# West Coast Brewers: Iron Brewer 2007



## sinkas (30/7/07)

Could one of the grand wizards of the WCB, post up the basic ingredients being used for this so I can waste some time thinking about some beer to brew for this thing...?


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## ausdb (31/7/07)

sinkas said:


> Could one of the grand wizards of the WCB, post up the basic ingredients being used for this so I can waste some time thinking about some beer to brew for this thing...?



Not sure about a grand wizard but as one of the elves under the stairs I have heard that all will be revealed at the next meeting West Coast Brewers club meeting on Monday 13 August 2007. The details are being fine tuned to ensure everyone can be as creative as possible without being forced in 1 direction only  
Judging is to be scheduled for the December club meeting, we may also if we try hard enough be able to round up a couple of judges from the local micro's. Of course it will also depend how well they can do a Japanese accent as they judge.

All I can say at the moment is that there will be two categories:
Iron Brewer AG
Iron Brewer extract

The following will be supplied to each financial club member who wishes to enter:
A control yeast
Two or three control hops
Base malt (you know the one) or for extract either a can of LME or some DME.
A specialty grain 
And maybe just for fun some adjuncts
Instruction's will be provided on how much of each ingredient must be used 

Ingredient packs will be made available at the next meeting as well, which means everyone is going to have to pitch in and help on the night to divvy things up.

We already have some of the ingredients, but will have to buy some so I have started some lists below for each category if you plan on entering then please quote this post and add your name/nickname to either list.

Cheers

The competition elve

*WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG*
1 ausdb
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

*WCB Iron Brewer 2007 Extract*
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


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## sinkas (31/7/07)

ausdb said:


> Not sure about a grand wizard but as one of the elves under the stairs I have heard that all will be revealed at the next meeting West Coast Brewers club meeting on Monday 13 August 2007. The details are being fine tuned to ensure everyone can be as creative as possible without being forced in 1 direction only
> Judging is to be scheduled for the December club meeting, we may also if we try hard enough be able to round up a couple of judges from the local micro's. Of course it will also depend how well they can do a Japanese accent as they judge.
> 
> All I can say at the moment is that there will be two categories:
> ...


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## Asher (31/7/07)

*WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG*

1 ausdb
2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
3 Asher (will a brett infection be considered a flaw? :lol: )
4 
5
6
7
8
9
10

*WCB Iron Brewer 2007 Extract*

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


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## randyrob (31/7/07)

*WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG*

1 ausdb
2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
3 Asher (will a brett infection be considered a flaw? :lol: )
4 randyrob (how much of this brew are you allowed to taste test?)
5
6
7
8
9
10

*WCB Iron Brewer 2007 Extract*

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


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## kook (31/7/07)

*WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG*

1 ausdb
2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
3 Asher (will a brett infection be considered a flaw? :lol: )
4 randyrob (how much of this brew are you allowed to taste test?)
5 kook
6
7
8
9
10

*WCB Iron Brewer 2007 Extract*

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


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## Goat (31/7/07)

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG

1 ausdb
2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
3 Asher (will a brett infection be considered a flaw? laugh.gif )
4 randyrob (how much of this brew are you allowed to taste test?)
5 kook
6 Goat
7
8
9
10

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 Extract

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


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## facter (31/7/07)

... where would partials fit into the mix? Extract?


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## chillamacgilla73 (31/7/07)

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG

1 ausdb
2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
3 Asher (will a brett infection be considered a flaw? laugh.gif )
4 randyrob (how much of this brew are you allowed to taste test?)
5 kook
6 Goat
7 Chillamacgilla73
8
9
10

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 Extract

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


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## Redneck Brewer (31/7/07)

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG

1 ausdb
2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
3 Asher (will a brett infection be considered a flaw? laugh.gif )
4 randyrob (how much of this brew are you allowed to taste test?)
5 kook
6 Goat
7 Chillamacgilla73
8 Redneck Brewer
9
10

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 Extract

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


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## ausdb (31/7/07)

Asher said:


> 3 Asher (will a brett infection be considered a flaw? :lol: )



If brett is part of your chosen BJCP style then yes, but not sure where you'll get it as it wont be part of the ingredient pack unless BigAl lends you some  




randyrob said:


> 4 randyrob (how much of this brew are you allowed to taste test?)


Plan on having 4x 750ml saved for entry as if we don't get guest judges on the night then we will try and get some beers to them for tasting.




facter said:


> ... where would partials fit into the mix? Extract?


Probably extract, how big a partial are you doing at the moment?


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## facter (31/7/07)

ausdb said:


> If brett is part of your chosen BJCP style then yes, but not sure where you'll get it as it wont be part of the ingredient pack unless BigAl lends you some
> Plan on having 4x 750ml saved for entry as if we don't get guest judges on the night then we will try and get some beers to them for tasting.
> Probably extract, how big a partial are you doing at the moment?



My partials usually actually work out to around about 60-70% grain ... usually closer to 70%


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (31/7/07)

Can one of you nerds add my name, it won't work for me.


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## Goat (31/7/07)

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG

1 ausdb
2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
3 Asher (will a brett infection be considered a flaw? laugh.gif )
4 randyrob (how much of this brew are you allowed to taste test?)
5 kook
6 Goat
7 Chillamacgilla73
8 Redneck Brewer
9 Vlad the Gumby (Pale Aler)  
10

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 Extract

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10


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## thunderleg (31/7/07)

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG

1 ausdb
2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
3 Asher (will a brett infection be considered a flaw? laugh.gif )
4 randyrob (how much of this brew are you allowed to taste test?)
5 kook
6 Goat
7 Chillamacgilla73
8 Redneck Brewer
9 Vlad the Gumby (Pale Aler)  
10 Thunderleg

WCB Iron Brewer 2007 Extract

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
[/quote]


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## mattwest (1/8/07)

thunderleg said:


> WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG
> 
> 1 ausdb
> 2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
> ...



If room exists for one more and PET bottles are acceptable for the submission (its a long story) I would love to have a crack. I have only just set-up AG (thanks Doogiechap and RandyRob for help) and this would be an ideal way to compare how I am tracking against the profs.

On a seperate matter (again a long story), if anyone is looking for some sticks of agar to culture yeast on slants, I have three packs (two sticks per pack) to give away that I can bring to the next meeting.

Matt


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## ausdb (2/8/07)

thunderleg said:


> WCB Iron Brewer 2007 AG
> 
> 1 ausdb
> 2 sinkas (wont be at next meeting, please send ingredients to someone.)
> ...



The original 10 number was just to start with and to try and get an Idea for ingredient numbers, if you are a Financial club member of West Coast Brewers then you may enter. As I don't know everyones nicknames I will also put out a club email that you can RSVP on by the end of this week.

PS obviously this is going to cost the club some $$ to put on for everyone, if you commit but don't end brewing or entering anything then please be prepared to throw in some $$ for the ingredients you scored!

Cheers

Ausdb


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## Kai (2/8/07)

I think I might have to roll up to the August meet.


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## Randall the Enamel Animal (2/8/07)

No extract brewers? Perhaps I'll have a crack myself! Long time since I've done one of those...


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## ausdb (3/8/07)

Randall the Enamel Animal said:


> No extract brewers? Perhaps I'll have a crack myself! Long time since I've done one of those...




Good to see, plus I don't think the club could afford to supply enough ingredients to fill the mash tun of your "home brew system" if you chose to enter the AG category  

Just let me know when you want the stuff sent down!


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## facter (6/8/07)

if you dont get many extract brewers im happy to go up against you AG lot ... after having cracked my rum oak porter today im pretty satisfied that what im throwing outta the fermenters these days will give you lads a good run 


Who knows - i have everything for my lauter tun now, i jsut need to upgrade my pot .. maybe ill try an AG anyways if i get my act together in time.


ill be coming to the next meeting and will be also signing up my membership then


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## ausdb (6/8/07)

facter said:


> if you dont get many extract brewers im happy to go up against you AG lot ... after having cracked my rum oak porter today im pretty satisfied that what im throwing outta the fermenters these days will give you lads a good run
> Who knows - i have everything for my lauter tun now, i jsut need to upgrade my pot .. maybe ill try an AG anyways if i get my act together in time.
> ill be coming to the next meeting and will be also signing up my membership then



I will have a better idea in the next few days of how many extract brewers via a club email rsvp, still happy to provide extract to bulk up the rest of the volume. Do you use DME or LME? or probably we will be perverse and supply a certain kit that you will need to work with


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## brendanos (6/8/07)

One of these days I'll quit working monday nights.


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## ausdb (6/8/07)

All fellow West Coast Brewers members, please check you emails tonight and RSVP your interest in the Iron Brewer 2007 Comp so that we can finalize ingredients purchases.

On thing I forgot to mention is that the packaging and distribution of the ingredient kits will take place at the upcoming meeting on 7:30pm August 13th at the Rivervale community centre, cnr Francisco & Surrey in Rivervale

Cheers


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (6/8/07)

In the spirit of a fair and even comp, Asher should be nobbled to give the rest of us a chance.


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## chillamacgilla73 (6/8/07)

Vlad the Pale Aler said:


> In the spirit of a fair and even comp, Asher should be nobbled to give the rest of us a chance.


I have some debittered hops we can swap for Ashers ingredients


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## big d (6/8/07)

Two points.
1 :I think im still a member and i havent recieved an email yet.
2: As a FIFO member i cant always get to the meetings and next week i will be away again so if im eligible how do i get my mix to participate.

PS point 3 can i enter  

Cheers
Big D


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## ausdb (6/8/07)

big d said:


> Two points.
> 1 :I think im still a member and i havent recieved an email yet.
> 2: As a FIFO member i cant always get to the meetings and next week i will be away again so if im eligible how do i get my mix to participate.
> 
> ...



1a Send Asher a PM please BigD he is the treasurer and can look up when your membership was paid, but don't worry if it has expired as its 1/2 price for the remainder of this year at the moment. I'll just take credit for siging you up as a "new" member  
1b PM me your email address and I will send a copy of the message.
2 If you aren't there on the night then the kits will be available for pickup at the next meeting (Sept) or from my place at least (not too far a drive from Gryphon brewing)
3 Just get 1a&b sorted and no worries


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## raistlin_kell (7/8/07)

Hey Guys, I'd like to find out a little more about the West Coast Brewers club. Actually i'll be joining next year if, of course I'm welcome.  

Q1 - is the Iron Brewer 2007 a inhouse comp for mixing up the most sensational AG & Kit brews? 
Q2 - could i come along on the night to have a bit of a looksee as to what its all about? (will pay the 1/2 price to join for the remainder of the year if it'll get me thru the door)
Q3 - as a kit brewer (& someone who's wanting to make the transition into AG brewing) could i bring a keg along and get some opinions on my signature beer?

cheers :beer: 
RK


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## kook (7/8/07)

No email last night? :unsure:


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## Guest Lurker (7/8/07)

kook said:


> No email last night? :unsure:



Hi Kook
When you started playing around with lambics, we revoked your membership. Can't have you stuffing up everyones brewhouses!


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## kook (7/8/07)

I'll add a teabag to one bottle for you


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## ausdb (7/8/07)

Transparent Proxy said:


> Hey Guys, I'd like to find out a little more about the West Coast Brewers club. Actually i'll be joining next year if, of course I'm welcome.
> 
> Q1 - is the Iron Brewer 2007 a inhouse comp for mixing up the most sensational AG & Kit brews?
> Q2 - could i come along on the night to have a bit of a looksee as to what its all about? (will pay the 1/2 price to join for the remainder of the year if it'll get me thru the door)
> ...



Q1 Yes it's a comp for club members to challenge their creativity in recipe formulation and brewing skills by giving everyone the same ingredients and then letting them make the best beer they can from a level playing field. Not necessarily to see if AG is better than Kit just having two categories of ingredients available, the beer with the highest score will still be awarded the Iron Brewer trophy/s.

Q2 yes no problems, check out the cheap kegs thread about the current half price membership deal for the rest of the year.

Q3 More than welcome to bring beer to taste, it doesn't matter if its kit or AG if you brewed it then just bring it. Also don't forget your own personal tasting glass or you will be drinking from a plastic cup


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## ausdb (8/8/07)

Something to keep everyones brains ticking over, the following question has been asked of me.

*"One question - Will we know what the ingredients are?"*

[Evil Laugh Mode]
Now that would really be a challenge if you had to identify each of the ingredients wouldn't it? 
[/Evil Laugh Mode] h34r: h34r: 

You will have to turn up on the night to find out


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## raistlin_kell (8/8/07)

ausdb said:


> Q1 Yes it's a comp for club members to challenge their creativity in recipe formulation and brewing skills by giving everyone the same ingredients and then letting them make the best beer they can from a level playing field. Not necessarily to see if AG is better than Kit just having two categories of ingredients available, the beer with the highest score will still be awarded the Iron Brewer trophy/s.
> 
> Q2 yes no problems, check out the cheap kegs thread about the current half price membership deal for the rest of the year.
> 
> Q3 More than welcome to bring beer to taste, it doesn't matter if its kit or AG if you brewed it then just bring it. Also don't forget your own personal tasting glass or you will be drinking from a plastic cup



ausdb
after all the effort, i've just found out i can't make the meeting, however i'm keen to give the K&K a crack. I'm located in Currambine & work in Perth CBD. Please drop me an email to "*josh* AT *kernelpanic* DOT *kicks-ass* DOT *org*". I also check this forum daily now... its a wonderful place to be.


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## BigAl (8/8/07)

Ausdb, 

Ive just sent you an email, can you add me to the list.
Cheers.


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## mattwest (8/8/07)

Transparent,
I live up your way, so if you want me to pick up a K&K entry for you, send a PM.

Matt



BigAl said:


> Ausdb,
> 
> Ive just sent you an email, can you add me to the list.
> Cheers.


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## raistlin_kell (9/8/07)

WestOzBrew said:


> Transparent,
> I live up your way, so if you want me to pick up a K&K entry for you, send a PM.
> 
> Matt



Matt
have sent PM 2 u. Please collect me a K&K and i'll grab from you early next week and thanks heaps :beer: 

TP


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## ausdb (12/8/07)

Note to All

Be there or be square on Monday night to pick up your entry kit.

An executive decision was made that buckets are off the menu!! so you will a get a nice white sack full of goodies instead.

Also to those who wanted "Supersize" kits in the interests of fairness we will make sure that everyone who wants to enter gets a kit 1st then we will cater for the "Supersizes"


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## kook (12/8/07)

ausdb said:


> Also to those who wanted "Supersize" kits in the interests of fairness we will make sure that everyone who wants to enter gets a kit 1st then we will cater for the "Supersizes"



If we know the ingredients (and amounts), could we not just purchase the extra ingredients to up-size our batch?


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## Asher (14/8/07)

Now we have the Sacks of goodies. Can someone document the details here?
I missed most of it at the meeting h34r: 

Each kit contains:
Kirin - x kg
Hoepfner Rauch - x kg
Crystal - Colour? type? - x kg
Carafa Special III - x kg
Wheat Malt - x kg

Super Alpha - x %AA - x grams
Hallertau (Hersbrucker?) - x %AA - x grams
Goldings (Styrian?) - x %AA - x grams


Thanks
Asher

One question: Can we roast our own darker base malts if we like?


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## randyrob (14/8/07)

Hey Asher,

this is from memory last night and they are all approxamations as we mainly used cups to measure etc.

*Each kit contains:
Kirin - 5 kg
Hoepfner Rauch - 1 kg
Crystal - Colour 145 ebc type Bairds Medium - 1 kg
Carafa Special III - 250 g
Wheat Malt - 500 kg

Super Alpha - x 11% AA - x 150 grams
Hallertau (Hersbrucker?) - 7% AA - x 150 grams
Goldings (Styrian?) - 6.5 or 5% AA - x 70 grams*

One question: Can we roast our own darker base malts if we like?

yep. i asked if that was a possibility too!

EDIT: Ammended % AA


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## kook (14/8/07)

randyrob said:


> Wheat Malt - 500 kg



Nice and wheaty :lol:


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## Asher (14/8/07)

randyrob said:


> Super Alpha - x %AA - x 150 grams
> Hallertau (Hersbrucker?) - 11 %AA - x 150 grams
> Goldings (Styrian?) - x %AA - x 70 grams[/b]



Thanks Rob
11% AA Hallertau? More like 11%AA Super Alfa?
Anyone?


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## Guest Lurker (14/8/07)

Hold your horses there boys.

The competition disorganiser (AusDB) finished unloading the left over crap from his car at 11:30 pm last night,and he has to go away for work the next couple of days. By the end of the week, he will post here, and send an email out, with the final rules and a complete ingredient list.

But for those thinking about their recipes, I think that home roasting will be allowed, I think the super alphas were 11% and the NZ Hallertau were 7%. I also think that those hops are labelled the right way round, but feel free to sniff test and interpret accordingly!

Those that need to pick their goodie bag up from AusDB, send him a pm as you will need to get it this weekend if you want to get to it before the mice do, mouse poo is not an allowable ingedient in this comp.


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## randyrob (14/8/07)

Asher said:


> Thanks Rob
> 11% AA Hallertau? More like 11%AA Super Alfa?
> Anyone?



whoops sorry about that, i just recall glazing over at a box that had nz hops and 11% AA on it and assumed
it was the Hallertau.

pretty sure we didn't have a AA for the Goldings either.


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## Tony M (14/8/07)

The Super Alpha were 11%, the Hallertau were 7% and the Styrian Goldings were two different values. I'm a bit hazy here (like my beer) but I think one packet was marked 6.5% and the others 5%. Vlad & I did discuss it but by then we were very tired.


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## thunderleg (14/8/07)

Bag & Tag!

I think I got all of the AG packs. Did anyone get a shot of the extract packs?

Cheers

Ben


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## facter (14/8/07)

I very disappointingly was unable to make it last night after looking forward to it all month .. I was required to work back late on an article deadline for Drum ...


So pissed I missed out on this


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## Guest Lurker (14/8/07)

facter said:


> I very disappointingly was unable to make it last night after looking forward to it all month .. I was required to work back late on an article deadline for Drum ...
> So pissed I missed out on this



Your bag of goodies is one of the ones under attack from mice in a shed. Send AusDB a pm to pick up.


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## Kai (14/8/07)

randyrob said:


> whoops sorry about that, i just recall glazing over at a box that had nz hops and 11% AA on it and assumed
> it was the Hallertau.
> 
> pretty sure we didn't have a AA for the Goldings either.



4.8% on one lot, 6.7% on the other, both '06 harvest. No idea on the supers and the hal, I'm going to hedge my bets and blend the two taking an average for the alpha. Styrians will be for flavour / aroma.

h34r:


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## tangent (14/8/07)

i just caught this thread and may i say, "you guys rock!" :beer: :super: 
can't wait to hear about the resulting beers.


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## ausdb (15/8/07)

OK from the Disorganiser himself, Thanks to the wonders of modern technology I have free wifi where I am staying tonight.

*ALL GRAIN KIT
Each kit contains:
Kirin pale malt - 5 kg (search on 'Kirin' for specs)
Hoepfner Rauchmalz -~0.9-1.0 kg
Bairds Medium crystal (145 EBC) - 1.0 kg
Weyermann Carafa Special III (1200-1300EBC) - 0.25 kg
Wheat Malt - x 0.45 kg

NZ Super Alpha 06 - x 11%AA - ~110grams
NZ Hallertau 06 7%AA - ~110 grams
Styrian Goldings - 4.8%AA - ~60 grams (Gryphon Brewing, can you please confirm the AA rating???)
Yeast US05 - 1 packet

EXTRACT KIT
Pale DME - 3 kg
Bairds Medium crystal (145 EBC) - 0.25 kg

Inclusions for doing a Mini / Partial mash
Kirin pale malt - 1 kg
Hoepfner Rauchmalz -0.25 kg (could possibly be steeped?)
Weyermann Carafa Special III (1200-1300EBC) - 0.25kg (could be steeped for colour only)
Wheat Malt - x 0.45 kg

NZ Super Alpha 06 - x 11%AA - ~110grams
NZ Hallertau 06 7%AA - ~110 grams
Styrian Goldings - 4.8%AA - ~60 grams (Gryphon Brewing Can you please confirm this???)
Yeast US05 - 1 packet
*
*NOTE 1*
Due to a slight lack of supervision and a large amount of enthusiasm both packs of NZ Super Alpha and NZ Hallertau were taken out of their respective boxes before anybody realised that the hops were packed in plain silver bags and the variety and AA rating was only marked on the box that they had come from. At this stage both packs were sitting next to each other on the table so nobody was sure what was what. A few members did a bit of a rub and sniff and a few even braver souls even had a chew on a few pellets and a consensus was reached as to which hop was what.

*NOTE 2*
For those who wanted the "Supersize" option we made sure that everyone who wanted a standard sized kit got one before making up the "Supersized ones". Your supersized kits may not have as much rauchmalz or crystal as the standard ones but you do have extra hops and yeast, PS please bring a few $$ to the next meeting to chip in for the extra ingredients, we know who you are!

*Questions & Answers AKA THE RULES*


> One question: Can we roast our own darker base malts if we like?


 YES, feel free to do whatever you like with the malt, whether it is roasting, toasting, stewing or feeding to your pet and then collecting the droppings ala the famed "Big Shit Porter" of a few Christmas case swaps ago.

Question from last night: Can we make two beers from our ingredient kit?
Well you can if you want to but it's a lot of work and make sure you choose your *Best one to submit for judging as considering we have about 27 participants we will only accept one entry per brewer.*

Question from last night: Do we have to use all of the ingredients?
Again yes you can but you don't have to if a dark, crystally, smokey, megaIBU beer is not your thing . In the spirit of exercising your creativity there is no limit to HOW MUCH or HOW LITTLE of each ingredient that you use except with the following proviso: *EACH OF THE INGREDIENTS PROVIDED MUST BE DISCERNIBLE TO THE AVERAGE PALATE IN EITHER APPEARANCE, AROMA, TASTE AND PROVED WITH YOUR GRAVITY / IBU CALCULATIONS*

Question from last night: Can we use any other yeast?
*NO* and please no 'accidental' wild yeast infections

Question from last night: Can we use Sugar?
*ONLY* for bottle priming

Some questions I have just made up:
Do we have to submit our recipe with our beers?
YES see the Answer above about how much of the ingredients you have to use, with each entry you must submit a recipe detailing your OG, FG, batch size, calculated IBU's yada yada plus details of any extra things that you did. We can check if you have cheated h34r: plus we can also publish a recipe book for everyone after. Promash or Beersmith files gladly accepted.

How much Beer do we need to brew?
You will need to supply 4 x 750ml bottles for judging, your starting gravity is up to you. It would be nice if everyone had enough beer for an informal "People's Choice" judging / tasting session but that is to be decided still

Can you brew "Any" Beer?
YES "Any" beer as long as it fits into one of the many and varied BJCP categories

I will send out an an email at the end of the week to all club members, in the meantime if anyone has any more questions then please post them here and I will answer them in the thread.

A big thanks to our local brewshops, Gryphon, TWOC and Brewmart for their help in getting the ingredients together and also the others who helped out.


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## Online Brewing Supplies (15/8/07)

ausdb said:


> OK from the Disorganiser himself, Thanks to the wonders of modern technology I have free wifi where I am staying tonight.
> 
> *ALL GRAIN KIT
> Each kit contains:
> ...


Styrian Goldings pellets are 4.8% AA (Lab tested) as mentioned.Free WIFI luck Bast...d.Stuck in some 5 star resort I bet.
Gryphon brewing


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## randyrob (15/8/07)




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## Guest Lurker (15/8/07)

ausdb said:


> *NOTE 1*
> Due to a slight lack of supervision and a large amount of enthusiasm both packs of NZ Super Alpha and NZ Hallertau were taken out of their respective boxes before anybody realised that the hops were packed in plain silver bags and the variety and AA rating was only marked on the box that they had come from. At this stage both packs were sitting next to each other on the table so nobody was sure what was what. A few members did a bit of a rub and sniff and a few even braver souls even had a chew on a few pellets and a consensus was reached as to which hop was what.
> 
> While we might have been a bit random I can confirm that once we made a decision about which hop was which, we were then consistent with EVERY pack, and so if it is wrong, it is wrong for everyone.
> ...



PS Nice pics RandyRob


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## Tony M (15/8/07)

Mine's done. Just gotta get it outa the fermenter in ten days.


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## ausdb (18/8/07)

Quick Roll call here, it would appear that one of the extract kits went AWOL.

So can everyone who attended the meeting last Monday night please send me an email or pm with your real name and how many kits you picked up (if you took one for someone else) and whether they were extract or AG.

This is what I remember
I took 4 x AG kits for Myself, Goat, Big D and Facter and 1 x extract for Randall.
I think Thunderlegs took 4 x AG kits, 2 for himself and the club pres. and his brother in law.
Pretty sure Kai grabbed 1 x Extract
Asher took 2 AG for himself and few for BigAl's mother of all brew systems


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## Kai (21/8/07)

Mine is blooping away merrily as I write this. My MacGyvered minimash system wasn't quite up to the task but I got there in the end


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## brendanos (21/8/07)

Kai said:


> Mine is blooping away merrily as I write this. My MacGyvered minimash system wasn't quite up to the task but I got there in the end



If only MacGyver wasn't straight edge, I bet he'd be the best homebrewer the world had ever seen.


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## tangent (21/8/07)

ever since the richard dean anderson episode of the simpsons, i feel sorry for that guy..... and Kai for his playing with real toys yet brewing with lego at home


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## Tony M (21/8/07)

ausdb said:


> Question from last night: Do we have to use all of the ingredients?
> Again yes you can but you don't have to if a dark, crystally, smokey, megaIBU beer is not your thing . In the spirit of exercising your creativity there is no limit to HOW MUCH or HOW LITTLE of each ingredient that you use except with the following proviso: *EACH OF THE INGREDIENTS PROVIDED MUST BE DISCERNIBLE TO THE AVERAGE PALATE IN EITHER APPEARANCE, AROMA, TASTE AND PROVED WITH YOUR GRAVITY / IBU CALCULATIONS*
> 
> As long as we dont have to get past Tony Ms taste threshold on the smoke malt.


To me, my beer tastes like Essence of Kippered Herring, so you guys will probably gag!


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## Guest Lurker (21/8/07)

Tony M said:


> To me, my beer tastes like Essence of Kippered Herring, so you guys will probably gag!



I was going for a slight flinty smoky aftertaste, but am worried that mine is undetectable, even to a non smoker like me, and may have to do a smoked minimash to add back.

Maybe we should just combine our brews and do a joint entry?


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## Asher (21/8/07)

When is this being judged again?


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## randyrob (21/8/07)

Asher said:


> When is this being judged again?




WCB December Meet i believe. plenty of time for maturing!


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## Goat (21/8/07)

phew ! 

I was wondering about that....


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## randyrob (21/8/07)

Guest Lurker said:


> I was going for a slight flinty smoky aftertaste, but am worried that mine is undetectable, even to a non smoker like me, and may have to do a smoked minimash to add back.
> 
> Maybe we should just combine our brews and do a joint entry?



any hints how much you used gl? i thought that 200g would be a good starting point in a standard batch for a whiff of smoke and around 500g in a darker beer?

Rob.


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## Asher (21/8/07)

10 to 15% of fresh Rauch in the grain bill will give you some hearty smoked flavours.
I've had good success using around 10% in smoked dark lagers.

Ever tried home smoking smoked malt?


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## Goat (21/8/07)

Has anyone used the US05 yeast at low temp ? 

Fermentis say it should be between 15 and 24 and I'm thinking/hoping that with a big starter, I might be able to squeeze 1 or 2 degrees lower. God knows what would happen to the flavour though...

I'm thinking of trying it for a Marzen (non smoked !) or is this contrary to Comp Rules (being an ale yeast) ?


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## brendanos (21/8/07)

Asher said:


> Ever tried home smoking smoked malt?



Yeah but the buzz wore off pretty quick, and all I was left with was a nasty headache and a german accent.


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## ausdb (21/8/07)

Asher said:


> When is this being judged again?


December WCB Meeting, but it would be nice to have some sort of informal tasting session where we can just taste everyones beers in a "peoples choice" type environment.
Anyone got any suggestions?



Asher said:


> 10 to 15% of fresh Rauch in the grain bill will give you some hearty smoked flavours.


Ahemm, maybe this stuff is not so fresh but judging by Tony M's comments it may still have some bang left it :huh: 



Goat said:


> Has anyone used the US05 yeast at low temp ?
> I'm thinking of trying it for a Marzen (non smoked !) or is this contrary to Comp Rules (being an ale yeast) ?


On the contrary that's well within the spirit of the comp, and US05 was chosen for it's ability to do a bit of everything. I have heard that its stablemate WLP001 makes a great Koelsch as well.

Remember it's Iron brewer and up to you to do your best with the ingredients provided


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## Kai (24/8/07)

I used all of the rauch, turned out to be 400g worth. No essence of kippered herring or dissolved pig's trotter on my ferment sample, but there is a nice smoky tinge. 6.6% ABV so far and still a ways to go :chug:


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## Kai (31/8/07)

Or maybe not, mine thinks it might be finished despite all my attempts to do a dry minimash. Would have loved some jaggery in the ingredients to counter the DME.

How are everyone else's iron brews coming along?


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## chillamacgilla73 (31/8/07)

Mine is still in the sack n freezer and the recipe has been nutted out on Beersmith....just waiting for a lager to drop the last few points so a fermenter is available.


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## Asher (31/8/07)

Big day at the Juncthouse on Sunday. Planning a split batch and to enter 1 or the other... or a blend into the comp. 
So got some roasting to do on Saturday + need to set up a mini mash tunn & kettle as I want to short boil some of the ingredients...

Asher


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## Guest Lurker (31/8/07)

ausdb said:


> Question from last night: Do we have to use all of the ingredients?
> Again yes you can but you don't have to if a dark, crystally, smokey, megaIBU beer is not your thing . [/b]




Hows mine going? Well I hope there is an extra prize for using the maximum amount of ingredients. Because pretty much all I have left is some Carafa III, and to be honest, it pretty much tastes like AusDB predicted. I'll stick it in bottles this weekend and hope for the best.


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## Goat (31/8/07)

Mine's bubbling away - a little too quickly for a 'lager', but its at 14deg and doing fine.

I only used the base and one other of the grains, and only one of the hops. 

In the interests of probity, should we nominate recipes and styles BEFORE the resultant beer is tasted/exhibited?

Otherwise, my attempt at a Maerzen may be renamed an Ordinary (very) Bitter

(edit: typo)


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## mattwest (1/9/07)

Goat said:


> Mine's bubbling away - a little too quickly for a 'lager', but its at 14deg and doing fine.
> 
> I only used the base and one other of the grains, and only one of the hops.
> 
> ...



Rule check - don't we have to use all of the ingredients?


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (1/9/07)

Yes Westoz, but theres one born every minute.


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## mattwest (1/9/07)

Vlad the Pale Aler said:


> Yes Westoz, but theres one born every minute.
> 
> 
> Damn - I put the entire quantity of every ingredient in and have this mega black smoky sludge frothing out the airlock!


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## ausdb (1/9/07)

WestOzBrew said:


> Rule check - don't we have to use all of the ingredients?



You have to use EACH ingredient but you DO NOT have to USE ALL of them, I thought I made that clear :blink: 

I think a stewards meeting may be called and red card awarded to that old Goat, unless he does a quick minimash to sort things out. WestOZBrew maybe yours and GL's will be similar!!!


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## Goat (2/9/07)

Ummm, OK....

I took; "Q: Do we have to use all of the ingredients? A:Again yes you can but you don't have to if a dark, crystally, smokey, megaIBU beer is not your thing" to mean that you don't have to use it if you don't want to !

Oops - I'm feeling a little blonde (lucky me!)

Oh Well, I'll just have to drink it instead. Maybe I'll 'dry malt' the comp bottles - I'm not putting smoked malt into 20L of otherwise perfectly fine beer !


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## ausdb (2/9/07)

Goat said:


> Ummm, OK....
> 
> I took; "Q: Do we have to use all of the ingredients? A:Again yes you can but you don't have to if a dark, crystally, smokey, megaIBU beer is not your thing" to mean that you don't have to use it if you don't want to !
> 
> Oops - I'm feeling a little blonde (lucky me!)



No drama's Goat if you took your info from GLs post then there was a bit of selective quoting going on, the whole answer to the question was: 

Again yes you can but you don't have to if a dark, crystally, smokey, megaIBU beer is not your thing  . In the spirit of exercising your creativity there is no limit to *HOW MUCH* or *HOW LITTLE *of each ingredient that you use except with the following proviso: *EACH OF THE INGREDIENTS PROVIDED MUST BE DISCERNIBLE TO THE AVERAGE PALATE IN EITHER APPEARANCE, AROMA, TASTE AND PROVED WITH YOUR GRAVITY / IBU CALCULATIONS*

I thought the bit at the end cleared it up :blink:


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## Guest Lurker (2/9/07)

Goat said:


> Oh Well, I'll just have to drink it instead. Maybe I'll 'dry malt' the comp bottles - I'm not putting smoked malt into 20L of otherwise perfectly fine beer !



Goat
There is no reason you couldnt get away with not using all the ingredients. Once the judges taste my 10% smoke malt 10% crystal, 1700 IBU beer, there is no way they will be able to tell if you used 0% or 1% smoke malt. So submit it anyway and see how it goes, and we will pretend we didnt see your posts above.


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## Goat (2/9/07)

Oops.

Ausdb - there's nothing selective about it. I just took it on face value - as I read it. I'm not trying to be a smart arse with the rules. I just read those posts and thought that I understood the arrangements.

Of course I read the next part of the post and in the context of whole post understood it to mean that *IF* you chose to include an ingredient it had to be discernable - which seemed pretty abvious.

Oh well, I'll put it in the comp anyway - it doesn't worry me if its disqualified, at least it forced me to actually do a brew.


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## ausdb (2/9/07)

Goat said:


> Oops.
> 
> Ausdb - there's nothing selective about it. I just took it on face value - as I read it. I'm not trying to be a smart arse with the rules. I just read those posts and thought that I understood the arrangements.
> 
> ...


It's all good fun not trying to have go at you


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## mattwest (2/9/07)

ausdb said:


> It's all good fun not trying to have go at you



Goat - just blend a small amount of mine in and you will be fully qualified.


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## barfridge (3/9/07)

I've been delaying my brew because I'm a lazy bastard I want to ensure maximum freshness from my brew.


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## Asher (3/9/07)

Goat said:


> Oops.



Just mini-mash a couple of grams of the missing ingredients in a thimble.

...Or do a mini BIAB in one of GL's old tea bags...


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## Goat (3/9/07)

No worries Asudb. Sorry - my post there sounded a bit more 'front foot' than I was really intending. 

The full horror of my misinterpretation is only now becoming apparent though! I don't care about my stuff-up, its the 26 odd entries (except GL's and mine) *ALL* with a "discernible" taste of Smoked Malt... Bloody hell, I think I'll be doing my nails that night !!

I'm heavily into development of a 'Dry-mash' and will be trialling it on the requisite number of bottles for the entry to meet the criteria. Not even sure if I will boil it - just do it fresh on the day before the meet.


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## Kai (4/9/07)

barfridge said:


> I've been delaying my brew because I'm a lazy bastard I want to ensure maximum freshness from my brew.



Does that mean you'll be entering the "fresh wort kit" category?


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## barfridge (4/9/07)

Don't give me ideas!

I'm just having a slow start to my year brew wise, I'm right on the verge of doing my first. You can't hurry these things.


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## ausdb (5/9/07)

barfridge said:


> Don't give me ideas!
> 
> I'm just having a slow start to my year brew wise, I'm right on the verge of doing my first. You can't hurry these things.


I'm with your Barfridge, it's bot being judged till December. That means there is plenty of time to knock out a "Smoked Mild" between the November and December meeting!!!!!


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## Kai (1/10/07)

Well, mine's bottled. Primed low to suit a high FG and extended conditioning time, and remembered to include several longnecks.

I'm liking it. Looking forward to tasting a few others over the next couple WCB meets.


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## barfridge (1/10/07)

Well mine is done, it's a bit shit, but at least it's not something I bought from a shop.

Did anyone else have clarity issues? I think I should have done a protein rest, it's a bit murky. I don't think it's the yeast, there was a tightly packed cake at the bottom of the fermenter.


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## Kai (1/10/07)

Mine was clear as a bell, but it's only an extract entry.


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## randyrob (29/10/07)

Surely a few other of you guys have brewed their IB'07, are we still in agreance that the hops were labelled correctly?

i plan on using up my 'leftover' hops just don't wanna put super alpha in say a hefeweizen and blow 5 hours brewing.

Rob.


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## ausdb (30/10/07)

Well mines not brewed yet I like my beer fresh
I believe there is still some conjecture as to what hops were what!


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## Kai (30/10/07)

I took the easy way out; blended the bittering addition and averaged the alpha.


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## Guest Lurker (30/10/07)

I used the styrians for bittering and added all the rest at the end, so still hard to say. But I made another lager using some left over super alpha I stole out of AusDBs fridge while he was out, used it as a bittering addition, and it tastes like the IBUs have come out right, so I reckon they are the right way round.

Edit: I should point out that adding 300 g of hallertau/super alpha at the end of the boil gave me bugger all flavour and aroma, so dont expect too much from them in your hefe.


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## big d (30/10/07)

My ironbrew has finished fermentation and will be racked for ccing tomorrow.Should wander over to the shed and have a sneaky taste test to see whats doing.
Should be some interesting brews ahead of us on judgement day.

Cheers
Big D


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## Online Brewing Supplies (30/10/07)

Hi All
The Styrian Golgings was defintly 4.8% AA.I cant comment on the others.By the comments it sounds like some of the hops may have been mixed up on the night.Good luck any way.
Cheers GB


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## Asher (31/10/07)

randyrob said:


> Surely a few other of you guys have brewed their IB'07, are we still in agreance that the hops were labelled correctly?
> 
> i plan on using up my 'leftover' hops just don't wanna put super alpha in say a hefeweizen and blow 5 hours brewing.
> 
> Rob.



Well I'm going to stick my neck out.... Just tasted a Munich Helles made with a single addition of IronBrewer Hallertau at 60 mins... Its definately not 22 IBU's as expected. Nothing noble about this beer.... its imperial megaswill. Recon its more like 40+ IBU's 

IMH - Imperial Munich Helles Anyone :lol:


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## Guest Lurker (31/10/07)

Its a poor workman who blames his tools. Just learn to brew better beer Asher. Pop round one day and I wll give you a few hints. Although most of them involve tea bags.


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## big d (31/10/07)

Ouch


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## Asher (1/11/07)

Guest Lurker said:


> Its a poor workman who blames his tools. Just learn to brew better beer Asher. Pop round one day and I wll give you a few hints. Although most of them involve tea bags.



Maybe it is an 'Alpha Acidobacter' infection !


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (1/11/07)

Guest Lurker said:


> Its a poor workman who blames his tools. Just learn to brew better beer Asher. Pop round one day and I wll give you a few hints. Although most of them involve tea bags.


]

Or tea bagging h34r:


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## JSB (1/11/07)




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## fraser_john (1/11/07)

JSB said:


> View attachment 15738



Wrong.....in so many ways :lol:


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## Tony M (1/11/07)

Just had a sip of mine out of the jerrycan and the kippered herrings have swum away. I can detect no trace of rauch at all. Mind you, this Czech pipe tobacco is very strong!


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## mikem108 (1/11/07)

View attachment NTT2001_7.wav
Play this whilst brewing


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## Tony M (1/11/07)

Asher said:


> Well I'm going to stick my neck out.... Just tasted a Munich Helles made with a single addition of IronBrewer Hallertau at 60 mins... Its definately not 22 IBU's as expected. Nothing noble about this beer.... its imperial megaswill. Recon its more like 40+ IBU's


Maybe someone got sick of you taking off all the prizemoney so they put super alpha in your hallertau packet


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (1/11/07)

Quiet Tony, you and me were dishing out the hops.


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## Tony M (3/11/07)

Vlad the Pale Aler said:


> In the spirit of a fair and even comp, Asher should be nobbled to give the rest of us a chance.


So Vlad, it was you!!!


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## randyrob (5/11/07)

it was the newbie table that was sealing and labelling them, i think you're in the clear Tony & Ian.


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## Kai (13/11/07)

Hi brewers,

I'll be unlikely to make the December meet, can I drop off my entries to somewhere or someone?

Also, a question for the competition organisers; can I submit three longnecks and a couple of stubbies instead of four longies? I bottled plenty, but got a little stringent on quality control; just noticed I only have three king browns left plus a handful of 330's.


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## randyrob (2/12/07)

Kai said:


> Hi brewers,
> 
> I'll be unlikely to make the December meet, can I drop off my entries to somewhere or someone?
> 
> Also, a question for the competition organisers; can I submit three longnecks and a couple of stubbies instead of four longies? I bottled plenty, but got a little stringent on quality control; just noticed I only have three king browns left plus a handful of 330's.




Hey Kai,

no probs i'll grab em off you and if they make it to the next meet i'll make sure they get judged for ya  

rob.


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## Kai (2/12/07)

Awesome, thanks rob. I'll send you a PM later today and we can work out the details.


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## ausdb (9/12/07)

Just a quick reminder to everyone Tomorrow nights meeting is the Iron Brewer Comp so make sure you bring your entry and also a quick note of your recipe so the judges can check and see if you have cheated!

Originally I asked for 4 bottles, if you don't feel like having your beer sent off to a couple of secret guest judges then 2 bottles will be fine. 

If everyone has brewed then there will be a lot of people there and a lot of beers to judge so please make an effort to arrive by 7:30PM SHARP so we can all get home at a reasonable hour.

Cheers and thanks for your participation.


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## big d (9/12/07)

Unfortunately i will not be able to get to the much anticipated December meet due to having to do an airport pickup however am very willing to drop them off to someone so as they get to the meet for judging.
Can anyone help me out.

Cheers
Big D


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## ausdb (9/12/07)

big d said:


> Unfortunately i will not be able to get to the much anticipated December meet due to having to do an airport pickup however am very willing to drop them off to someone so as they get to the meet for judging.
> Can anyone help me out.
> 
> Cheers
> Big D


D
You can drop them by my place and put them in the fridge in the carport if you want, see your pm's for an address


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## big d (9/12/07)

Thanks Darryn.Read and replied to pm before this post so i know now where to hide the beers.

Cheers
Big D


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## sinkas (10/12/07)

Perth does have taxi fleets...


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## big d (10/12/07)

Jeez im not that rich Sinkas.Anyway would be a bit rude to expect the folks to taxi to my place from the airport.

Cheers
Big D


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## dig (15/1/08)

Ahem,

So who won?


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## randyrob (15/1/08)

UPDATE: i think i was a little off with my original post 

CLUB JUDGING SHEET:

Matt Ironside WON on club judging

GUEST JUDGING SHEET:

Vlad the Weekend Warrior WON on Guest Judging

PEOPLES CHOICE:

it was a draw 7 votes to 7 votes, vlad the weekend warrior vs matt ironside

darren had the final taste off and ian came out on top.

congratulations IAN you are the supreme "IRON BREWER"




the full speadsheet will be available soonish to either confirm or deny i'm wrong so watch this spot....


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## ausdb (15/1/08)

Yes folks results are in and the judges decision is final, 

The club members judged the beers on the night according to the "loose" BJCP styles they were entered under all with an underlying "smoked tinge". There were a few entries which raised the eyes of the stewards with unorthodox brewing techniques such as "Dry Malting" and "nano micro" batch sizes to brew a style primarily based on an ingredient which was only supplied in a small quantity. We also saw hopping regimes that ranged from throw it all in at the beginning of boil and hope it settles down by judging, to throw it all in at end of boil and see what aroma we get from Super Alpha to the restrained "can I get away with one pellet of Super Alpha and NZ Hallertauer so I can use all the Styrians". Overall everyone embraced theme and that was to do the best they could with the ingredients provided and for the amount of ingredient kits handed out 4 months previously we managed to get over 80% back as submitted entries, fantastic job guys.

Our guest judge was asked to judge the beers not so much as to specific style guidelines but to judge each on its merit and who best interpreted the Ironbrewer theme. His comments sum things up pretty well:
"There were some very good beers in there. I saw a lot of very good brewing talent and some very good judgment and restraint. The worst were drinkable and the best, sublime" 

So without further ado I present the results. Overall the West Coast Iron Brewer for 2007 by people choice was our agent provocateur now weekend warrior Vlad the Pale Aler who it would appear does happen to know a thing or two about beer :blink:

View attachment WCB_Iron_brewer_07_results.pdf


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## Kai (15/1/08)

Vlad, know something about beer? naaah. 

Good to see the results, in particular the range of beer styles entered. I had a bet with myself that there would be a lot of porters, and I reckon I won it.


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (15/1/08)

B)


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## barfridge (16/1/08)

I missed out on the coveted wooden spoon! I was ripped off, I demand a recount


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## Tony M (16/1/08)

randyrob said:


> Vlad the Weekend Warrior WON on Guest Judging



That would be Vlad the Inveigler then!


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## Goat (16/1/08)

Yes Tony he has a way with words !

Congrats to Tony and Vlad and well done to AusDB - a hell of a lot of work went into prepping and running this comp and it was very successful.










(just don't mention Rauch Malt  )


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## big d (19/1/08)

barfridge said:


> I missed out on the coveted wooden spoon! I was ripped off, I demand a recount


Going by the results Barf it looks like in my first Westcoast Brewers comp i can lay claim to the "Coveted Wooden Spoon"award going by the results.
So when can i pick it up guys .  

Cheers
Big D


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## mattwest (10/2/08)

All hale King Vlad! Sorry I couldn't pass on congrats earlier, but I have just got online in the UK. What a great comp! Thanks to all involved for setting up. 

WestOz


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## ausdb (10/2/08)

WestOzBrew said:


> All hale King Vlad! Sorry I couldn't pass on congrats earlier, but I have just got online in the UK. What a great comp! Thanks to all involved for setting up.
> 
> WestOz


You didn't do too shabby yourself there Matt especially as a newcomer, actually I remember a few years back Vlad came along to his 1st WCB meeting / compeititon and cleaned us all up with a belgian pale ale.


----------

