Recent content by johnyb

Hi all, ill health forces me to sell an as new Birko 40lt urn which I used for only 2 BIAB's (nice beer too). It's 3 months old, clean as a whistle, still under warranty with recepit and is listed on ebay.com.au Cheers, JB

I completed my fourth Birko urn BIAB AG brew on Friday, and I agree, it's not much more drama than K & Bits brewing. I have a 20 litre plastic cube which I fill with the fresh hot wort and let it cool overnight, then straight into the fermenter. I scrub the urn down, and then boil about 6 litres...

I found an expired can of Coopers Stout 2 weeks ago in my local Coles. I cruised to the young girl on the checkout and said I'd found it on the shelf and that they usually gave the expired cans to me for free...she replied "Yes of course they only throw them out after all". Grin. It's in the...

Thanks Dazza, are youusing US-05 yeast? I presume so.

Ok, I jumped in early and did my BIAB this morning! I added 33 litres of cold water to the birko urn and cranked the thermostat to full. I was surprised how quickly the birko urn got to 69 deg, it is very "responsive" - the maximum heat setting is 110 degrees so the element starts bubbling as...

All this was accomplished in my 60 litre fermenter, which really holds about 75 litres but I allow for krausen and happy yeast risings. The fermenter JUST fits in my big kelvinator brewing fridge and almost re-pops my hernia (originally done opening the bowling in 1st grade years ago-long story)...

An update: I just tried a bottle of this (at only 3 weeks in the bottle) and the verdict is Not bad at all...it's a dark beer with great head and lace, and a tart sweet background. It actually tastes better than a Coopers Dark Ale I was drinking at 6-8 weeks already!! So, I got 7 cartons of...

Hi Stew, I am drinking a Blue Mountain Lager as I type. I can't answer all your questions, but rather share with you my experience with it. The bottles I am drinking are a month old (in secondary conditioning). I added 300g LDME and fermented it for 3 weeks at 12 deg with Saflager 23 yeast. I...

I popped into Craftbrewer in Brisbane today (I work across the highway from them - such a bonus!) and went home with almost 5kg of milled grain for a Dr Smurto's Golden Ale, along with a pack of whirfloc and some US-05. The advice given to me is; 1) Don't drink during my first brew,2) Don't...

Tried both, liked both, but prefer the Golden Ale.

Ok, now that I have your attention... This weekend marks a significant step forward for me as a brewer..I am graduating up to my first BIAB. Yes, the 40 litre urn arrived, the viole grain bag is ready and I have 2 plastic cubes sanitized and ready for initiation. I have read the Recipe forum a...

Thanks Nick. I am about to do my first BIAB this weekend, and your wonderful post has only added to my confidence to go forward. I do appreciate your time and effort. John

The old saying: Most Customers vote with their feet.

I have a 60 litre fermenter and have found 40-45 litre brews far easier to produce than 50's. I can lift 40s into the fridge by myself but 60's are a real effort. Also the headspace used with a 40 litre brew in a 60 lire fermenter is just right whereas a 50 litre brew in a 60 lire space tend to...

I'd be boiling it and then hanging in direct sunshine for a few days, and then repeating the process till no mold is left