Suggestions please

dickTed · Post by **dickTed** » Tuesday Dec 13, 2005 10:31 pm

Hi gang. These beers have probably all been drank by now, but never mind. My two bob's worth anyway.

I don't have a licence. Victoria's police and brewery combined to take it from me. They'd just lowered the maximum (before cancellation) from 0.077% to 0.070. I blew 0.070. The magistrate thought I was stiff. It was mutual. Anyway, now I ride my bike - which can involve trains, but that's another story.

So the day before brew day (29 July) was a really cold windy day and I didn't have enough ingredients, and the supermarket was close while the HBS so far. I had no crystal malt, but I had one jar of liquid malt extract and a little packet of brown sugar. Just needed a kit.

At the supermarket I got a Cooper's bitter, and I added 1.4kg LME and 250g brown sugar. Boiled it all together for 20 mins with 25g Amarillo pellets and 15g Pacific Hallertau flowers. Pitched foaming 1056 starter at 20C. Two weeks primary and 2 weeks secondary with hop tea added. Another 25g Amarillos and 15g Pacific Hallertau.

Temp stayed at 18 - 20 which is perfect for 1056 and it turned out to be a grouse beer, and got highly praised by a couple of VB drinkers that dropped in. How would they know anyway? OG 48/FG 12/5.7%, and after about 5 weeks bottled it was a nice fruity hoppy ale, that kept a beautiful head. The colour was nothing flash. Hazy brown. Needs reddening a bit.

Haven't tried the Australian Pale Ale kit, but I'd make the bitter kit the same again, but would add 500g crystal and steep it with some hop flowers.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Wednesday Dec 14, 2005 11:40 am

The molasses in the brown sugar would have given the beer a beautiful rich caramel flavour. That would suit the bitter style perfectly. That sounds like a good beer. I hope you don't mind if I steal your recipe

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Wednesday Dec 14, 2005 4:33 pm

Me too. Sounds like a good one

Post by **Oliver** » Monday Dec 26, 2005 6:34 pm

Kids,

Please keep it nice.

Oliver

Paleman · Post by **Paleman** » Friday Dec 30, 2005 2:57 pm

Doggers

white wine with Roast Beef, how dare you? I dare because I like it

I love it, quote of the year.

If everyone followed the white wine with roast beef rule, this world would be a better place.

I'm furtherst from a homebrewing expert than Pluto is from the Sun. I give advice because it's a way for me to give something back to this forum.

There are going to be differing opinions, some people have to accept that. Put all the advice together, mix it up and pick the eyes out, then do it yourself. Thats how you become better, and wiser.

Paleman jumps off his soapbox !!

JaCk_SpArRoW · Post by **JaCk_SpArRoW** » Monday Jan 23, 2006 2:49 pm

I dont know if this is relevant to the previous thread (probably not) but I just wanted to know if I should boil my wort (tin extract + hops etc) before putting it in the fermenter or just mix it up in boiled water & fill to 23ltr?
I want to get the best result I can outta my next brew so suggestions would be great!
Boil times, water volume etc would be ideal!

MHD · Post by **MHD** » Monday Jan 23, 2006 3:35 pm

Depends on what you want to achieve and what you ingredients are...

I do a partial boil at the moment,
I use water from my specialty grain (usually ~6l)
boil that with extracts/sugars.... add some extra flavour hops ~10 mins before flameout and about 3 mins before flame out I add the kit to kill any greebies in the kit...

Of course the hard bit is cooling the wort... but a laundry tub full of ice does a good job...

JaCk_SpArRoW · Post by **JaCk_SpArRoW** » Monday Jan 23, 2006 3:57 pm

Thanks MHD but at the moment Im not using grains etc...just purely tin extracts so just wanted to know would it benefit my brew to boil it for say 30 mins in 4 litres & once the boil has finished, steep the hops with the pan off the boil?

Aussie Claret · Post by **Aussie Claret** » Monday Jan 23, 2006 8:07 pm

Some people on the site disagree, but hopped malt IMHO shouldn't be boiled as you drive off some of the iso hops that are used for bittering.
If you want to simply improve a beer then by all means boil some malt or other fermentables and hops for aroma.

The cans you buy are already pasturised so no need to boil to kill any nasties, dried extracts are boiled generally to ensure that any nasties are killed.

Basically if you add hops it will improve your beer boiling for longer than a few mintues will add to the bittering as you already know, shorter period upto 5 mins will add aroma and flavour, which are lost in excessive boils.

Cheers
AC

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Tuesday Jan 24, 2006 3:33 am

No worries AC,

I can't argue with success and if it works for you great.

Me I like to boil, It breaks down proteins which lead to chill haze, and be I right or wrong I feel I have cleaner fermentations which clear faster

Dogger

JaCk_SpArRoW · Post by **JaCk_SpArRoW** » Tuesday Jan 24, 2006 7:10 am

Aussie Claret wrote:The cans you buy are already pasturised so no need to boil to kill any nasties

There's the answer I was looking for...thanks AC....so just to make sure, no need to boil tin extracts...just dissolve & add hops where required?

Aussie Claret · Post by **Aussie Claret** » Tuesday Jan 24, 2006 8:23 am

Jack,
Yes - just with the hops give them a little boil or soak in boiling water, (for aroma 1-5 mins).
AC

JaCk_SpArRoW · Post by **JaCk_SpArRoW** » Tuesday Jan 24, 2006 8:35 am

Aussie Claret wrote:Jack,
Yes - just with the hops give them a little boil or soak in boiling water, (for aroma 1-5 mins).
AC

Awesome, thanks AC, yet again you have proved your worth beyond all doubt!

I have some honey I want to put in my brew also but I will have to boil that before adding to the fermenter