Author Topic: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.  (Read 35750 times)

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Offline Necron

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #25 on: July 10, 2007, 12:21:41 AM »
Its not impossible, you can store the brew while it ferments in a crappy bar fridge or something with the temperature just right, or during winter in a cellar, etc.

Offline Ingasm

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #26 on: July 10, 2007, 02:03:03 AM »
In regards to Inge's comment previously about never having brewed a Lager, Im not sure its entirely possible in standard home brew kits. Going back to my TAFE course in alcohol (of which I excelled in naturally - even before I turned 18) there are 2 main categories of beer. Ale and Lager. The main difference is that Lager is bottom fermented, whereas Ale is top fermented (as is your standard homebrew set up). Basically anything we brew is technically an ale. Or at least anything I have ever brewed/seen brewed. From my undertsanding, Lager is brewed at a much lower temperature as well, and takes a fair bit longer than the 5-10 days of an Ale. Im only going on what I remember from my TAFE course which was 9 years ago, so memory is a bit fuzzy.

Yeah, it's entirely possible, but you need a fridge and a socket timer at the very least; temperature control is crucial. You need to keep temperatures at about 13 degrees during fermentation, bringing it up to about 16 briefly for the diacetyl rest, to get rid of the nasty buttery flavours that lager yeasts produce.

Then you need to rack it off to a secondary container, leaving the yeast cake behind, and store the beer for 4 weeks or so at low temperatures, for the beer to condition and more importantly, the terrible smells to dissipate. Lagern is German for 'store' :D. I am hoping to get a lagering setup going soon, I have an old kelvinator in the shed that is just begging to be used, and I like a good challenge. I reckon something like a Pilsener Urquell would be brilliant.

 :drool:

Top and bottom fermenting just refers to the type of yeast used, top being an ale yeast like the US-56, bottom being a lager yeast like Saflager. If I'm remembering right, ale yeasts float all about in the wort, fermenting throughout the entire fermenter, whereas lager yeasts tend to flocculate and sit at the bottom of the fermenter, and all fermentation occurs around the bottom.

Hey, I just saw the Kriek and the Framboise kits from Brewferm. Are they meant to be lambics? Because making lambic would be pretty damn cool.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2007, 02:07:44 AM by Inge »

Offline Mago_Haydz

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #27 on: July 10, 2007, 03:41:17 PM »
While you guys get stuck into the fancy end of the brewing process, Im gunna stick to the simple shit, but start to alter stuff at my own accord. Im putting a brew on this Thursday (just bottled my current one last night, a Tooheys Special Ale) and I decided I'll use 1kg of Dextrose as well as half a kilo of licorice in a fairly regular Ale brew mix of some sort (be it a Coopers or something along those lines). After that if its any good, I'll try the same but in a dark ale. Then onto honey, maple syrup and anything else like that I can find. I also had another thought, though not sure if it will work very well. Make a dark ale and use some sort of chocolate syrup, or perhaps just cocoa or something to make a chocolatey dark ale. Maybe even coffee instead. Im gunna play around with the bottom end of the scale using standard household stuff rather than proper hops, malt and all that shit. Will let you know how they all go over the course of the next few months.
Other things I have heard of people putting into their brews.....
egg shells
jelly beans
and the best one....a whole roast chicken carcass. I cant imagine that would be any advantage  :spew:
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Offline Dementor

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #28 on: July 10, 2007, 04:35:56 PM »
Fuck I cant take this anymore, you guys are too inspiring, now i'm going to have to go and buy a set up.

I want a nice tasting beer, something clear and smooth.

keep in mind this will be my first attempt and dont want to spend shitloads...what would I need?

Offline Necron

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #29 on: July 10, 2007, 05:22:54 PM »
If you're going to bre w a dark ale, its a good idea to use grain enhancer or even burnt malt to get that nice coffee/toffee malt flavour dark ale's are known for.


The yeast wasnt quite ready, tonight should be a goer.  ;D

Offline Mago_Haydz

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #30 on: July 10, 2007, 05:54:33 PM »
Fuck I cant take this anymore, you guys are too inspiring, now i'm going to have to go and buy a set up.

I want a nice tasting beer, something clear and smooth.

keep in mind this will be my first attempt and dont want to spend shitloads...what would I need?

first things first Mick, you need a Brew Kit. Coopers brew kits usually cost around the $60-70 mark. Dont worry, you'll make that money back in 2 brews. In my kit I got the vat (vessel that the brew is brewed in), the airlock, grommet, "little bottler", a bag of dextrose, a can of brew mix, carbonation drops, 30 plastic 740ml bottles and caps, an instructional video and booklet, a hydrometer and a thermometer that sticks on the side of your vat (temperature is fairly important)....the only thing you'll need to buy seperately is some sterilizer, which you will find at your supermarket in the brew section. I know these guys are talking fancy pants brews using malts and crazy hops and shit and making their own yeast, but seeing as though you have never brewed before, start with the basics and work up from there.

Go and buy....
1 x Coopers brewing kit (as mentioned above)
1 x sterilizer powder bottle

I suggest watching the video just to give you a quick guide as to what to expect. Its all pretty easy. As Inge said about 36,876 times previously, sanitation is the key. You dont want any nasty bugs or anything.

Oh by the way fellas, when youre making your brews, to keep your hands clean, go buy yourselves some of this shit....its fucking brilliant.

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Offline dparker

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #31 on: July 10, 2007, 07:05:18 PM »
Yeah that stuff is awesome... evaporating ethanol-based soap, sure to kill any shit on your hands.
I must slumber, per se.

Offline Ingasm

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #32 on: July 10, 2007, 10:38:20 PM »
A chicken carcass? What? I can understand drinking beer through a chicken carcass, but putting it in the fermenter... :P

Fuck I cant take this anymore, you guys are too inspiring, now i'm going to have to go and buy a set up.

I want a nice tasting beer, something clear and smooth.

keep in mind this will be my first attempt and dont want to spend shitloads...what would I need?

Like Haydz said, get the Cooper's homebrewery, should cost you $70. It should come with some kind of beer kit (from the Cooper's classic series, it will either be a lager [not a real lager], draught, bitter or real ale), a bag of dextrose (brewing sugar) and enough bottles to put the entire brew in when it is finished. This is perfect for starting out.

If you want a clean brew that won't break the bank:

First step is to throw the instructions in the bin. Then, read my first post. Go down to your local homebrew store (there should be one relatively close to you... where do you live?), and pick up a bottle of Idophor, and if you want a packet of US-56 yeast, which makes a cleaner tasting beer than Cooper's yeast. All up it should cost under ten dollars.

Get your fermenter, place your little bottler and mixing spoon inside, add about 25 mL of Idophor and then fill it to the the absolute brim. Put on the lid and fit the airlock. Fill the airlock with a dilute solution of Idophor and leave for at least 20 minutes. Dump the idophor solution just before you are going to add the wort, because you don't need to rinse it when you use it in this concentration (big advantage!).

Get your biggest saucepan, dissolve the brewing sugar into a couple of litres of boiling water, then add the beer extract kit. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for a while. Make sure everything is dissolved before you put it in the fermenter. When this is done, dump it all into the freshly sterilised fermenter and top it up with cold water to 23 litres, mixing the whole time with the sterile spoon. Make sure you splash it about a fair to get some oxygen into the wort. When the temperature is between 18-30, pitch the yeast (throw it in the fermenter).

Pretty easy! But there are some things to keep in mind:

1) Make sure you ferment at 18-20 degrees, rather than 21-26 degrees. You will get a much cleaner tasting beer. Keep in mind it will take a few days more to ferment, but it's worth it. In this weather, simply wrap the fermenter with a towel and keep it inside away from heat and it'll stay at 18. Actually, I'll add this to my first post, as it's important.

2) You really should rehydrate your yeast before you pitch it. It's easy and makes a pretty big difference. Read part two of the American pale ale recipe, I went over yeast preparation :D.

3) Don't use water from a rainwater tank. Lightly chlorinate scheme water is much, much better. I learned this the hard way!

4) Age your beer for at least 4 weeks before you crack into it. Have a bottle every week to see how it changes.

5) DO NOT use sodium metabisulphate as a steriliser. It's hopeless. Just use idophor, it's well worth it.

This brew will cost you under 20 dollars per 23 litres. Cheap and relatively cheerful.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2007, 10:44:33 PM by Inge »

Offline Dementor

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #33 on: July 10, 2007, 10:41:43 PM »
cheers fellas, i'll grab one next week and follow your instructions

Offline Ingasm

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #34 on: July 10, 2007, 10:57:56 PM »
While you guys get stuck into the fancy end of the brewing process, Im gunna stick to the simple shit, but start to alter stuff at my own accord. Im putting a brew on this Thursday (just bottled my current one last night, a Tooheys Special Ale) and I decided I'll use 1kg of Dextrose as well as half a kilo of licorice in a fairly regular Ale brew mix of some sort (be it a Coopers or something along those lines). After that if its any good, I'll try the same but in a dark ale. Then onto honey, maple syrup and anything else like that I can find. I also had another thought, though not sure if it will work very well. Make a dark ale and use some sort of chocolate syrup, or perhaps just cocoa or something to make a chocolatey dark ale. Maybe even coffee instead. Im gunna play around with the bottom end of the scale using standard household stuff rather than proper hops, malt and all that shit. Will let you know how they all go over the course of the next few months.
Other things I have heard of people putting into their brews.....
egg shells
jelly beans
and the best one....a whole roast chicken carcass. I cant imagine that would be any advantage  :spew:

Half a kilo of licorice is a fuckload, you probably won't need quite so much, it'd be best in a stout. A little bit of honey is good in wheat beers apparently, make sure you boil it in some water before you add it because honey has usually got some bacteria in it IIRC. I talked to a bloke at Rick's home brew store, and he reckons a small amount of Cadbury drinking chocolate boiled in water is a winner in a heavy stout. I heard about some people using egg shells as finings... I like cloudy beer myself  8)

Offline Mago_Haydz

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #35 on: July 10, 2007, 11:03:13 PM »
Its interesting that you boil your sugar and brew can in a saucepan first. I have never done it that way. I always just dump 2 litres of boiling water into the vat, then pour in the sugar all the while stirring....this dissolves quite easily....then still stirring add in the can that has been in the sink full of hot water (as mentioned previously so it is easier to get out of the tin). Stir it all up, fill the empty can with a bit more hot water to get the rest of the mixture out of the can, then fill it to the 24/25L mark with clean cold water.

I guess it really doesnt make alot of difference....but my way is easier, thats all.


Oh, I'd like to add a couple of things to the brewing process guidelines too......taking a reading (this is mostly for Mick's benefit as Im sure you other guys know about this, being avid brewers and all).



Just prior to pitching your yeast, take a reading with your hydrometer. Basically, fill your little tube that the hydrometer comes in with beer, drop in your hydrometer, wait for the froth and shit to go and the beer to settle down. Spin the hydrometer around and push it in and let it bob up and down a bit (this is to get any bubbles that have attached themselves to the glass of the hyrdometer to remove themselves). Leave it for 5 minutes then take a reading. It should be somewhere around the 1.038 mark. This is the 'specific gravity' reading. What that means is beyond me. Something to do with boyancy I believe. Pure clean water should take a reading of exactly 1.000. Then follow the yeast pitching instructions as mentioned by Inge in a previous post (American Pale Ale I believe).

Let it brew....

Just before you begin to bottle your brew (which no doubt will be covered in a later issue of the WF Home Brew Mega Thread) take another hydrometer reading doing exactly as you did above. In fact, take a reading at about the 6 day mark of brewing. Then take a reading every day after that until you get 2-3 days of the same reading. This means your brew is ready to bottle. You'll notice it should finish somewhere in the vacinity of 1.005-1.008. This not only tells you when it is ready to bottle, it will also help determine alcohol percentage (very important). Heres the formula....

(OR) original reading - 1.038 (taken just before pitching yeast)
(FR)  final gravity      - 1.007 (taken just before or during bottling)

((OR-FR)*1000)/746+0.5%

example
1.038-1.007=0.031
0.031*1000=31
31/7.46=4.155
add 0.5% - 4.655% alc/vol - a nice full strength brew.

the 0.5% I added at the end of that formula is to allow for the fact that the priming sugar in the bottle will actually increase the finished alcohol percentage.

« Last Edit: July 10, 2007, 11:11:33 PM by Mago_Haydz »
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Offline Ingasm

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #36 on: July 10, 2007, 11:59:28 PM »
Just prior to pitching your yeast, take a reading with your hydrometer. Basically, fill your little tube that the hydrometer comes in with beer, drop in your hydrometer, wait for the froth and shit to go and the beer to settle down. Spin the hydrometer around and push it in and let it bob up and down a bit (this is to get any bubbles that have attached themselves to the glass of the hyrdometer to remove themselves). Leave it for 5 minutes then take a reading. It should be somewhere around the 1.038 mark. This is the 'specific gravity' reading. What that means is beyond me. Something to do with boyancy I believe. Pure clean water should take a reading of exactly 1.000. Then follow the yeast pitching instructions as mentioned by Inge in a previous post (American Pale Ale I believe).

Yes, forgot about this as well, and it's really important!

The hydrometer measures the density (specific gravity, or SG) of the wort, or basically, how much sugar is dissolved in it. As the sugar turns into alcohol, the density will drop. When all the fermentable sugar is turned into alcohol, the specific gravity will remain the same - this is the time to bottle.

Keep in mind that if you use malt or brew enhancer that you will usually end up with an original gravity (OG) higher that 1.038, usually up around 1.045 or so. This will bring the final gravity (FG, the gravity after the fermentation is complete) to about 1.010 or so. This is because malt extract and brew enhancer contains maltodextrin, which is a type of sugar that yeast cannot ferment. A higher final gravity means a thicker body and fuller mouth-feel, but it won't be as refreshing as a beer with a low final gravity. My first APA, for instance, had an OG of 1.045 and a FG of 1.012. My second, made with more malt, had an OG of 1.049but will finish only slightly higher than 1.012.

As for boiling the extract, I guess it's just what I do :P. It's by no means necessary, unless you want to add hops and grain to the wort.

Update

First post has been updated with an index and information about ales and lagers.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2007, 12:02:32 AM by Inge »

Offline Mago_Haydz

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #37 on: July 11, 2007, 12:16:20 AM »
Me and my mates used to make what we liked to call "Death Beer". That is instead of using 1 kg of dextrose, we would double the dosage and dump in a second bag of dextrose. We were getting original gravity readings of something like 1.070, which was making brews at about 9-10% alc/vol on average. Lets just say 4 long necks of that, you were well and truly FUCKED! 1 long neck (750ml bottle) is the equivalent of 4 standard full strength stubbies. At a whopping cost of less than 60c per long neck, a $3/head night was very realistic.
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Offline Bailey

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #38 on: July 11, 2007, 12:57:18 AM »
Me and my mates used to make what we liked to call "Death Beer". That is instead of using 1 kg of dextrose, we would double the dosage and dump in a second bag of dextrose. We were getting original gravity readings of something like 1.070, which was making brews at about 9-10% alc/vol on average. Lets just say 4 long necks of that, you were well and truly FUCKED! 1 long neck (750ml bottle) is the equivalent of 4 standard full strength stubbies. At a whopping cost of less than 60c per long neck, a $3/head night was very realistic.

OH
MY
GOD!
haydesy....did it TASTE any good???
if this incredibly strong beer tastes even tolerable im making it!! i made the leap into returning to study and start a new apprenticeship this year (1st yr apprentice at 21 yrs of age makes me incredibly broke)....this could return me to my alcoholic ways :D

Offline Necron

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #39 on: July 11, 2007, 01:04:17 AM »
Anyone ever made Marijuana beer ?   :eyebrows:


Offline Ingasm

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #40 on: July 11, 2007, 02:39:38 AM »
Actually, I've been thinking about it a bit Haydz... You might be right regarding the boil; boiling a kit extract for the whole time may not just be a bit pointless, it may be detrimental, as the longer it boils the more likely that the bitterness in the extract is going to be driven off.

Changes to the Recipe

Do this in future, if you are using beer kits (i.e. Cooper's, Muntons). Instead of boiling the extract first like in the recipe, get the boil going, dissolve the kilogram of dried malt into it, and add he hops to this for flavouring and aroma. Wait until after the boil to add the can of extract, stir it into the hot malt solution, and then toss the whole lot into the fermenter.

DRY MALT FIRST, ADD THE CAN AT THE VERY END OF THE BOIL, AFTER ADDING THE AROMA HOPS.

Recipe has updated, with some new photos, although I need a few more...

This will cause minimal loss of bitterness, whilst retaining all the benefits of the boil (sterility and homogeneity). This sounds much better to me; I will make another pale ale, take new photos and edit the recipe accordingly.

Anyone ever made Marijuana beer ?   :eyebrows:

Can't say I have... Can it be done?
« Last Edit: July 16, 2007, 07:44:30 PM by Inge »

Offline dparker

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #41 on: July 11, 2007, 04:38:10 AM »
Anyone ever made Marijuana beer ?   :eyebrows:

Wouldn't work... once the yeast gets THC'd, it will non-conform (thus not producing any ethanol, also because it realises THC is better than alcohol :P ) and will apply for dole payments. Stoned yeast are dangerous. :P

Still, wouldn't it be preferential to smoke and drink separately? :P
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Offline Mago_Haydz

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #42 on: July 11, 2007, 04:10:44 PM »
Me and my mates used to make what we liked to call "Death Beer". That is instead of using 1 kg of dextrose, we would double the dosage and dump in a second bag of dextrose. We were getting original gravity readings of something like 1.070, which was making brews at about 9-10% alc/vol on average. Lets just say 4 long necks of that, you were well and truly FUCKED! 1 long neck (750ml bottle) is the equivalent of 4 standard full strength stubbies. At a whopping cost of less than 60c per long neck, a $3/head night was very realistic.

OH
MY
GOD!
haydesy....did it TASTE any good???
if this incredibly strong beer tastes even tolerable im making it!! i made the leap into returning to study and start a new apprenticeship this year (1st yr apprentice at 21 yrs of age makes me incredibly broke)....this could return me to my alcoholic ways :D

You know, it actually didnt taste all that bad. Sure, its not the greatest tasting beer you could make, but we didnt really make this particular one for flavour - we made it to get smashed. Just bare in mind it takes longer to ferment, but if you use your hydrometer correctly and take regular readings, thats not a problem anyway. Give it a go man.....its defiitely worth the whole $16 it will cost you. What you'll end up with for your $16 is the equivalent of 2.5 cartons of beer liquid wise, but in reality that equates to 5 cartons. $3.20 a carton? Now THATS value!

Anyone ever made Marijuana beer ?   :eyebrows:



No, but I have made 'Green Dragon'. Get a cheap bottle of Vodka and throw a few buds in it. You know, we're talking 1-2 grams or so here. Doesnt matter if they're fresh off the plant either, in fact I would say that fresh would be better. Anyway, put the bottle in a cupboard and forget about it for a couple of weeks. I cant remember how long it takes (I havent done it for about 10 years) but it was about 2 or 3 weeks by memory. Anyway, eventually the Vodka will turn this horrible slimey green colour. Strain the buds out and throw them away. They are pretty much useless now, as Ethanol absorbs THC, so the weed will now be nothing but a funky garnish for your steak. Anyway, drink with caution. The last time I tried this shit I was about 15/16 and one bottle of vodka got 4 of us smashed. If memory serves me correctly, this shit FUCKS YOU UP!
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Offline Necron

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #43 on: July 11, 2007, 04:57:18 PM »
No, but I have made 'Green Dragon'. Get a cheap bottle of Vodka and throw a few buds in it. You know, we're talking 1-2 grams or so here. Doesnt matter if they're fresh off the plant either, in fact I would say that fresh would be better. Anyway, put the bottle in a cupboard and forget about it for a couple of weeks. I cant remember how long it takes (I havent done it for about 10 years) but it was about 2 or 3 weeks by memory. Anyway, eventually the Vodka will turn this horrible slimey green colour. Strain the buds out and throw them away. They are pretty much useless now, as Ethanol absorbs THC, so the weed will now be nothing but a funky garnish for your steak. Anyway, drink with caution. The last time I tried this shit I was about 15/16 and one bottle of vodka got 4 of us smashed. If memory serves me correctly, this shit FUCKS YOU UP!

Yes thats what we did first, except we didnt use vodka, but scotch.

Offline Necron

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #44 on: July 11, 2007, 05:52:14 PM »
Alright, last night was the double brew.

1. The Belgian Brune

This one was very very easy. All you needed to start was :



The beer kit with the yeast. And also. not forgetting the Belgian candy :



They just looked like little stones and tasted sweet, like a small rock of suger




The first step was to boil 850 grams of the Begian candy in 2 ltrs (from memory, this is a very rare instance in which the instructions actually come in handy) of water, stirring constantly to make sure the candy doesnt stick to the bottom.



Once all the candy has been dissolved, allow to cool. Then all you need is your fermenter (pour some cold water into it first before hand) and add the candy water and the Belgian beer kit. This shit was fucking thick



Then fill the fermentor with water up to 12ltrs, pour in the yeast, and stir. Simple as that.


2. The Traditional Bitter

Now, for the Muntons International Bitter. You need the kit, malt extract (we used 1kg of the Beer Ultra malt extract), hops (we used Fuggles hops instead of Cascade, as it is a lower percentage (5%) and will give the brew a nice floral aroma), grain enhancer, and of course, the cultivated yeast.




Take a couple of sheets of muslim cloth and make two bags, one for the hops and one for the grain enhancer.



Throw the hops into about 2 ltrs of boiled water.



Afterwards, the malt extract gets poured in. Make sure you stir as you pour to avoid clumps



Allow to cool to around 66 degress before adding the grain enhancer (this is the correct temperature to avoid burning the grain enhancer and allow it to release its flavours).

After adding cold water to your fermenter and allowing it cool, pour this into your fermenter, followed by the beer kit. Stir, and fill the fermenter with water up to around 33 litres, and add the yeast.

Look at them, arent they beautiful ?


Now you play the waiting game.


« Last Edit: July 12, 2007, 05:01:27 PM by Necron »

Offline TnT

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #45 on: July 12, 2007, 07:55:45 AM »
Let me just commend all the contributors to this thread, and I'm sure there are plenty of other readers that appreciate it as well. Good on you as well Inge for the index. I was trying to think of a way to make it so that it wouldn't be hard to find important things through out the thread, or for a section for it but I think that should work nicely.

I'm annoyed because I was wanting to bid on a keg coupler on ebay the other day and I got home like 5 minutes AFTER it ended so missed it. They can be up to $200 or so new but go for around $60-70 second hand on there. The one I was interested in ended up finishing at $15  >:(

I've also got my eye out for a cheap fridge that can fit a standard (50 Lt) keg in it, so if anyone sees one about...  ;)

Offline Mago_Haydz

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #46 on: July 12, 2007, 10:55:08 PM »
I just got myself some supplies to get me through the next month.....

1 x Coopers Dark Ale + 1kg Dextrose + 300g soft licorice to make my killer licorice beer.

1 x Coopers Canadian Blonde + 1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer #1

1 x Coopers Ginger Beer + 1kg Dextrose

2 bags of carbo drops, some "beer clear" packets (which I believe are finings basically) and I got some of that pink sterilizer shit that you use Inge. Looks more hardcore than the stupid "brewers bottle cleaner" or whatever. Oh, and as for PET bottles.....do you think I could find any? I spent my whole lunch break searching 4 supermarkets (accumulating more things along the way) and couldnt find a single box of them.

I'll make the licorice brew tonight and let you know how it goes.

P.S. do any of you guys use any sort of record book and/or programs or anything? Back when we had a thread that somehow turned into a brew thread about 12 months ago I created a spreadsheet in excel as a record keeping tool. It works quite well. Anyone wants a copy, let me know.
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Offline Bailey

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #47 on: July 13, 2007, 12:58:08 AM »
You cunts have talked me into it! I believe we will be chatting over the weekend about this in alot more depth Teague  :clap: So glad i got double payed yesterday  ;D

Haydesy i remember seeing that spreadsheet on the last thread about homebrews. Any chance i can get ya to email it through to me? My email is on my profile, cheers big ears.

Offline Ingasm

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #48 on: July 13, 2007, 02:03:00 AM »
I just got myself some supplies to get me through the next month.....

1 x Coopers Dark Ale + 1kg Dextrose + 300g soft licorice to make my killer licorice beer.

1 x Coopers Canadian Blonde + 1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer #1

1 x Coopers Ginger Beer + 1kg Dextrose

2 bags of carbo drops, some "beer clear" packets (which I believe are finings basically) and I got some of that pink sterilizer shit that you use Inge. Looks more hardcore than the stupid "brewers bottle cleaner" or whatever. Oh, and as for PET bottles.....do you think I could find any? I spent my whole lunch break searching 4 supermarkets (accumulating more things along the way) and couldnt find a single box of them.

I'll make the licorice brew tonight and let you know how it goes.

P.S. do any of you guys use any sort of record book and/or programs or anything? Back when we had a thread that somehow turned into a brew thread about 12 months ago I created a spreadsheet in excel as a record keeping tool. It works quite well. Anyone wants a copy, let me know.

PET bottles are usually available at Coles, but failing that they are definately available at K-Mart and Big W. They cost about 14 dollars for a carton of 15 or so, expensive, but I would pay it as they aren't going to break, and can be used again and again, and it sure as hell beats collecting hundreds of empty longnecks (mind you, you shouldn't have too much trouble in Gero...). My local homebrew store (Rick's on Albany Hwy) sells the Cooper's pet bottles for about 12 dollars per carton of 15, so maybe if you look around you can get them cheaper. I'm looking forawrd to seeing how your licorice brew turns out, but I reckon use the brew rnhancer, instead of dextrose, you'll end up with a thicker, stoutier dark ale (FG about 1012-1014).

Funny you mentioned that thread, I just went looking for it. I think I still have that spreadsheet somewhere... For my last 6 brews I have been jotting down all the details of the beer (i.e. types of hop / grain / extracts, other additions, dates and times etc.) on a similar kind of spreadsheet, so after experimenting a bit I can find out a few perfect recipes, and mass produce them. I'm going to settle for the American pale ale, and hefeweißbier as my swill beers. They are fairly easy to make, reasonably inexpensive and taste great. What's more, both of those can be ready from ingredients to finished beer in five weeks tops.

By the way, This Saturday I've decided to spend my overtime money on a keg system. which means that there will be a fridge mod coming up soon, althought human resources fucked up our pays so it might be delayed

Right now I have a can of pale malt liquid extract, a can of wheat malt liquid extract, and some Saaz hops, and a culture of Wyeast 3638. Going to put on the hefeweißbier this weekend, and it's going to turn out about a million times better than the last one (which was... 'inoffensive' a.k.a. 'gutless').

Also, as I can't use my rainwater, I'm going to have to steal chlorinated scheme water form somewhere (or buy a big boil pot...).

Offline Mago_Haydz

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Re: The Homebrew Megathread - Piss, Plonk and Moonshine.
« Reply #49 on: July 13, 2007, 04:11:26 AM »
Bailey dude, its on its way tomorrow. Its fairly simple, but very handy.

I put by licorice brew on this very hour. I decided to call it 'Magouzo Ale' (all my beers are named, and always contain the word Mago in the title somewhere). I used the Dextrose, because thats what I had, but I think it should turn out fucking wicked regardless. If the smell of the wort is anything to go by, its gunna be VERY tasty! 300g seems to have been plenty...I can smell the licorice, thats for sure, but I can still smell the beer too, so it seemingly hasnt drowned out the flavour of the ale too much, which is exactly what I was aiming for. Anyway, time will tell. I'll let you guys know in 2 weeks when I have the first taste test.

I scoured every supermarket in search of PET bottles today - I used to get them at Coles for $15 per box.....knew I should have bought more while they were still available, because it seems to be completely deleted from their shelves. by the way, this is Gero..we dont have a K-Mart or Big W, and Target is fucking useless, so my options are pretty much gone. Guess I have to use the half dozen milk crates of Long Necks I've had stashed away for the last couple of years. Anyway, such is life. Next time Im in Perth I'll stock up on PET bottles. 
« Last Edit: July 13, 2007, 04:13:15 AM by Mago_Haydz »
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