Beer Website

[cunners3]

Hey all,
My mate and I make homebrew and it's called Jacobian Lager. Anyway, we decided to make a joke website about it and it kind of got out of hand. Have a look and let me know what you think. And sign the guestbook too if you have time!

www.members.optusnet.com.au/rossandluke

Cheers,
Luke

[Matty081]

haha Love the history animation mate
"munch munch"

[fu2]

lol you have way to much time on your hands

[craigvk]

Hi, I am into home brew too. Just one tip for you. Maybe two. Never cap your bottles on concrete! and get yourself a bench capper. Those things rock compared to those dang hand cappers. I used to break 2 out of about 5 bottles. Very bad. Wasted beer. hmmmm.

[MOTIV8]

I have been thinking for the longest time (5 years +), about getting a home brew set up happening. I might just do it this year.

[craigvk]

I think the idea sounds great to many people but when the brews don't turn out the best, many people give up and run away from it. Probably the reason why there is many home brew kits on ebay. You need to keep at it and don't give up. Oh yeah, don't use plain sugar. Use brewing sugars ie: malt or dextrose or both. There's many ways you can brew beer.

[MOTIV8]

I guess a lot of people don't like all the stages and the waiting for the brew to process to the drinking stage. I heard that sterilization of all the equipment is the most important part.

[craigvk]

If you have a dishwasher, they make a good bottle cleaner Just bung it on the normal wash without using powder and your bottles are sterilised. Then just a couple of spoons of sterile powder into the fermenter with half full of water, swish around, sterilise the grommets, tap and lid. Leave for 1/2 hour and then dump. No need to rinse.
Get a bench capper. I think they are making bottles thinner now and I kept breaking them with the hand capper.
Oh yeah and leave them in storage for 2 months minimum. Can be kept for over a year if well sealed with a bench capper and stored in a dark cool place.

[MOTIV8]

When/if I get one I'll post up a thread about in JC with some pics.

[cunners3]

We've had about 10 brews = 600 bottles i guess and all on concrete with a hand capper - never broken a bottle. I think it has to do with the fact that we use the biggest balsa wood mallet known to man. hahaha. Yeah i'd say sanitisation is the most important thing, you can't stuff too much else up- oh and make sure you let it completely ferment then leave it for a while longer - on average we wait about 10-12 days from start to bottles. Great fun and works out at about 20c a beer and tastes better. can't go wrong. With regards to waiting times, its ok after the first one, make sure u always have plenty of stubies in reserve so you're not tempted to rush! haha
If anyone wants tips, let me know, i consider my self almost a seasoned pro... hehe encourage everyone to give it a shot

[MOTIV8]

I was gonna say something about that MALLET, lol.

20c a beer (and that's a long neck right?), is a bloody good reason to get into the home brew caper, I'm really interested by that bit of news.

What's the price of a good home brew kit for a complete beginner?

[vlv8vic]

Made a few brews in the last couple of years. best was a mexican brew by coopers, almost a little like a corona which was nice.
Agree that proper sugars are a winner. have tasted one from normal sugar and apart from it cascading like a muther it left a really nasty aftertaste.

couple of pics of my el-cheapo set up. (capper wasnt so cheap).
im using long necks, some of which are 30 years old and by hell they are thick. very hard to break.

[vlv8vic]

set up cost, i mix my brew twice, once for fermentation and once to prime it as a whole rather than sugar dropping.

2 x plastic tapped barrels (youd get away with one) $10 each
bottles were free, dug up on the farm.
few lengths of random hose about $3
caps, about 100 for about $1. cheapies are as good as any.
sanitizer is about $3 and will last a fair few batches
big stock pot to boil (not allowed use the mrs good one) $10
average brew mix (makes 24 odd litres) $10
sugars about $5
capper was about $35 new, can get cheaper on ebay etc. or use a mallet.

i use an old jar and the hose as an air lock. works well.

i didnt really skimp on the setup and im already in front after a couple of runs. its just nice to always have beer on hand, cheap, and made to your own satisfaction

ive heard a hydrometer is useful. as well as a heater. i keep my brew fermenting in a warm cupboard, no need for heater. if you can tell the time and listen carefully (and stick to reasonably basic brews) you wont need a hydrometer.

edit, just did the maths, a little under $90 complete, then about $15 a pop after setup and makes about 24 litres adn can be done cheaper if you wish.
my next step is kegging for ease of use.

[craigvk]

My beers are about 35 cents a stubbie. Only because I insist on using good brewing sugars like liquid or powdered malt, sometimes some corn syrup and sometimes I add some extra hops.

Here is a recipe I made once. I think it went something like this:

Coopers stout kit
250gram powdered corn syrup
150gram chocolate grain
150gram roasted black (burnt) barley
Few grams of pride of ringwood hop pellets
23 litres

Brew this. It's the most powerful stout I had ever had I won't do it again. Far too strong and bitter.

Oh yeah, next time you are brewing an ale or lager, chuck 5 or 6 bananas in a mesh back, split them up a bit first and chuck it in the fermenter.

Banana beer

[craigvk]

my next step is kegging for ease of use.

My next step is making Whiskey and Vodka! Can't afford $400 for a still setup atm. Bummer. Blooming 9 KG of sugar to make 3 litres of alcohol!

[MOTIV8]

What kind of alcohol content you fellas getting?

[craigvk]

I get 5-6. It depends on what sugar you use. Malt makes it a bit heavier. You need to use your hydrometer start and finish to know though.

[gopher]

someone want to post up a step by step guide on home brewing?

i've had a full kit for years just never bothered to learn how to use it

[Darren]

I haven't done a brew for ages and ages but was only thinking the other day given it's getting a little cool I should really dust out the cob webs in the pit and get it all fired up again, although I must admit the memory is a little rusty.

About 4 years ago I was sitting back and couldn't be bothered doing anything other than sitting at home as I didn't want to work so I got into the home brew side of things. I don't recall the figures but I spent an absolute fortune including a nice keg system and a new fridge just for home brew.

I learnt a fair bit out of sheer playing around and talking to my local beer supply bloke down the road. A nice little site for those beginners or even the experts might enjoy it
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/

Greengopher, here's a couple of links which ought to get you off in the right direction.
http://www.grumpys.com.au/manual.php3
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/foru...eer_-t570.html

There is no hard and fast rules, everyone varies what they do and what they like.

There was a stage where I was bottling then putting down another brew that very same day.

Anyone got any nice recipes for stout? I just used the standard Coopers stout + booster and that actually turned out ok, after near enough to 4 years there are still a number of bottles sitting in the pit, still awaiting consumption.

I don't know whether you guys have noticed it, after trying a few beers I could taste this metallic, iron sort of a flavour through the beer, the only thing I could put it down to was the rainwater tank as once I moved over to spring water I didn't have that problem.

This thread has just inspired me to head down to my local brew bloke today On seconds thoughts I might head up to Grumpy's (great brew place!)

I am by no means an expert, call me one of these that loves to follow instructions by the back and when I was doing it I was using the good old 'Full Extract' method although did try partial grain which poor results so I decided to stick with what I know best.

My all time favourite was one from Grumpy's, called something along the lines of boston ale or american boston ale or perhaps it even had cream in there somewhere, whatever it was the keg was empty in next to no time.

[vlv8vic]

when i get more time ill put more up in here, have use the same site as darren, its helpful.
zoist, you realise that setup will be highly illegal? i know a bloke who used to do it, mixed up a nice batch of spirits to mix with whatever taster he wanted, stuck it in his luggage on a flight to go see some friends interstate. im no scientist but apparently something to do with the pressure in cargo caused his spirits to change into a nastier alco and a few of them ended up quite loopy for a while.
i read a quote once, "home made spirits are highly likely to make you blind or retarded"
it made me think twice, but if you get it right and dont die in the process let me know so i can start!!!

[craigvk]

vlv8vic, making spirits isn't illegal AFAIK. There is a size limit on the still you can use but after that size limit it's up to you whether you want to use it or not.

Growing weed in the back yard for smoking is illegal, but selling bongs in the local shop isn't? Same with distilling equipment. People sell it.

[vlv8vic]

from what i have read you cant sell goods marketed as distilling equipment, but as the same items can be used for other projects (off the top of my head cant think of any).
though im pretty sure they are allowed to sell it in new zealand.
either way you arent allowed to be caught making it here.

bongs can be used for plain of baccy, and some people actually do that, hence the reason they and pipes are still sold.

i might be wrong but thats the info i got when i googled a plan to make my own spirits a few months ago.

[craigvk]

My brew shop (1km away!) sells stills and spirit equipment. Whether or not I make alcohol with it is out of the shop owners hands.

[vlv8vic]

yeah thats what i mean, they are allowed to sell it because it can be used for other things, if you make a nice drop from it then well and good.

[cunners3]

What kind of alcohol content you fellas getting?

anywhere between 4% for a mexican one we did up to 7.2% for the latest one, Jacobian Ultra. We tried to make it as heavy as possible and it actually tastes good which is a bonus. hehe.