# New To The Homebrew Scene



## ODDBALL (15/4/05)

Today I walked into my local BigW and purchased myself a coopers microbrew kit http://www.coopers.com.au/hbrew-micro.asp as a total novice to homebrew what advice would you seasoned veterans give me? I am competent enough with the drinking bit but I am looking for advice on what happens between opening the box and consumption.
:super:


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## joecast (15/4/05)

welcome to the site. you'll find more information and advice here than anyone could possibly use!! not to mention the opinions and jokes 

to start off with, ill say just have fun. as far as the brewing goes, cleanliness and temperature control are two things you can have a big impact on right from the start. 

your ingredients are very important too. check out a homebrew shop in your area. they are more likely to store the kits/grains/hops/yeasts in the proper conditions. id say more, but its getting late. 
joe


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## Shed (15/4/05)

Welcome Oddball,

I think it's important to keep things fairly simple for your first brew.
Follow the instructions for the kit, don't worry about it too much, rely on the hydrometer readings and don't worry about if it's 'bubbling' or not.
Keep the temperature as close to 20 deg as you can.
Sample the results, then read www.howtobrew.com to improve the quality.


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## ozbrewer (16/4/05)

GDay Oddball, 

As everyone has said, keep it simple, follow the instructions on the tin, this will work and youll make beer.

my best advice for you would be, where it says add 1kg of sugar, replace that with a booster kit, Big W sells these, and they are not to expensive. you will get a much better first beer without all the normal biginner problems of no hear on the beer, little flavor and all that.

whar area are you in, find a Home brew club, or even find out if anyone else in near you brews,

A lot af people say be paitant, bugger that, try the beer as its fermenting,as your botteling, and then every week after its been in the bottle, this is a good way to get a feel of how the process works. Im sure like just about all of us you will do that anyway, and im sure that you will think your first beer tastes pretty average. But do yourself a favor and put 6 or 12 beers away someware nice and cool for a few month, then try them, you will be verry surprised'

and above all, ask lots of questions, the net is a wonderfull thing, and there are many well seasoned brewers around, always keed to help.


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## vlbaby (16/4/05)

gday oddball,
I agree with shed. Just follow the instructions on the box (or the video if you got one) for your first brew and try to leave the beer in the bottles for at least 2 weeks or more if you can wait.
Just remember not to go soft on cleaning and sanitation. 
My first brew was a coopers kit also that i got for a birthday gift. I found the first brew i did was great, but as i did subsequent brews i got lazy with the cleaning and i found the beer got worse and worse. Now i know a lot better and since going all grain , i have never looked back.

good luck with your first beer, let us know how it goes.

vlbaby.


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## Gulf Brewery (16/4/05)

ozbrewer said:


> A lot af people say be paitant, bugger that, try the beer as its fermenting,as your botteling, and then every week after its been in the bottle, this is a good way to get a feel of how the process works. [post="54738"][/post]​



Oddball
One thing that will help you in the long run, is to taste the beer like ozbrewer says, but also write down what it tastes like. That way there isn't that problem of what each batch tastes like in 6 weeks or so when you try to reproduce it again. 

Not sure what sanitiser you got with the kit, if any. If it is Sodium Metabisphite, toss it as it doesn't kill enough bugs and get the Neopinnk sanitiser from BigW.

When you make your first batch, make sure that all of the ingredients are well and truly mixed, then take a hydrometer reading. If you have questions about how well your fermentation is going, most people will ask what is they hydrometer reading (SG) when you started and what it is now.

Cheers
Pedro


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## Wreck (16/4/05)

As Shed said, keep it around 20C. The instructions will tell you to brew up to 27C (from memory) - Forget that.

Also, stir the shit out of your wort to aerate.


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## kitkat (16/4/05)

check out a previous thread:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/Advi...t_Up-t4770.html


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## vlbaby (16/4/05)

i dont want to confuse anyone, but the yeast in those kits does not like 20 deg C very much. I tried it once and fermentation completely stops or becomes awfully slow. I've found you need around 22-24 deg C to work properly.

my 2 cents

vlbaby.


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## ODDBALL (16/4/05)

Geez guys, thanks for all the replies, I logged on today expecting maybe one non descript reply but you guys are spot on.

Ok, this morning I started my brew, I followed the instructions on the tin to the letter and now 8 hours later it is bubbling away happliy at 28C I know this is outside the 21-27 that the instructions state but what can I do? It is a hot day!

I will keep you up to date on any developments as they happen and ask for advice when needed. :beer:


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## Gulf Brewery (16/4/05)

Oddball

This may cause some issues in some households, but you can always fill the bath with water and place the fermenter in that to drop its temperature.

Cheers
Pedro


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## Aaron (16/4/05)

ODDBALL said:


> it is bubbling away happliy at 28C I know this is outside the 21-27 that the instructions state but what can I do? It is a hot day!
> [post="54789"][/post]​



Try and get that temperature down if you can. Before I got my brewing fridge I would put ice in a couple of shopping or freezer bags and tie them together so they would hang down either side of the fermenter.

It is a low tech solution but costs nothing and is reasonable effective. It will make a difference if you get the temp down.


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## ODDBALL (16/4/05)

Hi, is it Ok to move the fermenter once the process has begun? When I started this morning I was worried about the temprature being too low so I placed it on top of the hot water heater under the house. Maybe I should move it to get the temprature down to mid 20's?


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## jgriffin (16/4/05)

Ignore all the advice on the tins that say to keep it warm, cold is good (well not too cold, as close as you can get to 20C is good)
Yes you can move it, but don't splash it around after it has fermented for a day or so.


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## ODDBALL (17/4/05)

Ok I moved the wort to a cooler area under the house and the temprature came down overnight to about 21C and then rose steadily as it got hotter until it reached 26C by midday, it is still at that temp now at 8:30 PM. Is the variant in temprature something to worry about during fermentation? The way it is now it is going to drop by around 5 0r 6C at night and get warmer during the day!!!! Sorry if this is a newbie question but I am just a guy trying to make a descent homebrew.

Thanks again for your time guys.


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## barfridge (17/4/05)

big variances like that arent the best for the beer.

Go to your local cheapo shop, and buy a large platic tub (60+ litres). Plonk the fermenter in this, fill with water, and cover with a towel if desired. THis gives a much larger thermal mass, to the fluctuations wont be as large.


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## pint of lager (17/4/05)

Barfridge is right, large temp variations are not good for your beer, but more importantly, you must get that fermentation temp down. 

As barfridge said, get a tub, stand the fermenter in it (mind that tap doesn't get knocked) put a bit of water in the tub, cover the lot with a wet towel, which will wick water up from the tub, this will cool things down. Also, you can point a fan at the wet towel, use some ice in the tub and or put some ice on the top of the fermenter.


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## Aaron (17/4/05)

ODDBALL said:


> The way it is now it is going to drop by around 5 0r 6C at night and get warmer during the day!!!! Sorry if this is a newbie question but I am just a guy trying to make a descent homebrew.
> 
> Thanks again for your time guys.
> [post="54926"][/post]​



Idealy you want to keep the temp as stable as possible. But don't worry too much on your first. Try and find a spot like your laundry where it stays fairly cool.

I started with the same kit as you and made my first brew in the same way, waay too warm and it turned out OK. Don't expect your first to be great but it will be drinkable.

Try what I said with the ice bags. It works surprisingly well. Don't get too concerned about it. Half the fun is learning. I have moved on to partial mash and am putting together all the pieces to go full mash. I have made heaps of mistakes along the way.


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## ODDBALL (18/4/05)

Thanks for the advice, some good tips there, I will try them out on my next brew as I am working odd shifts this Week and am not able to dedicate as much time as I should to the brew.

I have just got home from work and checked the brew, it is at 26C, when I left this morning for work at 6AM it was 22C so it is not looking good. 

It seems to of slowed down fermentation this evening, the airlock is now bubbling every 10-15 seconds, yesterday it was much quicker. What should I do when it stops bubbling? When can I expect this to happen and has anyone got anymore advice for a newbie?


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## pint of lager (18/4/05)

Have a read through AHB kits and extract subforum, there are about 20 pages of threads here, and some cover in great detail what you need to know.


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## Gulf Brewery (18/4/05)

Hi Oddball

You hydrometer is your friend now. Wait until you get 3 consecutive days of the same SG reading (should be 1.012 or less) and then chat to us about bottling.

Cheers
Pedro


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## Wortgames (18/4/05)

Oddball - you are miles ahead of many brewers, you've made the effort to find out more and you've come to the right place - welcome to the brethren! (and sistren...)

You should become familiar with the first rule of brewing: Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Home Brew (RDWHAHB). You will always make beer, it's just a question of how good it will be, and that's a matter of attention to detail. You can't get it all right from the start, so - you guessed it - RDWHAHB.

Rule number 2: sanitation is king.

Rule number 3: use good ingredients.

As for when to bottle, use the hydrometer to make sure fermentation has finished (always sanitise everything) - alternatively you'll be pretty right if you bottle 2 weeks after fermentation started (except in cold conditions or if the yeast were dead).

Get your bottles organised soon, if they are a bit crusty you'll want to soak them in bleach for a couple of days.

Your first brew is all about getting familiar with the process, but my tip would be to get yourself a second fermenter. This is handy for two reasons - you can get your stocks up (you don't want to be drinking your beer too young all the time, so it's good to do a double batch from time to time to get the cellar stocked  - you can also use it for 'bulk priming', which makes bottling a bit quicker and easier.

Finally, read lots, and ask lots of questions. You'll soon be teaching your mates how it's done!


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## ODDBALL (19/4/05)

once again I am amazed at the depth of knowlege and the quality of replies on this board, thanks.

What I need to know now is what should I be doing in preperation for bottling? I was going to purchase some bleach today to soak my bottles in but had second thoughts...Would this be the right thing to do? or should I use a specialist product? Napisan? so many questions but I want to get good at this homebrewing and am a perfectionist.

all advice will be lapped up gratefully.


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## pint of lager (19/4/05)

The bottles need to be perfectly clean. You can soak in napisan, or bleach, or automatic dishwashing detergent, or neopink. Depending on what you soak in, how long for and how dirty the bottles were, you may need to use the bottle brush. Rinse thoroughly. Inspect. Use your favourite sanitiser. Bottle the beer.


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## ODDBALL (19/4/05)

Sorry to be a pain..But...

My bottles have never been used, they are brand new and came with my kit which I only bought last weekend, they are brown PET bottles.

Do they need cleaning? if so what do you mean by sanitiser? I thought it would be a case of a soak in bleach then a thorough rinse with cold (tap) water...Am I off the money here guys?


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## pint of lager (19/4/05)

What do the instructions say that came with the kit?


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## sosman (19/4/05)

I don't believe they need to be washed first up. Of course if they have been sitting open and collected dust then ymmv.


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## Steve Lacey (20/4/05)

First use of the brown PET bottles: just give 'em a quick rinse with tap water and then use the sanitiser that came witht he kit according to the instructions. There are many different types of sanitizer in use. The best ones are no-rinse variety. Iodophor or one of the peroxide/silver ion based ones. If you use bleach you need to rinse the bottle afterwards, which is an extra step PITA.


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## KillerRx4 (20/4/05)

Cant remember if it was the intructions or the video that said the bottles come pre sterilised but dont believe it. 
Rinse & sanitise them before you use them!  

Iodophor, oneshot or sanitize are my preferred products.


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## ODDBALL (20/4/05)

Thanks guys I will follow your advice and give them a clean. Where can I buy these cleaning products? Coles? or a specialist HB shop?


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## wee stu (20/4/05)

Coles will probably only sell sodium metabisulphate, which you want to avoid, especially if at all asthmatic or respiratory challenged.
Go to the homebrew shop for your sanitiser.


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## sosman (20/4/05)

Most supermarkets carry that pink powder


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## pint of lager (20/4/05)

Is there a homebrew shop in Ipswich?


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## jgriffin (20/4/05)

There's one in Wacol, but i assume it carries the same as the other Brewers Choice stores - i.e not very much.

Don't let anyone sell you Sodium Met!


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## ODDBALL (20/4/05)

There is not a homebrew shop in Ipswich (To the best of my knowledge) and getting any equipment will probably mean a drive towards Brisbane. 

Which is the best HB shop on the southside of Brisvegas?


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## wee stu (20/4/05)

sosman said:


> Most supermarkets carry that pink powder
> [post="55500"][/post]​



Not in my neck of the woods, sadly.
Never seen it at a coles, the very odd woolies might stock it though.


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## Bozza (21/4/05)

I'm also new to the home brew scene. Would it be okay to wash the glass bottles in dishwasher?


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## Jazman (21/4/05)

nope as the rinse aid is no good for beer witht he film it leaves

the santize no rinse stuff ok but i like ortho phosphoric acid


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## ODDBALL (21/4/05)

My first brew is now in bottles all lined up in the kitchen cupboards.

When I checked the brew with the hydrometer tonight after work it was 1012, the same as it was yesterday - and it had stopped bubbling through the airlock - so I rinsed the bottles out with household bleach and rinsed 3 times with tap water before bottling.

I primed half the bottles with the Coopers Carbonation Drops that came with my kit and the other half with plain old household white sugar and filled with the brew. I then tightened the plastic screw on tops as tight as I could (I have a blister on my palm to prove it) and give the bottles a bit of a shake then labelled which was sugar and which was the drops and stored them in my kitchen cupboard.

Have I done good? The learning curve is steep and I have learnt loads already, both from the practical skills involved in actually doing it and the theory I have picked up on this forum.

What should I be doing with the bottled beer now? What temp should it be stored at? anyhting else I need to know?

Thanks in advance for all your help.


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## Bozza (21/4/05)

I've wondered where do u store the beer after bottling?


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## Wortgames (21/4/05)

Oddball, you done good. The thing to do now is to get the next brew on!

The bottles need a couple of weeks at room temperature to develop some gas. However, it'll still taste a bit green at that stage so try not to drink it all in a hurry - if you can give it a month at room temp and then a week or two in the fridge before opening you'll be quite amazed at what you've made.

Bozza - any cupboard or garage is fine. Ideally you want to keep the temperature constant and not too warm, no direct sunlight (dark is better) and if you're using glass it's worth separating them a bit so that if you have created bottle bombs they won't start a chain reaction and send your whole batch down the drain. Milk crates are good.


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## kitchenbitch (22/4/05)

hi guys

have been following this thread for a week now. I started my first brew about the same time as oddball but have not bottled yet. My problem is that the beer is very cloudy can't do the taste test as I have no idea what it should taste like. (I'm not much of a beer drinker I'm making this for my husband and because I need a new hobby). I have taken a hydrometer reading and it is at 1012. In all the literature that I have read it states it must be between 1006 and 1010. I'm hoping that it will be ok as I'm aiming to bottle on anzac day. I'd like to know if all is well.
hope you guys can help


kitchenbitch


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## sluggerdog (22/4/05)

kitchenbitch - 1012 is fine, it basically depends on if they gravity is stable not where it finishes (most of mine finish between 1010 and 1014 ish)

I would just skip the taste test if your not a beer lover, just check to see if the gravity is stable (same reading 2 days in a row) then you are ready to bottle


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## Gulf Brewery (22/4/05)

wee stu said:


> sosman said:
> 
> 
> > Most supermarkets carry that pink powder
> ...



Wee_stu
Big W stock it as Neo Pink and there has to be one of them near you. 

Cheers
Pedro


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## ODDBALL (22/4/05)

Gulf Brewery said:


> wee stu said:
> 
> 
> > sosman said:
> ...



I an very happy with mt first effort. I had a wee taste last night while bottling and it was better than I expected it would be, this hobby is going to get addictive.

Now I am ready to purchase the doings for my next brew which I am going to put down on ANZAC day. I am considering using a second kit just to give myself more practical experience with temp control and sanitisation before I move into partials.

I am probably going to do a stout, maybe the coopers stout kit for sale locally at under $10. Would you guys reckon it would be best to use sugar, dextrose, malt or one of the brew enhancers available with the coopers kits? Bearing in mind it is a stout.

BTW I have had my fermenter soaking in a weak bleach solution for 24 hours, I just rinsed it with cold tap water and now it is standing full of cold tap water in the bath. Will this be sufficient or will it need further cleansing before the next brew?

Thanks guys and dolls.


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## jgriffin (22/4/05)

ODDBALL said:


> My first brew is now in bottles all lined up in the kitchen cupboards.
> 
> When I checked the brew with the hydrometer tonight after work it was 1012, the same as it was yesterday - and it had stopped bubbling through the airlock - so I rinsed the bottles out with household bleach and rinsed 3 times with tap water before bottling.
> 
> ...




I wouldn't shake the bottles. You risk oxidation.


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## Gulf Brewery (22/4/05)

ODDBALL said:


> I am probably going to do a stout, maybe the coopers stout kit for sale locally at under $10. Would you guys reckon it would be best to use sugar, dextrose, malt or one of the brew enhancers available with the coopers kits? Bearing in mind it is a stout.
> 
> [post="55933"][/post]​



ODDBALL

I would go the malt route (personal preference) and if you can't get that, the go for a brew enhancer. 

Cheers
Pedro


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## ODDBALL (22/4/05)

jgriffin said:


> I wouldn't shake the bottles. You risk oxidation.
> [post="55935"][/post]​


At the moment I am totally new to the homebrewing scene so I thought I would just follow the kit instructions to the letter, maybe on the next brew I will do things a little differently.  

Whatever it tastes like I will drink the lot because it is mine, I made it and that makes it a special brew. :super:


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## Tim (22/4/05)

OddBall,
If you are looking at doing the coopers stout, add a savings lager can instead of suger or malt.
I did a coopers stout, savings lager, 2 can with a cup of dextrose. I boiled the lot in a few litres of water and pitched cultured coopers pale ale yeast. Its been in the bottle now for 9 months and i still have six longnecks left. Side by side, I and another mate of mine cant tell the difference between my can brew and Coopers yellow.


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## Jovial_Monk (22/4/05)

Try the new Coopers Irish Stout, much superior to their original Stout kit. you would need to buy it at a HBS (other than a Brewcraft one)

Try adding a tin of Coopers liquid Dark Malt Extract

Jovial Monk


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## vlbaby (23/4/05)

The coopers stout is not a bad beer. I remember doing is ages ago when i was into kits. I never tried it with anything else but brewers sugar, but i reckon it would go alright with brew enhancer 2. But if you really keen, go buy a tin of liquid malt extract (probably amber would be my choice ) from hbs. Thats the best way to get some body into your beer.

You fermenter should be ok for cleanliness, but make sure you sanitise just priar to filling it with your precious beer. The less time lag there is between sanitisation and using the fermenter, the less the chance of infection.

vlbaby.


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## BRAD T (23/4/05)

Hi Oddball,
I have just started brewing as well, bought a Coopers Kit from Big W at the end of March thinking " Great !! Cheap Beer". Since then I am on to my third Brew, fortunately I have a very good LHBS, they helped me out heaps with the first brew, kit came with a can of Coopers Lager Conc. , the guy at the LHBS (Colin I think) advised me to replace about a 1/4 of the sugar with a pale malt and also gave me a different yeast ( Lager W-34/70), you see I have the oppsite problem to you with regard to temp. Here in the land of the politicians it is too effing cold at night at this time of year and the lager yeast has a temp. range of 9 to 15 deg. Takes longer for primary ferment but who cares, these guys have been in the bottle for a week now, cant wait to try one next weekend. I then tried an English Bitter using a 3kg can of ESB Traditional Bitter, a bit of Coopers No.1 Enhancer and Safale S-04 Yeast. I rigged up a "hot box" with some ply wood, a lamp and a timer to combat the temperature problems, bottled this last week - looking good! Now I have a brew of Cider on for "she who must be obeyed", this should keep her of my back when I disappear to the garage evey hour or so. I guess the point of all this is find a good LHBS, and they should be happy to give you as much help as they can, after all it is in their best interest thst you continue to brew. Cheers Brad


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## BRAD T (23/4/05)

Pint of Lager asks if there is a HBS in Ipswich. I found a link to one on the Brewcraft website, 

Homebrew Den
50 Mt. Crosby Road
Tivoli, Ipswich

Ph. 07 3281 5567
E-mail [email protected]

Is this any help

Cheers :chug:


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## pint of lager (23/4/05)

Thanks for hunting that up, I was hoping there would be a HBS for Oddball to go to. Buying your stuff from a good supplier who looks after their stock, knows their stuff and can advise you is one important part of brewing.

You get absolutely no help from the checkout chic. The extra dollar or two you pay at the HBS is well worth it. 

Working out you want to brew quality beer rather than the cheapest nastiest booze is another step for the homebrewer.

Even if your brew costs you $20-25 per batch, this still works out very very very cheap compared to the stuff from the bottleshop.


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## ODDBALL (23/4/05)

BRAD T said:


> Pint of Lager asks if there is a HBS in Ipswich. I found a link to one on the Brewcraft website,
> 
> Homebrew Den
> 50 Mt. Crosby Road
> ...




Thanks for sniffing that out mate. I am new to the Ipswich area myself so I did not know there was a HBS in the area, I will check it out when I can.

This morning I went to the superstore and bought a can of coopers stout and a 1Kilo bag of Brewiser ultra brew sugar. The ingredients are light malt 500g and 250g each of maltodextrin (corn syrup) and dextrose. What do you reckon to theat combination?

thanks for all the tips. :super:


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## kitkat (23/4/05)

to help improve the clarity of your beer, get a second fermenter. When the fermentation has finished, instead of bottling, transfer to second container (get some tubing from the HBS), of course leaving the trub behind, and let it sit for a week. You'll see how much sediment is left at the bottom of the secondary after a week and understand why the beer is cloudy when bottled from primary.


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## ODDBALL (23/4/05)

kitkat said:


> to help improve the clarity of your beer, get a second fermenter. When the fermentation has finished, instead of bottling, transfer to second container (get some tubing from the HBS), of course leaving the trub behind, and let it sit for a week. You'll see how much sediment is left at the bottom of the secondary after a week and understand why the beer is cloudy when bottled from primary.
> [post="56071"][/post]​


When you say second fermenter would it be a good option to buy a 25 litre camping water container, you know, the type available from Bunnings or K mart and drill a hole for a grommit and airlock. Please forgive my newbiness but I have seen this mentioned here and am just double checking.

Thinking about it would it be better to get a 20 litre and fill it to the brim and bottle the odd bit left over? :huh:


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## ODDBALL (24/4/05)

Anyone got anyone advice for me on this second stage fermentation. I am trying to get my head around all this information and I think I am missing something.

Should I buy a 20 or 35 litre container if my original brew is 23 litres?

Obviously I will lose a bit if I go for the 20 litre container but I have read that headspace should be kept to a minimum.

Finally I just wanted to let you guys know I started a second brew today. A coopers kit again but this time the stout mixed with Brewiser ultra brew sugar and the yeast that came with the can. 

:super: :unsure:


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## Jovial_Monk (24/4/05)

What is called a 20L cube can hold more like 22.5L

it won't ferment in the cube, but keep it cool and it will drop yeast etc as stated

Jovial Monk


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## kaitai (24/4/05)

Oddball, for secondry I use a 20l plastic jerry can and it can hold up to about 23-24l, so don't lose anything. I get mine from bunnings for about 15 bucks and I believe the brand is bmw plastics No need to put another airlock on this at all, you can just release the pressure now and again by cracking the seal on the lid.

If you get one, make sure than it has a number 2 in a triangle thingy stamped on the jerry somewhere. These are considered to be foodgrade.

I just recently racked and CC'd for the first time, and was amazed at how much sediment dropped out of suspension by doing it. Well worth the extra steps.

If you do get into cold conditioning, watch the seal on the bung hole if you put a tap in. They can tend to leak when put in the fridge to CC. I left the original bung in and syphoned from the top when I bulk primed. Once the jerry was 3/4 empty I then removed the bung and put a tap in and drained the rest of the jerry through the tap.

It's also worth marking marks on the jerry to indicate different volumes. I have markings starting at 18l and then 1l thereafter. This helps when calculating how much dextrose to use when you bulk prime.

Before racking and bulk priming for the first time, try bottling just one after primary fermentation for you to comapare the clarity of it compared to the same brew being racked and cc'd.

Cheers


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## ODDBALL (25/4/05)

kaitai said:


> Oddball, for secondry I use a 20l plastic jerry can and it can hold up to about 23-24l, so don't lose anything. I get mine from bunnings for about 15 bucks and I believe the brand is bmw plastics No need to put another airlock on this at all, you can just release the pressure now and again by cracking the seal on the lid.
> 
> If you get one, make sure than it has a number 2 in a triangle thingy stamped on the jerry somewhere. These are considered to be foodgrade.
> 
> ...


Some sound advice there, cheers.

I am looking at the possibility of obtaining a "Beer" fridge to go under the house from the local electrical superstore skip, I went around today and there we're three fridges there waiting to be taken to fridge heaven after their previous owners had bought a new one and the shop had taken the old one away.
I will have a go at racking into a cube for CC in the fridge (If I get one) and bulk priming because after all the great advice I have got here I feel more confident at having a go, hell even if it tastes like piss I will drink it! One question though. If I am unable to get a freebie fridge I won't have the money to buy one for some time so will it be Ok just to leave the cube under the house in a cool area or even in a chest of icy water keeping it around 20C?

I will take your advice and do a bottle or two apart from the main CC batch and see what the difference is.

Cheers again. :beer:


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## kaitai (26/4/05)

20 degrees is going to be fine for secondary fermentation, but not really for cold conditioning. For CC you really need to get the temp down in order to drop the yeast out of suspension.

Don't worry too much though. Even just racking into secondary for a period of time, without worring about cc'ing, is going to help clear the beer a resonable amount and help ensure a complete fermentation, so it's still well worth doing until you get some fridge space.

The process I follow now is approx

1 week primary
1 week secondary (same temp as primary)
2 weeks CC in fridge.
Remove beer from fridge for about 12 hours, bulk prime and bottle.

If you can't CC yet, then maybe try leaving it in secondary for a week or so longer.

Still pretty new to this myself, maybe someone else has another opinion?


Cheers


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## kitkat (26/4/05)

I don't have a CC fridge, so for me the primary and then one week in the secondary is enough. I am not sure 2 weeks in secondary would bring that much improvement over 1 week.


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## Byron (8/7/08)

Hi all,

I have put down several brews in the past (during University myself and the blokes i lived with were reasonably popular for our tasty and cheap product) and was reasonably successful using kits. I was given a 60 litre barrel as a present and was wondering if there are any changes that should be made compared to a brewing in a 30 litre barrell. I am planning on putting two kits in the one fermenter mainly to get a lot more product, in a shorter space of time.

Cheers


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## Linz (8/7/08)

Yup, Just double up on what you were doing before..just watch out for the ferment to race off and generate more heat in a larger mass


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## Cocko (9/7/08)

Oddball,

Welcome aboard, you are in safe hands now!

This site has saved me at every turn... Thanks again to all.

Cheers
Cocko.


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## 0M39A (9/7/08)

anyone else notice the 3 year bump?

as for your question Byron, yes, just double everything. heat shouldnt be a problem at this time of the year (except perhaps getting too cold), but during summer it will be. hope you have some means of keeping it all cool.


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## Lorenzo99 (27/1/14)

Hi There i am also new to the home brew scene. I just started my first brew on the 23rd jan i used brewmakers draught with a 1kg brew booster.(600g dextrose, 200g light malt, and 200g corn syrup) Sopussod to be a carlton draught copy i used the yeast that came with the kit. I have a question regarding secondary fermentation i am going to do this (for a week before kegging) but i am not sure when to add the finishing's i have. do i do this in the primary fermenter and wait 2 days or do i do this in the secondary fermenter and leave for a week? Thanks in advance.


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## Alex.Tas (29/1/14)

do you mean finishing hops, or finings? very different things.


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## Lorenzo99 (29/1/14)

I was talking about finings


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## Trevandjo (29/1/14)

I'd give the secondary a miss altogether. Especially as it's your first brew. Too much risk for too little reward.


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## Alex.Tas (29/1/14)

Agreed with above. to be honest, as its your first brew i wouldn't worry about using finings. just leave it in the fermenter a bit longer. the yeast should flocculate (clump together and drop out of suspension) on its own given enough time. It will clear up even better if you can drop the temperature down as close to 1 degree as possible too, or even as cold as you can get it.

edit: missed a couple of words...


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## mosto (29/1/14)

:icon_offtopic:

Given the bump trend of this thread it should come around again in 2026.

Back OT, as others have said just keep it simple on your first brew. If you see something you want to change try it next time so you have a reference point.

Cheers,


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## Lorenzo99 (29/1/14)

Ok thanks allot for your tips i did add the finings yesterday. I will give the secondary ferm. a miss this time and just put it in the fridge for a couple days to drop everything out of it. Than keg it, gas it, drink it and take notes.

What is the risk with the secondary fermentation?

Thanks again for your time


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## Alex.Tas (30/1/14)

its just another stage in the process that adds a risk of infection, for very little gain.
Unless you are going to leave the beer on the yeast cake for months (more than two) I don't think there is much of a problem with leaving it in the one fermenter.
Plus, it one more thing you need to wash/sterilise afterwards too. I hate cleaning brewing gear, pain in the arse!


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