Homebrew

[Bender_]

Any of you guys make your own booze - be it beer, wine or spirits?

I enjoy a good beer, but I refuse to pay $50 for a carton of cats piss and getting a couple of growlers of good craft beers a week was sending me broke so I thought I'd take the plunge and build a home brewery to make some decent beers for a fraction of the price. A year or so later after building it up and doing a lot of research I've now made 5 batches and it's been worth the outlay so far.

We have a homebrew thread on the Eagles board but I'm keen to hear from others and share some stories or photos of your experiences.

I'm a firm believer that there's 3 things you have to be before you can truly be a man; make your own booze, shave with a straight razor and tame a brumby.

 

[Bender_]

Anyway here's my most recent batch fermenting:


Pale Ale; 2 row, pilsner and wheat malts with Amarillo hops (All Grain). Came out a bit more bitter than expected but still pretty amazing and at 4.6%. Finished the last of 32 pints (total) last night after bottling in November.

This is it in my w***er's glass:



I was given some gift vouchers for a brew store for Christmas, grabbed a fresh wort kit of Japanese rice lager to have over the summer months. Got 32 pints from this batch also, currently bottle conditioning and will be ready to drink by Friday night.

 

[Bleeeeeeeeep]

Here is my set up, took my first batch to Rainbow Serpent and it was a hit.

 

[Bender_]

View attachment 615070
Here is my set up, took my first batch to Rainbow Serpent and it was a hit.

I can smell the delicious turpentine notes from here.

 

[the avoca drover]

I’ve been brewing beer for 22 years. Have a 3V HERMS and also a single vessel system.
Been kegging for about 15 years. Have a bar setup with 4 taps and two English hand pulls.

 

[the avoca drover]

 

[Craven Morehead]

All right boys, serious question, how much will be to set a decent system for beer/stout?

 

[Tigernator]

All right boys, serious question, how much will be to set a decent system for beer/stout?

I thought crack was your first choice vice.

 

[Craven Morehead]

I thought crack was your first choice vice.

This is a big boys thread, which means you can't play.. No need to get all stalky.

 

[Tigernator]

This is a big boys thread, which means you can't play.. No need to get all stalky.

Err i beg to differ you control freak, I go wherever i like and as for stalking you pfft hardly, you're the last campaigner I'd stalk at the bay...

 

[Craven Morehead]

Err i beg to differ you control freak, I go wherever i like and as for stalking you pfft hardly, you're the last campaigner I'd stalk at the bay...

Then offer something about homebrew or gtfo.

 

[Dinsdale]

View attachment 615244

thats one hell of a setup!

Here's mine, Grainfather, my mates 250L fermenter, mine again, and my Irish Red

 

[Bender_]

View attachment 615244

****en epic!

Mine is a gravity 3V system, as much as I love the idea of pumps etc I know I'd break it.

 

[Dinsdale]

All right boys, serious question, how much will be to set a decent system for beer/stout?

Mate you can start with a Coopers kit from Woolies, including fermenter, plastic bottles, can of goop, sugar, yeast and away you go for your first batch.

 

[Craven Morehead]

Mate you can start with a Coopers kit from Woolies, including fermenter, plastic bottles, can of goop, sugar, yeast and away you go for your first batch.

Yeah, but will it be drinkable? Or is it best for me to get the hang of it with one of these first, suck up the average beer and then progress?
Yours and AD's set-ups are mind-blowing!

 

[Bender_]

Here's mine bare then set up for use:

 

[Bender_]

thats one hell of a setup!

Here's mine, Grainfather, my mates 250L fermenter, mine again, and my Irish Red

What's the deal with your mate, does he just make huge batches or is he looking to set up a brewery?

 

[Dinsdale]

Yeah, but will it be drinkable? Or is it best for me to get the hang of it with one of these first, suck up the average beer and then progress?
Yours and AD's set-ups are mind-blowing!

yes mate, thats the easiest way to get into brewing.

heres a post from the Hawks Brewing thread from a couple of years ago, me spouting advice again to a new brewer!

No dont go to brew shop, the easiest way to get into it is buying a kit from BigW or same so you get the bottles, fermenter, can of goop, yeast, instructions all in 1 go.

The keys are keeping all the bits and pieces clean and disinfected, and keeping the temp stable during fermentation. Try to aim for 20deg for a week to 10 days. Once bottled TRY to wait for 2-4 weeks before cracking open.

I started this way and have progressed to all-grain brewing with a Grainfather and kegging my beer.

Good luck!

I'm now brewing my Irish Red for a local Beer Cafe, my second keg goes on sale tomorrow.

The plan is to open my own pub one day...

 

[Dinsdale]

What's the deal with your mate, does he just make huge batches or is he looking to set up a brewery?

yes mate he has set up his own Beer Cafe place, he plans to ramp up his own beer production so he is not buying from the big breweries...

 

[Craven Morehead]

yes mate, thats the easiest way to get into brewing.

heres a post from the Hawks Brewing thread from a couple of years ago, me spouting advice again to a new brewer!



I'm now brewing my Irish Red for a local Beer Cafe, my second keg goes on sale tomorrow.

The plan is to open my own pub one day...

Thanks for that mate, greatly appreciated.
Good luck with the pub, I'd love a pint of that Irish Red!

 

[Bender_]

Thanks for that mate, greatly appreciated.
Good luck with the pub, I'd love a pint of that Irish Red!

Yeah same mail some out Dinsdale

 

[Dinsdale]

you guys will be invited to the Grand Opening of the pub if my mate and I ever get it going.

 

[Bender_]

you guys will be invited to the Grand Opening of the pub if my mate and I ever get it going.

So do you not sparge when using the Grainfather? What happens at this step instead?

 

[Bleeeeeeeeep]

you guys will be invited to the Grand Opening of the pub if my mate and I ever get it going.

Will there be topless barmaids? and free beer? and a pool table with topless women racking the balls up for you? and a chip machine? and a sign stipulating you must be able to change a tyre to get in?
wait..... do you have to win Powerball to make this happen?

 

[Dinsdale]

So do you not sparge when using the Grainfather? What happens at this step instead?

Sure do Sparge. Not shown in the photo is my 15L boiler, poised above the Grainfather on the bench. When I lift the malt pipe out of the grainfather it sits on a rim and all the goodness dribles out, then I open the tap on my boiler and sparge away

So the grainfather is as "single" vessel, for mashing, sparging, boiling. I've done 20+ brew with it.