MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Redback on July 23, 2010, 06:05:13 PM
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Anyone do homebrew, I do quite a lot and keg mine, just putting feelers out for some interesting recipes ;D
Baz.
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Baz got one for you,,,,, got this devise that will give you the best water you have ever tasted . What you put with it is up to yourself just don't cause to much kaos . :cheers:
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Hahahaha, she does it as well, Liqueurs are her forte, nice ones too :cup:
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I used to do a lot of it but alas I lost the brewing mojo and gave all my gear to the eldest son. Can't say I miss it. When done properly and with patience it is ripper gear though. Good thread Baz, it should go off. :cup:
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I used to do a lot of it but alas I lost the brewing mojo and gave all my gear to the eldest son. Can't say I miss it. When done properly and with patience it is ripper gear though. Good thread Baz, it should go off. :cup:
I hope so mate, if Barnray sees it, it may well go off :cup:
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i was homebrewing for a while, but now we have a microbrewer down the road, so i go down there now and use the gear and bottle it from there. 10000% better than what i could do at home
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Psst, DON"T tell the missus. B
Baz You have to keep some secret's to your self.
Things are cooking well
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I've been home brewing for years. Tried all the recipes, but for slackability these days I just use the Coopers draught cans, and don't use too much sugar, so around 4%, with 100% taste consistency. Amazing how many longnecks you can down before falling down. Adding Stones GGW can accelerate descent in winter though. :cheers:
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Did a home brew vodka the other weekend on my bday.....wasnt pretty ..... :'(
cheers
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Baz are you taking home brew on the gulf trip, I know I am.
I am a bit like toad I now only use Coopers Larger, and 750grms Dextrose.
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i did home brewing for yrs, had a great recipe fo newcastle brown ale, if you are interested i will dig it up.
cheers
Diksta
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Do you have to plackard the CT With a warning , when when you cart so much high octain brew ? :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
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Do you have to plackard the CT With a warning , when when you cart so much high octain brew ?
Only for 500 litres or more. Dangerous Goods Licenced driver must be applied to tug.
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I do both beer,spirits and ligueurs! ;D Can't justify the cost of commercial stuff these days, plus there is no hangover the next morning. ;D
Here is a link to some recipes. Happy brewing! :cheers:
http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/default.htm
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Baz are you taking home brew on the gulf trip, I know I am.
I am a bit like toad I now only use Coopers Larger, and 750grms Dextrose.
Yes I will be, working on them right now :cheers:
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me too
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Newcastle Brown Ale
Ingredients required
1. Morgan’s Amber Ale
2. 500grms of Light Dry Malt
3. 500grms of dextrose
4. Saf Ale Yeast
5. Fuggles Hops
6. 1 Stocking preferably a unused one.
7. Dark ale converter (50 grams of crystal malt & 50 grams of chocolate malt) they usually have it in a kit at the Gaythorne store.
8. Ice
Method
1. Cut off legs of stocking long enough that a knot can be tied in the bottom just below the crutch.
2. Boil stocking for 15-20 mins to get rid of colourings
3. Bring the converter kit to boil in the water in about 2 litres of water stirring constantly otherwise it will stick to the bottom and burn and boil for 15mins.
4. Add a good teaspoon of the Fuggles hops to the mixture when there is 10 mins left to boil.
5. Take off the heat and stick the pot in ice to cool down so it can be handled.
6. Add the wort and sugars
7. Place stocking over fermenter (you might need someone to hold it so it don’t drop into the brew.
8. Pour mixture into vat and squeeze the juice out of the stocking
9. Bring the water level up to 23 litres
10. When cooled down to about 20 -25 degrees add Saf ale yeast and seal.
Hoegaarden
1: 1 can Black Rock Whispering Wheat
2: 1kg Light Dry Wheat Malt
3: 15g to 20g Curacao Dried Orange Peel
4: 15g Saaz Hops
5: 15g Cascade Hops
6: 15g Ground Coriander
7: Zest of 1 lemon
8: saf wheat yeast
Bring 2 litres of water to the boil & add the dry malt, stir constantly to stop it sticking.
Add the hops, coriander; dried orange peel & lemon zest to pot & slow boil for 15 minutes
Allow to cool & strain into fermenter
Add Black Rock Whispering Wheat can & water to bring up to 21 Litres
Add yeast & stir.
give these a whirl.
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Just add some Green Ginger Wine to any bad brew to turn it into a good brew.
Regards
Geoff
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Newcastle Brown Ale
Ingredients required
1. Morgan’s Amber Ale
2. 500grms of Light Dry Malt
3. 500grms of dextrose
4. Saf Ale Yeast
5. Fuggles Hops
6. 1 Stocking preferably a unused one.
7. Dark ale converter (50 grams of crystal malt & 50 grams of chocolate malt) they usually have it in a kit at the Gaythorne store.
8. Ice
Method
1. Cut off legs of stocking long enough that a knot can be tied in the bottom just below the crutch.
2. Boil stocking for 15-20 mins to get rid of colourings
3. Bring the converter kit to boil in the water in about 2 litres of water stirring constantly otherwise it will stick to the bottom and burn and boil for 15mins.
4. Add a good teaspoon of the Fuggles hops to the mixture when there is 10 mins left to boil.
5. Take off the heat and stick the pot in ice to cool down so it can be handled.
6. Add the wort and sugars
7. Place stocking over fermenter (you might need someone to hold it so it don’t drop into the brew.
8. Pour mixture into vat and squeeze the juice out of the stocking
9. Bring the water level up to 23 litres
10. When cooled down to about 20 -25 degrees add Saf ale yeast and seal.
Hoegaarden
1: 1 can Black Rock Whispering Wheat
2: 1kg Light Dry Wheat Malt
3: 15g to 20g Curacao Dried Orange Peel
4: 15g Saaz Hops
5: 15g Cascade Hops
6: 15g Ground Coriander
7: Zest of 1 lemon
8: saf wheat yeast
Bring 2 litres of water to the boil & add the dry malt, stir constantly to stop it sticking.
Add the hops, coriander; dried orange peel & lemon zest to pot & slow boil for 15 minutes
Allow to cool & strain into fermenter
Add Black Rock Whispering Wheat can & water to bring up to 21 Litres
Add yeast & stir.
give these a whirl.
They sound good, I'll give these a go :cup:
Baz.
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I got into homebrew a few years ago when the former father-in-law introduced me to it. He had been brewing for 20 odd years and had the recipe down pat. He only ever used Coopers and I never really deviated from that plan.
He had a little trick that stretched the brew out to give a few extra bottles as well as 'mellowing out' the taste a bit. He would put some water into each bottle before filling with the brew. I can't remember the exact amount but it worked a treat.
Also....NEVER put more sugar into the bottles than what the recipe specifies or else you'll end up with a huge mess from exploding bottles.
Good luck with it.
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OK I have been busy changing a few things, throwing out old stuff and rebuilding other stuff, brewing new beers and old favourites as well.
So first thing I did was upgrade my fridge, new taps, lines and drip tray, also bought another 20lt keg ;D
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/bazzar/DSC09059.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/bazzar/DSC09060.jpg)
Inside
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/bazzar/DSC09063.jpg)
Down by the pool
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/bazzar/DSC09140.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/bazzar/OldKowenHomestead031.jpg)
Time to enjoy, now you see it!! St Peters Ruby Red Ale
(http://www.myswag.org/gallery/d/24005-2/DSC09137.JPG)
Now you don't, mmmmmmmbeeeerrrr
(http://www.myswag.org/gallery/d/24008-2/DSC09142.JPG)
Baz.
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like that very much
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The key to a good HB is keeping everything sterile and at a constant temp' (around 21deg'cel') during brewing.
Made a great Honey beer using a Coopers Canadian Blonde kit and simply substituting the dextrose (1kg) for 500g of local honey (iron bark) and 500g of light dry malt... Nice, easy drinking summer beer and one the ladies might like also. :cheers:
I've also found dark ales like Coopers dark or Old are next to impossible to get wrong... Follow the instructions, everything clean/sterile, a good quality dextrose/malt mix and away you go.
I generally don't skimp ($) on ingredients as the stuff is that cheap to start with, why go tight and potentially spoil the end result ???
I normally let beers sit for 2+ months after bottling (secondary fermentation) and if they are not to your liking let them sit longer and they could mature to be the nicest brew ever! ;D Only ever throw them if they have gone off/mouldy.
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hey redback, how far from melbourne do you live :cheers: ;D
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I also have brewed for years about 20 in fact... I started with bottles and now have 2 kegs in a fridge...
I have kept the bottles approx 150 Crown top bottles I even have a couple of oldies 1957 and a 1963 bottles... I figured that one day I will pass them on to one of my boys I feel that you should always start on the bottle....
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hey redback, how far from melbourne do you live :cheers: ;D
hell yeah! you can pick me up on the way Jack ;D
very nice setup redback
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I have been using tooheys brew . Being lazy. Also have keg set up although I need to get my gas bottle retested which is proving hard
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You should try making your own sprits.....that saves some money
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You should try making your own sprits.....that saves some money
I do and the misses does Liqueurs ;D
Baz.
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Mine is a similar set up. Went kegs in 96 and haven't been back to bottles since.
His and her white goods, and they shall never meet in the middle
(http://www.myswag.org/gallery/d/24500-1/Hisandhers.jpg)
Inside fridge. One day will get another tap, next fridge maybe.
(http://www.myswag.org/gallery/d/24497-1/fridge.jpg)
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Made my own stouts and bocks for 10years but these days dont have time, used too make some rippers
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Mine is a similar set up. Went kegs in 96 and haven't been back to bottles since.
His and her white goods, and they shall never meet in the middle
(http://www.myswag.org/gallery/d/24500-1/Hisandhers.jpg)
Inside fridge. One day will get another tap, next fridge maybe.
(http://www.myswag.org/gallery/d/24497-1/fridge.jpg)
Hahahaha, they don't understand ;D
Nice setup,
Baz.
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You should try making your own sprits.....that saves some money
That is my next project.. My wife loves a drink and is funny as until the next day... she just cannot get outta bed, Migrane hits her hard... we heard that home brew sprits can help in that department...
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Has anyone done Bourbon home brew ?
any advice and clues would be welcome
I did some average beer back in 2005, but the best tasting drink I've done was Ginger Beer :cheers:
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We've done a bit of brewing, but have found we couldn't get the temp down enough to make a truly decent brew. We've got the fridge, taps, lines and a few kegs, but haven't done anything for a few years now. We stuck with the Coopers stuff too, really reliable. And whacking a big chunk of ginger in a ginger beer really gives it a good kick along!
We have even put an a/c in the space under the stairs, but need to line the stairs to seal the space up. No excuse, really ???
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I stayed away from coopers I found their yeast was too aggressive on the few occasions I did use it I got another yeast to use in it
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Has anyone done Bourbon home brew ?
any advice and clues would be welcome
I did some average beer back in 2005, but the best tasting drink I've done was Ginger Beer :cheers:
Yes I have one oaking(soaking in American oak chips) at the moment, I have a whiskey kit with add in ingredients and will finish the brew off when I get back from my weekend away.
It taste OK at the moment, so should improve with the adding of caramels and and so on.
Barnray makes a good whiskey, I tasted it at the Knorrit Flat gathering :cup:
I stayed away from coopers I found their yeast was too aggressive on the few occasions I did use it I got another yeast to use in it
Diksta, when brewing with the beer kits, it's a good idea not to use the yeast they supply, use a good Safel 04 or 05 yeast and always store your yeast in the fridge and when it's time to use it, take it out of the fridge and let it get back to room temp before you put it in the brew.
Baz.
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We've done a bit of brewing, but have found we couldn't get the temp down enough to make a truly decent brew.
I now have an all fridge big enough to put in 2 fermenters, I also have a heat pad inside and wired up a temp controler. So the controller will either turn on heat pad or fridge, with a degree variance. I can set it to what ever temp I want to brew at, so good beer all year round.
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We make our own spirits. Home made still works really well. In fact id say we have distilled in excess of 100 washes.
The missus makes all sorts of fancy plonk with the alcohol for our bar. We have never got into the 'real' bourbons though, we just use the flavourings. The key is to only use good quality alcohol and filter it very well imho.
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Gave up home brewing about 9/10 years ago ,after 10 ysr brewing ,allways had 1000 stubbies on rotation , worked out that beer was bottle aged for 8/9 mths , Coopers Draught with only 250grm sugar , same alc content as 4xGold and same taste without the chem preservatives , gave up when bought into a pub.
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brought a kegarator locally, consists of a bar fridge, a post with a tap ,and a keg brought from the brothers carlton @draught, it is FANTASTIC. 1 pot per man/per day/yeh right. oh i must mention that it is good for the environment cause on the thurs when the bins are emptied its pretty quiet
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Anyone do homebrew, I do quite a lot and keg mine, just putting feelers out for some interesting recipes ;D
Baz.
G'day Baz,
I've been brewing on and off for about 20 years, got into all grain brewing about 6 years ago and have all my beer on tap now via a kegerator with 4 kegs and a 3 tap font, I can help out with some recipes on all levels from the Kits (cans) through to all grain recipes with hop additions etc.
a few of my beers, left to right, Schwarzbier, Pale Ale and an Altbier
(http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp188/dave_1966/100_2788.jpg)
cheers
Tommo
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I went to an open day on the weekend for a comunity based farm here in bendigo and some guys were up from Melb with a solar boosted brew I think the name was Buckley's and they had the most beautiful lemon grass pale ale if you see it I recomend trying it very nice :cheers:
I must give the home brew a try one day!
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G'day Baz,
I've been brewing on and off for about 20 years, got into all grain brewing about 6 years ago and have all my beer on tap now via a kegerator with 4 kegs and a 3 tap font, I can help out with some recipes on all levels from the Kits (cans) through to all grain recipes with hop additions etc.
a few of my beers, left to right, Schwarzbier, Pale Ale and an Altbier
(http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp188/dave_1966/100_2788.jpg)
cheers
Tommo
Nice beers, I've been experimenting with mini mashes for a while now, this has improved some of the beers I've been doing, just don't have the room to do full grain brewing.
Baz.
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I am into home brewing. It becomes a labour of love at times but kegging makes the whole process enjoyable compared to bottling.
I have converted a shed on our property into a bar and run a 3 tap font off a kegarator. I run Perlick flow control forward seat taps which are magnificent. Fonts also runs custom tap handles from TheBeerTapGuy out of the USA. Also have two kegs on gas conditioning in a separate fridge to give a 5 keg rotating system. Also brew sparkling cider for the wife and run that on tap. I can't drink commercial beer anymore. Nothing beats a good homebrew. Just need to get a countertop filler so I can bottle some to take camping straight from the kegs (or alternatively modify the camper for some refrigerated corny kegs and a font.....hmmmmm.....
I tend to like the Matilda Bay style beers, mainly Fat Yak and Beez Neez. I have some pretty good clone recipes for the Fat Yak and Beez Neez. Both are excellent drinking. Mainly brew from kits. Favourite clones and method are:
Fat Yak Clone
Ingredients:
1.7kg Coopers Pale Ale
1kg Light Dry Malt
450 g Dextrose (extra 200g from original recipe due to kegging)
15g Cascade hops @10min
15g Nelson Sauvin hops – @10min
15g Nelson Sauvin hops – @0min
15g Cascade hops dry hop
US-05 Yeast
Method:
1. Sit Coopers Pale Ale tin in hot water
2. Boil 2.5ltrs of water
3. When water ‘breaks’ add 15grms Cascade Hops and 15g Nelson Sauvin Hops
4. Boil for 10 minutes
5. Take off heat and add 15g Nelson Sauvin Hops
6. Add mixture to wort
7. Mix in 1kg Light Dry Malt slowly to boiled water/hops mix
8. Mix in 450g Dextrose
9. Add Coopers Pale Ale tin
10. Add water to wort to 22 ltrs and test temperature to
between 18-22 degrees
11. Pitch US-05 yeast
12. At day 4 of ferment add 15g Cascade Hops
Beez Neez Clone – Country Brewer Recipe
Ingredients:
1.7kg Country Brewer Wal’s Wheat
514 Ale Yeast from Wal’s Wheat Tin
1.5kg Country Brewer Wheat Liquid Malt
200g Dextrose (extra 200g from original recipe due to kegging)
500g Capillano Australian Honey
150g Wheat Grain
12g Pride of Ringwood Finishing Hops
Method:
1. Sit Wal’s Wheat Tin, Honey Bottle and Wheat Liquid Malt
Container in Hot water to soften
2. Boil 1.5ltr of water in kettle
3. Place Wheat Grain in 1ltr of boiled water and stand for 15 minutes
4. Steep 12g Pride of Ringwood Finishing Hops in a mug of boiling water for 10 minutes
5. Boil 2.0ltrs of water in kettle and add to wort – re-boil kettle
6. Add 1.5kg Wheat Liquid Malt and 200g Dextrose and stir
7. Strain Grain steep water into wort. Rinse grain into wort with 1ltr boiled water, discard grain
8. Add Wal’s Wheat tin and stir
9. Add 500g Honey and stir
10. Top up wort to 22.5ltrs with cold filtered water
11. Add mug of water and Pride of Ringwood Finishing Hops
12. Check temperature is between 18-24 degrees and pitch Yeast
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Hi Baz,
Gave up brewing about 5 years ago, It was just too convenient >:D
Had 300 odd tallies on the go.
Had 60 bottles blow up one high humidity morning in February when a storm came through and the temp dropped to about 15 degrees from well over 30, Bloody glass everywhere, I still find glass at times when I move something in the shed. >:D
The couple of bottles that didn't explode, I had to get the Drizabone on backwards, welders mask and gloves, each one of them went off like a gun shot when the lid was unscrewed (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-shocked003.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
In the end I was using the plastic brown PET bottles. Still have all the gear.
I was using Beer Makers, and a bloke told me to put into the wort 1 Teaspoon of salt just as you put the lid on after stirring in the yest.
(http://www.hairfysh.com/images/Icons/Smileys/next.gif)
It took away that home brew taste.
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Thanks Moggs, they will go in the recipe book :cheers: :cup:
Hairs, had the same happen to us, only with ginger beer, what a mess, now use plastic bottles for ginger beer :cheers:
The beauty of kegging is that homebrew taste doesn't happen and also I've found if you lager or rack the beer before you bottle it, it doesn't happen either, doing mini mashes with hops and grains helps as well.
Baz.
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Agree that kegging does away with that homebrew 'yeasty' taste as there is no secondary ferment (assuming you force carbonate and don't prime your kegs with sugar). I also recommend lagering or racking to a secondary to get the brew off the yeast cake as soon as the primary ferment is finished. I also regularly filter my brews (especially those that are dry hopped) with a 1 micron brew filter prior to kegging. It is a bit of a hassle as you need to force transfer between two corny's under gas but certainly removes all yeast and makes for a very clear beer.
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Hi all, I brew as well. Glad to see there's a few here that do.
I have a converted bar fridge takes 2 kegs with 2 taps on the top. Works a treat. I currently have 23L of Dark Ale down, 23L of Pilsner, 23L of Cervesa and 46L of Pale Ale brewing. Normally brew up to 120L a month.
I have 8 kegs and 400 or so bottles. I find the Dark Ale and the Pale Ale are best in Kegs or Longies. I use swing tops (Grosch style) bottles for the Pils and use stubbies for the Cervesa. I also brew a 5.6% Lager, and an American Pale (like James Squire Golden Ale) these go in swing tops too! I naturally condition the kegs. I used to filter, then force carbonate but I found the beers tasted harsh. I find naturally conditioning the beers in the kegs smoothes them out and gives a finer head bubble that lasts longer. I also rack the beer, 24 hours before kegging/bottling to remove as much sediment as possible.
For camping I either use plastic longnecks ( I know it's plastic but they are cheap and last OK) or take a keg or 2! I have 2x30L water coolers (the round esky's types I purchased from BCF) with a hole cut in the top to fit a keg. I put a keg in each, then fill the cavity with ice the pop on the lid. I use a soda stream bottle and a mini regulator to push out the beer. I fit a pair of taps connected to keg post fittings and you have 36L of great beer on tap when camping!
Cheers,
SD (Shane)
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I brew & distill having a full brewery in the garage.
Well I did, I am actually selling all my gear atm to fund the new trailer & boat. Just going to keep the basics and bottle in future...
Heres my current kegerator. 4 kegs, bottle filler, crownie cap opener & whiteboard to write whats on tap!!!
(http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/310479_2699185641217_1460591679_n.jpg)
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Baz, my fine upstanding pillar of the community YOU WIN cheers Graham
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I did a Russian Imperial Stout a while back - it never fully attenuated so I was not game to put it into bottles. Kegs are certainly the go as they have the safety release valves for excess pressure.
As for getting rid of the "homebrew taste", I've found that fermentiong at cooler temperatures (18 deg for ales and 10 - 14 deg for lagers) will reduce the phenolics and esters. Force carbonating kegs will also help, as will cold conditioning.
Now all I have to do is figure out the way to take kegs camping...
Tony
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Here's a pic of my camping set-up. :) Ice goes between the keg and the cooler wall. Then the lid on top.
(http://myswag.org/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=95)
Ice lasts for about two days... Now to get my mates to stop drinking it all... I also take some Strahl beer mugs, unbreakable plastic... Not as good as glass but they are better than a cup!
(http://myswag.org/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=96)
Cheers,
SD
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Here's a pic of my camping set-up. :)
(http://myswag.org/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=96)
Cheers,
SD
SD - If I had the ready's I'd have a similar setup. >:(
Like on the other thread I have to focus on the production side of things first. ;D
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Maurerless,
I hear you, I now have 4 fermenters to keep up!
SD
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Im a pretty basic homebrewer, has been mostly kits until last few, have been adding a few bits and pieces and have just got the makings of the most complex ive done yet, and its certainly not that spectacular. Its a Golden ale copy with some grains and liquid malts etc.
Have been using a big bucket half full with water to put my fermenter in over winter with a fishtank heater. My wife recently bought me an immersion heater though that goes INSIDE the fermenter, i originally saw it as an infection risk but will give it a go.
I dont usually take homebrew camping because i like to immiediatly washout the bottles and i couldnt see that happening at camp, however ive found this mob recently and thought they could be a goer. http://minikeg.net.au/ (http://minikeg.net.au/)
I still like bottles cos i like to cellar them and come back to them down the track.
Cheers
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Can some one enlighten me as to what solar boosted in the brewing process means?
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My local homebrew shop has 9L kegs, they are pricey (over $200), but all of the corny fittings suit them, so I may grab one or two in the future so I can take them to party's, camping etc without having to invest in another set of taps, gas lines, etc.
I usually keep my kegs for at least 8 weeks before I tap them so the beer is as aged as I can get it. I need more kegs LOL. Bottles on the other hand I leave for 12 to 16 weeks before I open them, Have a batch of Golden Ale at the moment that's been in the bottle for over a year. It's pretty good!
I love the convenience of kegs but will always bottle too. There's no way I could ever have a fridge with 8 beers on tap, and I like to mix it up. Sometimes I feel like an English Bitter, or a Pilsner, or a Golden Ale, or a Mid Strength. :)
I brewed a Chocolate Ale this time last year for Christmas, was an easy brew, Dark Ale can, 1KG Amber Malt, 200g Chocolate Grain, 24g of Fuggles Hops (inf) and 100g cocoa powder. I bottled this then left it until November to try. Was dessert in a glass!
SD
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Solar boosted as far as I know means the water used in the brewing process is heated via solar, rather than using other less environmentally friendly methods. I'm willing to be corrected however.
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i have a problem . you lot of drunken god fearin recalitrants ,i luvs yer all your gunna cost me a fortune ,but i luvs neverless cheers Graham
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i have a problem . you lot of drunken god fearin recalitrants ,i luvs yer all your gunna cost me a fortune ,but i luvs neverless cheers Graham
yep me too big fella :cheers:
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Haven't done any brewing for a couple of years now but used to make some nice 5% distilled water and done a bit of black current and blackberry wines, the wines were nice but too much work. I've got a half full demijohn soaking in wood chips thats about 3years old might have crack it open one day and sample a bit.
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The beauty of kegging is that homebrew taste doesn't happen
Baz.
Yeah, a mate is trying to get me into buying the gear to do it in kegs.
After reading this thread I may just do that ;D
:cheers:
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Here's a pic of my camping set-up. :) Ice goes between the keg and the cooler wall. Then the lid on top.
(http://myswag.org/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=95)
Ice lasts for about two days... Now to get my mates to stop drinking it all... I also take some Strahl beer mugs, unbreakable plastic... Not as good as glass but they are better than a cup!
(http://myswag.org/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=96)
Cheers,
SD
WOW, what a great idea, never thought of doing it that way, I was fixated on a container to cover the whole keg, the tap straight off the keg is a much better idea than a gun with a hose from the keg, no taking the lid off everytime you want to pour a beer :cup: :cheers:
Baz.
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Thanks! I was stumped for ages until I saw the coolers at BCF one day. For a party it also works with just a garbage bin or large bucket full of ice.
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Thanks! I was stumped for ages until I saw the coolers at BCF one day. For a party it also works with just a garbage bin or large bucket full of ice.
I know what I'll be doing after we come back from our Easter trip, buying one of those coolers and a tap for my party keg ;D
Is your gas bottle a soda stream one or is it from something else, it looks different.
Baz.
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Baz,
It's a soda stream bottle, just the larger of the two sizes. :) I recently took three kegs to a family reunion so thought the larger size bottle would be the go. $18 from BigW when you exchange the empty.
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Baz,
It's a soda stream bottle, just the larger of the two sizes. :) I recently took three kegs to a family reunion so thought the larger size bottle would be the go. $18 from BigW when you exchange the empty.
Didn't know there were two sizes, I'll see about getting one, thanks for this.
Baz.
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I just had a look at the minikegs (link above) and was wondering if you can refill and reuse the Heineken kegs with home brew?
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Tim,
I'd suspect no, but really haven't looked into it.
SD
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OK, after hitting Google I found this: http://thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=21461&sid=815cb8fcd5145e8cafbc3c0a7cade453&start=8 (http://thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=21461&sid=815cb8fcd5145e8cafbc3c0a7cade453&start=8) so I guess it can be done. The two part bungs would be available on ebay I guess.
As for the Presta valve, I'm thinking that depending on the fridge/cooler arrangement you could possibly use either Presta or Schrader valves or better yet put a standard Cornelius post on and use:
1. Bike tyre inflator CO2 cartridges with Cornelius adapter (ebay)
2. Mini Regulator & Soda Stream Bottles
3. Normal CO2 bottle
I imagine getting the Cornelius post in/on one would be a PITA but all of the standard fittings would be able to be used.
Now having said that, the mini-kegs link above is cheaper and easier in the long run additionally as the Heinekin kegs have the CO2 cartridge built in and a funny hard to clean tap increasing the possibility of infection. The tap is expensive but you'd have a 5L porta-keg for under $300.
On a slightly different subject I have a mate who brews his camp/party beers in used 1.25L coke bottles. Only does a couple of batches in each bottle before he turfs them and starts again. He has teenage kids so used bottles are easy to come by. I've also heard of people bottling into these after filtering the beer, then force gassing via a Presta valve in the lid. At $10 per valve assembly 16 for a full batch (20L/1.25 per bottle) wouldn't be cheap to set up, but they are re-usable.
I personally have carbonateed beer in the soda stream, was going to be my camping system. Works great but the bottles are expensive and the gas bottles add up quickly.
SD
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g'day all,
i have bought kegging gear from the below link, no affiliation but he's a homebrewer :cheers:
Craftbrewer (http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/)
cheers
Tommo
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Rather than start a new topic I thought this one could be resurrected.
I am a homebrewer and beer lover in general. I have often wondered about getting some small kegging system to take away with me.
I use corny kegs in a kegerator at home and never want to go back to bottling. I always miss having my own brews with me when I'm away but the half size kegs are so expensive and not as readily available as standard corny's so I did a bit of googling and came across this idea.
5l minikegs, presta valve, bike pump. Awesome.
I am a cyclist anyway so I have a co2 pump and often have spare innertubes with presta valves.
I bought a couple of minikegs and bungs from this place (no way affiliated etc): http://minikeg.net.au/ (http://minikeg.net.au/)
I have knocked up a great DIY delivery system that fits in an esky or fridge. I know I am not the first one to do this but here are some instructions and pics for any young players.
Take the rubber bung with the intact middle bit.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5332/9171303817_a3ee2021b1_c.jpg)
Drill a 5mm (or 5.5 - takes a bit of trial and error) and push a presta valve through the hole. I pushed it halfway through then put a bit of silicon on the base and pushed the rest through.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2805/9171307283_e5e661a427_c.jpg)
I should point out here that I used a threadless valve, in hindsight this was a mistake as the nut would have held the valve in place better. I know for the next time.
I bought a beer line disconnect for a corny key and attached a couple of metres of pvc hose to it.
I connect this to the out of my standard corny and let it fill the minikeg. Simples....
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7343/9171365231_25370d8584_c.jpg)
I should also point out that the beer is already carbonated and ready for drinking from the corny. This is just storage/serving. You can use these kegs to carb as well, but I already have a system in place for that,
Once it's full you simply put the bung in and attach a co2 bike pump to pressurise the keg, hardly any gas is needed, just enough to push the beer out.
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5442/9171302641_5cb204d376_c.jpg)
Result
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3828/9171309837_13b42edbe5_c.jpg)
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Nice set up.
:cheers:
Rod.....
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taking kegs camping is great
(http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i456/hoyt1/IMG_3600.jpg) (http://s1094.photobucket.com/user/hoyt1/media/IMG_3600.jpg.html)
(http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i456/hoyt1/bar2.jpg) (http://s1094.photobucket.com/user/hoyt1/media/bar2.jpg.html)
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taking kegs camping is great
(http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i456/hoyt1/IMG_3600.jpg) (http://s1094.photobucket.com/user/hoyt1/media/IMG_3600.jpg.html)
(http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i456/hoyt1/bar2.jpg) (http://s1094.photobucket.com/user/hoyt1/media/bar2.jpg.html)
Nothing great about VB ;D
Seriously, nice setup. What size kegs do you put in there?
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carries four 23 litre kegs so 3 on tap and a spare
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carries four 23 litre kegs so 3 on tap and a spare
Very nice, pizza oven too. All the food groups.
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And 40 inch lcd with foxtel ....lol
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Not beer, but my setup
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/rodweb/still/DSC_3832.jpg) (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/rodweb/media/still/DSC_3832.jpg.html)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/rodweb/still/DSC_3835.jpg) (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/rodweb/media/still/DSC_3835.jpg.html)
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If it's not beer, what is it? ???
Foo
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If it's not beer, what is it? ???
Foo
A very rewarding hobby! Anything you want 94% alcohol to be! :cheers:
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:o 94% Holy crap, that is a good still. ;D Sorry I should have tweaked to that, just a bit on the sleep deprived side and got de man flu to boot. :'(
Foo
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:o 94% Holy crap, that is a good still. ;D Sorry I should have tweaked to that, just a bit on the sleep deprived side and got de man flu to boot. :'(
Foo
Guaranteed to fix the sleep deprivation :D :D :D
But more importantly not much room for bad flavours to hide....
Personally, i am not keen on killing myself so I tend to add a fair bit of water.... ???
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Nice still.
Heres my old Boka...Produced 96%
(http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/553922_3642587145665_2100905528_n.jpg)
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Nice still.
Heres my old Boka...Produced 96%
Nice one.
0
I seem to remember that 95 point something was the best you can do without distilling in vacuum and you need to watch the temperature curves when reading the % of spirit to ensure you compensate for the temperature of the sample. I always used an ice bath to bring the sample back to the calibration temperature but in reality who cares?
With my fractionating still, I can pick the purity and I found going past 92% added a few hours to the distillation cycle for no apparent gain in quality. Likewise, I found that double distilling (with the first run at 80% or so) was not worth the effort.
Ooops, I think I got to 95% but as I say who really cares....
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/rodweb/still/DSC_3851.jpg) (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/rodweb/media/still/DSC_3851.jpg.html)
For those beer distillers out there, you can buy a commercially made still at your favourite home brew shop but the column is under a foot long and there is a corresponding drop in purity down to about 80% but for me, half the fun was making the still.
So the recipe is to distill 8 kg of sugar to get 20% using the correct yeast, you can use 9kg of dextrose which is supposed to eliminate bad flavours but at this level of purity, the expense is not justified. eg. I could never taste the difference.
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/rodweb/still/DSC_3834.jpg) (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/rodweb/media/still/DSC_3834.jpg.html)
distill to 90+%, on my still, there is a coil of copper pipe running inside the cup with cold water in it to condense the vapours into a liquid that collects in the bottom "cup". Most is sent back down the colum via a needle valve and the rest is collected to the bottle. The ratio is about 4:1 (recycled : collected)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/rodweb/still/DSC_3832.jpg) (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/rodweb/media/still/DSC_3832.jpg.html)
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/rodweb/still/DSC_3853.jpg) (http://s210.phhotobucket.com/user/rodweb/media/still/DSC_3853.jpg.html)
First off, you need to throw the first bit away as it could kill you. With a still like mine with a tap on it, you can turn the outlet off and leave it for quite a while so the bad stuff get to the top of the column before turning it on. Throw away the first 200 ml (probably could discard as little as 80ml) on these high purity stills. but lets be safe to drink another day...
The thermometer keeps an eye on things, It will sit on 82 degrees for a few hours
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/rodweb/still/DSC_3836.jpg) (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/rodweb/media/still/DSC_3836.jpg.html)
They say to stop collecting when it hits 84 degrees but I stop as soon as I see the temp rise. Keep the tails to 94 degrees and throw them in the next batch in case there is some good stuff in there. Think of it as deferring drinking this bit in the interest of quality!
dilute to 50%, charcoal filter it to remove any bad flavours (charcoal is not effective over about 64%
and it is pretty slow to do so we only filter as much liquid as necessary
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/rodweb/still/DSC_3855.jpg) (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/rodweb/media/still/DSC_3855.jpg.html)
Check concentration, dilute to 40%
Optionally soak on oak chips to smooth the spirit and then add the flavouring of our choice
(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb270/rodweb/still/DSC_3862.jpg) (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/rodweb/media/still/DSC_3862.jpg.html)
As I said, A rewarding hobby! But I have not run this for 4-5 years.... must get onto it again!
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Nice still.
Heres my old Boka...Produced 96%
(http://sphotos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/553922_3642587145665_2100905528_n.jpg)
:o Do you need a working with heights permit for that one UR? ;D
Foo
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Never new about breaking down to 50% before filtering Rodw, just goes to show, you're never to old to learn something new! 8)
Foo
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;D l'm getting a thirst up just reading this :cheers:
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;D l'm getting a thirst up just reading this :cheers:
Come on Jamie, who are you trying to kid, your thirst is just natural.
Tjupurula
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Well my first glass of my Home Brew (first in about 8 years). Taste great. It's a standard Coopers Pale, but is a bit fizzy. I'm assuming that's the priming sugar in the bottles? I used the smaller of the 2 measures in that measuring thingy-ma-bob. I used raw sugar too if that makes a difference.
(http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac168/evans052/1796515_10202811412319672_908393086_n_zps9c32d6da.jpg) (http://s896.photobucket.com/user/evans052/media/1796515_10202811412319672_908393086_n_zps9c32d6da.jpg.html)
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Hi Evans
Not sure how I've missed this thread but I've been home brewing since a work trip to Germany in 2006. Brewed with cans for about 2 years then built a grain crusher and went all grain . Best beer ever. The house beer is a golden ale with lots of Amarillo .
With regards to priming your bottles , never use white or raw sugar. I use dextrose or maltodex when priming bottles. Very rarely these days. I go from secondary into kegs. Three taps on the bar is heaven. Haven't brewed for about 12 months so bar is a bit sad ATM.
Buster
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Hi Evans
Not sure how I've missed this thread but I've been home brewing since a work trip to Germany in 2006. Brewed with cans for about 2 years then built a grain crusher and went all grain . Best beer ever. The house beer is a golden ale with lots of Amarillo .
With regards to priming your bottles , never use white or raw sugar. I use dextrose or maltodex when priming bottles. Very rarely these days. I go from secondary into kegs. Three taps on the bar is heaven. Haven't brewed for about 12 months so bar is a bit sad ATM.
Buster
Cheers Buster.
Dextrose rings a bell. The longer I leave it will it settle in regards to becoming "less fizzy"?
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That home brew zing taste is usually from the sugar.
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I too am a keen home brewer.
Below pic is of my set up.
On the left Tap I have a Golden ale which uses crystal malt 50, Amarillo and cascade hops and the other tap normally has a stout of some type as I really enjoy stout beers.
The only problem with the stout beers is I can find a supplier in Townsville that will sell me small 3kg bottles of Nitrogen/Co2 gas for the nice creamy head that all good stouts have. They only sell the large commercial size bottles so I have to use standard Co2 which is just not the same.
I built the bar & cabinets myself to house my fermenters and brewing equipment that room stays at the perfect Temperature all year round for brewing. I also have a pot still for spirits and make an awesome rum which we ferment using Brown sugar , Dextrose & molasses. I can have 5 fermenters going at once with both beers and spirits on the go.
I have no beer on tap at the moment as I have been away with work most of this year. I have one trip away again next week and then I will be home for about 6 weeks so will put a couple of brews down then..
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Nice setup wilson79, i am doing an all grain tomorrow, a vanilla oatmeal stout, fingers crossed it will be a good one, did a Sam Adams a month or so ago and it is a cracker :cheers:
Stu.
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I have only just seen this thread! I have been brewing for a couple of years and make black beer in winter & a James Squires type malt in summer. I make the black beer a Guiness style with only 20ltrs of water & 500gm extra dark malt. My mate likes the black like he likes his women. Big, dark & full bodied!!
I usually just buy a good quality brew from the HB shop & add malt & yeast. No time for fermenting grain etc.
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My Sambucca is just as good if not slightly better than the commercial stuff, plus nobody can tell whether it is home brew or not. 8)
Foo
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No time for fermenting grain etc.
And no time too find out the facts of how good beer is made.. Can still do all grain beer in 7 days grain to brain , just takes a couple of hours on brew day ..
Cheers
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Care to say how you do this FNQ Bunyip? :cheers:
Foo
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As this is not a brewing forum , I won't go into the whole process , system selection ect ect ..
All grain brewing can be as simple or as complex as you wish too get.
A very good way to get into AG is with BIAB , Brew In A Bag
and the brewing forums have heaps of threads / sections covering
all you need ..
A "SMASH " Single Malt And Single Hop brew , is a very good way to learn the flavors
aromas and body that different ingredients impart on your brew. While still getting
good beer to drink ..
A typical session beer of around 4.5% can be brewed in around 3.5 hours.
Go to Wo .. then its just the same as a K+K {Kit & Kilo} , but so so much better .
As with brewing any beer , Temperature control of the fermenting Wort is one
of the biggest factors in the production of a quality beer at the end .
So for arguments sake , say I start a brew sat morning , I'm washed up and packed the brewery stuff away by lunch , with the wort in the fermenting box cooling the last few points . Pitch a yeast onto it sometime before bed ... Come Friday arvo turn the fermenting box down too 2°, then sat morning while the brewery is heating up I can keg last weeks brew , wash up the fermenting stuff , knock out another brew , force carb the keg . and sit back Saturday arvo with an all grain beer that is 7 days grain too brain ..
It can be done and there are plenty of examples of it on the relevant sites .
Cheers
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8)
Foo
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Has anyone tried refilling one of those 3ltr Tap Kings with home brew beer. I have done, but am yet to open it. Just wondering what others have done for carbonation. I have tried 4 tsp of sugar for secondary fermentation. Hope it works.
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Has anyone tried refilling one of those 3ltr Tap Kings with home brew beer. I have done, but am yet to open it. Just wondering what others have done for carbonation. I have tried 4 tsp of sugar for secondary fermentation. Hope it works.
Pretty sure you can get an adaptor now for the Tap King, so you can carbonate from either a Soda Stream bottle or homebrew gas bottle.
Baz.
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Have a look at Home Brew on Ebay, there are different kits and adapters to do the job. I keep my Bourbon in a 19lt Keg and use a large soda stream CO2 bottle and regulator to pump it out. Only problem I have is it don't last as long, I seem to overfill the glass.Barnray
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Has anyone tried refilling one of those 3ltr Tap Kings with home brew beer. I have done, but am yet to open it. Just wondering what others have done for carbonation. I have tried 4 tsp of sugar for secondary fermentation. Hope it works.
Try this link from Aussie Home Brewer (if you havent seen it already) http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/74869-pimp-my-tapking/ (http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/74869-pimp-my-tapking/)
Stu.