Another Newbie

[EVOSTi]

Hi guys, great forum you have here hopefully i can someday contribute

I got a brewcraft brewing kit for christmas and i know its been a while but im ready to start brewing after saving up the stubbies.
after reading some home brew threads on my favourite car forums (of all places) i know that keeping the temperature low is really important. the method i hope to use is putting the fermenter in a big plastic box under the workbench in the garage and rotating frozen coke bottles daily.

so my first question is, can i leave the tap on the fermenter uncovered in the water without risk of infection?

secondly, how long can i safely leave the brew in the fermenter after the action stops? i wont be racking to a second container and hope to let it settle for a while to reduce the chunks.

also what is the effect of temperature after the bubbles have finished? because i need to move it onto the bench to bottle and probably move the muck around off the bottom, can i let it sit in the warm air to settle for a while?

i got two kits with the fermenter kit, a coopers premium bitter kit which came with a 1.5kg can of light malt, and a brewcraft ultra imperial ale kit (also doesnt need sugar, comes in two cans). what beers are these comparable to? if they arent something i like id rather just start with something that i already drink like coopers pale ale or some other pilsner.

sorry for the long post and if these have been answered 100 times before.

 

[InCider]

Hi EVOSTi,

Lancer Man eh?

Check out this link on some basic stuff (heaps here - google search gets the most out of it for me) Linky

Also check out John Palmers How to Brew - Liny 2

As for temperature with Ales - after the major fermentation has ended - 3-5 days, I sometimes take the fermenter out of the fridge and put it on the bench, so the increase in temp is not very cruical then.

And try for bigger bottles if you can - 750ml = 1/2 the time bottling.

Cheers,

InCider.

 

[EVOSTi]

thanks for the reply. despite the name im not into lancers or subies, its a handle ive had for over 10 years, more of a toyota person

thanks for those links, i will check them out.

with the bottles, ill use the stubbies for the first brew but then ill probably go bigger, was just an excuse for the mrs to drink more beer ive just obtained a free fridge so hope to move to kegging in a few months.

 

[0M39A]

thanks for the reply. despite the name im not into lancers or subies, its a handle ive had for over 10 years, more of a toyota person

thanks for those links, i will check them out.

with the bottles, ill use the stubbies for the first brew but then ill probably go bigger, was just an excuse for the mrs to drink more beer ive just obtained a free fridge so hope to move to kegging in a few months.

G'day EVOSti,

sounds like you've been doing some reading already, which is great to see.

I noticed you were mentioning about keeping the temperature down, and also you have just obtained a free fridge. instead of moving towards kegging, i would suggest you get a mashmaster fridgemate, and do your fermenting in there, that way you can just dial in the temperature and forget about it.

at the end of the day, what would you rather: crap beer on tap, or good beer in the bottle?

sorry i cant offer any advice on the two kits you have, as i havent used either of them.

I assume as you have been doing a bit of reading already, you know how important cleanliness is? whats your cleaning regime?

glad to see another new face brewing

cheers

 

[Tyred]

I don't think either of those would be like Pale Ale or a pilsner. I haven't made either of those brews. Do some searching, there will probably be some info out there.

Regarding the brewcraft imperial ale I found a thread http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=19359 but there wasn't that much information on it.

A quick search found the following.For something like Coopers Pale Ale you could try something like Coopers Pale Ale (tin), Beer Booster (probably something like 500g Dextrose, 250g Light Malt, 250g Corn Syrup available from home brew shops) and Safale yeast. Won't be exactly like Coopers but might be somewhere around there.

Not sure what the Coopers site has on it, but there may be something there as well.

 

[EVOSTi]

judging by that link the brewcraft ultra kit is pretty exy, so i think ill make it first so as not to insult the brother in law

with the fridge, i dont know if ill be able to use it as a dedicated fermenting fridge because my main fridge is small and i need the space for drinks. its not on at the moment anyway because im having a hard time finding a replacement seal.

regards to cleaning, havent looked into it yet but im sure theres plenty of info on these forums already so ill have a look. was thinking of diluted bleach? just hoping to use something cheap and easily available cause i dont know how long the stuff that came with the kit will last.

 

[beernography]

Hey Evosti,

Not sure what the others use in regards to detergent, I use the brewcraft brewclean that came with my starter kit for 6 brews, (and associated cleaning, bottles etc) then it ran out and I bought another for $11.60. Good stuff and it doesn't leave a stink so I would stick with it personally. Once I used to to clean my face too when I ran out of soap, worked a charm.

You can also get this pink powder called stain remover, haven't used that but I understand it works like bleach to get into crevices and eat stuff away.

Re: Sanitisers there are mountains of threads going into the pros and cons and various types, do a search and all will be revealed. Happy brewing!

 

[RobboMC]

These beers are not really close to anything available at your local bottle shop, they are much better than that.

I've never made the brewcraft versions, but all the 2 can kits I've done have been excellent. Coopers Bitter with a can a malt will also be an excellent drink.

Don't look to make beer equivilent to the commercuial offerings, you can already to much better than that.
Look to make the best beer you can, your taste buds will thank you.

Since you have a fridge, use that for fermenting to keep the brew temp to as close to 19-20 deg C as your controls will allow.
All I do is turn the fridge on for an hour or so each day. I don't have a fridgemate but it still works much better than using no fridge.

 

[Bulldog_y2k6]

Gday i have made the Brewcraft Ultra Imperial Pale Ale, just started drinking a week or so ago, i found it to be far too sweet when finished, maybe consider some hop additions to balance it out a bit. I also made the brewcraft ultra Choc Redwood Ale, this was far better and still one of the better beers i have made. But for the price i wouldn't buy one again, toucans, fresh wort and partials represent a bit better value, you will find this forum invaluable for finding recipes, i know i have. I hope your first brew turns out better than mine did!!


Cheers
Bulldog

 

[Canumbler]

A suggestion for sanitising would be one part bleach mixed well with 640 parts water, then add 1 part vinegar and mix. This is what I use as a one shot no-rinse sanitiser and I've never had an infection.

Cleaning, home brand napisan is probably the easiest.

 

[Boozums]

These beers are not really close to anything available at your local bottle shop, they are much better than that.

Just wanted to leap on this and run my tongue all over its saucy sentiment.

I guzzled copious quantities of stockmarket-listed swillage, praise be their namelessness for they gave pleasure and I knew no better, that when I kickstarted the kit and kilo cycle I hoped the end result would be 3/5ths as drinkable.

Colour me drunk and covered in sick if the K&K sidecar combo didn't turn out far better than a galaxy far, far away.

And potency, lads and ladies, let's step back and slur about that aspect for section or two. Shay nomoah.

I don't give a rat's tube for the OG/FG swizzlestickery but a gimpfriend swears by such textbookboorishness, if his regular 5% FG-hokery is wellkempt with natty sideburns then public breweries are lying through dessicated gizzards about their 5%.

Hand on my heart, I can drink 12 cans (330ml) processed pissoir and be bored long before I'm satiated but if you think Arnold's muscles were impressive you should see how ripped I am after a couple of bottles of k&k witchery.

The cheapest k&k I've bought has been better (given time) than any mass-processed beer I can remember tasting. And I've developed a stupid grin - come maniacal smirk, that I never had when I used to drink beer made by a corporation.

--
Boozums

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Just wanted to leap on this and run my tongue all over its saucy sentiment.

I guzzled copious quantities of stockmarket-listed swillage, praise be their namelessness for they gave pleasure and I knew no better, that when I kickstarted the kit and kilo cycle I hoped the end result would be 3/5ths as drinkable.

Colour me drunk and covered in sick if the K&K sidecar combo didn't turn out far better than a galaxy far, far away.

And potency, lads and ladies, let's step back and slur about that aspect for section or two. Shay nomoah.

I don't give a rat's tube for the OG/FG swizzlestickery but a gimpfriend swears by such textbookboorishness, if his regular 5% FG-hokery is wellkempt with natty sideburns then public breweries are lying through dessicated gizzards about their 5%.

Hand on my heart, I can drink 12 cans (330ml) processed pissoir and be bored long before I'm satiated but if you think Arnold's muscles were impressive you should see how ripped I am after a couple of bottles of k&k witchery.

The cheapest k&k I've bought has been better (given time) than any mass-processed beer I can remember tasting. And I've developed a stupid grin - come maniacal smirk, that I never had when I used to drink beer made by a corporation.

--
Boozums

Boozums, you are not Shakespeare, but you are bard. :beerbang:

 

[staggalee]

Boozums, you are not Shakespeare, but you are bard. :beerbang:

I couldn`t agree more- it`s time for some f#####`culture around here.
Alas, poor Yorrick. I knew him well.

stagga.

 

[bierbaron]

thats some real medievil sh#t right there......lol.....awesome

 

[Fatgodzilla]

thats some real medievil sh#t right there......lol.....awesome

Yes, culture should not be the domain of the scientists.

 

[MVZOOM]

Yes, culture should not be the domain of the scientists.

Nor, most certainly the accountants. :lol:

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Nor, most certainly the accountants. :lol:

How right you are, oh father of fairy legs !!

 

[samhighley]

Just wanted to leap on this and run my tongue all over its saucy sentiment.

A joy to behold.

Thanks for your insightful words!

I enjoyed every one.

 

[staggalee]

Have more than thou showest
Speak less than thou knowest
Lend less than though owest

King Lear- Act 1 - Sc.4.

stagga.
















I`ll get some kulture into this lot yet.

 

[MVZOOM]

How right you are, oh father of fairy legs !!

Haha!

That's got a nice ring about it - I like. UNfortunately I'm not drinking through the week (at all!) for month of Feb - so Fairy Legs and I have reached a fork in the road. She's having a drink right now, actually - whilst my throat is dry and parched!