First timer, be gentle

[Classic Brewing Co]

26 minutes ago, Moul I mean said:

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I have ordered another kit, as per the bosses instructions,lol, and will see how two go at different intervals, such as a week between starting. 

As for the amount of bottles, yeah see the ‘rabbit hole’ , but currently have 120 so shouldn’t have too much of a worry, I think/hope?

Might even start following what the ‘boss’ also suggested, and try and get some of my freeloader friends to start brewing,  Homebrewing started for me as an interest and a budgetary factor.  “ They are your friends, get them to start, we are not a charity” .

Don’t laugh, I even have a ring tone on my mobile for when she calls me which says “yes dear whatever you say”

I can’t see myself going down the advanced modes , hops yeast, malts etc for a fair while. 

Ordered Canadian Blonde extract too, remembering newbie, so starting with basic difficulty ones.. 

Good move mate, it will help increase production, regarding free-loaders, I have a sign on the bar fridge & a donation tin, not that it makes any difference, it's probably full of 5/10/20c coins.

[ChairmanDrew]

On 1/13/2024 at 2:23 PM, Moul I mean said:

I can’t see myself going down the advanced modes , hops yeast, malts etc for a fair while. 

 

I reckon it will be sooner than you think.

[Moul I mean]

And here he goes again.

Taste wise, BE 2 , or BE 3. BE 2 is the only BE avail at Safeway.

So far prefer Lager over the Pale Ale, and the first Draught bottle so far.

Curious as to the taste difference, if much at all, if to use BE 3.I will need to order one from Coopers.

All advice is good advice for a novice, basic starter, like me.

Rabbit hole here I come LOL.

 

 

[Classic Brewing Co]

21 minutes ago, Moul I mean said:

And here he goes again.

Taste wise, BE 2 , or BE 3. BE 2 is the only BE avail at Safeway.

So far prefer Lager over the Pale Ale, and the first Draught bottle so far.

Curious as to the taste difference, if much at all, if to use BE 3.I will need to order one from Coopers.

All advice is good advice for a novice, basic starter, like me.

Rabbit hole here I come LOL.

 

 

Here is a list of the contents of all 3, BE@ is a good all-rounder, BE3 is mainly for Dark Ales Stouts ect as the are bolder & require more malt.

 

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

Here is a list of the contents of all 3, BE@ is a good all-rounder, BE3 is mainly for Dark Ales Stouts ect as the are bolder & require more malt.

 

Should say BE2 I forgot to release the Shift key. 

[ChairmanDrew]

22 hours ago, Moul I mean said:

And here he goes again.

Taste wise, BE 2 , or BE 3. BE 2 is the only BE avail at Safeway.

So far prefer Lager over the Pale Ale, and the first Draught bottle so far.

Curious as to the taste difference, if much at all, if to use BE 3.I will need to order one from Coopers.

All advice is good advice for a novice, basic starter, like me.

Rabbit hole here I come LOL.

 

 

Like you, where I am can only get BE2. I've used it a few times and it seems fine for most things. Although I did just recently discover that a local hardware store here randomly stocks a bunch of homebrew stuff, mostly just extract ingredients, but they have the Mangrove Jack's range of enhancers, of which there is a bewildering range. Good to know if I'm ever in a pickle and need something quick.

[Moul I mean]

Annoying me again,

Just polished off my first bottle of a second batch of Pale Ale, (it is beer o’clock somewhere ) been in bottle only 14 days, fermented for 10.Tasted tonnes better than the first batch of pale ale, even though only one bottle tested so far. 
 

Why? Or just a quirk of home brewing?

I did not do anything different , other than less days in fermenter this time, but taste difference huge, a hell of a lot better.

And for those who understand , yes the dog is getting lots of blame lately after some of the beers LOL.

 

Edited February 2 by Moul I mean

[Back Brewing]

6 minutes ago, Moul I mean said:

Annoying me again,

Just polished off my first bottle of a second batch of Pale Ale, been in bottle only 14 days, fermented for 10. Tasted tonnes better than the first batch of pale ale, even though only one bottle tested so far. 
 

Why? Or just a quirk of home brewing?

I did not do anything different , other than less days in fermenter this time, but taste difference huge, a hell of a lot better.

And for those who understand , yes the dog is getting lots of blame lately after some of the beers LOL.

 

Probably a combination of a number of things in your process cleaning and sanitising, preparing and making the brew, temperature controlling and bottling 

This is your second brew and your brew has improved you will notice now that your are taking more notice of the steps required and to do them better 

Well done on the improvement 

[Moul I mean]

It is the second batch of Pale Ale , done the lager,  draught, and Canadian blonde, but this is first of a repeat style thanks for the thought. Maybe am taking things more carefully now. 

Why didn’t I try this $1000’s earlier . If I could put in cans, my god my fishing on my boat would only end once beer finished. I fish till the cans run out, not the fish.
 

Surprising myself, they don’t taste horrible, each to their own I suppose.

 

Hooked

[Classic Brewing Co]

25 minutes ago, Moul I mean said:

Annoying me again,

Just polished off my first bottle of a second batch of Pale Ale, (it is beer o’clock somewhere ) been in bottle only 14 days, fermented for 10.Tasted tonnes better than the first batch of pale ale, even though only one bottle tested so far. 
 

Why? Or just a quirk of home brewing?

I did not do anything different , other than less days in fermenter this time, but taste difference huge, a hell of a lot better.

And for those who understand , yes the dog is getting lots of blame lately after some of the beers LOL.

 

Each brew should get better than the last one especially if you keep a few brewing notes to compare & also improve on various parts of the brewing process.

Once you perfect your schedule it is time to experiment with different additions, i.e. Dried or Liquid Malt Extract, types of yeast, hop additions, all of these are different & some more suited than the other for different brews, but the secret is to keep it simple.

Experience & places like this forum are the best for improving your overall brewing experience.

[Oldbloke]

Agree 100%. Keeping some notes is important. Detailed or basic probably doesn't matter very much.

 

Suggest you do 3-4 then try something different.

[ChairmanDrew]

3 hours ago, Oldbloke said:

Agree 100%. Keeping some notes is important. Detailed or basic probably doesn't matter very much.

 

Suggest you do 3-4 then try something different.

I don't keep any notes, but that's part of the reason I post my recipes in the Whats in your Fermentor thread, so I can search them up later

[Oldbloke]

5 hours ago, ChairmanDrew said:

I don't keep any notes, but that's part of the reason I post my recipes in the Whats in your Fermentor thread, so I can search them up later

The way I see it. That's just another way of recording what you did. 

[NBillett09]

On 1/13/2024 at 12:53 PM, Classic Brewing Co said:

Good move mate, it will help increase production, regarding free-loaders, I have a sign on the bar fridge & a donation tin, not that it makes any difference, it's probably full of 5/10/20c coins.

Knowing the effort and cost required to take beer from raw ingredients to finished beer, mate $3 a pint is a steal, if I lived in SA I’d be there every other week gladly paying the toll man

strikes me as a bit as a bit grubby that more people haven’t paid up especially seeing as it’s so cheap!?

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 minute ago, NBillett09 said:

Knowing the effort and cost required to take beer from raw ingredients to finished beer, mate $3 a pint is a steal, if I lived in SA I’d be there every other week gladly paying the toll man

strikes me as a bit as a bit grubby that more people haven’t paid up especially seeing as it’s so cheap!?

To be honest, it's there, but nobody actually pays me, it's just a hint if you like, besides I can't legally sell beer.

Most people understand the costs involved & usually contribute in other ways, some of them insist in rattling the tin but they usually either invite me to their place or bring some grog next time. 

It's the company & friendship that I value most.

We all brew because we want to, for good reasons when you think about it, you don't have to drive, spend ridiculous amounts of money in pubs & above all share with people in your own home. 

[RDT2]

4 hours ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

To be honest, it's there, but nobody actually pays me, it's just a hint if you like, besides I can't legally sell beer.

Most people understand the costs involved & usually contribute in other ways, some of them insist in rattling the tin but they usually either invite me to their place or bring some grog next time. 

It's the company & friendship that I value most.

We all brew because we want to, for good reasons when you think about it, you don't have to drive, spend ridiculous amounts of money in pubs & above all share with people in your own home. 

I love making beer and I tell my neighbour the more he drinks the more I get to make! He hasn’t argued with me yet He brings beers over but I send them back! 

[ozdevil]

18 hours ago, Moul I mean said:

Why didn’t I try this $1000’s earlier . If I could put in cans, my god my fishing on my boat would only end once beer finished. I fish till the cans run out, not the fish.

you can put them in cans   if you want to  .  but  you will have to get yourself a cannular   co2  + kegs a kegerator + cannular bottle filler (not necessary but just useful)+ cans and lids 

it wont be cheap to set up but you will have cans for fishing

 

[Moul I mean]

Any help, is well received, l will even buy you a beer LOL

My first three or four batches, have been ok/ good, appreciated by myself and those who seem to want more, but lately little issues. One batch tastes like sour apples, leaving that awhile longer to see if changes, if not, ditching it, And the last tasting of recent batch ( do think it needs longer) but half the bottles are soft still, 14 days after bottling. Tried turning upside down as per a gratefully received suggestion, but will have to wait and see on this batch.

I am really enjoying the home brew factor, but the disappointment could get the better of me. Trial and error, SHMBO, not pleased with me buying beer whilst waiting for the minimum 14 days. 
 

I have two FV going but the issues turning that into at most one.

 

Suggestions? Always appreciate the expertise here.

[ChairmanDrew]

Bottles with good seals might help. I have a few bigger bottles with screw caps which are hit and miss when it comes to carbonation. They will be almost impossible to open sometimes, but once undone are sometimes almost utterly flat. I never have that problem with bottles with crown seals or pop tops however.

Edited February 16 by ChairmanDrew

[Shamus O'Sean]

1 hour ago, Moul I mean said:

Any help, is well received, l will even buy you a beer LOL

My first three or four batches, have been ok/ good, appreciated by myself and those who seem to want more, but lately little issues. One batch tastes like sour apples, leaving that awhile longer to see if changes, if not, ditching it, And the last tasting of recent batch ( do think it needs longer) but half the bottles are soft still, 14 days after bottling. Tried turning upside down as per a gratefully received suggestion, but will have to wait and see on this batch.

I am really enjoying the home brew factor, but the disappointment could get the better of me. Trial and error, SHMBO, not pleased with me buying beer whilst waiting for the minimum 14 days. 
 

I have two FV going but the issues turning that into at most one.

 

Suggestions? Always appreciate the expertise here.

Copied from the Grainfather website - General good advice for all brews:

1. Clean and sterilise everything! Cleanliness is one of the most important aspects of making good beer.
2. Always use healthy yeast and enough of it. If you use liquid yeast make a good-sized starter and if you use dried yeast make sure it’s well in date and rehydrated. You can read more about making a yeast starter here. 
3. Oxygenate your wort. Whether it’s a shake or a dedicated O2 tank, proper oxygenation makes the difference.
4. Ferment at a suitable temperature for the yeast you are using. Find out more about fermentation here.

So, what are some of the off flavours you should be looking for (and avoiding)?

ACETALDEHYDE – TART GREEN APPLE, CIDERY OR EVEN ROTTEN APPLES IN SOME CASES
Acetaldehyde is one of the most common off flavours in beer and is produced by yeast during primary fermentation in just about every beer. Usually converted to ethanol alcohol, acetaldehyde can sometimes arise if beers are under pitched, have a very high gravity or are brewed at temperatures too high (or in some cases too low).

How to avoid this off flavour

A rotten apple flavour is certainly one to avoid in your homebrews and is generally a result of a bacterial infection. The easiest way to avoid infections is to properly sanitise all of your brewing equipment!

Apple/cidery off flavours can also be prevented by:

• Aerating your beer well before adding the yeast,
• Avoiding exposure to oxygen during fermentation (resist the urge to lift your fermenter lid and look at your brew as pathogens or infectious agents can often travel through the air),
• Don’t bottle or keg your beer too early.

I am not suggesting you did not do some of these, just emphasising how important they are.

Similarly, treating your bottles is just as important as the brewing cleanliness and sanitation.  The main causes of soft bottles and some solutions, are:

• Conditioning temperature too low - Wait longer or warm things up
• Caps not sealed - Check, may need re-priming and tightening
• Forgot to add priming sugar - Leave a bit longer, then re-prime and tighten

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

26 minutes ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Copied from the Grainfather website - General good advice for all brews:

1. Clean and sterilise everything! Cleanliness is one of the most important aspects of making good beer.
2. Always use healthy yeast and enough of it. If you use liquid yeast make a good-sized starter and if you use dried yeast make sure it’s well in date and rehydrated. You can read more about making a yeast starter here. 
3. Oxygenate your wort. Whether it’s a shake or a dedicated O2 tank, proper oxygenation makes the difference.
4. Ferment at a suitable temperature for the yeast you are using. Find out more about fermentation here.

So, what are some of the off flavours you should be looking for (and avoiding)?

ACETALDEHYDE – TART GREEN APPLE, CIDERY OR EVEN ROTTEN APPLES IN SOME CASES
Acetaldehyde is one of the most common off flavours in beer and is produced by yeast during primary fermentation in just about every beer. Usually converted to ethanol alcohol, acetaldehyde can sometimes arise if beers are under pitched, have a very high gravity or are brewed at temperatures too high (or in some cases too low).

How to avoid this off flavour

A rotten apple flavour is certainly one to avoid in your homebrews and is generally a result of a bacterial infection. The easiest way to avoid infections is to properly sanitise all of your brewing equipment!

Apple/cidery off flavours can also be prevented by:

• Aerating your beer well before adding the yeast,
• Avoiding exposure to oxygen during fermentation (resist the urge to lift your fermenter lid and look at your brew as pathogens or infectious agents can often travel through the air),
• Don’t bottle or keg your beer too early.

I am not suggesting you did not do some of these, just emphasising how important they are.

Similarly, treating your bottles is just as important as the brewing cleanliness and sanitation.  The main causes of soft bottles and some solutions, are:

• Conditioning temperature too low - Wait longer or warm things up
• Caps not sealed - Check, may need re-priming and tightening
• Forgot to add priming sugar - Leave a bit longer, then re-prime and tighten

Fantastic advice there @Shamus O'Sean. The 1,2,3,4 is spot on. The only thing I would add to #4 is temperature stability particularly in the first few days. Yeasties don't like up and down swings.

[jennyss]

Shouldn't speak too soon, but we have recently bottled a brew for my husband: a Woolworths Lager. Have made this extract more than 10 times and no problems, but I am suspicious that something is wrong. The taste was sharp with no bready sweetness when bottling.  FG was 1009 after a 1047 start. Two weeks conditioning is up on 20th Feb, so we'll find out then.  It would be very traumatic to have to tip 30 longnecks down the drain!

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 hour ago, jennyss said:

Shouldn't speak too soon, but we have recently bottled a brew for my husband: a Woolworths Lager. Have made this extract more than 10 times and no problems, but I am suspicious that something is wrong. The taste was sharp with no bready sweetness when bottling.  FG was 1009 after a 1047 start. Two weeks conditioning is up on 20th Feb, so we'll find out then.  It would be very traumatic to have to tip 30 longnecks down the drain!

First thing I always checked was the date on the can & yeast packet, but it could be something else like a sanitation issue or perhaps the bottles, however I don't want to question your cleaning/sanitising routine.

Sometimes things just go wrong but let's hope when you try one all is good Jenny.

All the best anyway.

[ChairmanDrew]

16 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Always use healthy yeast and enough of it.

On this; how much is enough? I know the packets you buy are usually 11g, the Coopers cans come with 7g, but the Black Rock can I bought the other day came with a measly 5g! I'm guessing its enough for a basic kit brew with a kg of fermentables, but at what point do you decide more is needed?

 

[Oldbloke]

3 hours ago, ChairmanDrew said:

On this; how much is enough? I know the packets you buy are usually 11g, the Coopers cans come with 7g, but the Black Rock can I bought the other day came with a measly 5g! I'm guessing its enough for a basic kit brew with a kg of fermentables, but at what point do you decide more is needed?

 

I can only say I've been using the Cooper 7g sachets for over 30 years. Only perhaps 4-5 non- starters