how good is home brew!

[joee joe joe]

i just started.
its gonna save me so much money

[Gene FJ20DET]

tastes shyt tho
_________________

[Pete]

ure just not making it right cowboy...

[Gene FJ20DET]

beer is gay, go the spirits
_________________

[TG 1985]

yea, that's the way, beer tastes like shit anyway
u have 2 bring on some of that heavy shit

[alan]

Actually, though I am not a pisshead, I have drunk some quite tasty home brew. a skilled operator can make it malty like the European stuff.
Now take this f**kin' thread to the (beer) lounge.

[joee joe joe]

actually this is my first brew. so it will pobably taste like shit

[GasGem]

Joe joe joe if you had your fk'n email address listed then I would not have to do this fkn huge post, thankfully it was a copy and paste job,

cheers
Eggy

This is a compilation of all of the info in the "Homebrew" thread. 100 + replies is lots of reading if you just want a tip or hint, and we don't want to repeat ourselves too much So, here's a go at condensing the info down. First are links and recipes, then hints and techniques.

Last update on 12th July 02


New Links :

Added on 12 July 02. Thanks to egarrard for all of these!

Recipes:

http://www.labeer.com/recipes.asp
http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipes
http://www.byo.com/recipe/146.html
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/brewing.html
http://www.solorb.com/beer/
http://www.angelfire.com/pa/beerandweather/recipe.html
http://www.realbeer.com/spencer/Recipes/old-canada.html
http://hbd.org/brewery/cm3/CatsMeow3.html
http://brewery.org/gambmug/
http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/recipes/
http://www.hey-beerman.com/recipe.htm


Tips:

http://www.byo.com/
http://brewery.org/
http://jascjohnson.home.att.net/
http://www.whatalesyou.com/
http://www.alpha-byte.demon.co.uk/welcome.htm
http://www.allaboutbeer.com/homebrew/index.html
http://www.netbeer.co.at/beer/english/hblinks.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/home...ge/brewstuf.htm

Older :

http://www.bodensatz.com/homebrew/index.html
http://realbeer.com/spencer/
http://www.ratebeer.com
http://homedistiller.org/
http://www.coopers.com.au
http://www.homebrewer.com.au/eShop0...nners_range.htm
http://users.pipeline.com.au/pots/main.html

Recipes :

Submitted by SLuggO - new on 8th July 02, updated recipe on 9th July 02.

Caledonian Brown Ale

1 can Cooper's Draught
500g dark liquid malt
500g light liquid malt
200g dried corn syrup
15g Fuggles hops





Add 500g of Liquid dark malt and liquid light malt into a pot with 2 litres of boiled water and slowly bring to the boil.


Put 15g of Fuggles hops into a "hops boiling bag" and put it into the pot and boil ingredients for 1 minute.

Take out the hops bag and add the liquid into the fermenter.

Add 200g of dried corn syrup to the fermenter and mix in.

Add the can of cooper draught and mix in

Top up to the 23L mark


To quote Oliver and Geoff on this one, "TASTING NOTES: Very big, creamy head. Creamy beer. Best homebrew ever?"

-------

Submitted by StevOz:

Golden Brown Bitter Ale -

Ingredients :

1 can of Coopers Bitter
1Kg Dextrose
250g dried corn syrup
15g Fuggles hop pellets
1 tsp corn flour

Final specific gravity - 1008

Method :



Simmer hops in small saucepan in 750ml to 1L of water for 5 to 10 minutes.


Mix dry ingredients together in sealed container (eg a lettuce crisper).


Mix Kit, hot water, dry ingredients and strain hop water into fermenter, top up with cold water to 22.5L.



Notes :

The 1tsp of corn flour provides head retention, if using a 25L fermenter fill to 18L mark, then after 1 to 2 days top up to 22.5L mark to aviod frothing through airlock.

These recipes will produce a tasty powerful brew (5.5% alc/vol).

Following the above methods, the ingredients are substitutable. For example -

Superior Old Dark Ale -

1 can of Coopers Old
750g dextrose
500g dried light malt
15g Fuggles hop pellets
1 tsp corn flour

Final specific gravity - 1010

Awesome Amber Ale -

1 can of Coopers Draught
1Kg Dextrose
250g dried corn syrup
15g Cascade hop pellets
1 tsp corn flour

Final specific gravity - 1008

Coffee Stout -

1 can of Coooper Stout
1kg dried dark malt
500g dried corn syrup
100g Lyons Freeze dried Columbian Coffee (instant)
20g Fuggles hops
15ml liquorice extract
1tsp corn flour

Final specific gravity - 1016

Notes :

Brew as with other recipes but only top up to 18L
15L if using 25L fermenter, then top up to 18L after 1 to 2 days.

Alc/vol - 7.2%, this is a great rich winter brew, but be warned as this is 'morish' and the more you drink the less you sleep.

Incredible India Pale Ale -

1 can of Coopers IPA
1kg dextrose
250g dried corn syrup
10g Fuggles hops
10g Cascade hops
1tsp corn flour

Final specific gravity - 1008

-------

Submitted by xx_s1lv3r_xx:

Light Lager -

Light Dried Malt 1.5kg
Cracked Crystal Malt Grain 120gm
Sugar 1kg
Pride of Ringwood Hops 40gm
Lager Yeast
Water 25l

Method:



Place the Crystal Malt Grain and the Hops in a muslin bag in 5 litres of water and boil for 30mins.

Run the hot liquid into the fermenter, rinse the bag with another 5litres of cold water and combine the liquids.

Dissolve the Malt and sugar in the hot liquid then make up to 3/4 full with more cold water.

Add the yeast when the temperature drops below 30degrees. Fit the airlock and leave in a warm place to ferment.

After 3 to 4 days, fill to the 23 litre mark, reseal and ferment to completion.

Run beer into sterilised bottles (add a teaspoon to each bottle). Cap and drink in 3-4 weeks.



Honey Mead -

Honey (avoid strong flavoured honey.. ie.. don't use Leatherwood) - 1.5kg
Campden tablets
Tartaric Acid - 1 tsp
Malic Acid - 1 1/2 tsps
Yeast Nutrient (preferably Super nutrient) - 2 tsps
Wine Tannin - 1/4 tsp
Wine Yeast (all purpose or Port/Sherry)
Water to produce - 5 litres

Method:



Dissolve the honey in 2 litres of hot water in a bucket and add 2 crushed Campden Tablets. Make up to 5 litres with cold water and add the acids, tannin and nutrient, and transfer to a fermentation bottle (glass 5 litre with rubber bung + airlock).
Allow at least 24 hours before adding the yeast (This allows the campden tablets to destroy any wild yeasts contained in the honey). Add yeast and keep in a warm place and allow to ferment until the SG is about 990.
The first racking should be done soon after adding one crushed campden tablet.


Meads are generally slow to ferment and slow to clear, but racking should be done at least every one to two months until completely clear. Once clear you may stabilise with Potassium Sorbate, sweeten to tast if neccessary and bottle.

NOTE: This is more a wine making procedure then a beer making procedure, and a hell of a lot harder. I wouldn't recommend doing this unless you've done at least an apple cider or a grape wine before.


__________________
OCAU Extreme Cooling Club H2O Member
Intel Coppermine Pentium !!! 1000MHz @ 1035MHz / 1.65 V / 25°C
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Last edited by Vindaloo on 11th July 2002 at 05:15 PM

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7th July 2002 05:15 PM



Vindaloo
Member

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Location Location!! hehe ... seriously now, Perth
Posts: 428
Tips and Notes
Further Tips and Notes -

StevOz :




Coopers kits give the best constant results (although they do tend to froth up more during the first 24 hrs).

Do not use sugar as it will impart a cidery taste to beer, always use dextrose/glucose, same thing most simple surcrose molecule and fully fermentable by yeast. Sugar is slighty more complex and not fully fermentable, this is why it leaves the aftertaste. Maltose (malt) is also more complex and not fully fermentable, but is what gives beer/kits the beer flavour.

Hops can be used to add flavour/aroma or bitterness to brews. To add flavour/aroma from hops steep for 5-10 minutes then add to wort. For bitterness steep for 20-40 minutes, flavour and aroma will be destoyed in longer simmer/boil, but bitterness will increase, different hops are used to either impart bitterness or aroma/flavour.

Note: Hops are a natural preservative and is why they came into vogue. Yeast is also a preservative is why home brew keeps. Yes, beer will improve but after 6 months it's about as good as it will get, only slowly improving after that.

Using sugar whilst bottling is ok as the amount is to small to leave any taste, I use castor sugar for this as it is more refined and dissolves better.

Corn syrup is used to create a stronger head and creamier texture to beer.


xx_s1lv3r_xx :



Plastic brewing bottles work great, and saves the hassle of topping the bottles. I've made quite a few batches with half glass and half plastic bottles, and there's no difference... only it feels funny to drink the brew from a plastic bottle (!).

Coopers make the best homebrew I've found. I'm particularly fond of the Lager and the Weiss. Haven't tried too many of them yet though.

(In reference to primary fermentation) I usually let mine sit for a few days extra in the fermenter though. Makes the beer a little clearer. I measure the SG (specific gravity) a few times over those days to get a better reading. Then I bottle the suckers.

I use spring water or natural rain water in my brew.Far superior to filtered water.

Also, if you don't filter your water, let it sit for around 24 hours or more first to allow the chlorine to disappate. Of course you're not going to get the ions out of the water... but the chlorine taste will be gone!



MonoJoker :



We used a mixture of 1.25L and 2L soft drink bottles which worked well. Measure out your sugar (based on 1 teaspoon per 750mL).

Fill as normal from vat, then store them in a dark place standing on their tops. The fluid actually acts as the seal to stop the gas escaping.

Never tried the 3L thirst tanker C*ke bottles but I reckon they'd be good value - 6 or 7 would be all it would take for a whole brew.

One very unsuccessful experiement involved 4 x 5L distilled water bottles which worked great until about 7 days into the bottle fermentation process at which point the seams in the bottles finally gave way (they had blown up like balloons!). Result: 20L of beer under the laundry sink and nothing to drink for 2 weeks.


Speewa :



If you are too poor/cheap/lazy to buy longneck bottles, your average plastic soft drink bottle works great. I have put about 10 batches into plastic, no blowups, and only one faulty cap. Some have been used 3-4 times.

I find that using a few different size bottles is handy. You can have a beer at the end of the day out of a 660ml pepsi, and turn the world upsidedown with a couple of plastic darwin stubbies(2L) come Saturday.

Aparently PET softdrink bottles are good for about 200psi before failure.

For extra fun use 1.5kg of sugar with your coopers bitter, brews out to about 8%. The things you learn at uni.

If you dont trust the old lids, give the bottle a good shake after you have put in the bottling sugar and listen for leaks. Any dead ones will hiss like crazy and can swapped on the spot.


Postmodern :



In an open fermenter, beware of rougue yeasts infecting your brew, especially after fermentation has stopped and the brewers' yeast is declining in population! A mate once brewed open top, delayed bottling and ended up with brew that smelt like an open sewer.


Vindaloo :



Remember when you read a hydrometer you read the UPPER meniscus. I'll try to draw it...

|1008|
|1010| <------ hydrometer
|1012|\__________<---- reading at top of meniscus (here, 1011)
|1014|!!!!!!!!!!!
|1016|!!!!!!!!!!! <---- beeeeeeer


I found out from Coopers that you can bottle safely at a SG of 1010-1008 when you use their brewing sugar. They recommend 1006 if you use regular white or castor sugar.

I had worries that my yeast would die due to poor temperature control. I solved the problem by having a bedside lamp that I use for reading at night on and next to the carboy. Temps have been constant at around 22-24 deg on the new scale. THe bulb is 75W. I wasn't really expecting the lamp to do the trick, but obviously it has. I saw something called a "Brew Warmer" in Big W the other day, basicly a big long rope-like cord that you plug into a mains socket and wrap around your carboy.

A bench capper would be a useful thing to have if you use glass bottles. They do pop top and twist top bottles, so you are safe either way.


Dougal :



I've kept up brewing and have brewed from scratch. Whilst this was a fun procedure I wouldn't tell anyone to go out and do it 'cos it's hard, smelly and time consuming. Just get the tins.

As for brew mixes, I like a strong beer (No, not alcohol content, taste. I still prefer home brew about 6-7%) To do this, use 1 and 1/2 cans of mix with 1/2 to 3/4 the normal amount of sugar. This is good with all beers but takes the cake with stout.
Brewing sugar is better, as normal sugar can be a little sweet
and will leave slightly more tailings (I don't care about tailings but the sweetness can be a turn off).


SLuggO :



The kit I have is the Brewcraft Deluxe Brewery. It's totally excellent and the fermenter is great ! The Super deluxe brewery looks like its good value 'cos trust me, you'll be buying all the extra stuff in the end and it will cost you more than the extra $40. The most important is the benchcapper. Saves you lotsa time at bottling and you'll be sure every cap is on proper.

As for glass fermenters I'd stay away from them ! Easier to break, more $$ when the plastic type ones are perfect anyway.
(see http://www.homebrewer.com.au/eShop0...nners_range.htm)

It is a bit chilly for brewing in Perth in winter. If you don't heat it at all and have it outside in the garage or something you will find it doesn't ferment at all. There are 2 solutions -

1. Buy a brew belt or brew mat for your fermenter. These devices warm up the fermenter but there is no thermostat so no strict temperature control. At the moment I have a brew with a brew belt going in the garage and it's sitting between 22 and 24 degrees.

2. Get a 25-55w aquarium heater. Get a rubber grommet without a hole in it from Clark Rubber. Drill a small hole in the fermenter lid and place the grommet in it so it seals. Cut the plug off the aquarium heater and make a tiny hole in the grommet and thread the heater cable through. Rewire a plug on the other end (usual disclaimer, if you dont know what you're doing, I take no responsibility for your actions)... you have a thermastatically controlled brew. Just set the heater to 22 degrees and leave it. It will keep the brew at a perfect 22 degrees and its great !!!!! Pretty much every brew will bubble for 5 days, peter out on the 6th, and ready to bottle on the 7th this way.


I use water straight out of the tap (I live up in the hills) and it absolutely doesn't effect the taste. The characteristics of water from different regions (dissolved minerals, hardness etc.) actually gives certain beers their characteristics.

Castor sugar is fine for priming bottles. You can also use powerded malt. Experimentation is the key.

[TX III]

piss the beer off....

VODKA ALL THE WAY!

[MR_GEMI]

nice post
_________________

[TG 1985]

yeeeaaaahhhh!

[joee joe joe]

shit thanks!