use them.

Then again it could be getting infected during the ferment process as well, things to check is the cleanliness, (esp if you do hydrometers directly in the barrel) but also the temperature - if there is big fluxuations it can cause off tastes.

[The Pastor]

Oh the irony, I've been told by the Chancellor to get rid of my home brew stuff & the squillions of bottles to make room for bike stuff.... Lo, the home brew thread re-appears... Anybody want the gear to get started, PM me.

mate if you're going to chuck it out, im sure i can put it to very good use. What have you got?

[BuzzardNZ]

another reason not to home brew! who can be arsed doing all that?!?!

I was using brown glass bottles ( Tui from memory ), they were pretty dark and only saw that black stuff when I looked
into one of the coke plastic bottles after I spent 2 days in agony and wondered what had gone wrong.



sounds 100% like a cleaning problem to me.

what bottles are you using? I prefer glass, i find its easy to clean and tastes better.

How do you do your hydrometer readings?

How often do you lift the lid of the fermenter?

To clean the bottles this is what I do, I wash them in brew wash detergent (from a brew shop). Do this in hot water. Wash like a mofo and check to see there is no mold on the bottoms. Rinse well

then i do one of two sterlizing methods.

I use the sterlizing powder - mix up as per the packet, chuck into bottles, swish it all around so that the entire bottle is covered, stand them for 10mins+ and then tip out solution (dont rinse out)

OR

put the bottles into a hot oven for 10mins. 220 degrees. Gotta be careful not to place hot bottles onto a cold bench when they come out tho! Also takes time for bottles to cool down to use them.

Then again it could be getting infected during the ferment process as well, things to check is the cleanliness, (esp if you do hydrometers directly in the barrel) but also the temperature - if there is big fluxuations it can cause off tastes.

[Haggis2]

gave up as one night I had 2 stubbies and was chundering for two days straight. I found some kinda black stuff was growing in the bottles which didn't agree with me :no:

An excellent weight loss idea though :msn-wink:

[The Pastor]

another reason not to home brew! who can be arsed doing all that?!?!

I was using brown glass bottles ( Tui from memory ), they were pretty dark and only saw that black stuff when I looked
into one of the coke plastic bottles after I spent 2 days in agony and wondered what had gone wrong.

people who dont want to pay $30 for a dozen 330 ml......

i like my $30 for 21L of beer :D

[Indiana_Jones]

We just do it for kicks/fun. Not a cost thing.

As for bottles, we prefer glass. Use the 500ml ones, but don't but from the home brewing shops, cost a heap. We normally buy English beer that comes in them so just use them.

-Indy

[The Pastor]

We just do it for kicks/fun. Not a cost thing.

As for bottles, we prefer glass. Use the 500ml ones, but don't but from the home brewing shops, cost a heap. We normally buy English beer that comes in them so just use them.

-Indy

what rate of sugar do you use for carbonation?

[Indiana_Jones]

what rate of sugar do you use for carbonation?

Buggered if I know. My old man buys it lol

-Indy

[The Pastor]

Buggered if I know. My old man buys it lol

-Indy

would you mind asking him? im a big fan of the drops but 1 drop = 330ml and 2 drops = 750ml so what to do for 500ml bottles LOL

[Indiana_Jones]

would you mind asking him? im a big fan of the drops but 1 drop = 330ml and 2 drops = 750ml so what to do for 500ml bottles LOL

We don't use the 'drops'/pellets of sugar, we just measure and pour it in.

-Indy

[The Pastor]

We don't use the 'drops'/pellets of sugar, we just measure and pour it in.

-Indy

do you measure by cup or by weight, i cant find any good guide, they are all different :P

[Indiana_Jones]

do you measure by cup or by weight, i cant find any good guide, they are all different :P

Spoon =D

-Indy

[jim.cox]

What about bad experiences with home brew...come on...lets hear 'em.

When I was at varsity, my flatmate Geoff used to brew in 44 gal drum - thats 23 1/2 doz at a time

All very well when the beer is good

But there were a number of failures in the cold Dunedin winters

Man its hard to get rid of that much bad beer

[The Pastor]

do you measure by cup or by weight, i cant find any good guide, they are all different :P

aaa to the bottle directly?

im thinking more of into the fermenter.

[Indiana_Jones]

aaa to the bottle directly?

im thinking more of into the fermenter.

eh?

-Indy

[SMOKEU]

2/3 of a cup of sugar dissolved in a little boiling water and added to your bottling bucket is sufficient to carbonate a 23L brew.

[george formby]

aaa to the bottle directly?

im thinking more of into the fermenter.

A normal size tin of wort is 1kg sugar & 21 / 22 ltr water. I used less sugar for dark beers & a little more for lagers but with a longer, cooler fermentation. Dark beers get a bit volatile if you over sugar them.

To keep my 750ml glass bottles clean, I always put some water in them overnight, no crusty spooge to clean out in the morning & no chundering down the line.

A teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine go down, oops, no, is about right for a 750ml bottle for the second fermentation. Lager is best left for a minimum 2 months, dark beers, a month to six weeks is ok. The longer the better really as long as they are stored cool.

[lakedaemonian]

Anyone seen the Williams Warn Home Brewery?

http://www.williamswarn.com/

Pretty cool.....pretty bloody expensive.....but pretty cool...and NZ made.

[sgtp]

I've done all-grain brewing back in the states, but reverted back to extract kits while in NZ for simplicity. Heres my tips for these pre-hopped extract kits (coopers, et all)

Dont be tempted to use two cans as opposed to one can plus sugar or brewing "enhancer". The end result is higher gravity and potentially more alcohol %, but I was not impressed by the result. I used two cans of coopers pail ale extract, and instead of a pale appearance, it looked (and tasted) not much different from a spieghts old dark. (a beer I enjoy, but thats not what I was trying to acheive here). The only way to combat this is to raise the volume of water so the final result is not so thick and sweet (ie, the beer will finish with a FG of 1.020 if you dont add a and extra liter or two of water). With malt extract, the chances are very high that it will be extremely oxidized before you even open the can, so dont be surprised if your mexican cerveza kit looks darker than Tui. If you do use ordinary sugar, dont go overboard or your beer will taste like hard cider. The fermented sugar will produce a cidery off flavor. The guy i inherited my kit from did this and the off-flavor was very noticable.

As far as sanitation, I recommend using an oxygen based cleaner to clean the bottles/fermenter, then use a no-rinse sanitizer like starsan from a homebrew shop. A google search will give you best practices to follow using starsan.

[george formby]

I've done all-grain brewing back in the states, but reverted back to extract kits while in NZ for simplicity. Heres my tips for these pre-hopped extract kits (coopers, et all)

Dont be tempted to use two cans as opposed to one can plus sugar or brewing "enhancer". The end result is higher gravity and potentially more alcohol %, but I was not impressed by the result. I used two cans of coopers pail ale extract, and instead of a pale appearance, it looked (and tasted) not much different from a spieghts old dark. (a beer I enjoy, but thats not what I was trying to acheive here). The only way to combat this is to raise the volume of water so the final result is not so thick and sweet (ie, the beer will finish with a FG of 1.020 if you dont add a and extra liter or two of water). With malt extract, the chances are very high that it will be extremely oxidized before you even open the can, so dont be surprised if your mexican cerveza kit looks darker than Tui. If you do use ordinary sugar, dont go overboard or your beer will taste like hard cider. The fermented sugar will produce a cidery off flavor. The guy i inherited my kit from did this and the off-flavor was very noticable.

As far as sanitation, I recommend using an oxygen based cleaner to clean the bottles/fermenter, then use a no-rinse sanitizer like starsan from a homebrew shop. A google search will give you best practices to follow using starsan.

Aha! I wondered what caused that. Takes months in the bottle to get rid of it.

[davereid]

I have had great success with homebrew, in fact i think I make better beers than the commercial breweries.
Good quality kits are the go, its too hard to mash at home.
Say you wanted to make a nice pilsner
Get a good kit like a Muntons, and a #62 converter. (a converter is just a mix of malt extracts and simple sugars to help get taste and alcohol up.)
Get some saaz hops if you want it bitter - I find the kits quite bitter enough, but its up to you. I normally buy saflager yeast, but the yeast under the lid is fine.

Cleaning.
Fill your fermenter (or a food grade bucket or stockpot if its all you have) with clean water. Add 1/4 cup janola and put everything you intend to use in the water to sanitise.

Try and work out more-or-less where 23 litres will fill the bucket to, and choose a bucket with a fair bit of headspace say 100-200mm more than you need.

There is yeast under the lid of the can, remember to take it out.
Put the can in the sink in hot water and get a beer.
Half an hour later boil the jug, and go and empty the bucket. Rinse it and the tools several times, you don't want any janola left it will kill your yeast.

Tip the can contents and the converter into the bucket. Use the can to put the rest of the hot water from the jug in the bucket, its bloody hot use mitts and be careful.

Mix mix mix mix until its all throughly mixed, I use a stainless spoon and I try not to scratch my bucket.

Pour water in from the hose - try and get as much air in as you can, you need oxygen in there for the fermentation to start. Stir as you go.

When the bucket is full to the 23 litre mark stop adding water, but stir stir stir until everything is well mixed.

Check the temperature. Saflager yeast likes to brew cold, 15 C is ideal, but all yeast will grow well at 18, so check temperature and let it cool to 18-20 C and then biff in the yeast. If you have an airlock put it on now, or just cover with glad wrap, with a pin hole in.

Keep it at 18 more or less.

Right now, the yeast is looking for oxygen. As long as we got enough in when we added the water, fermentation will start within about 12 hours. Good brewers wont actually cover the brew yet, they will leave it open to the oxygen, but a bloody fly or summit could land in it and add vinegar yeast, so on balance its best to cover. Anyway, after fermentation has commenced, there comes a point where oxygen has to be excluded. Its hard to pick the moment, so best compromise is to leave it covered.

In a few days your beer will have stopped fermenting. Don't ever remove the lid, that oxygen has all been pushed out by CO2 formed by the fermentation and that what we want.

Bottle and drink. For best secondary fermentation add about 5ml sugar per 750 bottle. Its not exact, we are only trying to get a bit of gas into our beer.

I dont actually bottle anymore. I keg my beer.

Instead of bottling I have a plastic pressure keg. After cleaning it, I carefully transfer my beer to the keg, avoiding adding sediment or oxygen. Then I put the lid on loosely and give it a little blast of CO2 from a soda stream bottle to help push oxygen out. Then I tighten the lid, and give it another few secs of CO2 so its now under pressure in the keg.

Way better than shagging around with bottles.

[george formby]

You have put some serious thought into this eh?

If you add a little of the yeast (from the bottom of the fermenter) to the bottle when bottling a lager will this give you a Weiss beir? Damn tasty stuff.

[riffer]

It amuses me all this problem with cleaning bottles. I've always used plain No Frills Household bleach. Put about half a cup into the bath, pour enough water in to cover the bottles (about four inches). Wash your old bottles out in dishwashing liquid and hot water, and then put them in the bath overnight. Next day, bottle. Generally, when the beer stops bubbling, wait a day, the put the bottles in the bath, next day bottle.

I always throw a teaspoon of sugar in for a 750ml, teaspoon and a half in for 1.25l.

I try (god how I try) to leave each batch for six weeks before drinking. I ferment in the laundry - the fermenter sits on top of an old chip heater on top of the old iron plate. The wife has gotten used to it now (well, she's stopped complaining). I tend to use Mangrove Jack's Dutch Lager, or Cooper's European Lager. The Mangrove Jacks only takes 7 days, the Coopers I leave in the fermenter for 2-3 weeks, trying to ferment at as low a temperature I can go - around 16-18°C. People who drink my beer tell me it's pretty good. I try to always have a batch on the go as the stuff just seems to magically disappear (especially if StoneY pops by to visit).

[The Pastor]

It amuses me all this problem with cleaning bottles. I've always used plain No Frills Household bleach. Put about half a cup into the bath, pour enough water in to cover the bottles (about four inches). Wash your old bottles out in dishwashing liquid and hot water, and then put them in the bath overnight. Next day, bottle. Generally, when the beer stops bubbling, wait a day, the put the bottles in the bath, next day bottle.

I always throw a teaspoon of sugar in for a 750ml, teaspoon and a half in for 1.25l.

I try (god how I try) to leave each batch for six weeks before drinking. I ferment in the laundry - the fermenter sits on top of an old chip heater on top of the old iron plate. The wife has gotten used to it now (well, she's stopped complaining). I tend to use Mangrove Jack's Dutch Lager, or Cooper's European Lager. The Mangrove Jacks only takes 7 days, the Coopers I leave in the fermenter for 2-3 weeks, trying to ferment at as low a temperature I can go - around 16-18°C. People who drink my beer tell me it's pretty good. I try to always have a batch on the go as the stuff just seems to magically disappear (especially if StoneY pops by to visit).

how do you keep the temp low? mine is always brewing at 20-28

[george formby]

how do you keep the temp low? mine is always brewing at 20-28

I think he leaves the fridge door open, must cost a fortune.

I have the same problem, even under the house it's always 20c +

[SMOKEU]

how do you keep the temp low? mine is always brewing at 20-28

Air conditioning.

[riffer]

how do you keep the temp low? mine is always brewing at 20-28

I keep it in the coldest part of the house Scott.

And I don't make lager when the weather is warm.

[koba]

And I don't make lager when the weather is warm.

Make ales in summer, lagers in winter.
Drink Ales in the winter and Lagers in the summer.


If you have the self control...

[SMOKEU]

Lagers take too much effort to make, the lagering stage takes several months so it's more simple to stick with ale yeasts.

[koba]

Lagers take too much effort to make, the lagering stage takes several months so it's more simple to stick with ale yeasts.

How is it hard?

The Yeast does all the work!

[SMOKEU]

How is it hard?

The Yeast does all the work!

Just keeping the temperatures right and leaving it for that long to lager. I prefer ale yeasts which I leave to ferment for a month, then bottle, leave for a further 2 months and drink!

I haven't made beer in a while, although I am quite into my spirit.

[The Pastor]

has anyone carbonated by adding 1 cup of sugar dissolved into 1cup of hot water into the fermenter about 30mins before bottling?

i tired this and i think the carbonation rate might be a little bit low. 2 weeks tasting, the beer is a bit flat. Will it get better in another 2 weeks? It was tasting pretty damn good for a 2week in the bottle brew.

[george formby]

has anyone carbonated by adding 1 cup of sugar dissolved into 1cup of hot water into the fermenter about 30mins before bottling?

i tired this and i think the carbonation rate might be a little bit low. 2 weeks tasting, the beer is a bit flat. Will it get better in another 2 weeks? It was tasting pretty damn good for a 2week in the bottle brew.

Not done it like that but I have found that dark beers require less sugar to give good head quickly. Lager's take longer in the bottle to get a nice head, when young they just seem to make big bubbles & go flat in seconds.

[Brian d marge]

Does anyone run a still?

just put my mash through a second time ( pot still)

any heads up , hints , secrets ....

Stephen

[Shadows]

Does anyone run a still?

just put my mash through a second time ( pot still)

any heads up , hints , secrets ....

Stephen

With a pot still, do not drink the first and last 500ml or so of distillate. These are the heads and tails and contain the nasty alcohols. They can be recycled up to ten times by adding to subsequent distillations (if you want to risk it), then throw them away and start again as they will have become too concentrated.

Don't let the temperature at the top of the still exceed about 92°C (from memory, it's been a while).

If the distillate coming out has a waxy looking surface, don't use it.

Make sure you soak the distillate in activated carbon for a few days before using a continuous filter containing finishing carbon.

Don't try to make a finished product which is too strong, water it down to 37% so it's drinkable.

I used to chuck about 50ml of liquid glucose into each bottle, it provides a nice "mouth feel". Leaving toasted oak chips to steep in the bottles for a couple of weeks is also a good bet.

Upgrade to a reflux still when you can, you get a better yield and cleaner alcohol.

[Brian d marge]

With a pot still, do not drink the first and last 500ml or so of distillate. These are the heads and tails and contain the nasty alcohols. They can be recycled up to ten times by adding to subsequent distillations (if you want to risk it), then throw them away and start again as they will have become too concentrated.

Don't let the temperature at the top of the still exceed about 92°C (from memory, it's been a while).

If the distillate coming out has a waxy looking surface, don't use it.

Make sure you soak the distillate in activated carbon for a few days before using a continuous filter containing finishing carbon.

Don't try to make a finished product which is too strong, water it down to 37% so it's drinkable.

I used to chuck about 50ml of liquid glucose into each bottle, it provides a nice "mouth feel". Leaving toasted oak chips to steep in the bottles for a couple of weeks is also a good bet.

Upgrade to a reflux still when you can, you get a better yield and cleaner alcohol.

Have finished one run , Im just using a water distiller , ( cheap and easy ) have run a wash ( 4l ) through twice , tasting often and have enough for a bottle of,,,,will try whisky its clean,,, tastes ok , and I will water it down then run it through the carbon filter, ( Fk it smell like a brewry in here ! )

Still..( no pun intended ) , its only cost me 2 bags of sugar and a pkt of yeast !!

Stephen

[SMOKEU]

With a pot still, do not drink the first and last 500ml or so of distillate. These are the heads and tails and contain the nasty alcohols.

Those are the heads, not the tails. The tails is the stuff that comes after the hearts.

[Shadows]

Those are the heads, not the tails. The tails is the stuff that comes after the hearts.

Yep, I said first and last.

[Brian d marge]

Right , came out very nice , but I watered it down to much , wasn’t watching what I was doing ,

clean clear but weak , never mind I will put it in the next run!!!

Actually its fine a a mixer with fruit juice ,,,

I can see how you would need a larger still , quickly !

Stephen

[SMOKEU]

I can see how you would need a larger still , quickly !

Stephen

I know the feeling, I'm pretty much always running out of alcohol. I just started a couple of 27L sugar washes about 4 days ago so that should keep me going for a while.

[Brian d marge]

I know the feeling, I'm pretty much always running out of alcohol. I just started a couple of 27L sugar washes about 4 days ago so that should keep me going for a while.

my little desktop model produces a bottle of ,,,eeerrr "stuff " every two hours , but on the plus side it really is switch on and forget , just taste sometimes to get the final cut

a little and often

still ( no pun intended ) ...a bottle of whiskey every couple of days aint bad , thats what I hope for , plus homebrew beer ,,,

all good ( just dont go to those meetings !!!)

Stephen