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Post by alex on Sept 24, 2008 17:30:12 GMT 9.5
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Post by draconis on Sept 24, 2008 19:35:35 GMT 9.5
You alchamaholic you ;D
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Post by ash on Sept 24, 2008 21:24:48 GMT 9.5
Is that fridge specifically built for chilling kegs?
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Post by alex on Sept 24, 2008 22:07:34 GMT 9.5
no, its a $400 chest freezer, I've wired a $50 controler into an extention chord that turns it on and off at temperatures I choose, and I've built a wooden "collar" out of scraps to raise the height just enough to fit the 4x20 kegs.
Like all things homebrew its mostly cobbled together out of cheap stuff, LOL.
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Post by ash on Sept 24, 2008 22:30:41 GMT 9.5
Nice one!
Very inventive. You really take your beer seriously aye?
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Post by alex on Sept 24, 2008 23:11:16 GMT 9.5
Sure do!
When I started brewing I decided to learn one new thing to improve each time I brewed. Stu will atest that my first beers were barely drinkable, and they've slowly improved. The more I learn the more options there are available to me. Most brewers are a bit like bush mechanics, scraping up bits and pieces to be part of their setup.
Next on my hitlist are some large aluminium or stainless steel pots to boil in, (plus taps fittings etc) I'm always on the lookout at garage sales, op shops etc.
Been my #1 hobby since moving out to Berri.
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Post by ash on Sept 24, 2008 23:29:15 GMT 9.5
Hmmmm... I like beer and would not mind learning how to go about making it myself. Have three questions:
Is it cheap to do (basic setup and brewing supplies)
Is it safe, will it kill you if its a bad batch and is it obvious when it is?
Does it take long?
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Post by alex on Sept 24, 2008 23:52:54 GMT 9.5
1) the set up cost is about the same as one or two cartons of beer, from which you will get about 2 cartons worth (plus all the ones to follow).
2) the only health risk is hangovers, and if done right homebrew is cleaner than normal alcohols like rum and gives less hangover effect
3) half an hour a week is enough, maybe an hour.
To start with you don't need much money, time or knowledge.
The more of each you have the better your beer will become.
I just got about $70 of ingredients with which I am planning to brew about 80 litres of beer of the same quality level as Cooper's or better.
(ie abotu $500-800 worth of beer at retail prices).
process can be pretty simple:
1-Thoroughly sterilise all of your equipment.
2-Mix fermentables (e.g. Tin of malt extract, mash liquid, etc.) with water in your fermenter. This mixture is known as wort (pronounced to rhyme with 'Bert').
3-Pitch (add) yeast into the wort.
4-Stir vigorously for several minutes (dissolving oxygen from the air helps the yeast).
5-Secure the lid and 'airlock' to your fermenter and maintain appropriate temperature.
The wort will now be fermented by the yeast which produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Fermentation time is dependent on many factors such as temperature, the amount of sugar available in the wort, the amount and strain of yeast used, and so on. Therefore, brewing can be done in as little as 3 days to as long as 2 weeks.
6-Fermentation activity can be most accurately determined by measuring the Specific Gravity (S.G.) with a hydrometer. When you have taken 3 identical S.G. readings, each 24 hours apart, the wort is finished fermenting.
7-Bottle or Keg the beer. (leave in bottles for a couple of weeks).
8-Enjoy your homebrew (the most important part).
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Post by ash on Sept 25, 2008 0:22:39 GMT 9.5
Streuth!
That is quite a saving!
How do you suggest a newbie should start?
One of those supermarket bought Coopers set ups?
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Post by alex on Sept 25, 2008 0:30:36 GMT 9.5
yep, big Whoop probably has them. Here's a wiki I've contributed a lot to that is designed to cover the basics and dispell some of the myths that some of the major retailers pervay* www.overclockers.com.au/wiki/Homebrew* may not be a word... ? |
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Post by ash on Sept 25, 2008 1:07:34 GMT 9.5
Thanks for the link!
Is there anywhere up this way that sells a good range of supplies besides Big W/Woolies?
Possibly even a brew shop?
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majordodo
General
You all saw it! That orphanage attacked me first!
Posts: 1,740
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Post by majordodo on Sept 25, 2008 10:28:18 GMT 9.5
Theres a brew shop in mildura, dont know how good it is. But its dedicated to home brewery.
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Post by alex on Sept 25, 2008 11:03:03 GMT 9.5
depends, never been to the mildura place. The disposals store in Barmera has some stuff, but its like everything else there, pricey. Depends whether you are going to just do it the simplest cheapest way or try for beer that is reasonably good as to whether big W is good enough. Mail order from any of the real good companies is what most real brewers do, because without fail the little local homebrew stores usually suck, with people who have very limited knowledge, just peddling the cheaest crap not going to the trouble to keep a variety of good hops, grains and yeast in stock. I order from www.craftbrewer.com.au the prices are very very good and delivery is super quick, takes about 3 days from Brissy. I'll be coming to the dice and deck more regularly form now on, so I can bring you bits and pieces of ingredients to help you make better beer if you want. A guy here I taught to brew orders fairly regularly too, so you could piggyback a few little things on these orders of ours withotu significatnly adding to the delivery charge, which is usually quite reasonable. I used to get all my stuff form the grumpy's brewery at harndorf, which now only sells supplies online at www.stillbrewing.com.au IIRC. Less range there, a touch more expensive but cheaper delivery AFAIK. Most imprtant thing is to get a good yeast from a store like this (or ask me for some), its the yeast that makes the beer and crap yeasts like the ones that come under the lid of a tin of goo from the supermarket etc make really bad beer without fail. A packet of good yeast costs only about $3 or $4. After your first couple of brews, when you have perfected your cleaning skills etc we can talk about the good stuff - adding real hops and real barley to the brew- all you need is a stove a colander and a saucepan. |
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Post by alex on Sept 29, 2008 16:34:42 GMT 9.5
making a batch of beer from all natural fresh ingredients is the onlly way to make beer as good as the top notch stuff at the bottleshop, its usually cheaper to use grain instead of the tins of goo from the supermarket and it only requires a few bits of equipment that can be cobbled together cheap stuff available everywhere. Here is what you need: > a big stock pot, like 10 litres 20 or 30L pot (ie a big one!) is best. Mine is only 15. >an esky (from the cheapshop) >one of the homebrew kits from big W etc with bottles, a fermenter and measuring dookicky (hydrometer)
 > a few fittings from the hardware store for ~$30 to add to the esky as you can see for mine in these pics:   (~$10 15mm threaded brass tube, 2x 15mm brass backnuts @ ~$1, one stainless steel "hooker" tube~ $10, one nickel plated 15mm brass tap~ $10) > a plastic jerry can like the one in the pic above >a thermometer (from the cheapshop or kitchen store, or supermarket) Here's what you do in short. order some grain, hops and yeast online, get them to crush the grain and deliver it all to you. (e.g. 3kg of Marris Otter and 300grams of Crystal Malt, 90 grams of Northern Brewer Hops and safale04 yeast) 1) clean your esky, pots, fermenter, jerrycan, thermometer, spoons, taps and anything that will touch your beer. 2) heat about 10L of water to 75 degC 3) add grain and water to the esky, give it a stir and put the lid on, 4) heat another 10L to 75 degrees 5) After 90 minutes open the tap to let the liquid slowly trickle out into your big pot while slowly trickling in the hot fresh water ontop. (might need a second pot or big jug etc to make this work 6) when all the liquid has trickled out into your biggest pot put it on the stove and bring to boil. 7) When you have a real good rolling boil happening add about 20 -30 grams of hops 8) boil vigorously for 60 minutes. 9) turn off the heat and add more hops, about 30-50 grams. 10) pour this into the plastic jerry can, squueze out any air and put the lid on. 11) leave this to cool overnight 12) the next day empty the liquid from the jerry can into your fermenter and add the yeast, give it a big stir and put the lid on. 13) leave for a week or more, then bottle it. |
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Post by ash on Sept 29, 2008 17:06:48 GMT 9.5
Sounds easy in theory...
I'm assuming that the biggest must is to sterilize everything that touches your beer.
Have you had any Epic Fails in your time as a brewer?
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Post by ThePup on Sept 29, 2008 18:11:09 GMT 9.5
You mean Drunk, Alchoholics go to meetings.  Nice setup Alex, I'd like to get myself one of those $70 coopers kits, but I'm afriad if I start I'll turn into a drunk  |
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majordodo
General
You all saw it! That orphanage attacked me first!
Posts: 1,740
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Post by majordodo on Sept 29, 2008 21:18:17 GMT 9.5
Lol coward Face up to it like a dodo. I fully intend to start brewing when i get my own place, only ill be brewing MEAD! |
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Post by alex on Sept 29, 2008 23:43:25 GMT 9.5
Mead is some fucgkling cool ass shit mofo!!  first fermented bevo eva IIRC I've never in 10 years of brewing ever had _1_ bottle of bad beer. Seriously its frickin easy, wish I'd started when I was 14. Just get a good cleaner (ask me for some for free- lol) and its all good in the neighbourhood. Any of you kunz wanna brew then I'll be happy to teach you're arse how to roll. PS I'ts my padawan's bday and I've just got back from nachos and beer at his house, and I'm shocked and ashamed to discover he makes the best homebrew lager I've ever tasted, and after a dozen and a bottle of red and a 10 year old scotch I can't type too clearly... lol. If you've got $50-100 to spare one payday you can get most or all of what you need to make serious quality beer for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Don't worry abnout being an alco, I have about 3 beers a week on average, and I have all grain fresh beer ON TAP! lol. the only limiting factor is knowledge, and check it homie, that shit is F R E E ! Just ask how. PPS- I'm smashed ATM, :-D |
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Post by ash on Sept 30, 2008 0:40:37 GMT 9.5
PPS- I'm smashed ATM, :-D Really..... haha |
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Post by alex on Sept 30, 2008 0:54:29 GMT 9.5
damn that was some good homebrew, not strong but so smooth and tasty I had to have more after each glass, -lol
seriously tho its so easy to make good beer and avoid the ridiculously high tax that the govy puts on alcohol, fresh and delicious and cheap- why would anyone buy it from the bottle-o?
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