Beginners home brew advice.

[White Rabbit]

hi guys .

Looking at getting into beer making, and I figure there has to be quite a few people here who brew their own and would be willing to share there wisdom.

At the moment I know absolutely nothing other than the type of beer I like and would like to brew.
I'm looking at brewing pale ale Thee Sheets/little creatures style of beer.

What sort of apparatus would you recommend I get. There are so many kits out there on eBay and the likes I don't know where to start.

Any pointers would appreciated.

Thanks
Sandy.

[Shiraz]

as a starting point, suggest that you really can't do better than http://store.coopers.com.au/coopers-diy-beer-kit.html

when you have some successes, you will want to branch out a bit and try your own styles, but the Cooper's stuff is pretty hard to beat as a starter. Have fun.

[louie_the_fly]

The Coopers kit is a good starter. You'll also need a way to wash your bottles really well, a bottle brush, bottle sanitizer, caps, and if using glass bottles, a hand crown sealer. Get it all from the home brew shop. I used to rinse my bottles in Milton after washing them, and chuck them in the oven for 1/2 hour on 90°C to pasteurize them. If you plan to brew during the colder months you will probably need a heat pad and a way of insulating the fermenter. Like an old quilt or sleeping bag cut up to make a sock for the vat. Also check out the home brew forum www.aussiehomebrewer.com (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/www.aussiehomebrewer.com/)

You'll also need a BBQ and some mates to help give you a reason to keep brewing. And a telly for watching sport.;)

[Starless]

I agree, the Coopers product is excellent.
Even the stuff they brew themselves.
Their DIY kits work well.
I have used them in the past but no longer do any brewing myself.

[troypiggo]

Stewart wrote exactly what I was going to write. Enjoy! :)

[GrahamL]

Lots of fun in brewing your own, those kits look great.

If i was to brew again I'd go this way
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/kandanga/miscellaneous-goods/home-brew-kit/1053005985

A friend does this ( only with two taps) and its a pretty slick way to
go about it , fermenter straight to keg , gas , and start drinkin :D

complete set ups show up pretty regular around the traps

[Ric]

Hi Sandy, definitely start with the Coopers kit as mentioned. It's a good introduction into home brewing.

Once you get the hang of it you can branch out if you want into more serious brewing.

Cheers

[White Rabbit]

Thanks for the info guys, I'll take your advice and get the coopers kit.

Cheers

[PCH]

I used to make my own beer back in pommieland.

I stumbled upon a brand, which I can't remember the name of unfortunately, but it not only tasted great but it also got round one of the major hang-ups people have with home brew.

When you've transferred your brew to individual bottles and leave it to secondary ferment, over time a little sediment will settle on the bottom of the bottle.

This means that when you pour it, you have to be a little bit careful not to disturb the sediment, or it will obvioulsy affect the taste of your brew.

The brand I stumbled upon had figured out a way of making that secondary sediment form a hard crust, so that it kind of 'set', and so it didn't matter how roughly you poured your pint, - it never disturbed the sediment.

Perfection !

[MrB]

Yep the Coopers kits are the best for beginners.
Forget using a heater unless your fermenter is in a room where the temperature is below 15c. Ale yeasts work best at around 20 degrees, too high and you get nasty off flavours, too low and it will stall.
The yeast, while they're busy munching away on the sugars and peeing alcohol and farting co2, can raise the fermenter 5 to 8 degrees above ambient temp, so most brewers struggle to keep the temperature down, not up!
I used to have a dedicated fermentation fridge.


That is called flocculation and is dependant on the strain of yeast they chose.
There are literally thousands of varieties of brewers yeast available selected for different traits (flavour/aroma etc etc). Some yeasts floc very well, as you've discovered, some never floc at all like the yeast used in some German wheat beers.

[hickny]

Not sure where in Sydney you are located but in the weekend newspapers I read about this shop that recently opened up in Enmore that have classes for beginners.
http://thehopandgrain.com.au/

[The_bluester]

One thing I would look at is a press style capper. The hand/hammer jobs are far harder to use.

I stopped brewing when I moved out rural, wild yeasts in the water led to off brews. I should go again but boil everything for a bit to kill of nasties before allowing it to cool then introduce the yeast. My fav brew was a ginger beer kit plus a good sized jar of minced ginger in addition to the kit. It had some real bite, if ginger beer does not make your lips tingle it is a bit limp IMO.

[technofetishism]

The only thing I'd say that hasn't been said, is if you are brewing with extract kits (the tins) do not rely on the yeast that comes with them to be good.

I've always made sure to buy separate yeast (usually safale s-04) and always have a sachet to spare just in case what you pitch is dead.

The only other piece of advice is learn to clean really really well. If you can get some, Starsan is your friend. Squirt bottle full of that stuff is great.

[The_bluester]

On the cleaning front, a bottle brush has been mentioned. Assuming you have one (A drill) get a long bottle brush, cut the handle off and use it in a cordless drill. I would not want to guess how man hours I saved that way!

And rinse out your bottles as soon as you finish the contents (If you are using glass bottles and re using them) Much easier to clean a bottle which is not full of mould.

[Monstar]

I did a few runs years ago, the one I liked best was the alcoholic ginger beer.

My very first run was in mid-winter and I didn't have a heater. I left it fermenting in the bucket for about 2 months and swear that the yeast had sort of moulded and gone ergot like as it had mild hallucinangenic/pyschedelic properties like a mild LSD. 3 Tallie bottles were equal to the effects of taking about a quarter of a blotter of California Sunshine. It was pretty nice and I tried to make it again but couldn't replicate the whole process.

[brian nordstrom]

:)When I brewed years ago I used the same yeast for years. , it was bread yeast , 1 table spoon in a glass of warm water and stirred then covered with allumimum foil and put in the fridge.
Every time I did a brew I would put 2 tablespoons of the lovely smelling yeast in the brew and replace the yeast used with 2 tablespoons of warm water , cover and put back in the fridge , I used that yeast slurry for
10 years and it got better and better .
By the way I never added any more yeast in all that time. , it just grew , an old brewers trick this one.
Enjoy. , it is a great hobby.
Brian.

[The_bluester]

I had heard of doing that with real ginger beer (as opposed to a kit in a tin) but not for beer.

It makes sense though. Hard to imagine the likes of coopers buying bulk yeast all the time.

[AstralTraveller]

I've seen campers who baked their own bread in the bush (yum) do similar. I thought she also added a but of flour and water to the brew so the yeast had something to 'eat', but I could easily be wrong.

[OzStarGazer]

Cool. Let me know if you have succeed in replicating the process.