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After a few random posts I guess I should introduce myself properly:

 

Only just started brewing. All began over New Year while sitting at the Bright Brewery, 'sampling' beers (by the pint no less!) and thinking it might be interesting to get into this caper. I think I placed my kit order less than 24 hours later!

 

So only a month in, and using the craft kit as it better fits my space, and unless things change, my current drinking habits. Already got an Amber Ale and a Smurto ginger beer in bottles, and just now starting a dark winter coffee ale to put away for a few months. Enjoying it so far and looking forward to the bottomless rabbit burrow that brewing appears to be!

 

Amazing how quickly you discover other brewers in your network once you 'fess up!

 

And thanks to the posters on this forum. Some great advice, generously and graciously given - especially to newbies. I felt like I knew so much already even before I poured in a first can, and I'm positive that's helped my first experience be a good one!

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Welcome aboard the train.

 

I'm only on my 6th brew now, but learning at a really fast rate. Lots of reading and trail and error. (But no errors thus far, touch wood)

 

I got the Coopers Devils Porter in the FV now, so it can sit in the keg for a few months before winter.

 

Matt

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey guys glad to be part of the forum wealth of info here, great resource. 6 or so brews in overall but only 4 successful ones. Under dosed/sugared the first one and it tasted like crap cider and then today im sure i have an infection so yeah im killing it. quick one. when you clean your fermenter i still get a slight smell of the previous beer . Should it be completely clean trying to figure out where i went wrong. Killing me where i went wrong

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Thought it would be good to post an introduction.

 

Been using the forum for quite a while now and have progressed from kits & bits to extract to BIAB.

 

Lots of great information on the site and hopefully now I can contribute back. While I have now moved to BIAB I still do the odd kit brew, vintage ale, stout and extract. I have both full size fermenters and the craft version which is good for doing small extract batches to test hop combos. The only downside is when you get it right it doesn't last long.

 

Located in the Adelaide hills we now have a good spot for growing hops and will get a harvest of cascade hops this year maybe two (didn't expect any for the first year). Next year we hope to have a more permanent set up and maybe 6 plants with three different varieties. We have four locked in, 2 x Cascade and 2 x Chinook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

G'day guys !

 

Thanks for allowing me into your home. I am forever grateful to be brewing the best beer in the world.

My brewery is named "Copperhead Road" after the famous song by Steve Earl

 

I plan to make an actual road called copperhead road on a farm block in the near future and brew beer and make whiskey. I love drinking and I love my friends and family. I hope to make the beer i brew as tasty as what i buy from the bottle shop with the coopers label on it.

 

Much respect

 

Janos Molnar

 

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My set up is called the Woodcroft Tavern. Being that is in Woodcroft South Australia. I have just gone onto keg and just finished drinking the 1st keg on sunday arvo. I have a Coopers Mexican to go into the keg now.

 

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**admin assist**

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Hi everyone, I'm a newbie to this forum. Looks like a nice place, as I've already read many of the topics relating to the basics of home brewing. The range of info available along with supportive members of varying brewing experience seems like a good place to learn and share knowledge.

 

Now to the froth, my plunge into home brewing has escalated alarmingly quickly. From my first can of coopers pale ale Six weeks ago from a second hand coopers kit, I managed to provide myself and a few selected mates with beautiful beer, 1/3 being kept to condition for a while. I loved the result so much. Immediately after I used a fresh wort kit ( all in brew- contraband white ipa ) which is close to bottling. Froth levels still rising and I'm onto my second Fv with the coopers family secret Amber ale which I'll bulk prime. Researching this forum after current batches were brewing at fluctuating temps and I couldn't help but obtain a cheap fridge that I'll couple with the keg King mk2 temp control that I can use for cold crashing, bottle conditioning or future kegging.

Ive got 2 X 5 L mini keg set up on the way from china, and I'm already thinking about a third Fv. I'm looking at storage bottles sideways and snooping gumtree for 2 l glass growlers like a man obsessed!

 

I started to think, am I going home brew mad?

But I don't think so, I think I'm like many on this forum who just want good home brew, plenty of it, and decent ways to deliver it.

 

I plan to use coopers pale ale in FV1, to perfect my staple beer and use the FV2 for experimenting with Fresh wort and other receipes, both to maintain consistent supply and diversity.

It seems there is a lot of depth to the arena of home brew, but I think I'm happy starting off with the basics for now.

 

Either way, the froth ain't subsiding anytime too soon

 

Cheers, Rich.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Is there anyone out their who can help with my problem. I bottled my 1st brew with 2 sugar pills per 750m bottle' date=' allowed it to stand the required time, when i opened my 1st bottle the beer tasted good, a little sweet but good, BUT it is quite flat and doesn't want to hold a head.

Cheers Robin Hood.[/quote']Where are you located? It'll be one or both of two things - the bottles got too cold, or the lids weren't sealed properly, or both. Or maybe they just need a bit longer in the fridge before you open them. It does take time for the CO2 to absorb into the beer once it is chilled down.

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I'll go out on a limb here. I know a fair few people have a poor opinion of these gadgets but I use one of those bottle cappers that you push down the twin levers on each side to crimp the crown seal.

 

IMO the simple cappers that you tap on with a mallet are bloody useless and (at least some) bench cappers are little better, especially when they get older.

 

I've had my capper for twenty years and it's never let me down. The action on it really crimps sideways on to the crown seal and ensures a tight seal.

 

There, I said it. (Ducks and sticks fingers in ears)

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Hey dadndave.

 

Having tried both, I will agree with you and also disagree with you.

 

The “Emily Wing Capper” came with my homebrewing introduction kit. It served its purpose well and managed to get the caps onto the bottles. Sure, some bottles with a different neck/ring couldn’t grip as well, but the caps still went on.

 

I got frustrated at the wing capper as it had to be dead straight or the cap would slip or seal at an angle. One bottle (out of perhaps 350) did not seal properly so was not carbonated and some infection got in. Not a bad strike rate!

 

Moved to a 2nd hand superautomatica bench capper that I picked up for $10 on eBay and never looked back. Perfectly aligned cap and seal every time. And for me it is the winner because it is FAST! I don’t even have it bolted to a bench (no space for that in my kitchen). It just put it on a towel and seal while sitting on the floor.

 

Both are “fit for purpose” and get the job done. But one just does it faster and better. There I said it!

 

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I just use a spring loaded crimping bell that is housed in a piece of timber. The other end has a short stainless rod attached to it, which fits into the chuck on the drill press, so it makes the press like a big bench capper. It made capping twist tops a piece of piss too, although I don't use them anymore. I'm not sure where the bell originally came from, perhaps one of those two handled things.

 

I've probably capped thousands of bottles over the years with that thing and not one of them has ever been infected or failed to carbonate due to sealing problems. It crimps them HARD. Dad originally made it back in the late 90s or early 2000s and it's the best one I've ever used, and probably the only one I will ever use.

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Hey folks,

 

New here and really enjoying the forum. Little bit about myself, have brewed kits and done mini mashes for a few years then fave it all up with a change of circumstances (read divorce). Now that I've got my own place again I'm getting my gear all setup again. I've giving BIAB a crack and built up a unit from a Ray's camping crab cooker that was on special. Did the no chill thing to a cube and it should be ready to keg this weekend.

Looking at getting a new fermenter as mine is a bit crap, any thoughts on the fermentasaurus? Is it worth the extra cash over a normal fermenter.

 

Cheers

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  • 3 weeks later...

Not really. Stronger flavours is usually achieved with various ingrediant additions. Not sure what you are brewing but presume its a kit and kilo. Pop on over to brewing blether as this thread is usually used for intros and is not well frequented by the more experienced brewers. I would start a thread in the blether section pretty sure you will get more response. Also post your recipe so we can assist what you need to achieve the flavours your after.

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  • 2 months later...

Can this forum be made to be more mobile friendly? I get that theres an app for iPhones but not everyone has an iphone. Even the layout is poor. Because my phone has a lifeproof cover I don't always get the button im trying to push. I just reported a post that I was trying to quote because the buttons are right next to each other. At least make it tapatalk friendly.

 

Rant over... for now

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello,

New Home Brewer here. Bought a Craft Brew Kit in local supermarket, discounted as there is no instructional DVD...

Said to my mate, "Can't be that hard to brew eh? It'll be alright..."

To which he replied, "Dinnae bugger it up."

and that's how I got the name for my Home Brewery, Dinnaebuggeritup...

 

In Paisley, Bonnie Scotland

I'll see ye around the forums, asking questions and being a newbie PITA ;)

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Hello from Ontario, Canada. This is my first post here; although, I've been lurking for months. I've only made 2 batches of beer in my life, both kit brews. My 3rd brew is still in the FV, but not sure if it's a keeper. (I'll start another thread about that...) I currently stick to kit brews and have enjoyed them so far. I'm sure I'll learn a lot here.

 

Cheers!

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Welcome to our latest international brewers Goteeguy and Beerzerker

 

You will both find a warm Aussie welcome here and you'll also learn that this brewing caper is hard to bugger up.

 

Cheers Blokes

Scottie

Valley Brew

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  • 4 weeks later...

Morning all, I've named my brewery "Scruffy Puppy" after the two dogs that keep me busy. All the beer names work around them. Adelaide lad and my brewery is up on the map. I am still a very simple set up to what I have seen can be done. The house beer is the Tart Face IPA.

 

Awesome forum by the way!

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Just a quick note to say Hi and introduce myself.

 

I am Andrew and like a lot of others, my partner bought the craft brew kit from Aldi and thought we would have a go. Got the first batch into the bottles last night and can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

Keen to do some more brewing and get into some of the black stuff - my personal preferences are stouts, Porters and Guiness. As I am currently living in Sydney, I find that it's the worst place in the world for black beers - all the pubs and clubs have rows of taps for IPA but give you a blank look when you ask for black beer! It's usually Tooheys Old but there is the occassional White Rabbit to be found.

 

Keen to get into this caper a bit more and see what sort of messes I can make.

 

Oh, and my brewery name? La Mouette is the name of my boat - not sure if you can brew beer on-board, or whether I have enough room but only time will tell. The wee Coopers Craft kit might be just the right size.

 

Cheers

Andrew

 

 

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Welcome to the forum Mouette, & the wonderful world of home brewing!

 

If you want more access to stouts & darker beers, get out of the mainstream pubs & look to the craft breweries themselves & some of the out of the way pubs & clubs. One of the forum regulars "Hairy" lives in Sydney & knows many of the best haunts so hopefully he'll chime in with a post on this sometime down the track on some of the places to check out.

 

The Coopers DIY Recipe bank has some terrific dark beer recipes should that be what you wish to brew.

 

Full volume Stout type recipes

 

Craft fermenter recipes (smaller volume)

 

As far as fermenting beer while on a boat, I remember a few of us helping out a bloke who wished to ferment beer on his boat that was fairly mobile most of the time, a year or two back. It was an interesting conversation, but not sure how his beer actually turned out.

 

Cheers & good brewing,

 

Lusty.

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