# First time home brewer



## captain_cremen (23/9/14)

Hi all, just got my first home brew kit, currently doing a 150 lashes.. looking good so far

can anyone recommend a recipe for the novice? i really want to start with the basics and get into the trickier stuff once i know my brew doesn't taste terrible


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## wereprawn (23/9/14)

Welcome aboard captain. Plenty of recipes in the AHB database. Are you doing kits, extract or all grain?


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## captain_cremen (23/9/14)

hi mate, extracts at the moment. grain will be next.

so many recipes just not sure whats best for a deadset newbie. haha


-Matt


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## ian_2005 (23/9/14)

Welcome Captain,

I would recommend a Dr Smurtos Golden Ale - I have only made the kit form so far, and its an awesome drop

there are various recipes on the database, All Grain to Kits, this way you can compare your brews once you step up to grain

What went into the 150 Lashes clone ???


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## wereprawn (23/9/14)

Well, for something really simple you could try this: take 100 ml of extract mix with 400ml of hot water and bring to the boil. To this add 15 g cascade hops continue to boil for 40 min than add 10 g cascade and boil for a further 20 min. turn off and add remaining extract stirring until dissolved/combined. Add to fermenter and top up with water.
Edit-be better to triple the wate/r extract for the boil.


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## captain_cremen (23/9/14)

Hi Ian,

I'll look up those recipes, cheers.

The 150 lashes was one my brother did about 3 weeks ago and I couldnt taste the difference between the real thing.

i double hopped - amarillo 50g

rapid creek pale ale can - used the yeast it came with

1kg brew booster (country brewer)

not sure if i should put finings in a couple days before bottling - thoughts?






-Matt


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## captain_cremen (23/9/14)

@wereprawn.. awesome! thanks man. i'll give that a crack on my 3rd brew and see how she goes


-Matt


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## captain_cremen (23/9/14)

every single recipe i try and open on this app shows this error.. what am i doing wrong here????



on t


-Matt


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## wereprawn (23/9/14)

Rapid Creek Pale Ale and the booster sounds like a kit. In that case just add the 20 min addition. And you could dry hop with 25 g cascade.

Edit:- No idea why you cant get into the recipes.Sorry i cant help there.


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## captain_cremen (23/9/14)

aah yeh ok. kit it is then! i'll tweak my
recipe with your suggestions bud


-Matt


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## ian_2005 (23/9/14)

here is the kit version of Dr Smurtos Golden Ale

KIT VERSION
1 can Thomas Coopers Sparkling Ale
1 can Coopers Wheat Malt
250g Caramalt (or other light crystal)
15g Amarillo @ 15, 5 and dry hop.
Yeast - US05

there are a load of slight variations, tweaks and perfections, no idea why you cant get into the recipe section though, when you do, have a read through

Country Brewer are Great, I use the one in Prospect, Make sure you sign up for the discount club thingy !!


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## captain_cremen (23/9/14)

legend! thanks ian. bugger it, i'll try this on sunday and let you know how it goes!


-Matt


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## ian_2005 (23/9/14)

Just double check the recipe section though, you have to Boil some of the ingredients (the wheat malt with the hops and some water)

As others would say on this forum, get to Big W and get yourself a 19 litre stock pot (under $20)

I will try and hunt down the full instructions, I just don't have a chance at the moment, Maybe do some searching

good luck, post the results


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## captain_cremen (24/9/14)

guys.. do you use finings or not?


-Matt


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## Lincoln2 (24/9/14)

captain_cremen said:


> guys.. do you use finings or not?
> 
> 
> -Matt


Not me; not yet. A little bit of cloudiness and sh1te in the botttom of the bottle is fine - that's how you know it's home brew. Concentrate on the important stuff 1st. Good luck with it all.


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## BrosysBrews (24/9/14)

One of my best ever kit brews before I went extract:

1 Can Black Rock Golden Ale
1kg Brew Blend #20
25g Galaxy Hops - Boil 1min steep 20min
US-05 yeast at about 20C

Simple and tasty, mate and I polished well over a slab last NYE good night!


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## Blind Dog (24/9/14)

Yes to finings - 2tsp of gelatine dissolved in 1ish cup of boiled water that's cooled to 70C, allowed to cool further to around 45C (under sanitised foil cover) then added to fermenter or keg. Because I'm somewhat anal I boil the water, pour into 2 cups, cover with sanitised foil put a thermometer into 1 cup. When it's 70c I add the gelatine to the other cup, recover. When it's 45 ish I add to the fermenter or keg. 

As to the recipes, are you opening from the recipes page or from a link in a thread? I've had the same issue with a lot of the older links, but not from the recipes page


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## burrster (24/9/14)

My recommendation would be a Dr Smurto's Goldem Ale, but with a mix of Citra and Simcoe. It been great for me so far. Ian_2005 has already given the base recipe, just sustitute the 5 minute for simcoe and dry hop with equal part simcoe and citra. My recipe is all extract. If your interested I'll put it up.


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## captain_cremen (25/9/14)

boys im heading to get the ingredients for dr smurtos tomorrow. cant wait! 

loving this app, you guys are a great help


-Matt


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## burrster (25/9/14)

captain_cremen said:


> boys im heading to get the ingredients for dr smurtos tomorrow. cant wait!
> 
> loving this app, you guys are a great help
> 
> ...


Excellent!


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## burrster (25/9/14)

captain_cremen said:


> guys.. do you use finings or not?
> 
> 
> -Matt


Go get yourself a Hop Hog. It's cloudy! It a damn fine beer. I've used finings once as it came with a kit I bought. I don't rate it. ( not saying it doesn't work, just one more step, and more effort). If I want clean looking beer I use Nottingham yeast and cold crash. My point being it's not necessary to make good beer.


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## MastersBrewery (25/9/14)

Hey guys,
on the subject of finnings you'll find many opinions, and I suppose this is mine. You'll find most commercials filter and use finning agents to improve clarity so it's not something to be quickly dismissed.
I am an Ag brewer so I throw whirflock in the boil ... when I remember it. I have used gelatine and found it great, though I have to say I have had similar results by simply crash chilling for an little longer.
On average my standard ales are completely unfiltered and un-fined, a decent cold crash at the end of fermentation will do wonders.

MB


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## captain_cremen (27/9/14)

put my Dr Smurtons golden ale on tonight lads


-Matt


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## captain_cremen (1/10/14)

my 150 lashes turned out nicely


Dr Smurtos golden ale went in on Saturday.. fingers crossed


-Matt


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## Flash_DG (1/10/14)

Nice effort! wish I had of had something that nice looking when I first laid down a brew lol.


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## captain_cremen (4/10/14)

to the guys that recommended Dr Smurtos golden ale.. i wanna know if 14 days in primary is absolutely necessary? mines been in for 8 days, OG 1048, current 1010, worked out its about 5.6%

If i rack it now into my secondary will i totally f*^k it if fermentation hasnt quite finished in primary??


-Matt


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## wereprawn (4/10/14)

Why do you want to rack? 

You will not hurt your beer by racking if its not %100 finished. Be careful to avoid splashing. Racking does introduce more chance of infection .


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## indica86 (4/10/14)

captain_cremen said:


> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1412155533.566600.jpg
> 
> my 150 lashes turned out nicely
> 
> ...





captain_cremen said:


> ImageUploadedByAussie Home Brewer1412155533.566600.jpg
> 
> my 150 lashes turned out nicely
> 
> ...


JS use an additive to make theirs cloudy... fair bet yours will be nicer.


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## captain_cremen (4/10/14)

was extremely cloudy, mostly because of the crystal and i didnt use a fine enough strainer.

racked it to clear some of the sediment. 

i used a proper hose and no bubbles really.

it tastes great hey


-Matt


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## wereprawn (4/10/14)

captain_cremen said:


> was extremely cloudy, mostly because of the crystal and i didnt use a fine enough strainer.
> 
> racked it to clear some of the sediment.
> 
> ...


Won't get any clearer than it would have in original FV.


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## TheWiggman (4/10/14)

14 days isn't necessary but is a good idea as a matter of course. I've recently had some issues with bottled beer (diacetyl) which could have been fixed by just leaving it a little longer. No harm leaving it a little longer, possible harm bottling straight away when FG is hit. 
I also recommend forgetting about a secondary, especially if you're a new brewer. You don't need it to make good beer for standard ales, and it rules out one area for error when you're learning. 
Top stuff on the first brew btw.


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## captain_cremen (7/10/14)

guys ive done a 150 lashes, dr smurtos golden ale (bottled yesterday) and not touching for at least a week to 10 days

currntly got a corona on, boring i know but the mrs wants something easy drinking

i really want to make a 'punch you in the face' strong robust IPA next

any really good recipes?? my brother did one but it didnt have much body, tastes good, but didnt have the lovely mouth feel.

appreciate suggestions


-Matt


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## captain_cremen (7/10/14)

wereprawn said:


> Won't get any clearer than it would have in original FV.


thanks mate. i'll keep that in mind. i appreciate the input


-Matt


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## captain_cremen (7/10/14)

indica86 said:


> JS use an additive to make theirs cloudy... fair bet yours will be nicer.


i think it is nicer mate. thanks!


-Matt


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## Major Arcana (7/10/14)

captain_cremen said:


> guys ive done a 150 lashes, dr smurtos golden ale (bottled yesterday) and not touching for at least a week to 10 days
> 
> currntly got a corona on, boring i know but the mrs wants something easy drinking
> 
> ...


Hey mate look for the Hop Hog extract recipe on the site, it is a lovely American IPA. Highly rate it!


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## captain_cremen (8/10/14)

Major Arcana said:


> Hey mate look for the Hop Hog extract recipe on the site, it is a lovely American IPA. Highly rate it!


thanks mate! hop hog it is


-Matt


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## captain_cremen (13/10/14)

guys im a bit pissed off. im not happy with my carbonation. 2 batches kinda
1/2 flat

1st batch i primed each bottle, with dextrose, measured Amounts
of .75 per 750ml bottle

2nd batch i bulk primed, 180g dextrose to 20L 

both flat

wtf


-Matt


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## UKDavo (13/10/14)

captain_cremen said:


> guys im a bit pissed off. im not happy with my carbonation. 2 batches kinda
> 1/2 flat
> 
> 1st batch i primed each bottle, with dextrose, measured Amounts
> ...


Hey mate,

I'm fairly new also so take this with a pinch of salt but...

Did you cold crash the FV prior to bottling? Reason I ask is because I did that and have run into the same problem... Still not carbed after 9 days.


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## Flash_DG (13/10/14)

how long and what temp they been sitting at?


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## antiphile (13/10/14)

Patience, Grasshopper(s). The Flash's questions are very valid and point to the problem. They really need to be kept at or above 18 degrees for a fortnight before you should start getting worried. I'm guessing your ales are being stored where the overnight temp is getting well below that, so they just probably need more time.


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## captain_cremen (13/10/14)

Flash_DG said:


> how long and what temp they been sitting at?


Hi flash, bottles i primed are sitting in my bar, never higher than 24 deg

bulk primed bottles are in my spare fridge, which is off, sitting at 21 degrees


1st batch bottled 3 weeks ago
2nd batch bottled 2 weeks ago

im bout to bottle on wednesday. wtf am i doing wrong here


-Matt


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## Nizmoose (14/10/14)

captain_cremen said:


> Hi flash, bottles i primed are sitting in my bar, never higher than 24 deg
> 
> bulk primed bottles are in my spare fridge, which is off, sitting at 21 degrees
> 
> ...


I wouldn't freak out yet, firstly I have had a batch not carb up after three weeks and a bit longer sorted it, honestly I think a lot of your beer will only get better for 6 or so weeks so I'd chill out and leave it for 4-6 then crack a few and then if no carbonation you have a problem. Cold crashing depending on how long and how good a job you've done will make your beer take longer to carb. If your beer is really clear it's likely that there's not heaps of yeast there to carb, I'd recommend inverting the bottles and giving a little side to side shake to ressuspend the yeast that should help speed up carbonation a bit, I'd do that once a week for 4-6 weeks then see where you stand. Another potential issue is sugar, no matter how much you rouse the yeast if there's no sugar there won't be Co2 but you appear to have that covered, one last thing; your caps, definitely on good? Put a water balloon or small balloon or something over the bottle make sure it's airtight then shake the bottle, if it inflates then your caps are leaking. That's about all I can think of.


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## Blind Dog (14/10/14)

Take a gravity reading next time you open one. If it's still at FG (or less) then you've got an issue with your lids/caps as it doesn't look like you underdosed. If it's above FG then it needs more time and maybe a rousing of the yeast will help as already suggested.

Pic you posted earlier doesn't look under carbonated BTW


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## Flash_DG (14/10/14)

More time like others have said, even here in Brisbane i am having to wait 3+ weeks for my belgain blonde to carb up properly. It gets cold over night which tends to put the little buggers back to sleep then half the morning to warm back up again


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## captain_cremen (14/10/14)

Hi guys, cheers for the replies. i know the bottles are fine, theyre flip top and brand new from the brew shop and take an arm and a leg to close because the rubber seals are so new.

ive got 1/2 my Dr Smurtos golden ale boxed up and im not going to open them for another 2 weeks, that'll be 6 weeks bottle aged.

my brother uses the same bottles and his smurtos was amazing

im half thinking that maybe i didnt rinse well enough after sanitising??? if there is sanitisig agent in the bottle that would explain it yeh?

im bottling tomorrow night, should i bulk prime or bottle prime ???


-Matt


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## Nizmoose (14/10/14)

captain_cremen said:


> Hi guys, cheers for the replies. i know the bottles are fine, theyre flip top and brand new from the brew shop and take an arm and a leg to close because the rubber seals are so new.
> 
> ive got 1/2 my Dr Smurtos golden ale boxed up and im not going to open them for another 2 weeks, that'll be 6 weeks bottle aged.
> 
> ...


What sanitiser are you using? If it's Star-san or a similar no rinse sanitiser then it shouldn't be a problem at all, I use Starsan and leave a heap of foam in each bottle which comes up and out of the bottle as it is filled. Never had any carb problems.

EDIT: If you are able to I'd bulk prime, it does save a bit of time, having said that I regularly use bottling specific sugar scoops to do each bottle individually for when I am doing large batches (i only have one big vessel), pretty much anyone on here will tell you to Bulk Prime.


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## Kingy (14/10/14)

My mate didn't pull his bottle capper lever down hard enough on his first 2 batches and some gas escaped as they where carbing up so came out undercarbed. But like others have said wait at least 6-8 weeks to sample bottled beer. If your drinking earlier your only testing the carbonation levels and not the finished aged product. So every beer you drink before that time frame is wasted. 
Saying that it is good to sample here and there to see and learn the aging process.
A few smaller bottles help to use as samplers so your not wasting a whole tallie.


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## captain_cremen (16/10/14)

i'm having a crack at the HOP HOG this weekend lads

any suggestions? good or bad idea
to try this on my 4th brew?


-Matt


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## burrster (16/10/14)

captain_cremen said:


> i'm having a crack at the HOP HOG this weekend lads
> 
> any suggestions? good or bad idea
> to try this on my 4th brew?
> ...


Well, you gotta do it at some point. So why not now? It's a good one to try. Just know your procedure. Have you steeped grains and done hops additions before? Hop hog has alot of hops.


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## captain_cremen (16/10/14)

burrster said:


> Well, you gotta do it at some point. So why not now? It's a good one to try. Just know your procedure. Have you steeped grains and done hops additions before? Hop hog has alot of hops.


hey mate. ive steeped grain (well crystal malt) for my smurtos golden ale

never done hop additions tho.. i figure if i get all my stuff organised, its just a recipe.. take my time and shld be fine (i hope)

you ever done a hop hog? 


-Matt


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## Nizmoose (17/10/14)

captain_cremen said:


> hey mate. ive steeped grain (well crystal malt) for my smurtos golden ale
> never done hop additions tho.. i figure if i get all my stuff organised, its just a recipe.. take my time and shld be fine (i hope)
> you ever done a hop hog?
> -Matt


Hi mate my first ever batch after watching a mates dad do some k&k batches was a steeped grain and hop addition batch, theres nothing to it  A lot of people suggest making a hop tea and adding that to the batch, IMO it overcmplicates things and doesn't help the learning for future boils. Simple as steeping your grain in say 5L of water as you probably id last batch then bumping the heat up to get the water or technically wort up to a boil after youve removed the grain bag. Once shes boiling add your hops at whenever your recipe says. 60minute addition is added at the start of a 60 minute boil, 20 minute addition 20 minutes from the end. My first batch was simply a 5 minute addition for some aroma thus I brought the wort up to boil, chucked the hops in, boiled for five minutes, turned the heat off, done!


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## yum beer (17/10/14)

captain. regards your carbonation you'll find 180grams dex in a 23 litre batch too little.
You probably want 200-220grams depending on style, but as others have said give your bottles time.
You cant get calculators online for amount of sugar needed for different carb levels by style, try brewersfriend, they have good stuff on there.


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## Yob (17/10/14)

yum beer said:


> captain. regards your carbonation you'll find 180grams dex in a 23 litre batch too little.
> You probably want 200-220grams depending on style, but as others have said give your bottles time.
> You cant get calculators online for amount of sugar needed for different carb levels by style, try brewersfriend, they have good stuff on there.


http://webspace.webring.com/people/ms/sirleslie/AlcoholChart/PrimingCalculator.html

or

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

I assume thats a typeo Yum? 

ed: typo


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## burrster (17/10/14)

captain_cremen said:


> hey mate. ive steeped grain (well crystal malt) for my smurtos golden ale
> 
> never done hop additions tho.. i figure if i get all my stuff organised, its just a recipe.. take my time and shld be fine (i hope)
> 
> ...


Yeah, twice. My second version is probably my best beer so far. I'll be doing it regularly for sure, along with Dr smurtos golden ale. Have you got your recipe yet?


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## Nizmoose (17/10/14)

yum beer said:


> captain. regards your carbonation you'll find 180grams dex in a 23 litre batch too little.
> You probably want 200-220grams depending on style, but as others have said give your bottles time.
> You cant get calculators online for amount of sugar needed for different carb levels by style, try brewersfriend, they have good stuff on there.


Are you sure? at 2.4 vols of Co2 any calculator I use comes up with a 150g ish estimation for dex? I'm assuming 2.4 is about average.


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## captain_cremen (17/10/14)

Nizmoose said:


> Hi mate my first ever batch after watching a mates dad do some k&k batches was a steeped grain and hop addition batch, theres nothing to it  A lot of people suggest making a hop tea and adding that to the batch, IMO it overcmplicates things and doesn't help the learning for future boils. Simple as steeping your grain in say 5L of water as you probably id last batch then bumping the heat up to get the water or technically wort up to a boil after youve removed the grain bag. Once shes boiling add your hops at whenever your recipe says. 60minute addition is added at the start of a 60 minute boil, 20 minute addition 20 minutes from the end. My first batch was simply a 5 minute addition for some aroma thus I brought the wort up to boil, chucked the hops in, boiled for five minutes, turned the heat off, done!




mate... love this! simplifies it so much. cheers!! im making it tomorrow 

im actually on my 4th real hop hog right now.. $18 for 4 bottles!!!


-Matt


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## captain_cremen (17/10/14)

yum beer said:


> captain. regards your carbonation you'll find 180grams dex in a 23 litre batch too little.
> You probably want 200-220grams depending on style, but as others have said give your bottles time.
> You cant get calculators online for amount of sugar needed for different carb levels by style, try brewersfriend, they have good stuff on there.



hey mate, im lucky to punch out 19.5L per batch. i try not to dilute it.. gives me less beer but more flavour IMO


i put 185g of dextrose in my corona that i bottled on Wednesday so i'll let you know how it goes


-Matt


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## captain_cremen (17/10/14)

Nizmoose said:


> Are you sure? at 2.4 vols of Co2 any calculator I use comes up with a 150g ish estimation for dex? I'm assuming 2.4 is about average.


i think if i put 220g i'd have bottles exploding in my garage.

if my next brew
turns out flat im buying a keg. problem solved 


-Matt


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## Nizmoose (18/10/14)

Haha yeah just wait till you're making craft beer quality beers that cost you $12 a carton or even less!


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## yum beer (11/12/14)

yum beer said:


> captain. regards your carbonation you'll find 180grams dex in a 23 litre batch too little.
> You probably want 200-220grams depending on style, but as others have said give your bottles time.
> You cant get calculators online for amount of sugar needed for different carb levels by style, try brewersfriend, they have good stuff on there.


Where the **** did I get those figures from...........
5.5 to 6 gm a litre.....126-138gm dextrose.....more like it.
Sorry if anybody took that piece of useless advice.

Pulling ones head in.......


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## captain_cremen (11/12/14)

very quiet on ahb lately.. has the forum died in the arse or what??


-Matt


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## Nizmoose (11/12/14)

I haven't been here long but I know what you mean, hopefully people are just busy because it's an awesome forum with a lot of knowledgeable people involved, best hobby community I've been a part of for sure


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## yum beer (11/12/14)

captain_cremen said:


> very quiet on ahb lately.. has the forum died in the arse or what??
> 
> 
> -Matt


A lot of long timers have left in recent times for various reasons, time now for the new generation of experienced brewers to step up.
Still plenty of info and advice on here.


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