# Gluten Free Homebrew For Newbie?



## jaup (19/11/08)

Hi,

I would like to home brew some gluten free beer, I'm looking at a small and easy setup in the start which is hopefully scalable.

Does anyone have some advice or how would be a good way to start?

I have had a look on this site:
http://gfhomebrewing.com.au
Has one used there kits before?

Thanks,
Paul


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## A3k (19/11/08)

i was looking into this a while ago as i've got a ceoliac friend, but gave up on that idea.

I pretty sure the Danstar Nottingham packets say gluten free on them. But couldn't find anything on a quick look at their website.

The site you put a link on uses a SafAle, think US05 so that's probably gluten free, but couldn't see anything on their site either.

There is a bit on info around though.


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## enoch (19/11/08)

Check your friend likes the taste of the existing GF beers before going too far. I was going to do GF for my other half but she ended up deciding she didn't like any of the BF beers on the market and that a homebrew version wasn't going to be any better.
Ended up making alcoholic lemonade for her instead.


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## himzol (19/11/08)

Andrew from O'brien Brewing gave a speach on GF beer at the ANHC. You could get in touch with him and see if he can help out. I believe he's a member here as well, millet man (i think)

http://www.obrienbrewing.com.au/


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## jaup (19/11/08)

Hi,

I definitely do like the taste of the O'Brien GF beers.

Thanks,
Paul


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## Swinging Beef (19/11/08)

http://www.obrienbrewing.com.au/

and speak to this forum member...

Millet Man


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## rclemmett (19/11/08)

I know that the Country Brewer was looking at doing a wetpac with sorghum extract. I don't know if they have released it yet though.


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## benny_bjc (19/11/08)

Rob2 said:


> I know that the Country Brewer was looking at doing a wetpac with sorghum extract. I don't know if they have released it yet though.



That would be awesome!!! Where did you hear this?


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## rclemmett (19/11/08)

Shawn was brewing one earlier this year.


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## benny_bjc (19/11/08)

Rob2 said:


> Shawn was brewing one earlier this year.



So is it likely to come out as a pack at the Country brewer stores??? and any ideas when? Sorry for all the questions


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## rclemmett (19/11/08)

Shawn said he was going to make it as a wetpak. 3kg of extract with hops to add. I think if he knew people were intersted he'd hurry up and get it out. Without asking him I can give you no more information.


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## jaup (19/11/08)

I just ordered this kit and will see how it goes, will let you all know how it goes.


http://www.brewerschoice.net.au/html/glute...ree%20beer.html


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## Rurik (20/11/08)

MHB (Marks Home Brew) had a frew Gluten free wort kits that I saw kicking around.


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## Chad (20/11/08)

Interesting, two different Brewers Choice websites.

I've made a couple now for SWMBO which I got from Brewers Choice http://gfhomebrewing.com.au/.
The first two were failures, but the third has been a hit. She now likes it better than any commercial product.

I've been playing around with my own recipe, and have found out two key things.
1. You need to add some sort of sweetening ingredient such as honey to help take away some of the sourness.
2. A long lagering (about 4 months) has reduced and rounded out the sourness even further.

This results in a beer that still doesn't tastes like regular beer, but is still very drinkable. When serving, I carbonate it up a bit higher, around 100kPa in the keg, and make sure it's drunk cold. Not necessarily super cold so you can't notice the sweet adjunct flavours, but as it warms up the sourness becomes more prominent and is harder to palette.

I currently have a new brew in the fermenter. This is a completely different recipe to the last.
In addition to the 2.8kg of extract, I have added 0.5kg of organic rice syrup, and 0.45kg of home made candi sugar. Hallertaur hops and fermented with Nottingham.
The other things I have noticed is that GF beers are extremely slow fermenters.

Good luck.


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## jaup (20/11/08)

Chad said:


> I've made a couple now for SWMBO which I got from Brewers Choice http://gfhomebrewing.com.au/.
> 
> The first two were failures, but the third has been a hit. She now likes it better than any commercial product.



Hi Chad,

Just wondering what made the first two batches a failure?


Paul


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## Chad (20/11/08)

No adjuncts. This made the beer too sour from the sorghum in the extract.


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## jaup (25/11/08)

Hi Chad,

Just wondering how much honey you put in the third batch to make it ok? assuming it was honey.

I received the kit today and it is made with 2.8kg Sorghum malt also.

Thanks,
Paul


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## Millet Man (26/11/08)

jaup said:


> Hi Chad,
> 
> Just wondering how much honey you put in the third batch to make it ok? assuming it was honey.
> 
> ...


Hi Paul,

If you add about 300g of treacle it will give it a bit of caramel flavour, use a yeast that will give more body and some nice esters (Fermintis S-04 and T-58 are both great, and all Fermentis and Danstar dry yeasts are GF), and a good dose of flavour hops (say 1 g/lt) about 10 min from the end of the boil such as cascade, galaxy or something noble.

The sorghum extract is quite plain/bland in flavour and needs some flavour from adjunct, yeast and hops. Also it does produce a lot of trub so use some irish moss in the boil and try to leave the trub behind. Being a raw grain extract it does ferment a bit slower than a GF malt beer.

As Chad said there is a sourness/tartness that is characteristic of sorghum, so either get used to it or mask it with other flavours. Personally I find it refreshing and you don't notice it so much with other added flavours.

If you want a quick and easy way to make GF beer then the extract (or a wort pack from MHB) is the way to go so let us know how it goes. I've got a few tubs of extract myself to play with so I might knock up a wit beer for Christmas!

Cheers, Andrew.


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## jaup (26/11/08)

Hi,

Thanks for the reply Andrew and by the way I really like your beers.

The kit i received has Fermantis US-05 as the yeast and the hops are Brewers Gold and Fuggles. 

I will have to have a look into Treacle, I was hoping to have some ready by xmas, but I might be running to late now.

Paul


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## Millet Man (26/11/08)

jaup said:


> Hi,
> 
> Thanks for the reply Andrew and by the way I really like your beers.
> 
> ...


Thanks Paul,

Four weeks 'til Christmas so plenty of time. Go with what you have (plus a bit of treacle and/or honey etc. get fom the supermarket easy) and brew it up in the next couple of days, should be enough time for it to ferment out then bottle and carb up for santa.

If it's not quite to your tastes then next time just get the sorghum extract (not full kit) and then decide what other yeast, hops (get from LHBS) and adjuncts (LHBS or supermarket) to use on your next batch to adjust it to your tastes.

Christmas is a time for beer and don't I know it (cue sound of whip cracking).

Cheers, Andrew.


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## jaup (16/12/08)

Hi,

Well I have had it fermenting for about 10 days and its slowing down, I plan on testing it tomorrow to see where its at. Then i'll rack it into another container and leave for a week or so.

I have a couple more questions though, i plan on bulking priming the beer with table sugar, any ideas on what dose i should use? I had a look at a document on the articles section, but it didn't actually list any values.

Also when i rack it into another container is definite that I have to install an airlock?

Thanks,
Paul


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