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What I learnt today with my first brew attempt


Joseph

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Sounds familiar, done the same with a larger, tasted sh....t,23 lts of it,didn't waste it,bought some lonenecks of coopers stout mixed in some jugs,got me outa trouble..4 brews later and frozen bottles of water and a large tub is my friend.,gota laugh, wife wife calls it my baby,so much nurturing..

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6 hours ago, MUZZY said:

I thought rule 1 was cleanliness. I guess it's back to the old drawing board for me. 😄

Cleanliness is next to godliness or the other way around they say. Not sure I believe in God?

Ok temperature can be Rule 1.5.

Cheers

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Other than everything that is mentioned here.

The one thing that improved my beers was replacing the can yeast 

with a better quality one.

The more brews you do the more convenient you become.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Cheers 

Ek 

 

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Hi Joseph,

Welcome to the forum, I am from Adelaide & joined in June 2018. My first Beer was as simple Lager that came with the Coopers Kit, I had the reverse problem - couldn't keep the temp up to 18 degrees, in spite of wrapping the FV in insulated blankets, quilts, even encased the whole thing in a box that a car fridge came in. It turned out pretty flat tasting but was drinkable.

On my second attempt (Stout) I decided to de-commission my rather large back bar fridge, buy a Mangrove Jack Dual Temperature Controller & a Heat Belt - about $100.

Apart from a few issues now & again I am on about my 10th brew & without this forum & the guys vast & varied knowledge one would be pretty much shooting in the dark, although Coopers Videos & the Internet are great, I still read & check the forum often as there is a lot of valuable advice & learning there.

All the best with your brewing adventures.

Cheers

Phil

 

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  • 4 months later...

I have similar problems with temps here in Bowen but nothing like Darwin that is for sure.

The cooler months are way better to brew than summer as I had a whole batch ( 6 Fermenters go off ) one hit. Nearly made a grown man cry.

I always put brews down around 4 am when water is cooler and ambient temps not too bad in warmer months. The brewing room is cooler in summer with good breeze through it, but some days are just way out of bounds to brew so I have learnt that at least.

It has become a habit now doing early brewing now.

Fruit Flys can become a problem I reckon & that is what infected my brews I think because there has been quite a few around with all the ripe PawPaws etc around that results in a vinegar taste to the brews.

It would be good to have a Fermenting Fridge but it is just not feasible for me to do so with my work schedules etc.

Good luck with the brewing up there.

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27 minutes ago, Snap said:

I have similar problems with temps here in Bowen but nothing like Darwin that is for sure.

The cooler months are way better to brew than summer as I had a whole batch ( 6 Fermenters go off ) one hit. Nearly made a grown man cry.

I always put brews down around 4 am when water is cooler and ambient temps not too bad in warmer months. The brewing room is cooler in summer with good breeze through it, but some days are just way out of bounds to brew so I have learnt that at least.

It has become a habit now doing early brewing now.

Fruit Flys can become a problem I reckon & that is what infected my brews I think because there has been quite a few around with all the ripe PawPaws etc around that results in a vinegar taste to the brews.

It would be good to have a Fermenting Fridge but it is just not feasible for me to do so with my work schedules etc.

Good luck with the brewing up there.

How do fruit flies manage to get into your brew?

I once accidentally had a dunny budgie drown in my wort. I scooped him out and brew survived.

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Probably when brewing I imagine, my eyes are not the best these days especially at 4am. It is the only explanation I can find as to why they went bad. Been brewing for around 6 years or so, and never lost a brew until just recently. Still looking for answers ?

 

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Another thing to be on guard for Joseph, is mould. Our eldest bloke lives in Darwin as well and we've seen how easy it is to pick up mould, and the damage it can cause. I'm certain you've experienced it as well. When you get your fridge, be careful, wipe up any spillage. When not in use, leave the fridge completely open and dry. Once mould sets in it's extremely difficult to get rid of.

Edited by Olemate
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Leaving fridges open when not in use is a good idea anywhere. Not brew related but we bought a fridge a couple of years ago when we moved into our first place, and it had this horrid stench inside it because the idiots had left it closed up while it was off. 🤢

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