AdamH1525226084 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Mr first brew will be 2 weeks in the bottle on the 30th Jan. But Super Bowl is on Monday the 6th Feb - I might save them for then [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 It's a given that the instructions are to make the new brewer 'feel' happier about not being able to control things such as ferment temps, and also to make your first time as simple as possible, but is also a given that they (the new brewer) will most likely start to look into this in a very short period of time... heres the scenario.. New brewer gets Kit, brews to instruction, feels a little dejected that the brew they made tastes, now lets be nice, not as good as it could have, brewer wonders why... brewer logs into forums and asks the questions "my beer tastes a little funky, why?" - People pull apart recipe and tell new brewer to go get a fridge, a temp controller, and a specialty yeast.. At the end of the day, these are the steps we all take, you have, I did, we all did.. If the instructions said, go get a fridge and wire up a STC1000 90% of people would give up, it's about not overloading people with what they dont need to know. Did you make beer? yes. did you make great beer? unlikely for most (me included). [lol] but in saying this, the Kit yeast from coopers is about the most respected about. I have my own reservations about using a lager /ale blend of yeast, but Ive not used it enough to speak from experience with this particular blend. Summery I guess is that it's not about making a perfect beer but is about teaching a process and taking the illusions that its hard away. There have been many comments from experienced brewers about the Kit instruction but I dont think Ive ever read a propper explanation from Coopers as to why so my beliefs are just that, my opinion and not conclusive. Yob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kearnage Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Yob, that sums up my brewing experience perfectly! Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 and me too mate[biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregT5 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Thanx Yob. You said what I should have said in my post. (And you pretty much covered my first brews) [crying] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 The glorious ride that it is [love] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyG4 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I am sure you have heard everyone talking about Ian H's spreadsheet Here's the link You will need Excel on your PC. The questions you are asking are all answered by this spreedsheet. You pick a style and then get a guideline that updates as you input your ingredients. You still need an idea of what characteristics the ingredients bring to the beer. The spreasheet estimates your LME and BE2 mix at an ABV of over 6%. My first brew with 1.5kg of LME also had 300g of dextrose and came out at 5.5%, I used Cascade and Nelson Savin and its not a bad first up hopped drop. The spreadsheet also tells how to make up your hop boil SG, I didn't do this with the forementioned brew. that forum doesn't seem to be accepting new registrations at the moment - either that, or they're currently having a problem. any chance someone from here might get in touch with me so i can give them an email address to send one to? thanks (hopefully) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 They are getting spammed pretty hardcore, no new registrations ATM.. for some reason my mailbox here is blocked or I would offer [crying] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Andy - I tried to send you an email from this site but can't do it either. Sorry mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Hey Andy I can email it to you if you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 link that forum doesn't seem to be accepting new registrations at the moment - either that, or they're currently having a problem. any chance someone from here might get in touch with me so i can give them an email address to send one to? thanks (hopefully) Try AHB again now, the notification about new users has been removed. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Sorted :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyG4 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 thanks heaps for that Adam. spreadsheet looks... well, insane is about the only word i can think of. just playing with it now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 It takes a little while to get used to it - but I think it's pretty cool. I've worked out my next beer using it [w00t] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I test tasted a brew last night - today is 2 weeks in the bottle. [love] I made the "Lawnmower Lager" as suggested with DIY kit and it was delicious, although not bubbly enough being too early. Will be great for next Monday I reckon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagedavid Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Hi guys My first time on the forum so go easy on me :) I just bottled my first brew last night (Lager that came with the kit, pitched at 28 degrees and fermented at around 25, which I now know is a bit high). From the forums it would seem I am going to get an okay beer, but far from optimum. There is no way I can wait 2 weeks before sampling, let alone a month! I have a few questions which I hope you can help with, or point in the right direction: 1. Is there any place where someone has put together a list of brewing acronyms? Some of them I have picked up quickly (LME, DME, FV) but some of the others I have no idea. 2. In addition to the kit brew I also received an additional can of Real Ale extract. There seems to be an opinion that you should make up your own sugar mix rather than using the Coopers BE? Also do you recommend I brew this one "by the book" do get a baseline idea, or plunge right in with experimentation? If so what are recommended guidelines for get a better Real Ale? 3. Instead of using the carbonation drops, I thought of an idea whereby I could make up a syrup of sugar (and glucose?) and put it in a bottle with an optic tot measure. In this way if I mixed by weight correctly I could get an exact amount of sugar into each bottle. Do you think this could work? 4. Instead of bottling the next batch I wanted to keg it. I was wondering how long the beer is good for once you crack open the keg after secondary fermentation? Thanks for a great forum where everyone seems really patient and understanding. I have been on many forums where this is not the case! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Welcome Savagedavid! Don't worry about your first batch, you will drink it all. Your beer will get better though as you pick up tips along the way. And crack one open after a week and then at 2 weeks. Its good to taste along the way and see how it changes in the bottle. As for your questions: 1. Someone started a thread on this and BillK posted a list of about 7 million acronyms. I can't seem to find it now though (damn search function). Someone else may be able to find it. 2. I haven't made the Real Ale so can't really comment on it. But I recommend experimenting a bit; but thats just me. 3. As long as you can get the sugar measurements correct it would be fine. You can always add dry sugar/dex to the bottles too. 4. Someone else will have to help with the Keg question. Actually looking back at my answers I didn't really help much. I will leave it for the experts then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagedavid Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Actually looking back at my answers I didn't really help much. I will leave it for the experts then. Thanks for the reply anyway! I found some helpful information by Yob here: http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-guild/talk-brewing?g=posts&t=3968 I already got a load of good info there. Some of the ingredients mentioned might be hard to find in South Africa, so I will have to look around. How much hops would you add to your brew of 23l? Hops seem to be quite pricey - ZAR100 for 100g (about $14 for 3.5 oz) of Saaz hops. Is this about right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagedavid Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Another question I have is about the yeast. Do I use the standard yeast supplied with the kit or try to obtain a specialty yeast? This seems to be quite a critical component of the final flavor of the brew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
***** Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 G\u2019Day David Welcome. ...... In addition to the kit brew I also received an additional can of Real Ale extract. There seems to be an opinion that you should make up your own sugar mix rather than using the Coopers BE? Also do you recommend I brew this one "by the book" do get a baseline idea' date=' or plunge right in with experimentation? If so what are recommended guidelines for get a better Real Ale? ........[/quote'] My suggestion would be to keep it simple for your first few brews slowly increasing the complexity. Use the kit recipe or some of Paul\u2019s recipes from \u201cHow to Brew\u201d, for example Unreal Ale. My 7th brew is based on the OS Lager kit, LME, DME, some medium crystal grains, a healthy drop of dextrose with an 8 minute boil of Nelson Sauvin and Amarillo hops. It has quite a complex tatse and I love it but I am unsure as to what each ingredient is bringing to the table. Perhaps my palate needs more training [innocent] and perhaps I could have done this by going slower. PS My 4th brew (Basic Blonde) based on the Draught kit is proving very popular with everyone. A few more disappeared last night [pinched] and I am receiving multiple requests to make it again. It contains no additional hops or specialty grains. Cheers Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Here is the list of ACRONYMS To answer question 4. regarding kegs: Kegs are like one big bottle. However, there are so many factors that come into play with regards to the longevity of the brew. i.e. hop profile, temperatures, O2, Co2, bacteria, infections. I believe a keg can last for 6 months+ under the right conditions. However, I can not speak from experience regarding this as my kegs are lucky to last a week [crying] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyG4 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 i'm not sure if this is a horribly noobish question or not - apologies if so. my first attempt at hopping involved steeping a hop tea bag and adding the whole lot. my second attempt used hop pellets steeped and, based on advice that i think i got from here, i added the "tea" and the pellets to the wort. i've just been watching youtube videos trying to learn how to boil hops. they seem to create a hop bag, boil it, and then add the tea and strain out the hops. how should i be doing it? i'd always just assumed that you'd try and get the most out of the hops by chucking the whole lot in (preferably in a bag, but loose if i'm prepared to deal with bottler blockage). however i've got the fridge and a temp controller should be here today, so i'd love to know the 'proper' way to do it before putting another brew on tonight. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
***** Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I found that you need a large hop bag; relative to the amount of hops. My worst result was when I believe the hops didn't have space enough room in the bag. Now I don't use a bag for my boil, I use a wort of 1.040 and add the hops loose. I strain the cooled hopped wort into the FV, I have a pretty fine sieve but still get a little hop matter in the FV but this normally falls out into the trub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 If you can effectivly cold condition "and" you rack to bulk prime there is NO reason to use a bag.. If dry hopping I just throw the buggers right on in, I dont believe Ive ever had a blocked tap or a floatie in a bottle for that matter.. If making a hop tea, a coffee plunger is awesome, keeps the debris right out of the question... if in a boil... yes you may want to strain through something... depending at what time you are doing this.. I shall have to look up that link to see what I was banging on about... I didnt think people listened to me [lol] Yob edit: Oh THAT post... quite valid... I stand by it[rightful] [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbers Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Got a DIY kit post-christmas. Having done it previously was far too excited and couldnt' wait and probably barreled it when it was too hot. Pitched around 30c on Saturday Temp lingered around 27 for a few days, and now is down to 21/22. Picked the hottest Melbourne weekend to do it. In hindsight, should've waited until tonight. Nevermind. Fully expecting a few weird flavours, all a re-learning curve. Happy to have this bottled for a while to condition. Putting more planning into my next brew, I'm looking for something along the lines of the Coopers Dark Ale (all time fave beer ever, especially tapped in SA). Looking at the Dark Malt Extract + Canadian Blonde kit. Reading some recipes it suggests half the can of dark malt, what would happen if you used a full can? (brew take longer and be more potent?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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