Recent content by Drubbing

Not my experience. Been using mine for 5 years.

Depends how cool the spot he left them in was. They may not have been warm enough to carb up. Although I remember getting too many flatties using carb drops, so stopped using them. I only use flip tops to bottle and rarely have an issue. Mine are a few years old, so the occasional flat one...

Well it makes sense to only brew beers you want to drink. Assuming that's the case and that you've bought wort kits, the only factor by process of elimination, is the fermenting . Personally, I don't see that process as 'basic' or even necessary. I've always brewed in a plastic brew bucket with...

When i did labels, I bought fabric ones and created designs in publisher. Paper labels never worked, they either went damp when put in the fridge, and they're are a bugger to get off for next bottling.

Kegged beer shouldn't need much conditioning, as you're introducing instant carbonation, which is why bottling takes longer. You might get a little improvement over a couple of weeks, but long term storage does not = far better beer (Stouts excepted). It's hard to say why your beer is not...

Not enough yeast. You used 2kg of extra fermentables, plus the Dark Ale kit, and that will produce a high OG. Two packets of yeast would be needed. High ABV brews needs more yeast, otherwise they will not ferment out fully. That brew was not finished at 1031. After bottling and introducing more...

A lot of brewers go 'commando' with their dry hopping. It's not a big deal. The taste you have is probably the aftertaste that seems endemic to kit brews. I never got it that much and 2 weeks in the bottle would see the beer smooth out, but everyone tastes differently.

the low OG could be due to not stirring it enough - you did brew a double can and that stuff is treacly. So 1020 may not have been the true reading. Always mix really well. Warm the cans before adding and add to warm water. I always needed 7-10 days bottling for kits to condition, however they...

Yes, no need for 3 vessels to brew, you can do it all in one. Brewing can be as simple or complicated as you want it. That's what I got and have been doing 23l sized recipes BIAB brews in it. Boiling headroom is a little tight so I usually recover 20-21L into the fermenter, but the the...

I've done this, but needed 4+ bags and it's a pain. I used to let the wort cool overnight in a food grade cube, lots of brewers do this. If you have pool, drop the cube in there for 2-3 hours. Done.

I can vouch for Brewmart, huge range and they have some knowledgeable people there. Well worth investing in temp controlling your fermenter, especially in perth. I started on Coopers kits, even though my local shop wasn't keen on them, I made some very good beers from these. All kits needs...

Good idea with the esky. A fridge for brewing is essentially just an insulated box that has a cooling system. You might consider getting a old fridge instead, given the temps you're dealing with. Add an inkbird controller (plug n play, no sparky's required). Then set your fermenting temp and...

Near impossible to do without temp control. Even with my efforts were pretty meh - easier to buy a 6er when you feel like one, they do it better. Pils/lagers are fermented at 12-15C. A Coopers Cerveza or Blonde kit with the supplied yeast will give you a ok lager-ish beer.

Not really that hardcore. AG makes cleaner more interesting beer. I'm not into the craft beer as it currently sells. A lot of it is over marketed rubbish. I make fairly simple recipes of standards and classics - ESB, Little creatures and Sierra and some nice english 'craft' bitters from before...

I get all your saying, but it's not my point. It's a hobby, you can't factor in your time as an actual cost. Otherwise you'd be applying costs to everything non work related you do, which is a bit silly IMO. Time, power etc are all negligible things cost wise. The ingredient are an actual cost...