# I'm Getting Hitched! - To Serve Homebrew At A Reception Or Not



## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (8/11/09)

The missus and I have finally done it!! set a date for a wedding..... (about 5 years too long)

The wedding will be held in the garden of the local golf club and the reception will be held at an un-licensed venue nearby which means we (or should i say "I") supply the "after-ceremony" festivities. The father-in-law and my self are very (very, Very) keen home-brewers, and have been throwing the idea about putting home-brew on at the reception. Has this ever been done before?? 

This is a pretty ambitious project i know, but with 18 months and 3K or 4K under the belt to play with is this the ultimate home-brewers dream?? plus if i decide to keg, i have a heap of empty kegs to play with after the wedding.. errr... should i say after the honeymoon.

The father in law and myself are K&K'ers and thats all we're thinking of doing. While i'm going nuts on the Keyboard... does anyone know some nice recpies that will make the night a night to remember?????


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## geoff_tewierik (8/11/09)

If you have the budget mentioned, I'd be inclined to make the move to AG and incorporate those costs into the budget.

For a wedding you'd be after a selection of the following:

The quaffing lager for the megaswill lovers
The midstrength ale for the designated drivers
The fruity wit for the ladies
The hop driven monster for the true beer afficianado

Plenty of beer recipes in the database to choose from. Also you have plenty of time between now and the event to tweak and tune your recipes.

Volume wise, depends on the number of guests, but something around 2-3L per person is a good guide, as there will be those that over indulge, and those that won't be touching a drop.


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## Effect (8/11/09)

_WALLACE_ said:


> The missus and I have finally done it!! set a date for a wedding..... (about 5 years too long)
> 
> The wedding will be held in the garden of the local golf club and the reception will be held at an un-licensed venue nearby which means we (or should i say "I") supply the "after-ceremony" festivities. The father-in-law and my self are very (very, Very) keen home-brewers, and have been throwing the idea about putting home-brew on at the reception. Has this ever been done before??
> 
> ...



18 months?

I would be seriously considering going all grain. I have been brewing for 12 months now and have done just under 30 brews. Every second weekend, brew a batch of beer to hone your skills. Then you will still have 6 months to make all the beer you need. You won't regret going AG!!!

Cheers
Phil


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## jdsaint (8/11/09)

If you stay in KK try and get a hold of steve youngs I.P.A , which is at the bitter and twisted festival and was fantastic better then any kk I have made.............


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (8/11/09)

Very tempting to go AG but the f.I.L. is not interested... "too much work, what we're drinking now is ok isn't it?' is what he says. maybe i can set it up on my own,.... ok its off to youtube for an hour or two....


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (8/11/09)

geoff_tewierik said:


> Volume wise, depends on the number of guests, but something around 2-3L per person is a good guide, as there will be those that over indulge, and those that won't be touching a drop.




Mate, you should see the invitation list, its a loooooong list of drunken yahoos (FIL included in the list) 2-3L just sounds a little under the quota to me (roughly 5-8 stubbies), if its too much, well i guess i'll be enjoying alot of beer after the honeymoon.


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## Andyd (8/11/09)

Whether you go all grain or not, go for it. One of my best friends Simon served up a different brew with every course and they were just amazing. Trying to do the same with commercial beers is prohibitive financially for a start, and doesn't have the same "intimate" feel to it.

Also, if you are sticking with K&K, use your lead up time to learn a bit about partial mashes and adjusting the flavor profile of your beers using a combination of specialty malts and hops...

Andy


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## clean brewer (8/11/09)

This one is meant to be a Cracker... Boonies Little Creatures Pale Ale...


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## Fester (8/11/09)

Around 10 years ago I brewed a 20lt keg for a mate's wedding. I settled on an AG Munich Lager style because of it's appeal to non hopheads. Even the bride's parents (Japanese) liked it and I think it was one of my best brews ever.

So definitely, go for it, you won't regret it.


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## Neill (8/11/09)

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...showtopic=35657

virtually a K+K but about 500 times better. dead easy to do as well.


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## katzke (8/11/09)

Well I will step in to this with both feet.

I would have cheap beer and wine for those that know no difference.

Then I would come up with a nice quality home brew. Something you can name after the festivities. Not very good at naming beers till after the fact but something like Shotgun Stout. You get the idea. 

That way the winos will be happy as well as the game day drunks. The real beer drinkers will know you put some effort into it and even if the beer you chose is not a style they like they will be polite. Sorry I left out the wine snoobs.

I think if you are having a fancy garden party wedding you will be so busy with what flower do you think goes with what ribbon you will not have any time to brew more then one beer. The exception would be if your bachelor party is about a month out and you have everyone bring a kettle ,burner, and fermentor. Then you will need a second one to find the time to keg or bottle it all.

If you are correct and you can only quench the thirst of 2 or 3 friends from every brew you will need lots of help or best to brew some bad beer so it lasts.


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## Tony M (8/11/09)

If your friends drink your beer now and hold out their glass for more, then your beer is the choice for the wedding; but if they just drink one glass, politely tell you it's fine then reach for a can from their esky, then stick to what they like and buy your beer, otherwise you'll get talked about behind your back for years.


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## svyturys (8/11/09)

I'm presuming, WALLACE, that you and your FIL brew a pretty good drop already.
If that is the case, then, GO FOR IT!
Your wedding will be the talk of the town cos it has something completely different. It will stand apart from the normal "reception place". Your beer will be a talking point that will have people intermingling and chatting right from the first glass.
Now, if you could do the food as well....


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## bullsneck (8/11/09)

Your situation is similar to the folks at Buckley's, a brewery in the Yarra Valley. They brewed a beer for a relatives wedding, a pils, then after the reception the beer got, added it to their line up of commercial brews.

Called it Nuptials or something.


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## lefty2446 (8/11/09)

I'll throw my 2c in here as well and recommend that you offer a choice.

Some people no matter what, Will Not try home made beer. I have the stance that if it is offered and people are not under pressure more people will try it. Let your guests know that you are not after feedback and you don't care if they don't like your beer.

If they like it they will drink it if they don't they won't. I offered a selection of commercials and craft beers at my wedding, it went well. Had a lot of full cartons left over at the end.

At another mates reaffirmation of vows, 4 other brewers invited, we all took kegs. They were all emptied.

Adrian


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## glaab (8/11/09)

man o man, you priorities are all up the creek. You might wanna re-do the thread with this heading;
"I'm throwing a BIG piss-up and serving home brew, should I get hitched?"


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## sxs19 (8/11/09)

_WALLACE_ 

Fantastic idea.... if only i can convince my missus to let me do this when we tie the knot although it is a long way fro us to cart kegs considering we live in SA and plan to get hitched it QLD but what the hell.

Best of luck and please keep us up to date on what you decide


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## newguy (8/11/09)

Go for it. When I got married I brewed 10 x 20l batches to give away at the reception/dance (kegged). I was surprised by how many people loved it. I brewed 3 x kolsch (light stuff for the mega-lager drinkers; consider it to be beer training wheels), 2 x weizen (wife's favourite), and the other 5 were an odds-n-ends of styles I thought may fly with the crowd. Almost all the kolsch was drained, all the weizen was drained, and of the 5 remaining kegs, about 30-40% altogether was gone. We had a little over 200 guests.

One thing I did that the guests liked was to print out a one sheet description of the beers (large font) and these were posted when that particular beer was on tap. It was interesting for them to read a bit about the beer, its history, and its ingredients.


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## dgilks (8/11/09)

Don't assume that all people will drink is macro-swill, even if they are macro-swill drinkers. There is a user on BeerAdvocate who served several mid range micros along with some homebrew and Budweiser at his wedding. If I remember correctly, the homebrew was an Abbey Singel and a Weizenbock and the micros were a hoppy Pale Ale, a AIPA, a Belgian Strong Pale, a Dubbel and a chocolate stout. The only beer leftover at the end was the Bud.

The moral of this is: Don't assume that people will only drink what they are familiar with. As for the homebrew, sure go with something like a Kolsch so there is something approachable then do some interesting stuff. And go to AG, you have 18 months and will never regret it. If your FIL doesn't want to go for it, you can watch him be jealous when he tastes your AG brews.


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## The Ginger Bread Man (8/11/09)

If you want an easy to make brew I always find the ESB Australian Draught is easy no matter the temperature it is brewed at, If you do a few kegs of this you will do fine as it appeals to the vast majority. Then do a larger. For light beer just go for the commercial brands, most people wont trust you have brewed a true light.


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## Lemon (8/11/09)

Wallace,
Are you sure this is the right place for unbiased advice.........???? <_<


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## bum (8/11/09)

Serious question (which will draw fire from all corners, I have no doubt), what does the missus reckon of this idea?

The answer to my question is the answer to yours.


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## Infinitee (8/11/09)

Marriage is a big, risk-filled commitment.

I'd just stick with brewing! ^_^


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## slaam (8/11/09)

hey man look at brew by you. they hire keg setups and do a good brew too at about $150 for 50 ltrs and not much work for u .


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## Bribie G (9/11/09)

I'm currently brewing for a family 21st party with a huge range of people and ages and have settled on the following.

A pale malty lightly hopped lager (with Superpride for Bittering and a touch of Hallertau for fragrance). This will be the quaffing beer and the keg will be out in an ice bucket in the BBQ area with a Bronco party tap.

Inside the house in the 3-font kegerator, for those more discerning:

A stronger malt / Maize pale ale bittered with Pride of Ringwood and flavoured with Cluster, more of a XXXX and possibly tasting a bit like the XXX (now sadly defunct)
An all extract APA, mid golden with fairly robust hopping with New Zealand hops - for those who like hops and presumably the few who have tried James Squire type ales.
Whatever is left of the Landlord style UK ale I am taking to the case swap.

I'm also thinking of knocking up a Coopers style sparkling as I'm sure there are a few who would drink Coopers. I'll put on a couple of casks of wine, no expense spared. MMMM Fruity Lexia :icon_drunk: but the alcopop drinkers can bring their bloody own.

I've only been grain brewing for a year next week, and I reckon by that stage if you are still into brewing you would have had ample time to go beyond kits n bits and keen to ply the guests with your wondrous brews :icon_cheers:


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## clean brewer (9/11/09)

> Whatever is left of the Landlord style UK ale I am taking to the case swap


Hey Bribie, so ill put you in the list for this Beer for comsumption at the Swap?? (trying to get a feel for what the drinking kegs/beers are for the day... :icon_drool2: )

And,

If I was to get married to my lovely Partner, id be doing the same thing, brewing(AG) myself for it and would be factoring in a BIG complete set-up with a whole lot of kegs on tap for the day, it would still be cheaper to buy all the gear for the Beer on Tap than to pay for Restaurant Beer(just did a wedding for 70 people and they spent $2200 on just Beer/Cleanskin Wine).....

And as a Chef, id be doing and/or helping with the Catering and/or have some Chefs I know of doing the Catering for me so I know id be happy with it instead of being pissed off by something not going right at some venue...

:icon_cheers: CB


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## northwest9 (9/11/09)

i got married nearly a month ago, and i served up three keps of AG APA. 

there were plenty of heckling comments from the megaswill drinkers, but at the end of the night, all three kegs were empty, and i had a shed load of commercial beer left to bring home.....

if you do it, definately go AG, the beer is better, and you get more satisfaction, as you really had more involvement in the final product.


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## Sydneybrewer (9/11/09)

:icon_offtopic: i had an open bar at my wedding, and went to the trouble of making sure they had a selection of my favourite beers, as my wedding was in NY USA i made sure there were a few aussie ones in there like little creatures pale, james squire golden ale and coopers sparkling. the motto of the story... the beer was barely touched, and all the guys were drinking jd and coke and the women champagne or mixed cocktails. 20 cases of imported australian beer was left over and because we left 2 days later i drunk 2 and left the rest with the wifes cousin, lucky bastard.


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## Bribie G (9/11/09)

Sydneybrewer said:


> :icon_offtopic: i had an open bar at my wedding, and went to the trouble of making sure they had a selection of my favourite beers, as my wedding was in NY USA i made sure there were a few aussie ones in there like little creatures pale, james squire golden ale and coopers sparkling. the motto of the story... the beer was barely touched, and all the guys were drinking jd and coke and the women champagne or mixed cocktails. 20 cases of imported australian beer was left over and because we left 2 days later i drunk 2 and left the rest with the wifes cousin, lucky bastard.


Should have given them Fosters h34r:


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## Sydneybrewer (9/11/09)

BribieG said:


> Should have given them Fosters h34r:



lol they are still trying to cope with the fact that aussies dont actually drink fosters


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## Sydneybrewer (9/11/09)

on topic though i think its best to tell the megaswill drinkers that its kegged megaswill, because hey if they drink megaswill they probably wouldnt be able to tell the diference


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## Mantis (9/11/09)

ESB Bavarian Wheat is a cracker for a k&k brew and the ladies might even like this one.


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## RobboMC (9/11/09)

As long as you make something better than VB your friends will love it.

We had a big family gathering for my wife's birthday, about 30 people;
and I provided the beer which I made for the occassion. It was a kit/extract/partial 
with about 2kg of grain, 2-1/2 kg of extract and a kit of Canadian Pale Ale, all
watered down to a reasonable abv for the drivers. Not a great beer IMHO, but OK for quaffing.

I also dutifully laid out a spattering of Crown Lager, to give people a choice.
At the end of the party I collected up exactly the same amount of Crown that I had put out.

You don't have to go 100% AG, but if you get some grain into your brew everyone will 
prefer it over any commercial drop. Oh, and don't use the kit yeast.


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## MarkBastard (9/11/09)

I would go all grain and all that but for the actual wedding would supplement the supply by making some of the beer in a 'brew on premises' business. Easy way to do multiple 50L batches.


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (9/11/09)

sxs19 said:


> _WALLACE_
> 
> Fantastic idea.... if only i can convince my missus to let me do this when we tie the knot although it is a long way fro us to cart kegs considering we live in SA and plan to get hitched it QLD but what the hell.
> 
> Best of luck and please keep us up to date on what you decide



Yeah i Decided i am going AG, aswell as looking at a few keg systems... or see what the back of the pub has to offer he he he!




bum said:


> Serious question (which will draw fire from all corners, I have no doubt), what does the missus reckon of this idea?
> 
> The answer to my question is the answer to yours.



Yeah, the missus doesnt drink beer, so tough titties in my books! the women have tea, coffee, and wine. But surprising she thought it was a good idea, (after her dad thought it was a good idea!!) i have her full support now... but when i say "can i please have $2000 of the wedding money to make some beer and beer making equiptment...." That may be a different kettle of fish!



Infinitee said:


> Marriage is a big, risk-filled commitment.
> 
> I'd just stick with brewing! ^_^



Nah! the missus and myself know what we're getting into, we've been engaged for a while now. got the mortage and the kids, etc etc.... i have to stick to brewing.... cant afford the 2 blocks of xxxx gold a week i used to. aswell as the ol' saying.... "I had to have those beers this morning so i had enough empty bottles to bottle this afternoon" :beerbang: 



slaam said:


> hey man look at brew by you. they hire keg setups and do a good brew too at about $150 for 50 ltrs and not much work for u .




Hey man, thanx for the reply, we got Bachus Brewing in Capalaba (There ya go fellas, a little FREE advertising for ya!!) they do all that, I make all the beer, choose weather i want to bottle or keg or both. They also have the fancy labels for the stubbies, but if i did that, i dont think i will get my deposit back on the bottles, cos every bastard would take them home as souveniers.


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## manticle (9/11/09)

_WALLACE_ said:


> "can i please have $2000 of the wedding money to make some beer and beer making equiptment...." .............



I went AG with under 10% of that figure and while my setup is the cheapest, shittiest one around I think you'll be able to convince her to give you between $300 and $500, particularly if you compare it to the savings you'll actually be making (compare commercial litres of beer to yours).


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## bum (9/11/09)

> i have her full support now


Happy wife - happy life. Brew with confidence.

[quote post='550209' date='Nov 9 2009, 10:29 PM']while my setup is the cheapest, shittiest one around[/quote]

You didn't see me mashing in my esky without a manifold or a bag last week!


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## manticle (9/11/09)

My partial days (sometimes up to 3 kg worth of grain) incorporated 2 $3.50 supermarket eskies and a basic kitchen strainer. They were a massive pain but I think I may have brewed a few beers on equipment worth less than $10. Some of them were tasty and never lasted long enough to suffer from potential oxidation problems.


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (9/11/09)

manticle said:


> I went AG with under 10% of that figure and while my setup is the cheapest, shittiest one around I think you'll be able to convince her to give you between $300 and $500, particularly if you compare it to the savings you'll actually be making (compare commercial litres of beer to yours).




I used the old line: "think of what i'm saving on home brew compared to what i'm saving on comercial beer". that didnt work for a minute, i just got the "your only gonna drink more"....
I suppose theres nothing more than a couple of "legally aquried" Kegs, an old esky and a bit of time....


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (9/11/09)

All grain is the way i think, i'm off to YOUTUBE now for a "more-in-depth" look at what i'm getting myself into... OOPS.. Maybe tomorrow night, its bedtime now. Nunnite!


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## komodo (9/11/09)

Nothing wrong with BIAB all grain brewing which can be done on the cheap.
Likewise bucket o death HLT and 20L plastic pail mash/lauter tun 3 vessel systems can be put together for not much more than BIAB.
If you cant brew AG beer for under $500 your doing something wrong.

I think to do it super cheap like manticle takes a fair amount of dedication to the cause but he is a prime example of the fact that it can be done extremely cheap if you want/need to. 

My first mash tun was (actually still is sometimes) a 20 litre bucket (about $14 from bunnings) 12mm copper tube curled up into a spiral and drilled with a heap of holes on the underside (about $20) a brass tap (about $15) so whats that $50 for my mash tun?

When I first started brewing I used to heat my sparge water in my kettle so my HLT was just a 20L bucket ($14 from bunning) and a brass tap ($15). my kettle(s) were two 20L stainless bigW pots which cost about $20 each - so for about $120 I was off and brewing!

Since then I've started pieceing together a more "traditional" type setup with stainless gear - but to be honest I havent given it a run yet as a.) im happy with the set up ive got it produces good beer and b.) I want to get it all set up before giving it its true maiden voyage


I guess what I'm saying is that you could piece together a brewing rig cheap.


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## hughman666 (9/11/09)

Komodo said:


> I guess what I'm saying is that you could piece together a brewing rig cheap.



yep, i started with BIAB and it cost me around $100 all up. the beer i made with that was bloody good too. the only reason my beer is better with my 3 tier rig is that i have gotten better as a brewer, not due to the hardware.

the main reason i went to a 3 tier rig was to tinker around more with stuff :icon_cheers:


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## happy benno (11/11/09)

hi all, can a good beer still be made using kit grain and extra hops and a good yeast because I was looking at this topic myself for a bit of advise on the question that Wallace asked at the start of the topic, but allot are saying just go all grain, I know all grain is better but allot of us don't have the time to do it, I do my brewing at night when the kids are in bed and the wife isn't nagging me.

cheers


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## MarkBastard (11/11/09)

You can make great 'kits and bits' beers yes.


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## Pennywise (11/11/09)

happy benno said:


> hi all, can a good beer still be made using kit grain and extra hops and a good yeast because I was looking at this topic myself for a bit of advise on the question that Wallace asked at the start of the topic, but allot are saying just go all grain, I know all grain is better but allot of us don't have the time to do it, I do my brewing at night when the kids are in bed and the wife isn't nagging me.
> 
> cheers




Damn straight you can make good beer using any method, most important thing in brewing (IMO anyway), isn't the method, it's the process. It is harder to make a great beer with kits, but it's really not _that_ hard. Just have your process down pat (healthy yeast, fresh ingredients etc), and control over temp (which is prolly the hardest for those, like me, that have no means of contolling it other than frozen bottle of water). Adding grain to a kit really does make the world of difference, as well as hops and better yeats.


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## _HOME_BREW_WALLACE_ (11/11/09)

happy benno said:


> ......I do my brewing at night when the kids are in bed and the wife isn't nagging me.
> 
> cheers




Yep, your living in my world on that one! but if i go for AG, i think i need to give my self a bit more "ME" time.


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## manticle (11/11/09)

happy benno said:


> can a good beer still be made using kit grain and extra hops and a good yeast




Of course. You can also make a shit one with all grains.


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## Pumpy (11/11/09)

_WALLACE_ said:


> The missus and I have finally done it!! set a date for a wedding..... (about 5 years too long)
> 
> The wedding will be held in the garden of the local golf club and the reception will be held at an un-licensed venue nearby which means we (or should i say "I") supply the "after-ceremony" festivities. The father-in-law and my self are very (very, Very) keen home-brewers, and have been throwing the idea about putting home-brew on at the reception. Has this ever been done before??
> 
> ...



Nah dont serve K& K at your reception 

but if you have a freind who can brew All Grain Lagers this recipe will go down well at the reception .

here is a recipe that will go down well 

Standard American Lager 


Type: All Grain
Date: 30/08/2009 
Batch Size: 40.00 L
Brewer: Pumpy 
Boil Size: 47.96 L Asst Brewer: 
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: My Equipment 40 
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 85.00 
Taste Notes: 

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU 
5.95 kg BB Ale Malt (6.0 EBC) Grain 80.69 % 
1.43 kg Rice, Flaked (2.0 EBC) Grain 19.31 % 
90.00 gm Hallertauer [2.30 %] (60 min) Hops 12.8 IBU 
1.00 tsp Koppafloc (Boil 10.0 min) Misc 
2.12 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days) Misc 
2 Pkgs Danish Lager (Wyeast Labs #2042) Yeast-Lager 



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.048 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG 
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG 
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.76 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 % 
Bitterness: 12.8 IBU Calories: 90 cal/l 
Est Color: 7.7 EBC Color: Color 


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Light Body Total Grain Weight: 7.38 kg 
Sparge Water: 37.11 L Grain Temperature: 22.2 C 
Sparge Temperature: 75.6 C TunTemperature: 22.2 C 
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH 

Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Light Body Step Time Name Description Step Temp 
75 min Saccharification Add 19.25 L of water at 71.9 C 65.6 C 
10 min Mash Out Heat to 75.6 C over 10 min 75.6 C 



Mash Notes: Temperature mash for use when mashing in a brew pot over a heat source such as the stove. Use heat to maintain desired temperature during the mash.


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