First Beer brew in Decades

[RuddyCrazy]

G'day Guy's,
As I said before this second lager brew is at true lagering temps and I pitched the yeast back on the 5th of this month, checked today and it's still bubbling away so I reckon I got a true lager brew going here. Last Saturday I took a Sg reading and it was 1012 so it still has a way to go. The brew is sitting on 7C and i have had the fridge turned off for 2 todays so really when this brew does stop bubbling would i be best to leave in the fridge at the cool temps to settle for 2 weeks before bottling ? . Now as i will be using those carbonation drops instead of sugar also would it matter if they were laying down in the fridge for next 2 weeks after bottling to truly complete the lagering. My thinking there I can fit all 30 or so bottles in the fridge and although I'm goingto miss this brew as a xmas drop it should be a winner for new years....
A mate gave me a tin of coopers Ginger Beer to so got that going in the other fridge with a light bulb going and a simple circuit with a LM335 taped to the side of the fermenter and a simple pic circuit to turn on the light when the temp drops to 21C and turn off at 24C. So it does look like a mean ginger beer will be the xmas drop.....

Well with this first brew of lager near gone it will be worth the wait so I am thinking of getting some more buckets from Barnicle Bills and get a couple of lager brews going next time so there won't be any shortage in the future.

Cheers Bryan

[Oliver]

Good work RC. Welcome back to the fold. Patience is a virtue (brewing at low temps, not waiting decades between brews!).

Interesting comment about having a Coopers Ginger Beer on the go, too. I just posted this rather derogatory message about one of the last bottles of a Coopers Ginger Beer that I'm drinking, which is almost seven years old

Cheers,

Oliver

[RuddyCrazy]

G'day Guy's,
Well finally got around to bottling that second lager brew and man does it taste nice, I just used those carbonation drops for priming the bottles and got 30 longnecks. This is going to be one wicked brew as I worked out the alchy content @7.7%. just gotta wait now now for the bottles to carbonate and what the hell I'll chill a few and try some on new years eve. .

I did an Sg check on the ginger beer brew last week and it was on 1020, the Sg reading today was 1018 so tomorrow if it is the same the xmas day jobbie will be cleaning up 60 or so pale ale stubbie bottles.

Anyway I'm now working at a flour mill so how would bread grade wheat go for making a wheat beer ????? Got an old esky here to make a lauter tun too so might have to have a go at grain brewing if this wheat is the right stuff.

Cheers Bryan

[Oliver]

Hi Bryan,

I know that brewing barley is different from barley you use for other purposes. I don't know if that is the same for wheat.

Also, the wheat that you'd get from work would be raw, not malted, so you wouldn't be able to extract any sugars out of it by mashing. But unmalted wheat can be used in beers in small quantities.

With the amount you'd be using you'd save yourself a few cents by getting it from work. If you do get into mashing your own grains, I'd be tempted to just buy any unmalted wheat a recipe calls for along with all the other grain from your homebrew shop. It'll cost a few cents extra but at least you know you're getting the right kind of wheat.

Cheers,

Oliver

[RuddyCrazy]

G'day Guy's,
Well new years eve, major puter crash but this ol' puter still rocking anyway that doz of pale ales didn't last long and the champers was warm so it's in the freezer but luckily I put some of my second HB lager in the shed fridge today....

Ok I only bottled it on xmas day and it is bubbly but no head. But man why did I leave it 10 years in-between HB's this drop is so bloody nice I'm sure after a doz of pale ales I won't be standing up at midnight for the champers.

Now for the Adelaide guy's lets say give it a couple of weeks but you guy's can come up and have a taste of my lager brew and give an honest answer on this forum. In the true Ozzie spirit lets arrange any meeting so one can bring up the kids and we'll have a BBQ. Marg's my wife does have a herb nursery so I'm sure any wife will be wrapped talking about plants so us guys can deal with drinking HB

Cheers Bryan ( dwinking a HB that isn't ready but man does it taste nice)

[Longrasser]

Hi all, I'm back brewing after being AWOL since 2007, I'm fully retired now with two lads at home that have discovered the joys of beer, best of all DADS beer so I have given up supporting my local bottle shops and got the old tubs out of retirement (oh and having to show my ID everytime you need to buy something from the bottle o.)
First cab off the rank Coopers pale ale with 1kg BE1 and Tank two a Tooheys Special Lager 1kg BE1 (couldnt get BE2 in town both Coles and Woolies in Darwin city have ditched HB supplies)
Well they stayed for a month in the fermentor and bottled into to nice little Chang 330ml bottles I saved
Result? bloody nectarous and my boys wont drink it! Next brew will be more Tooheys Special lager this time with BE2 and dry hopped with Amarillo at the end of the ferment
Tip: while washing bottles is a pain I've got the dishracks out of an old dishwasher and put the bottles on the spikes to dry

I notice the sun is over the yard arm time to rip off a cap


Any suggestions regarding hopping I would be grateful although the dry hopping has worked well
You may think a month in the primary a long wait..believe me you get a crystal clear brew and dont expose yourself infection.

Here's cheers to any old country

[Longrasser]

Dry hopping . For hops bag am using pool filter socks. Works well and the left over hops makes a bloody good Brasso cleaner

[Longrasser]

UNUSED filter socks of course.