Simple things that make HB better

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Simple things that make HB better

Postby Chris » Wednesday Jan 11, 2006 8:27 pm

Seeing we have a host of new brewers joining the fraternity, I thought I'd start a thread on the simple things that any brewer can do to make a better HB.

I'll list a few, and anyone else can jump on board.


1) Rack your beer!

Whatever it takes, go to your local HB shop and buy a second fermenter and some food-grade hose. It is a simple step, that will SIGNIFICANTLY improve your beers flavour and clarity.


2) Use either light dry malt (LDM/LME) or liquid malt extract.

The days of 1kg of white sugar are over. The days of Coopers brewing sugar (with sucrose) are over. Depending on your style of beer, I believe 500g LDM is a minimum. 1kg of LDM alone in my beers are almost standard. You are not doing your beer a favour by using dextrose and maltodextrin alone. (will this point be controversial?) :-)


3) Never use kit yeast.

If you've been reading any of the many recent posting on this forum, you would already know why. The yeast can be too old, or just simply cheap and nasty. It makes good yeast nutrient though. Safale and saflager are a very good (and inexpensive substitute). Liquid yeasts, whilst more expensive, are well worth the money when it comes to the quality of your beer. Remember, the yeast is the thing that makes your beer!
Good yeast = good beer.


4) Control your temperature.

This is probably the most difficult thing to do of all the things I have mentioned. But if you can keep your lagers at 9*C and your ales at 19*C, you will have good beer.

These are getting a little more difficult now...


5) Do a stove-top boil.

Save yourself from dancing around the brewing area with a boiling kettle in one hand, a hot can of concentrate in the other, and your thermometer in your third hand, trying to wash the last of the concentrate out of the can, mix in your malt, and hope that the brew is the correct temperature to pitch your yeast.
Put it all (not the yeast!) into a big pot on the stove, leasurely scrape out the can, gently stir in your malt, sit back and have a beer whilst it heats up. Then when you are ready, add your steeped specialty grain (point 6) and your extra hops (point 7).
Easy.


6) Use specialty grains.

Buy yourself a 125g bag of crystal (or whatever). Simply stick it in some hot water, and let it sit. Pour the contents into your boil, or the fermenter (straining out the grain husks). This adds a big new dimension to your beer. BIG. I highly recommend.


7) Add extra hops.

The simplest way is to buy a "teabag" of hops from any HB store (and even some Big W). Put into a cup of boiling water for a bit, then add to your brew. Dead easy.


I hope that these few ideas will help some of our newer brewing brothers achieve that quality of beer that their wives etc will live to regret. Remember, if she gave you the gear, she can't complain that you spend too much time/money/effort/space using it.

The first four points are the most useful to new brewers, and I can almost guarantee that you won't go back to your old methods once you have tasted the difference.
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Postby Chris » Wednesday Jan 11, 2006 8:30 pm

The question is... how long until dogger mentions honey? :-)
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Postby Skoti » Wednesday Jan 11, 2006 11:20 pm

:D Good thread Chris , things that I have read here since joining and have put into use are now coming into fruit .
You've certainly made a good list here .

Chris wrote:The question is... how long until dogger mentions honey? :-)

:D I got about halfway reading through this and thought excactly that ! !
I'm on a special alcohol diet ,
It's really amazing ,
I lost 3 days in the first week ! !
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Postby yardglass » Wednesday Jan 11, 2006 11:51 pm

yeah, nice one chris.

i second the use of specialty grains, a bit of crystal goes a long way.
also paves the way to a Partial.

i've got a couple to add,

Patience.
with every batch, try and put at least one 6pak aside for maturation/cold conditioning.(4 weeks).
it will give you an insight into how good your beers can be.

Experiment.
try a bit of orange peel, coriander, ginger, honey, chilli, whatever....

cheers
yard
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Postby Dogger Dan » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 3:32 am

I won't mention honey because that is a personal thing but.......

Water, non chlorinated water, get a Brita, biggest improvement you can make to your brew

Dogger
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Postby JaCk_SpArRoW » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 6:52 am

Dogger Dan wrote:I won't mention honey because that is a personal thing but.......

Water, non chlorinated water, get a Brita, biggest improvement you can make to your brew

Dogger


What sort of money is outlayed for this little inside scoop Snoop?
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Postby Rubber.Piggy » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 7:18 am

Dogger Dan wrote:I won't mention honey because that is a personal thing but.......

Water, non chlorinated water, get a Brita, biggest improvement you can make to your brew

Dogger


You really think it makes that much different??
I've got a Brita jug, but I don't use it for brewing b/c it only does 1.5L at a time. However I've been considering a tap attachment.

JaCk_SpAroW wrote:What sort of money is outlayed for this little inside scoop Snoop


Britas are a K-Mart job, you can get them any where so it should be easy to get a ptrice, or get one on special
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Postby JaCk_SpArRoW » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 7:21 am

Chris wrote:Simply stick it in some hot water, and let it sit.


How long would you suggest to let it sit for Chris?

Put it all (not the yeast!) into a big pot on the stove,


I saw a little interesting pic the other day....instead of using the stove & risking having your brew splash around on the stove...use one of those 3 legged portable BBQ's to boil on (see link)
http://www.bbqgalore.com.au/products/pr ... ctid=15316
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Re: Simple things that make HB better

Postby JaCk_SpArRoW » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 7:30 am

Chris wrote:1kg of LDM alone in my beers are almost standard. You are not doing your beer a favour by using dextrose and maltodextrin alone.


Would you then use say 250g or 500g of Dex or Maltodex along with the 1kg of LDME?
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Postby dags64 » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 7:54 am

Dogger Dan wrote:I won't mention honey because that is a personal thing but.......

Water, non chlorinated water, get a Brita, biggest improvement you can make to your brew

Dogger


I use filtered water coming out of a tap on our sink, Puratap is the brand
not sure if it is anywhere else in Oz but if you live in Adelaide many people have it as the normal tap water is so crap
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Postby yardglass » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 9:08 am

JaCK and Rubber listen up,

there is a marvellous invention called the' Hrundi V Bakshi Bucket Filter.

get a 10lt bucket and a std Brita Filter,
with a hole saw, drill a hole slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the filter, jam the filter in and away you go.

there are a few blokes here that use the idea, i filter straight into a 25lt food grade jerry can so i always have my brew water ready to go.

filtered water for $11.00, one filter lasts about 80lt.

yard
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GOOD BREWS
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Postby JaCk_SpArRoW » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 9:20 am

yardglass wrote:JaCK and Rubber listen up,

there is a marvellous invention called the' Hrundi V Bakshi Bucket Filter.

get a 10lt bucket and a std Brita Filter,
with a hole saw, drill a hole slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the filter, jam the filter in and away you go.

there are a few blokes here that use the idea, i filter straight into a 25lt food grade jerry can so i always have my brew water ready to go.

filtered water for $11.00, one filter lasts about 80lt.

yard


Awesome yardy, thanks for that, I'll give it a try!
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Postby grabman » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 9:49 am

jack I used to use the bbq idea for boiling until I built the mobile "take it on a date" brew trolley!
http://photos.brodiescastle.com/index.php

just not sure what movie to take it too yet???? Maybe an Animal House reunion show or well any ideas? :wink: :wink:

But as for ideas, temp control and a sense of adventure, you have to be game to try new ideas!
Last edited by grabman on Thursday Jan 12, 2006 9:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby JaCk_SpArRoW » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 9:52 am

grabman wrote:jack I used to use the bbq idea fpor boiling until I built the mobile "take it on a date" brew trolley!


I knew I had seen it somewhere!!!! :lol: :lol:
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Postby Chris » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 10:04 am

Yardy is right- experimentation is one of the best ways to improve your brew. Don't assume that because it is not on the Coopers video, that you cannot do it. Never stop experimenting! You will undoubtably will find a few brews you like more than anything else, but try as many others as you can, and once you have, alter them to your taste. Home brewing is all about innovation and making a beer that you like.

Instead of sugars, try honey, maple syrup or golden syrup etc. Corriander and orange taste great in wheat beers. I've even made a blueberry wheat, and plan a cherry blonde lager for next winter. I've made ginger beer and added rum essence (from the HB shop). Those essence flavours go really well in beer.

Jack, those BBQ things work well, and are great to have if/when you go into all grain brewing.

As for steeping the grain, usually 20-30 minutes. The packet will have instructions on it.

And no, I wouldn't use dextrose or maltodext with the malt. It seems to be a common perception in HB (I once had it myself) that you had to use dextrose and maltodextrin. You do not. Unless you want their particular properties (ie diabetic beer or giving the alcohol a kick). If you use 1kg malt, you will (usually) not need dext or maltodext.
I do have a few exception to this rule, usually to do with flavour. If I've put in a double of crystal, I will use 500g malt, 250 maltodext, 250g dext. To use all malt with that amount of crystal will give a beer to sweet for my tastes.
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Postby grabman » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 10:07 am

Chris wrote:
Instead of sugars, try honey, maple syrup or golden syrup etc. Corriander and orange taste great in wheat beers. I've even made a blueberry wheat, and plan a cherry blonde lager for next winter. I've made ginger beer and added rum essence (from the HB shop). Those essence flavours go really well in beer.



CHris can you post up details of the recipes for the blueberry wheat and the cherry lager, both sound great!

I'm about to do a ginger apple brew, a combination of ginger beer and a cider, with a champagne yeast. Hopefully a nice summer refresher!
Some people say I have a drinking Problem....
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Postby Chris » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 10:13 am

No problem grabman. I'll start a new thread.
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Postby grabman » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 10:14 am

stick 'em in the recipe thread. I'm going to add the apple ginger when I get it done!
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Postby Rubber.Piggy » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 10:37 am

yardglass wrote:JaCK and Rubber listen up,

there is a marvellous invention called the' Hrundi V Bakshi Bucket Filter.

get a 10lt bucket and a std Brita Filter,
with a hole saw, drill a hole slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the filter, jam the filter in and away you go.


That's and awesome idea!! :D and I've already all the bits! :)
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Postby Dogger Dan » Thursday Jan 12, 2006 10:41 am

I just put a cranberry brew down that is Cats but thats for another day

Water, It is by far the most volume that you put into your brew, thus the biggest contributer both to yeast, flavour and hop utilisation. Bad water will make your brew bad. It can harbour bacteria, spoil and add bad tastes. Insufficiant neutrients will lead to stuck fermentations, incorrect pH's will lead to poor hop utilization.

Classic beers are based on the water quality, Burton on Trent, Pilsner Urquel, Guiness to name a few.

Chlorine, chlorine the worst thing you have ever seen

An inline tap Brita is 32 bucks. Best money ever spent. If you are hard on cake, the Bakshi filter will do to.

On the whole, the biggest bang for your buck is the water filter, it leads to good brew.

Dogger
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