300 Litres Of Apa

[masculator002]

Just did another big batch of my locally renowned APA. 300 litres this time, should keep me kegs full for a little while. I still haven't gotten around to building the setup to do batches that big all grain yet, but Coopers are still making a good pale extract that you can buy in bulk. took 56 kilograms of malt, about a kilogram of my specially selected hops and drained my hot water system...lol. You all wanted to see my cool fermenter last time I posted so I have put in a pic of it. excuse the messy shed I recently moved and haven't had time to re organise it all yet.

 

[Cocko]

EXCUSE ME!!

You did a 300L batch of kit? But used hops, how did you boil that? Or was it just a 1kg teabag?

Good work mate!

How many packets of yeast did you sprinkle on that badboy?

 

[mwd]

Bloody marvelous if I may say.

300 litres should keep you going for a couple of weeks

Keep away from razor blades if you ever get an infected batch :lol:

 

[masculator002]

EXCUSE ME!!

You did a 300L batch of kit? But used hops, how did you boil that? Or was it just a 1kg teabag?

Good work mate!

How many packets of yeast did you sprinkle on that badboy?

NO not kit.... all unhopped malt extract. Three stage boil for the hops 60 mins, 15 mins and 1 min, boiled the hops in a big pot on the stove to create the hop extract. The malt Extract is available in 28 kg drums. This just saves me trying to boil enough grain for a batch that big. I brew about 150 litres a month this way but a mate wanted to go halves in a batch, hence 300 litres. I use 8 12 gram sachets of yeast (thanks Ross at craftbrewer) and find that this is sufficient as by day 2 the healthy little yeasties are hard at it. approx alc by volume 5.5%

 

[masculator002]

Oh I forgot to say that it should be about 33.1 IBU's

 

[Cocko]

NO not kit.... all unhopped malt extract. Three stage boil for the hops 60 mins, 15 mins and 1 min, boiled the hops in a big pot on the stove to create the hop extract. The malt Extract is available in 28 kg drums. This just saves me trying to boil enough grain for a batch that big. I brew about 150 litres a month this way but a mate wanted to go halves in a batch, hence 300 litres. I use 8 12 gram sachets of yeast (thanks Ross at craftbrewer) and find that this is sufficient as by day 2 the healthy little yeasties are hard at it. approx alc by volume 5.5%

Thats massive!

Good work mate :beerbang:

I am glad you are kegging and not bottling! :lol:

Too cool...... Can't wait to see your AG rig!

 

[Bizier]

What are the real estate prices around warragul like?

 

[masculator002]

Thats massive!

Good work mate :beerbang:

I am glad you are kegging and not bottling! :lol:

Too cool...... Can't wait to see your AG rig!

yeah was doing the 20 litre all grain but just didn't have time to brew enough 20 litre batches to keep up so went this way. got a bit of AG gear I might look at selling one day. I.E. an esky with manifold etc. ... just wish they made a boiler big enough for my fermenter. (Fermenter will take 400 litres)

 

[masculator002]

What are the real estate prices around warragul like?

They are not too bad, still see the odd 3 or 4 bed on quarter acre for around the 200,000 to 250,000

 

[Cocko]

Fit a few elements and you are away!

 

[Bizier]

They are not too bad, still see the odd 3 or 4 bed on quarter acre for around the 200,000 to 250,000

OK, I am moving in.

 

[masculator002]

OK, I am moving in.

No probs you buy a bit of land and grow the hops we will need...lol

 

[QldKev]

Fit a few elements and you are away!

That picture brought back DrWho lol


QldKev

 

[masculator002]

That picture brought back DrWho lol


QldKev

lmao .....now that you mention it..... hmmm

 

[Bugglz]

I have that exact same fermenter i think, is yours variable capacity?

I am Planing a 300lt batch soon too .

 

[Swinging Beef]

"The exact wording of the new law introduced under Whitlam allows home brewers to make 22 litres of beer per week"

Shhhh....

 

[masculator002]

I have that exact same fermenter i think, is yours variable capacity?

I am Planing a 300lt batch soon too .

Yes its variable 400 litres, Toscana Inox. I guess that you are using extract to be able to brew that much, one word of advice you need a BIG pot to boil the hops in. I would reccommend at least 18 litres of water.

 

[masculator002]

"The exact wording of the new law introduced under Whitlam allows home brewers to make 22 litres of beer per week"

Shhhh....

I believe that you will find that law to be out of date. if it wasn't the people making wine at home off of their couple acres of vines would be in the shit wouldn't they? The guy I bought the fermenter from had four more of them he was selling so you would be looking at 2000 litres there, or roughly 38 litres at 14% per week. Anyway just cause I am brewing a large batch doesn't mean that I am brewing more than 22 per week it is just all brewed in one hit so I don't have to brew so many small batches. lets face it 3 weeks in the fermenter, five or six weeks to drink 150 litres. 150 litres divided by 8 weeks= 18.75 litres per week. I am within the law.

 

[Bugglz]

Yes its variable 400 litres, Toscana Inox. I guess that you are using extract to be able to brew that much, one word of advice you need a BIG pot to boil the hops in. I would reccommend at least 18 litres of water.

Yh same as mine, I actually use it for wine but it's unused for 10 months of the year so thought I'd gave some beer a shot. Do you find it difficult getting the malt extract in? I was thinking just pour it in and add some boiling water to dissolve.
Also do you leave it in there to clear then keg? filter to keg? or keg it cloudy?

 

[masculator002]

Yh same as mine, I actually use it for wine but it's unused for 10 months of the year so thought I'd gave some beer a shot. Do you find it difficult getting the malt extract in? I was thinking just pour it in and add some boiling water to dissolve.
Also do you leave it in there to clear then keg? filter to keg? or keg it cloudy?

Buy your malt extract in 28 kg pails, These just so happen to be 20 litres, just pour the malt into the fermenter on top of your hot hop extract. Use 6 pails of hot water from your hot tap pour on top and stir after the fourth. I use a really high tech piece of equipment for stirring, basically it is a piece of 70 by 19 pine which is long enough to reach the bottom, (i am expecting a few comments from readers about that but rest assured it is sanitary) dressed pine not sawn.then top up to 300 litres total volume using the pails as the measuring device. Personally I would do a 150 litre brew first to get the hang of what you have to do and also because 300 litres runs into a few dollars if it all goes wrong. don't worry if the malt doesn't fully dissolve the yeasties will eat it. I find after about 2 and a half weeks it should be finished fermentation and should be quite clear, depending on the yeast you are using. I use a lot of 1056 american ale yeast also known as US-05 in fermentis. I recommend that you buy the stuff that ross at craft brewer sells as it is very good and starts fermentation within 15 minutes of pitching. I find that even if there is a little yeast carry over to the keg it will settle out after it has been in the fridge for a few days, and it will only be the first glass or two which will have a little bit of cloud to it(generally very minimal amount gets through.) I also bottle a reasonable amount of each brew as I only have 5 workable kegs at the moment. to do this I just line all of my primed bottles up and use a lil bottler attached to the end of a length of food grade tubing which I also use to get to the bottom of the kegs to avoid oxidisation. (I dont use the lil bottler in the kegs just the hose)


Trav