The Grail

[Beerlust]

Hi guys.

 

Given the hugely diverse range of questions posed by members on the forum, often the direction each of us are heading in & what our ultimate goal is with our brewing, is often lost in amongst that.

 

Without setting a specific agenda or trying to 'pigeon hole' anything, I was just curious on what people are striving for with their brewing. i.e. what is your ultimate goal with your brewing? At what point do you need to reach before you are content or completely satisfied with what you are doing? What sort of beer would you like to master etc.?

 

In an attempt to try & fast track a few areas for each of us individually, I thought a thread like this might be helpful/beneficial.

 

What is your Grail?

 

I'd be interested in everyones thoughts & agendas.

 

P.S. If you can't be stuffed answering anything like that, at least have a giggle...

 

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[GregT5]

Initially I mentioned to SWMBO that about the only thing I would use a home brew kit for would be ginger beers.

 

Not being a big beer drinker I didn't think my drinking at home would warrant the cost of the home brew kit.

 

Since the family bought a kit for my 50th four years ago I have only done 2 GB kits, the rest a combination of Pale Ales, Amber Ales, Dark Ales & Stouts with a couple of experiments in the mix somewhere.

 

I have probably reached my "Grail" doing kits & bits. Maybe its my "attention span of a goldfish" traits coming out, but I enjoy steeping grains over night on a Saturday night then putting down a brew on a Sunday morning & having it all done & dusted before the rest of the family have surfaced.

 

I bottle into a mixture of 500, 375, 345 & 330ml stubbies with a few PETs thrown in as well. The stubbies are handy for chucking into the golf bag to help smooth out the rough edges of the golf swing. This notion is shared with the guys I play with as well. You could say our drinking group has a golf problem .

 

I don't have power in my shed at the moment so all my brewing is done in the kitchen & the brew fridge under the verandah just outside the back door. It is a simple set up & is producing beers that are better than we can buy here (according to my mates).

[MM]

Great thread Lusty,

my grail is to make a tasty beer as good as what I can buy, or afford to buy in quantity.

After 8 weeks I am using grains and hops with enthusiasm, I am yet to see how some of them will turn out, but my early pale ales that have been ready so far have been really good.

I have learned some hops don't do well on their own, but have a great balance when used with others.

I think to achieve my grail is being able to understand hops, their usage, effect and how to balance different combinations.

 

From what I have made and tasted I really don't see the need for all grain, so I haven't even bothered to research it, all I know is it takes 4 times as long, ha ha there is another criteria for the grail. It has to be done in a suitable time frame, kits and bits works for me and my lifestyle.

 

Cheers MM

[King Ruddager]

1. Win lottery (or become otherwise independently wealthy)

2. Open brewery called "Spokes" in Mitcham

3. Ride bike in the morning, brew beer in the afternoon, eat well at night, go to bed with a supermodel

[Tonny's Brewing]

Convert the shed into a man cave/brewery and learn how to make all the beer types I like: pale ale, ipa, amber, wheat and a variety of belgium beers.

Have made a few different ones sofar, but haven't done a belgium (have a belgium wit in my fv) dubbel, triple, golden, amber yet.

Will get there eventually!

 

Not sure if I have mentioned it in previous post, but all you guys have been fantastic in helping myself and other newbies out!

Cheers to you all!

[davids47]

I would think my grail would be in the beer making stakes, is to make a beer as good as thy do at a small mico in SA called the steam exchange (think that's what thy call them self )had a few a few years ago and loved the beer ,will be heading there in a few days to try some more

 

[Hairy]

I just like to eat ham & spam a lot and brew beer that I find tasty.

[Scottie]

Hey Anthony and the Brew Crew

 

I was searching for this for a while The Holy Grail

 

If you get a chance to read the thread you'll probably be thinking "Wow how Scottie's tastes have changed over the past 12 months".

And its true, I have just finished fermenting a mid strength version of Dr Smurtos Golden Ale, it only has a 1 minute addition of Amarillo ie no dry hops, and I loved the FV sample yesterday. Following two failures it was a pleasant relief and I drank the whole 250 ml that I dragged of the FV. I finished a bit high with my SG, damn this is fun. Hairy's simple advice of measuring the actual mash helped heaps, I mashed this one at 70'C so I need to reduce my strike temp a bit. I also think I got my first batch of lazy US05, it finished at around 1.0125, and my %ABV is just under 3%. I wanted 3.4%.

 

A long way round, but my current brewing grail is an ordinary bitter that hits the numbers in terms of OG, FG and %ABV.

 

I never got around to doing the partial LCPA clone, and now I never will. But given the malt explosion that is possible with AG brewing I will be giving it a try this spring. One thing that attracted me to my English Bitters was the strong malt background, which I really nailed in my current kegged brew. When I do my LCPA and my Fat Yak I will be using Maris Otter for sure.

 

There you go my brewing grail top quality recipes atop Maris Otter.

 

Cheers

Scottie

[bert]

I just enjoy making what I consider good beer, with coopers kits its easy, I'm not bothered about pushing any boundaries, Coopers have already done that for me. If I end up making even better beer in some way that's ok as well. But I'm very satisfied and enjoy what I have. I also appreciate all the help from this forum .

[ben 10]

I'd like to solve my chill haze issues.

[Guzz]

To reach "Pure Enlightenment Whilst Drinking Beer".

 

My only fear is that it will squirt out my nose.

 

If/when I reach pure enlightenment, it does squirt out my nose, I will reassess my situation, but I feel my new grail will then be to do it again, but without the squirting.

 

Guzz

 

 

[Canadian Eh!L]

Automated, HERMS, 10 gallon, consistent, top quality beer.

 

I'm working on it. This are humming right along these days at LCB. We are busy rebuilding and replacing a few things in the brewery and the addition of a pump to the set up has really been an interesting advancement.

 

I pumped a lot of water around through my system over the last couple of days trying to work out the methods of moving from a very manual 10 Gallon to semi-automated set up. It's fun as hell! I feel like a kid at Chissy!

[Mr F]

As I'm just starting out...

 

My main goal, on reflection, was to make a Coopers Pale clone that tasted just as good as the real deal, at a fraction of the cost.

 

My current batch conditioning now should hopefully nail that. If not, the next batch will.

 

Following that, I'm not sure. I'm either going to kick up my heels and simply make awesome APA for the rest of my drinking career OR I am going to get sucked into the "spiral of death" involving ever-more complicated mixtures of hops, grains and yeasts.

 

Before the spiral, though, I need to drink a stack of craft/micro-brewery beers and sort out this whole business. I've pretty much only drank Coopers Pale up until this point. No complaints there, though!

[Magnaman]

G'day Brewers, I got into home brewing to be able to drink beer I could afford.

Mainstream beer moved even further from what I liked and what I liked cost me to much or that beer was no longer made.

Form my first brew this forum has given me the tools to make very good beer I can afford.

PB2 summed it all up and it works.

THE BEER TRIANGLE: Thorough Sanitation + Fresh Ingredients + Appropriate Ferment Temp' = QUALITY BEER

 

Coopers recipes' date=' forum favorites from members and being patient. I use steeped grains, hop additions for flavor and aroma and re-culture yeast and so have exceeded my original goals, so Grail obtained. [img']wink[/img]

But never say never, the future holds many mysteries, might be another Grail?

 

Cheers.

[Beeblebrox]

For me there are 2 grails; my personal grail, which I've pretty well reached, is to make good tasting brews each time, and have my technique down well enough that I can rely on each batch being worth the effort, and better than some of the sub standard beers you can get on tap at your local pub.

The second is to make beer that SWMBO and I can agree on and both enjoy together.

So far the second one still needs some work, as she is new to drinking beer, let alone home brew.

Some of the beers I've thought were acceptable but sub par she has enjoyed, whereas some of my better brews have not been to her taste; she's going to take some time to appreciate the impact of hops on a brew.

That said, she's very encouraging with my hobby, and I've got an ESVA kit to brew (having just put the grains in the fridge this morning to soak overnight), and also I've got the Artisan Reserve ordered, which should arrive in the next few days.

I'm sure the ESVA will be too much for her, but the Artisan Reserve might help her turn the corner.

I also have an APA with added Cascade steeped and dry hopped in the FV ready for bottling, so if she doesn't like any of those I'll just have to shrug it off, put the training wheels back on and make her a Blushing Blonde again, or maybe a Canadian Blonde.

All that said, all the beers I've given to neighbours/friends to try have said I make a pretty good drop, so as long as I'm happy and whoever tries my beers are happy, I think I'm pretty well there.

I've only just got on the "grain train" so that will open up a new world of brewing to me as well.

I think this may be about as good as it gets.

[Beerlust]

Hi guys.

 

I've really enjoyed reading the posts.

Even Hairy's Dr. Seuss 'ham & spam' reference! ...actually no I didn't, it was really lame!

 

My Grail...

 

To discover a new world hop mix that works, & combine it with a suitable malt bill that produces a beer that drinkers really enjoy & is unique. Eventually I'd love to move into a commercial brewing environment, but that is really just a pipe dream.

 

I am loving the journey so far.

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[Hairy]

Hi guys.

 

I've really enjoyed reading the posts.

Even Hairy's Dr. Seuss 'ham & spam' reference! ...actually no I didn't' date=' it was really lame! [img']tongue[/img].

Dr Seuss, WTF?

 

It is ripped off from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

[porschemad911]

I'm sure the ESVA will be too much for her' date=' but the Artisan Reserve might help her turn the corner.[/quote']

 

You never know mate, my wife really enjoyed the commercial 2014 Coopers ESVA, albeit in 177.5ml doses. I am sure she would prefer the Artisan Reserve though

 

It's hard to pick what people will like sometimes! My colleague told me today that he loved my accidentally alcohol boosted Celebration Ale and could happily drink it for the rest of his life. Actually he liked it so much that he's off to Big W and the LHBS tomorrow to buy a Coopers DIY kit and the ingredents to make up the Celebration Ale recipe pack. He is even planning to add the whole 1kg of dextrose despite what the recipe says just to make it exactly the same as mine

[Beerlust]

Hi guys.

 

I've really enjoyed reading the posts.

Even Hairy's Dr. Seuss 'ham & spam' reference! ...actually no I didn't' date=' it was really lame! [img']tongue[/img].

Dr Seuss, WTF?

 

It is ripped off from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

You're not the only one who likes to give things a stir Hairy!

 

Hehe!

 

Cheers,

 

Anthony.

[essfer]

Top question. With my first brew out of the way (and it's rubbish as far as I can tell at this early stage) I'm looking forward to getting on with my quest for my personal grail:

 

I've got a twin tap setup in the bar and want to get a good consistent technique down for pumping out an Aussie Lager for the masses (missus?) and a Euro lager similar to the German majors and/or Stella.

 

Once those staple brews are consistently good I then want to tackle a couple of clones of my favourite drops - Squire's 150 PA and Kosciuszko PA.

 

At least that's the plan for now. Ask me again in 12 months and we'll find out if the plan has evolved (or just changed entirely).

 

And thanks for the forum too - it gets the creative juices flowing and provides some confidence in what might be possible with a simple HB setup.

 

 

[porschemad911]

I would love to get the kind of thick, creamy head my local brewpub gets on their ales out of an English hand-pump. They've got an IPA on there that's just beautiful!

 

Could be just part of the serving method though, I don't think I've ever had a bottled beer like that (or indeed on tap anywhere else).

[Beeblebrox]

I would love to get the kind of thick' date=' creamy head my local brewpub gets on their ales out of an English hand-pump. They've got an IPA on there that's just beautiful!

 

Could be just part of the serving method though, I don't think I've ever had a bottled beer like that (or indeed on tap anywhere else).[/quote']

 

It comes down to both the beer and the glass.

For the beer, generally the higher the malt content, the better the head on your beer.

 

I find if I soak my glasses in laundry soaking solution - which I also use to clean all my beer gear between brews - it cleans off any residue that will stop your beer from forming a good head or lacing on the glass like you should have.

 

You can either wash your glasses with laundry soaker, then rinse with hot water - instead of using dish washing liquid - which leaves a film - or just soak them overnight in laundry soaker, then rinse thoroughly with hot water and air dry - never use normal detergent or towel dry your glasses if you want to have good head retention and lacing.

Simply letting them sit overnight on the dish rack is usually enough to dry them without leaving any residue, once you've washed or soaked then rinsed.

 

The other thing to consider is how you pour, if you pour too quickly you'll get a massive head that will dissipate, if you pour fairly evenly, then give it a good splash at the end you'll get a nice head, you can also pour straight in at first, then tilt your glass, to get the head then retain it as you pour.

[Scottie]

.... Aussie Lager for the masses (missus?) and a Euro lager similar to the German majors and/or Stella.

 

Once those staple brews are consistently good I then want to tackle a couple of clones of my favourite drops - Squire's 150 PA and Kosciuszko PA.....

 

Hey essfer

 

It is good to see that you have a very descriptive plan of what you are trying to achieve. My one bit of advice is that you have it back to front. Believe it or not you will find it much easier to clone the JS 150 lashes and the Kosciusko Pale Ales than the Eurpean Lagers, also IMHO the Ales will be much better.

 

It took me 20 months before I used a Lager yeast, W34/70. I have only made three Lagers, its is a long process that I enjoy and as you say the masses enjoy the results i.e. A crisp & clean beer which is more akin to what they are used to drinking. However the time and effort to brew this is not really worth my effort considering that I find Lagers a little boring when compared to the flavour explosion and the versatility of Ales. For instance my Oktoberfest spent 3 weeks in the fermenter at 12 degrees, was racked to a secondary vessel and spent 5 weeks in my Lagering fridge at 2 degrees, likewise my Helles Lager spent just over 3 weeks in the fermenter at 11 degrees and 9 weeks in a secondary vessel my Lagering fridge at 2 degrees. Both spent 2 months in the keg before I tapped them. I bottled some at the time as well and 12 months later they were still went down a treat for my Bourbon drinking Brother in Law.

 

Cheers and Good Brewing

Scottie

[Otto Von Blotto]

I would love to get the kind of thick' date=' creamy head my local brewpub gets on their ales out of an English hand-pump. They've got an IPA on there that's just beautiful!

 

Could be just part of the serving method though, I don't think I've ever had a bottled beer like that (or indeed on tap anywhere else).[/quote']

 

Use a syringe and draw a little beer into it then pump it back into the beer - instant creamy head! The trick is nitrogen being introduced, which is how it's done in the pubs - obviously in the pouring system though lol. Air is about 78% nitrogen and this syringe technique introduces it into the beer resulting in a creamy head.

 

As for what I want in my brewing, not much more than I'm achieving now to be honest. Both me and SWMBO are happy with the quality of brews we are producing, and the variety of styles we produce as well. A couple of recipes have become regular brews now as well. The only thing we're trying to achieve at the moment is building up a big enough stockpile so we don't have to keep buying beer from Dan's all the time.

[Beeblebrox]

I reckon I got pretty close to the grail with a recent modified Canadian Blonde: check post 10: https://www.coopers.com.au/coopers-forum/topic/13296/