# Brigalow - Quality Of Ingredients



## Golani51 (26/9/10)

Hi:

I know Brigalow is not known for the high quality, but judging by some of the sales around now as supermarkets get rid of all their homebrew stuff, I wascurious as to how good some of the stuff is. 

How good is the finings? Is there really much difference with the other stuff available in homebrew stores?
Is there anything that they really do well?

Regards,

Reuven


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## manticle (26/9/10)

Finings are fine (ha ha ha) but you will get better value from a pack of edible gelatin from the supermarket. Their dried malt extract is fine and their bottle tops are fine also. They make OK airlocks (if you like that kind of thing) and a packet of dextrose from them is similar to a packet of dextrose from someone else.


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## Golani51 (26/9/10)

Hoy Manticle:

I went to KMART Southland and grabbed some goodies going cheap. $2 airlocks, $1 packet grommets, 50 cent packet plastic lids (all 15 packs!), cheap pop tops, and a $39 SuperAutomatica bench capper. Coles has been cleared out around Australia as I have found out but not KMart. Heading to chadstone soon to see what else is around. Can never have too many lids!!

Is the edible gelatine animal or plant based? Is there a plant- based one you can recommend? The brigalow one is only 50 cents a sachet. Is there some kind of finings made from plastic 'dust' or something along those lines? 

Thanks mate. Hopefully we will manage to catch up this week .

R





manticle said:


> Finings are fine (ha ha ha) but you will get better value from a pack of edible gelatin from the supermarket. Their dried malt extract is fine and their bottle tops are fine also. They make OK airlocks (if you like that kind of thing) and a packet of dextrose from them is similar to a packet of dextrose from someone else.


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## DU99 (26/9/10)

brigalow,is morgan's company..there ginger beer kit is ok


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## manticle (26/9/10)

Golani51 said:


> Hoy Manticle:
> 
> I went to KMART Southland and grabbed some goodies going cheap. $2 airlocks, $1 packet grommets, 50 cent packet plastic lids (all 15 packs!), cheap pop tops, and a $39 SuperAutomatica bench capper. Coles has been cleared out around Australia as I have found out but not KMart. Heading to chadstone soon to see what else is around. Can never have too many lids!!
> 
> ...



There are some vegetarian/non animal based finings available but I've not used them so I can't vouch for their efficacy. Bentonite is one (clay based). Otherwise extended cold conditioning will allow you to make a vegetarian friendly beer. The plastic stuff is polyclar and is designed to hit haze creating proteins. Gelatin finings target yeast.

50 cents a sachet is low but 1 sachet only does one brew. A pack of gelatin will do many, many more and will cost less than $5. Much more economical.

Catch up following week if we can. I have a gig next Saturday so each night I'm rehearsing. Road is a little clearer after that.


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## Wolfy (26/9/10)

Golani51 said:


> Is the edible gelatine animal or plant based? Is there a plant- based one you can recommend?


Agar-agar can also be used as finnings, it's virtually the same stuff (but from a different part of the world) as Irish Moss (and similar products), it's essentially sea-weed so it's vegetarian.


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## Golani51 (26/9/10)

Thanks guys.

I think Agar comes from seaweed (?). How much would be required for the standard 23L batch?

I just did the Chaddie run and although they had grommets, airlock and some caps ($2- I got a couple more!), the kits were more or less standard price, and nothing else seemed any different. Great clearance sale while it lasted.

R





Wolfy said:


> Agar-agar can also be used as finnings, it's virtually the same stuff (but from a different part of the world) as Irish Moss (and similar products), it's essentially sea-weed so it's vegetarian.


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## DU99 (26/9/10)

i got some my kmart..bottle filler/tap..yeast..bottle brush


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## fasty73 (26/9/10)

I have found that Brigalow New is great!! I have 4 in the fermenter now with all different ingredients, like BE1 and BE2 and just brew sugar and one with dextrose. I will find out which one is best and keep brewing that. I have a book that I write all my recipes and SG reading, when fermented and when bottled.


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## J Grimmer (5/10/10)

I have only tried the apple cider and was not happy with the results and tought then t would only be good to to get charged and much else, no real apple flavour but having said that i used the kit and water and suger. 
Batch #1 = 6.8% 
Batch #2 = 11.5%. 

I should mention i bought it as a reduced to clear iten from an old franklins store for $2 a can. I guess you get what you pay for.



DU99 said:


> brigalow,is morgan's company..there ginger beer kit is ok


 
I was hoping the people at morgans would have a little more QC though.

J


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## REDSTRIPEMAGIC (26/1/11)

i made their cider 3 times the first one turned out great as well as my third one. my second one i stuffed it up because i used BE2 which was too strong for cider and it made it taste like a vinager tast. simple sugar for lighted colourd beer is better like BE1


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## Airgead (26/1/11)

RED STRIPE MAGIC said:


> i made their cider 3 times the first one turned out great as well as my third one. my second one i stuffed it up because i used BE2 which was too strong for cider and it made it taste like a vinager tast. simple sugar for lighted colourd beer is better like BE1



Vinegar isn't from BE2... its probably an acetobacter infection. 

BE2 would give you a malty tasting cider which may or may not be what you were after. If you are going the kits&bits route, just straight dex would be fine rather than the brew enhancer mixes.

If you want a better kit, more like the fresh wort kits for beer, try the austro vino cider from ibrew (www.ibrew.com.au). I made that one heaps of times before I went to fresh juice.

Cheers
Dave


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## REDSTRIPEMAGIC (12/2/11)

Airgead said:


> Vinegar isn't from BE2... its probably an acetobacter infection.
> 
> BE2 would give you a malty tasting cider which may or may not be what you were after. If you are going the kits&bits route, just straight dex would be fine rather than the brew enhancer mixes.
> 
> ...



well

na mate it wasn't an infection. i may have said it a bit wrongly. it was just such a stong taste because i used the BE2 wich was the wrong thing to use. when it comes to cider just keep the sugar simpal. simpal is better.


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## beerbog (12/2/11)

Brigalow = Shit. :beerbang:


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## j1gsaw (12/2/11)

Brigalow = nard in a glass...


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