New Brewer

[Tyberious Funk]

Well, I've idly lurked here for a few days and thought I might post a quick introduction and ask a few questions...

The First Batch

About ten years ago I was given a homebrew kit as a birthday present. In my excitment, I gave it a burl without really much regard for the instructions and the end result was a disaster. I suspect it was a combination of a cheap, low quality kit and my haste. I was put off the experience for years...

The Second Batch

A recent trip to Europe, though, has really opened my eyes to the joy of beer. Tasting Czech pilsners on-tap in Prague, or German Hefewiesen in the heart of Berlin was true delight. It reminded me how cr@p the average Australian beer is (ie, VB) and got me thinking about making some brews customised to my own palate.

So I picked up a Coopers Pilsner, some dextrose and DME and patiently brewed a batch. It turned out to be another disaster. I don't think the Pilsner actually came with a lager yeast, because the instructions suggested a fermenting temperature of around 20C (which I would have though was too high). I didn't mind, because Winter had been unseasonably warn up until then... but of course, a cold snap hit, the fermenting stalled. I wasn't sure what to do, so I gave it a bit of a slosh to shake things up and moved it to a warmer location. Nothing really changed, except that a mold has started to grow in the airlock. I'm not sure what that is all about, but I think I can say the batch is a write-off.

The Third Batch

I picked up a Coopers Bavarian Lager. Recommended fermenting temperatures are lower, so I'm happy about that. I decided to do a smaller batch this time... I guess to save on ingredients... or perhaps it is some misguided attempt to minimise how silly I feel about tipping 23L of bad beer down a sink. I'm the only drinker in the house, anyway, so a 13L batch will last a reasonable time anyway.

So far, it is fermenting away nicely at around 18C. SG was in the expected range at around 1.052 so I was pleased at that. The smell coming from the airlock is quite nice, too. I think by the weekend it should be ready to rack to a secondary... which I wasn't originally planning on doing, but I think I want to try and get this baby right... so I'll be off to the shops on the weekend to buy another fermenter.

*whew* This is getting to be a long post. Stick with me guys, cos here come a few questions.

1. Can anyone recommend a good home brew supply shop in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne? I've been to Grain and Grape, and yes, they are excellent... but they are in the West, and consequently over an hour away. I've checked the yellowpages, but some personal experiences would be nice.

2. Has anyone used the brew calculator in the Brewcraft website?

http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/wawcs0113 ... ators.html

It's very simple, but helped me scale down the ingredients for my small batch and it's recommended SG was spot on. Does anyone have a copy of these calculators in a standalone (ie, non-web) version?

3. Bunnings had some food-grade, plastic buckets for sale a few days ago. I passed them by because, although they had lids they were not airtight. In retrospect they would have been excellent for bulk priming. This leads me to two questions;

(a) How much sugar should be used in bulk priming? At 3gms per 375ml bottle, a 12L batch (assuming 1L lost to the dregs) is 32 bottles, or 96gm. This doesn't seem like very much... is it correct?

(b) How easy is it to attach a tap onto the Bunnings bucket? It doesn't come with one by default, but I have a couple of standard taps... I figure I can just drill a wide enough hole but will need something to actually screw over the thread of the tap on the other side. Any advice?

4. Any recommendations on a really simple Wheat Beer? What temperatures do they normally brew at? They are usually regarded as a summer beer, so can I assume I'll need to wait until the warmer months to ferment?

Ok... that'll probably do for the time being. Thanks in advance guys. Fingers crossed that I'll actually get a batch bottled and drinkable in the next week or so, so I can actually call myself a homebrewer

[Tony]

I'll touch taps and priming, and leave Melbourne HBSs and wheat beer etc to others, not having experience with either.

Taps

2 choices, either get a container pre-drilled with a tap thread, or get a "snap-tap" from your HBS. These have a nut on the back, so a thread is not required. They also have the advantage of being completely dis-assemblable , so can be better cleaned.

Priming
96g sounds about right for a blanket recommendation for 12L.

I'd vary it depending on style (e.g. wheat - high carbonation, english ales - low level of carbonation)

I use the following as a guide (based on a posting by BJP a while ago):

Code: Select all

    FG
       <1004  10g/L 230g/32L 220g/22L 210g/21L 190g/19L
    1004-1006  9g/L 205g/23L 200g/22L 190g/21L 170g/19L
    1006-1008  8g/L 185g/23L 175g/22L 170g/21L 150g/19L
    1008-1010  7g/L 160g/23L 155g/22L 145g/21L 135g/19L
    1010-1014  6g/L 140g/23L 130g/22L 125g/21L 115g/19L
    1014-1018  5g/L 115g/23L 110g/22L 105g/21L  95g/19L
    1019-1025  4g/L  90g/23L  90g/22L  85g/21L  75g/19L

Note that these values are for dextrose, so you may want to reduce by 15% for table sugar (sucrose).

Of course, you can get way more complicated by factoring in ambient temperature etc. The Bayside Brewer's Club website has a primer on priming (http://brewery.org/library/YPrimerMH.html), but if you do the calcs, for 23L of a german wheat beer at 23 degrees, you need over 300g of dextrose.

Tony

[db]

do you mean the $7 white plastic buckets? the snap taps will set you back about $8.
Bunnings also sell 25litre plastic jerrys with hole for a tap ($1.50 from bunnings) & an air tight lid..

[db]

nice work on that priming link Tony

[Tony]

Gotta do something at lunchtime

[Tyberious Funk]

do you mean the $7 white plastic buckets?

They are probably the ones. I can't recall exactly which... but I think they were around 7 bucks.

the snap taps will set you back about $8.

I've found them now at both G&G and Liqourcraft, so I'll be making a trip to either one of them this weekend

Bunnings also sell 25litre plastic jerrys with hole for a tap ($1.50 from bunnings) & an air tight lid..

Are you saying the jerrys are $1.50 or just the tap? I found jerrys at both K-Mart and Big W in 25L, 20L, 15L, 10L and 5L configurations. The 25L, 20L and 15L models have a hole for a tap, and the actual tap comes with the jerry (it can be found sitting inside the lid). I'm actually using the 10L jerry to ferment some apple wine. With a bit of experimentation, I found that a 13mm hole drilled in the screw cap fits an airlock with grommet very nicely. Now that I have the 13mm drill bit, I'm also able to put holes in juice containers to use for starters... so it was probably a worthwhile experiment.

[db]

ah sorry TF - thats $16 for the jerry.
i have seen the ones a kmart but the opening is about the size of a coffee cup - imagine trying to dump your wort in that... the ones at bunnings have around a 20cm opening

[Oliver]

OK,

I'll tackle some of the other, unanswered questions.

I picked up a Coopers Pilsner, some dextrose and DME and patiently brewed a batch. It turned out to be another disaster. I don't think the Pilsner actually came with a lager yeast, because the instructions suggested a fermenting temperature of around 20C (which I would have though was too high) ... I think I can say the batch is a write-off.

The Cooper's Pilsner does come with a lager yeast. But as you note, they recommend a range way above what one would expect with a lager yeast. There's been some discussion on this forum about why this is so.

Did you bottle this brew? Sometimes initial tastings can be very misleading.

I picked up a Coopers Bavarian Lager ... I decided to do a smaller batch this time... I guess to save on ingredients... or perhaps it is some misguided attempt to minimise how silly I feel about tipping 23L of bad beer down a sink. I'm the only drinker in the house, anyway, so a 13L batch will last a reasonable time anyway. SG was in the expected range at around 1.052

This also comes with a lager yeast. So you added the can and nothing else? You'll probably find that this is fairly bitter (although a good pilsner should be) as the cans are designed to be brewed to 23 litres, with the extra water diluting the bitterness and extra malt you might add counteracting the bitterness.

Can anyone recommend a good home brew supply shop in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne? I've been to Grain and Grape, and yes, they are excellent... but they are in the West, and consequently over an hour away.

It's a pity there's not and G&G on every street corner! Australian Home Brewing at Oakleigh is OK, but they don't stock Cooper's, which I find extremely odd. Also, I've found the advice a bit dicey on occasions. Narre Brew Supplies is OK, although a pretty small operation. They're getting outer south-east though.

Has anyone used the brew calculator in the Brewcraft website?
It's very simple, but helped me scale down the ingredients for my small batch and it's recommended SG was spot on. Does anyone have a copy of these calculators in a standalone (ie, non-web) version?

No, but I've got the basics of code for one. When (if) I get around to it, I'll post it on our site, and also make it downloadable.

Any recommendations on a really simple Wheat Beer? What temperatures do they normally brew at? They are usually regarded as a summer beer, so can I assume I'll need to wait until the warmer months to ferment?

They are ales, so warmer months is a good time to brew. But having said that, winter is the ideal time to brew lagers but summer is the time to consume them. Conversely, stouts and dark lagers require warmer conditions but are best consumed in winter.

Phew!

Oliver

[scooper]

Tyberious,

How "East" are you? There's a couple that I know of that cover the Eastern Suburbs.

Australian Home Brewing have shops in Oakleigh, Heidelberg, and they've opened a store in Richmond just this week. Can't speak for the Heidi or Richmond shops as I've never been, but I concur with Oliver about the Oakleigh shop.

There's also a place in Boronia, The Brewers' Den. Not a lot of stock on-hand, but they do have the Coopers range, some ESB kits, and other drinking accessories.

Hope this helps!

[Bomma]

TF,

I dont think anyone hit an answer to your q on what is a good recipe for a wheat beer.

I regularly use Morgans Sheaf Wheat kit with Morgans (or coopers) Liquid Wheat Malt - a bit of Light Dry malt (250g) and Yeast from 2 coopers pale ale stubbies roused. Its not a proper german weiss but it is smooth and delicious and able to be added to easily.

I would use Safwheat yeast if I could get some in canberra as I havent tried that yet.

Good luck.

[steveo]

Bayside Hydroponics & Homebrew, just off Rutherford Rd Seaford are OK. Crap for advice (ok on hydroponics and great on spirits), but a pretty good range, reasonably priced. You get all the advice you need here anyway!

[flosso]

Scooper - whereabouts in Richmond is the new Australian Home Brewing?

Fingers crossed it's in a good spot and I can visit it during my lunch hour.

[Tyberious Funk]

This also comes with a lager yeast. So you added the can and nothing else? You'll probably find that this is fairly bitter (although a good pilsner should be) as the cans are designed to be brewed to 23 litres, with the extra water diluting the bitterness and extra malt you might add counteracting the bitterness.

I added the can plus some dextrose and DME (can't remember exact quantities, but I wrote them down somewhere). I didn't even consider the IBU until yesterday shortly after I made this post (Duh! About 3 days too late). I did a bit of quick research and found that the Coopers Bavarian is normally 21 IBU for a 23L batch, so a 13L batch might be, what, 23/13*21 = 37. As you point out, a good Pilsner has a certain bitterness (usually between 30 and 40 IBU I believe). But I think 37 might be a bit high (particularly given I don't like my beer overly bitter - did I mention my distaste for VB?)

Would it be acceptable to dilute with say, 2 extra litres of water just before bulk priming? I think this would drop the bitterness to 32 IBU. It would also reduce the body and alcohol content a bit as well, but because I added the dextrose and DME I think I have a bit of room to spare.

Thoughts from anyone?

[Tyberious Funk]

Tyberious,

How "East" are you? There's a couple that I know of that cover the Eastern Suburbs.

Australian Home Brewing have shops in Oakleigh, Heidelberg, and they've opened a store in Richmond just this week. Can't speak for the Heidi or Richmond shops as I've never been, but I concur with Oliver about the Oakleigh shop.

I'm not far from Oakleigh, so I might check them out. I didn't realise they were the same guys from the Liquorcraft website. Unfortunately their prices seem marginally higher than G&G, but beggars can't be choosers.

[Oliver]

Scooper - whereabouts in Richmond is the new Australian Home Brewing?

Fingers crossed it's in a good spot and I can visit it during my lunch hour.

143 Church Street. Between Victoria St and Bridge Rd.

Here's a map http://www.whereis.com/whereis/mapping/ ... &brandId=3

Oliver

[Oliver]

Would it be acceptable to dilute with say, 2 extra litres of water just before bulk priming?

That'd be fine. I'd boil up some water, put the lid on and let it cool. Boiling drives off oxygen, so you lessen the risk of oxidation.

Pour it very gently into the fermenter (again, so you don't admit oxygen) and make sure you mix it well (but gently, so you don't admit oxygen. Do you see a theme emerging here?!)

Cheers,

Oliver