What are you drinking in 2023?

[Kegory]

Ok, this is the last "Amber" for the evening, the Autumn Amber Ale. There's a few firsts in this one too: the first bottled of batch 005; the first grain steep; and, the first (dry) hop addition.

This one is well carbonated (compared to the previous, at least). By this point I'd not only begun using a funnel but I'd also made it into a sawn off funnel.

It's made from the same Bewitched Amber Ale base but it's a little sweeter, a hint of musk sticks, and the aroma gives hints of liquorice all sorts.

Here are the brewing notes

[Back Brewing]

16 minutes ago, Kegory said:

Ok, this is the last "Amber" for the evening, the Autumn Amber Ale. There's a few firsts in this one too: the first bottled of batch 005; the first grain steep; and, the first (dry) hop addition.

This one is well carbonated (compared to the previous, at least). By this point I'd not only begun using a funnel but I'd also made it into a sawn off funnel.

It's made from the same Bewitched Amber Ale base but it's a little sweeter, a hint of musk sticks, and the aroma gives hints of liquorice all sorts.

Here are the brewing notes

Nice full tight head your brewing is coming along nicely mate

Did the head stay for a while as you were drinking it?

Edited August 14, 2023 by Back Brewing

[Kegory]

4 minutes ago, Back Brewing said:

Nice full tight head your brewing is coming along nicely mate

Did the head stay for a while as you were drinking it?

Thanks. No, the head retention is not fantastic but that doesn't concern me too much at the moment.

If my understanding is correct, adding some BE3 or wheat would help with head formation and retention. Some of my (deliberate and accidental) carbonation exbeeriments have produced bigger, longer lasting heads but that's just window dressing to me right now. I've also been drinking a few English Ales so there's a bit of monkey see, monkey do going on as well.

[Back Brewing]

I don't know where to put this so I'll ask here

When you bottle the remaining wort after kegging and you condition them at 19c how long can you keep them at the 19c?

Probably a silly question but can you just keep them at 19c or do you need to cool them down to a constant cooler temperature?

Edited August 14, 2023 by Back Brewing

[Back Brewing]

15 minutes ago, Back Brewing said:

I don't know where to put this so I'll ask here

When you bottle the remaining wort after kegging and you condition them at 19c how long can you keep them at the 19c?

Probably a silly question but can you just keep them at 19c or do you need to cool them down to a constant cooler temperature?

Doesn't matter I just looked at Coopers recipe page and it says STORE at 18c or above 

[Kegory]

18 minutes ago, Back Brewing said:

I don't know where to put this so I'll ask here

When you bottle the remaining wort after kegging and you condition them at 19c how long can you keep them at the 19c?

Probably a silly question but can you just keep them at 19c or do you need to cool them down to a constant cooler temperature?

I guess it depends on how long you want to keep them.

I was doing some reading on aging beers last week and apparently the ideal temperature for aging beers is about 14.58C. There was a discussion about it in the Today's Tasting thread about the Vintage Ale. Apparently sustained temperatures of around 25C will ruin a beer.

I think you should be able to store them for at least a few months at around 19C. Apparently 18C is the World Health Organisation's, maybe it's an Australian equivalent's, minimum "safe" temperature for a home environment. I haven't heard anything that says all your bottled beer needs to be chilled immediately or it will go off. As I understand it you can store them at room temperature (18C) for a reasonable period of time and just chill them when you need them. I have also heard some people say don't take your lager out of the fridge until it's time to drink it but my lagering fridge isn't big enough for more than one big batch at a time so I hope they'll keep for a while, at least, outside the fridge.

Edited August 14, 2023 by Kegory
spelling

[Pale Man]

11 hours ago, Kegory said:

There are actually four but one is out of shot. The first one is on the fermenter running the heatbelts and the fan. The second one I use for the little fermenter when they are both running at the same time but for this batch it is running the heatpad under tub to keep the bath water (sanitizer) warm. The third one is regulating the conditioning cave under the far table. The other one (out of shot) is running the lagering fridge (which thinks it is a freezer).

Each to their own but why not get an old fermenting fridge and cut all that lot down to one.

[Shamus O'Sean]

8 hours ago, Back Brewing said:

I don't know where to put this so I'll ask here

When you bottle the remaining wort after kegging and you condition them at 19c how long can you keep them at the 19c?

Probably a silly question but can you just keep them at 19c or do you need to cool them down to a constant cooler temperature?

Once bottles are carbonated they do not have to be kept around 18-19°C.  Having said that, I keep almost all of my bottles at room temperature.  I have a couple of Imperial Stout bottles over 16 months old and last year's Coopers Vintage that is nearly 9 moths old.

I have occasionally moved lagers to the garage in winter.  However, I am not sure that made any difference.

[Kegory]

45 minutes ago, Pale Man said:

Each to their own but why not get an old fermenting fridge and cut all that lot down to one.

I'm on it. My mate has just moved house and I've not only claimed his old fridge, I did some work there in exchange for his old fridge. It's perfect for a fermenting fridge, the freezer compartment is at the bottom.

I'm just waiting now for him to get his new fridge and then I'll get it. I'll have to give him a hurry up soon if he takes too much longer.

[Classic Brewing Co]

10 hours ago, Back Brewing said:

I don't know where to put this so I'll ask here

When you bottle the remaining wort after kegging and you condition them at 19c how long can you keep them at the 19c?

Probably a silly question but can you just keep them at 19c or do you need to cool them down to a constant cooler temperature?

I have always stored the bottles in carboard boxes, the ones you can get from Bottles Shops/Wine Shops, they have divisions in them & usually hold 12 bottles. I label them & stack them up until some are ready to be fridged & drunk.

As long as they are not in extreme heat or cold, they are fine. If necessary, you can cover them in a blanket in winter or if the ambient temp in the room is not consistent move them to a cooler place in summer. A room temperature gauge is your best guide for this.

They will last for as long as you like this, but I don't bottle many these days anyway & I am not into storing for ages especially hoppy ales, & I don't really like lagers that much anyway, so they get consumed fairly quickly. 

[Kegory]

Today it's a Taste Test Challenge: 004, Coopers Dark Ale, bottled 12/6/23, conditioned 20 days, vs Coopers Brewery Dark Ale, a.k.a. Coopers Brown, Best After 24/4/2022.

The colour and the head are equal but Brown's head retention wins by a whisker. Brown has a malty aroma but 004's is more subdued. Brown wins the carbonation by a nose but 004 is in a 568ml bottle primed as a 500ml (which is probably less of a factor than my scooping and funnelling skill).

Brown has a more rounded, malty taste whereas 004 tastes dried, roastier and has a subdued chloramine twang. Brown has minimal lacing, 004 has none.

Here are my brewing notes

 

[DavidM]

Coopers Pale Ale

Sun's out, it's warm, perfect time for a Cold Ale.

Later a Black and Tan..

[Kegory]

14 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Coopers Pale Ale

Sun's out, it's warm, perfect time for a Cold Ale.

Later a Black and Tan..

Sun's out here, too, but it's freezing this morning, first time I've noticed frost on the grass. Perfect conditions for an ambient cold crash last night.

[DavidM]

Cracked the wrong brew 

Oh well, it's good so I can't complain.

Voyage Amber Ale, worth the wait!

Edited August 16, 2023 by DavidM
spelling

[Cheap Charlie]

On 8/12/2023 at 6:01 PM, Brauhaus Fritz said:

 

What’s this for a shot. My better half’s skill. The Beer was good too

The clarity looks good, excellent lacing, looks great!

[Cheap Charlie]

On 8/13/2023 at 11:55 AM, Aussiekraut said:

We drink what we brew A Märzen from the last batch. Malty, sweet and soooo good

Great photography

[Cheap Charlie]

On 8/13/2023 at 7:05 PM, RDT2 said:

IPL nearing the end of the keg this is nice easy drinker in one of my new Furphy mugs!

It's great when the beer glass fairy comes

[Cheap Charlie]

On 8/13/2023 at 8:42 PM, Kegory said:

Gravity sample (chilled) vs global giant.

I think it survived the unseasonal Melbourne weather, the power interruptions and the primitive yet desperate counter measures.

With some carbonation and a few weeks to lager I reckon it'll be ready in time for the NRL Grand Final.

I love their sense of humour, brilliant!

[Cheap Charlie]

8 hours ago, DavidM said:

Coopers Pale Ale

Sun's out, it's warm, perfect time for a Cold Ale.

Later a Black and Tan..

That's a creamy head on that black n tan

[Cheap Charlie]

Got my first crack at a German Pilsner style. Hallertau hops, turned out pretty good, quite happy!

[Kegory]

13 minutes ago, Cheap Charlie said:

Got my first crack at a German Pilsner style. Hallertau hops, turned out pretty good, quite happy!

Looks great.

[Kegory]

34 minutes ago, Cheap Charlie said:

I love their sense of humour, brilliant!

I think I'm going to have to change the name to Fukmi. The recipe is all geared to kegging and I didn't pay any attention to the implications of adding priming sugar (perhaps I could have added some more water, too late now) and by my calculations it's come out at 6% ABV.

[Kegory]

How long is a country mile? I'm only asking because this is my best beer by at least that far (possibly more, 2 country miles?)

Bird of Prey American Lager Priming Test Challenge.

A few firsts going on here, too. My first lager, my first split priming, and the first brew with water treated to remove the chloramine. On the left is the first bottled, primed with white sugar, and on the right is the last bottled, primed with dextrose and poured first (it's a small batch, craft recipe and there are only 14 bottles). They were conditioned for 17 days and they've been lagered for 7.

They both had good heads but sugar produced a better head. Sugar also produced slightly better head retention and more but still minimal lacing. As you can see they are both quite dark. This has been a feature of this batch of the Mr Beer Bewitched Amber Ale cans.

The aroma has hints of liquorice and a little roastiness, another feature common to the Bewitched Amber Ale. There was also something floral (to me) from the Falconer's Flight hops. At one point I picked up something that said white wine (dry, resiling/cab blanc?) to me from the sugar primed glass.

The sugar primed version had more carbonation but the dex primed was acceptable. The taste was good but lacking something. Just kidding. The taste was lacking the chloramine twang. Not-a-trace. Fantastic! It tastes like real beer. I'm very happy.

They have a fairly clean, lagery taste. A little malty, a little roasty, and a the dex primed version is a little flowery sweet. The sugar primed version tastes a tad drier and feels a smidge thinner, and has a bit of a sharpish taste on the sides towards the back of the tongue.

These are my first impressions. I'll road test them and find out what others think/prefer. To me the dex priming is a better fit for this style.

Here are my brewing notes

[BlackSands]

Nice and simple: Real Ale can + LME + East Kent Goldings + Harlequin.  Nothing else required, except... to drink it! 

[Back Brewing]

Having a relaxing pint while watching TV it's the Abbey Blonde kegged about 3 months ago