What sort of a brewer are you?

[BrewLizard]

58 minutes ago, Journeyman said:

Wanna bet?  That lot will go faster than you think and then there's the 'lag time' until the next brews are carbed and matured to proper quality.  I took a month off brewing and suddenly I'm wondering why I have only half a keg and at least a week before I keg the next 2 batches. 

Not to mention if you make a bad batch or tie up a keg with something experimental/for occasional consumption. Or God forbid, have an infection.

My 3 taps right now are a berliner weisse that's slightly too sour, a Mr Beer kits and bits that's cloyingly sweet, and hop water that's well...not beer. I've told my wife she needs to enforce a rule that every 2nd brew has to be a safe APA or IPA now. 

[RDT2]

5 hours ago, Goldcoast Crow said:

I am a Typical no fuss kit and kilo brewer, buy a coopers can, some fermentables, a hop bag and be away..... This is my last month's work, no brewing needed for a few months...... Apa, dark ale, dark pale mix, ruby porter. 

That looks like a Chinese Rocket ready for lift off One goes we have lift off baby!

Edited June 5, 2021 by RDT2

[RDT2]

Sorry @Goldcoast Crowhad a couple of beers but seriously  I’d be careful storing them so close cause if one goes they will become flash bangs and keep going off. I never had one go off before luckily/touch Wood but always stored them a few inches apart just in case. Pain in the arse for space but good insurance if you ask me.

Edited June 5, 2021 by RDT2

[jamiek86]

@Goldcoast Crow nice condition cupboard assuming no heater needed qld? I've had ones go off middle box before never set rest off.

[Goldcoast Crow]

9 hours ago, RDT2 said:

Sorry @Goldcoast Crowhad a couple of beers but seriously  I’d be careful storing them so close cause if one goes they will become flash bangs and keep going off. I never had one go off before luckily/touch Wood but always stored them a few inches apart just in case. Pain in the arse for space but good insurance if you ask me.

The only time I have had some go off was a batch when I totally misused my sugar dispenser and put double in for the bottle ferment, never had a drama outside that, fingers crossed.... 

[Marty_G]

Been great reading everyone's story.

Mine is:

I returned to brewing after about a 20 years hiatus. That was nearly four years ago when I retired.  I bought a Coopers kit from Woolies and started brewing the same way as I did back in the late 80's and 90's.  Open FV with no heat control. I acquired a huge amount of bottles. Over 300 each of tallies and stubbies.  The reason being, back in the day one had to age the beer for an eternity before it tasted OK.   Then I jumped on this forum and I found things had changed quite a bit. 

Temp control was used as were better yeasts. People brewed with hops and grain.  All grain brewing was a thing and kegging was common.  Being the sort of guy who craves knowledge I absorbed as much info as I could. I sorted the old wives tales out from the facts and started making better tasting beer. I started buying and selling HB gear. I acquired a fridge for free and bought an ink bird for temp control. This lead me into flipping HB gear.  I would find gear for a good price pick out the item I wanted then flip it.  I quickly realized that the second hand market for HB gear is very active.  I started to invest the small profits I made flipping gear into improving my brewing. In that time I sold my bottles slowly acquired kegs then sold them for more recent ones.  At every stage increasing the gear I had.  I graduated to AG  and made myself a keg fridge.   I have since moved from keg fridges to Keezers and have made several for myself.  When using  each one I realised that it could be improved. I made myself a new one and sold my old ones. I then realized they were a commodity.  I now have a 4 tap 8 keg keezer and as aside project occasionally make and sell keezers to fund my hobby.    

 

I have a 2 vessel 70 litre BIAB set up with a HERMES coil in a 20 litre electric  urn PID controlled to manage my mash temp and a 100,000 BTU gas burner for my 70 litre mash tun/boiler.  I pressure ferment in repurposed 50 litre kegs. I watch all my numbers and do mineral adjustments to my tank water for the style I am making and pH adjustment. I generally make European style lagers. Czech Pils, Vienna lagers and the like.  English Bitter and Irish Red ales also.  I regularly make Australian style lagers, Australian Sparkling ales and  Asian style beers where flaked rice is a good % of the grist.  All usually double batches.   Yesterday I did my first single batch for a while. It is an American Pale Ale. With a grist which is complex to give it a malt backbone to hang some hops off.  

I read someone recommend David Heath he is good however, I would recommend the Homebrew Challenge above him.  He is a pommy guy called Martin Keene who lives in the USA and has just finished brewing every style in the BJCP style guide.  His recipes are great and if you want to get into different styles he has all 99 of them in 99 weeks.   Interestingly most of the styles are lagers.  

So,  I suppose I have gone from a rudimentary brewer to advanced in 4 years or so.   Oh and the retirement has sort of been put on the back burner a tad as I now work in the LHBS.   I had been going in and buying my grains and hops off him for a while and naturally having a chat about brewing. Then out of the blue he offered me a job.   It is only 5 or 6 hours a week but I like it and it is good to chat to other brewers.   

Anyway that is me now.  

[Marty_G]

On 6/4/2021 at 10:16 AM, The Captain!! said:

I do not brew lagers and will aspire not to when I do go professional. I believe I can achieve a similar tasteless, lager like, lawnmower beer using ale yeasts and some other techniques. 

Oh Captain you have lead such a sheltered life. There are many great lager styles that are driven by great malts that have wonderful flavour.   Not all lagers are lawnmower beers.  As an aspiring professional you may need to work on that.    Maybe a ripper of a Dunkel, a Schwarzbier or Czech amber and dark lagers. They are far from flavorless.   You may get a great deal of pride by making an outstanding version of a beer style that you don't drink.   

[Marty_G]

On 5/26/2021 at 7:31 PM, BrewLizard said:

Kit and kilo is undrinkable.

Think that is a bit of a slap in the face for those who think their K&K beers are OK. Personal taste is a weird thing.

I realise you did not mention pale ales but as an example:  I have tasted many an IPA and the myriad of versions DIPA, XPA, APA, NEIPA  that to me taste like dish water.  To me many, not all mind,  use hops to hide poorly put together grists.  Now that is my opinion and as I said personal taste is a funny thing.  

Many knock some lagers for being bland and the mega swills are. However at the other extreme some of the pale ale styles are the opposite. They have a lack of balance at the other end of the spectrum.   Kit and kilo can be both poorly and well made and a well made K&K which is aged can taste pretty good. I have tasted some great stouts that are K&K which have been in the bottle for a year or more. 

 

[Classic Brewing Co]

12 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

Think that is a bit of a slap in the face for those who think their K&K beers are OK. Personal taste is a weird thing.

I realise you did not mention pale ales but as an example:  I have tasted many an IPA and the myriad of versions DIPA, XPA, APA, NEIPA  that to me taste like dish water.  To me many, not all mind,  use hops to hide poorly put together grists.  Now that is my opinion and as I said personal taste is a funny thing.  

Many knock some lagers for being bland and the mega swills are. However at the other extreme some of the pale ale styles are the opposite. They have a lack of balance at the other end of the spectrum.   Kit and kilo can be both poorly and well made and a well made K&K which is aged can taste pretty good. I have tasted some great stouts that are K&K which have been in the bottle for a year or more. 

 

Hi Marty,

Just jumping in here, I liked your story & agree with a lot of your comments. AG Brewing/Kegging etc would be the pinnacle of anyone's Home Brewing career if he or she chooses to take that path but moving down the line to those who do partials & to the basic Extract brewers, I think all are capable of producing great beers. With the right ingredients & enough time to mature it is hard to produce a bad beer, but as you say it is about personal taste. Experience & a bit of experimenting/study can greatly improve your work.

I personally like Lagers but prefer Pale Ales, IPA's & most other beers styles including Stouts. 

It sounds like you are where you want to be.

Cheers

Phil

[ben 10]

19 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

Oh Captain you have lead such a sheltered life.

I'll stick up for @The Captain!! - they don't suit his taste, he gets a flavour that I don't pick up from lager yeasts.

[ben 10]

On 6/5/2021 at 5:53 PM, BrewLizard said:

a berliner weisse that's slightly too sour

Kit one or a real one?

[BrewLizard]

32 minutes ago, Green Blob said:

Kit one or a real one?

Real one. I used Lallemand Sour Pitch for 48 hours and got 3.5 on my cheap Kegland pH meter. I suspect it’s more sour than that. I’ll shoot for 24-36 hours next time or 3.7-3.8. 

[ben 10]

3 minutes ago, BrewLizard said:

Real one. I used Lallemand Sour Pitch for 48 hours

ALMOST a real one.... 

[BrewLizard]

37 minutes ago, Green Blob said:

ALMOST a real one.... 

Not a fan of L. plantarum?

[ben 10]

Just now, BrewLizard said:

Not a fan of L. plantarum?

Have not used it but my Berliner is using...

Quote

 

Wyeast 3191-PC BERLINER WEISSE BLEND

Species: Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Brettanomyces, & Lactobacillus blend

Profile: This blend includes a German ale strain with low ester formation and a dry, crisp finish. The Lactobacillusincluded produces moderate levels of acidity, and the unique Brettanomyces strain imparts a critical earthy characteristic that is indicative of a true Berliner Weisse. When this blend is used, expect a slow start to fermentation as the yeast and bacteria in the blend is balanced to allow proper acid production. It generally requires 3-6 months of aging to fully develop flavor characteristics. Use this blend with worts containing extremely low hopping rates.

Metric Temperature Range: 20-22 °C

 

 

[Thirsty Jim]

Very interesting thread.  

It was economy that attracted me to home brewing and still does.  Beer tastes better if it is tax free. 

I was delighted to find that with a little patience and discipline I could make drinkable beer by following the instructions on the can for a fraction of the price I was paying for commercial beer. The good people at Coopers have made it so easy and I applaud them for it. 

I was tempted to take it further and experiment to make even better beer which lead me to the edge of a deep rabbit hole.  I looked in.  I felt giddy and had an urge to jump in.  All that shiny equipment.  It was a very close call but I resisted the urge because -

(a) I was not prepared to have brewing take over my kitchen, my house or my life;
(b) I got into home brewing for the economy and spending all my money on stainless steel would defeat the purpose
(c) I am content with the beer I am brewing in the plastic bucket out of a can, a sugar bag and Chux full of hops

I didn't need more equipment.  What I needed was a optimal method of home brewing that was contained, quick and fuss free.  I have a lot of things to fit in my life and brewing mustn't be allowed to dominate me or my kitchen.  It needs to fit in the old brew fridge out on the deck (except the bottles which live in a stack of five milk crates) and I spend as little time with my head in that fridge as possible in order to consistently produce beer to my taste.  The only additional equipment I have bought for my brewery is an Inkbird temperature control - and that was money well spent.

I have an abundance of beer and I am more than happy to drink the beer I have made.  Happy days. 

[Marty_G]

1 hour ago, Green Blob said:

I'll stick up for @The Captain!! - they don't suit his taste, he gets a flavour that I don't pick up from lager yeasts.

Yep, I know that.  My comment was more in the context of the flavourless content of his post.  In a way Captain and I are similar.  I just can't cop the taste of esters.  So when I do ales I use very neutral yeasts and ferment under pressure.  I suppose it is a bit like the coriander taste. Some people love it and for some it tastes absolutely terrible.   Captain has that  with lager yeasts and I with esters.  Bit of a bummer really as it basically cuts out brewing anything that uses Abby or Belgium yeasts and Witbiers. 

[ben 10]

23 minutes ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

Bit of a bummer really as it basically cuts out brewing anything that uses Abby or Belgium yeasts and Witbiers. 

And saisons....how do you go with sours? Brett?

[Norris!]

1 hour ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

Yep, I know that.  My comment was more in the context of the flavourless content of his post.  In a way Captain and I are similar.  I just can't cop the taste of esters.  So when I do ales I use very neutral yeasts and ferment under pressure.  I suppose it is a bit like the coriander taste. Some people love it and for some it tastes absolutely terrible.   Captain has that  with lager yeasts and I with esters.  Bit of a bummer really as it basically cuts out brewing anything that uses Abby or Belgium yeasts and Witbiers. 

One of your earlier posts talked about the different extremes of brewing, and I have to agree. I live on the end of the spectrum with a lot of my brews. I also agree that some brewers can hide weak grists with tons of hops but you cannot hide flaws. The beer may come out border line megaswillish but sometimes that is the goal to make it more approachable but with that clean slate comes the amplification of the noticeable flaws. I like Balter's, their XPA, Hazy and Kaiju Krush and I think those beers are clean with tons of hops, some would call it hop water but just like a lager, if it isn't done right it will be noticeable.

I am not keen on a lot of esters either but I do like some saisons and what I get from Voss and NEIPA Yeasts .

There are always Blonde Ales and the like, cream ales.... Also who wants to clog up the process with a lager....If your not pressure fermenting? Just saying, I can make flavorless beer without lager yeast

[Norris!]

22 hours ago, MartyG1525230263 said:

Oh Captain you have lead such a sheltered life. There are many great lager styles that are driven by great malts that have wonderful flavour.   Not all lagers are lawnmower beers.  As an aspiring professional you may need to work on that.    Maybe a ripper of a Dunkel, a Schwarzbier or Czech amber and dark lagers. They are far from flavorless.   You may get a great deal of pride by making an outstanding version of a beer style that you don't drink.   

Ok I didn't Read this all the way. Yes there are some great flavorful lagers. There is something to be said about a well made beer, lager or not but I would be checking the time to complete, the market viability and overall time to free up space and equipment for more beers versus another beer type as all that plays into it on the professional side too. But very valid points about the achievement of making a great beer.