"aussie" Beer

[kevin01041961]

Hi gents well a "pom" wanting some help and i dont mean with the cricket or the rugby , but with some ne recipes ones i havnt tried and from down under.
I have been brewing 20 yrs and now do 10 gallon batches one to condition and one 5 gallon that shall we say never gets the chance :beerbang:
so if you have some ideas and maybe i have some you lads & of course lasses havnt tried

"Cheers" :icon_chickcheers:

 

[Pete2501]

recipeDB
:mellow:


DrSmurto's Golden Ale has massive rep. Depends what kind of beer you're going for though.

Weat, USA/AUS/ENG APA, USA/AUS/ENG IPA, Ginger Beer, Bock, Kolsch, Pilsner, Fruit, Lambic etc etc.

 

[Gout]

as pete said what beer style do you want - if you want an aussie beer - then i guess coopers ale is the only beer worth brewing

dont bother with a main stream beer VB,cub etc yuck

Australia have many fine beers tho but only beer lovers with taste buds like - they taste like beer - not water

then there are many smaller brewery's and beers

 

[Screwtop]

During the last century and a bit old Australian beers changed much in the same way as beers across the world. As refrigeration became more readily available and less expensive ales became lagers. Why, well answering that question regarding almost any commercial decision in multiple choice format "If In Doubt Tick Cost". Less spoilage, lower ingredient cost, less hops required due to the clean lager fermentation characteristics, longer shelf life etc. Less colour, flavour and aroma, well........... maybe, but the marketing dept takes care of that spinning it any which-way to the masses.

Very few old brewery ales remain. Coopers brewery has largely remained true to ales, the goto recipes for the style would be AndrewQLD's recipes to be found in the recipe database

If you would like to make a clone of one of our famous mega lagers then pretty much any pale lager recipe using 20% of adjuncts to reduce colour should work, bittered to 18 - 25 IBU with one addition of Pride of Ringwood or Cluster Hops would do.

My Ale Clone of XXXX bitter
OG 1.044
FG 1.009
90% Pils Malt
10% Table Sugar (boil 10 min)
Cluster Hops 60 min, 24 IBU
Mash 63, 90 min
Water 120ppm Calc Sulphate
Yeast Saf S-05
Fermentation Temp 18

Ale Clone of XXXX Gold
OG 1.037
FG 1.008
80% Pils Malt
8% Caramalt
4% Wheat Malt
8% Table Sugar (boil 10 min)
Cluster Hops 60 min, 24 IBU
Mash 67, 60 min
Water 120ppm Calc Sulphate
Yeast Saf S-05
Fermentation Temp 18


Cheers,

Screwy

 

[boingk]

If you're after a kit version of something quintessentially Aussie, then try this easy knock-off of Coopers Pale Ale that I've made in the past:

1.7kg kit of Coopers Pale Ale (most good 'Draught' or 'Ale' kits would do, look for light colouring and about ~20IBU when made to 22L)
500g LDME
300g dextrose/white sugar
20g Pride of Ringwood hops @ 10 minutes in 1L of water with 50g of the LDME.

Has gone down well with mates, and if you want to give it the edge then just culture up the dregs of yeast from a few bottles of Coopers Pale Ale and ferment at under 18'C. Over this temp will give you banana esters.

Cheers - boingk

 

[Nick JD]

Almost all aussie megaswill seems to be a pale malt, 20% sugar and a single addition of Pride of Ringwood to mid-twenties. Which is probably why they all taste the same.

That XXXX recipe of Screwtop's looks like a good one.

 

[Bribie G]

Kev, you don't mention whether you use kits or do full mash. If kits, then the suggestion to use Coopers kits is great as I know they are widely available in the UK. However if you are full mash then here's a fairly good knock off of a Fosters / Carlton style (not the 3.5% fake Fosters they make in the UK at MegaInterBrewCorp or whoever) A touch of Saaz or Hersbrucker at the end gives a bit of a Cascade Premium 'nose'.

this is for a 23 L brew so double up for your system there.

4 kg Pale Pilsener Malt
500g rice (dry weight) cooked to a mush and stirred into the mash at correct temerature

90 mins 65 degrees

90 mins boil with 30g Pride of Ringwood or 25g Superpride hops.
10g Saaz added 10 minutes before the end of the boil.
300g white sugar added to boil
Whirlfoc tablet


For the yeast, either W-34/70 if you have time and the ability to lager or, if you want a quicker almost as good version, then US-05 but keep fermentation at 17 degrees. If you check out the Craftbrewer site at the top of the page, they supply to the UK all the time as they also advertise on / sponsor the UK homebrewer site (Not Jims, the other one). They give great service and I don't think the postage to the UK is too savage on small items. The use of some Pride of Ringwood or Superpride is a must for Aussie beers.

Cheers

Michael
(born Pontefract, bah goom)

 

[kevin01041961]

Hi yes sorry full mash type beers, i make mainy pale ales with strengths from 4% up to 12% !!! so if you need some recipes and i can help, I have to say i dont know very much about aussie beers no thats a lie i dont know anything :lol: .

I assume like most of us over here that you drink mainly a "lager " type beer swan, 4 x, etc so the brews you have suggested which i am greatfull for will be tried this weekend if i can get the hops.


We seem to be going through a resurgence in brewing going from most home brew shops closing to the ones that remain open starting to see an improvement in thier takings.

Once again my thanks and i look forward to more of the same :chug:

 

[kuba]

1.7kg kit of Coopers Pale Ale (most good 'Draught' or 'Ale' kits would do, look for light colouring and about ~20IBU when made to 22L)
500g LDME
300g dextrose/white sugar
20g Pride of Ringwood hops @ 10 minutes in 1L of water with 50g of the LDME.

Hi im new to this site and have only done a handfuls of kit homebrews. Ive just done this coopers kit (pale ale) and am drinking it atm.
I like my beers bitter and my homebrews have never tasted bitter enough but are always slightly sweet (except once it was sour where i knew i stuffed up).

I dont understand some of the lingo ive read on this site what does ~20IBU, LDME mean; also what do you do with the Ringwood hops @10minutes in 1L of water etc...

Also if you've answered this question a million times is there a link that explains some of the lingo on this site

cheers

 

[manticle]

Hi im new to this site and have only done a handfuls of kit homebrews. Ive just done this coopers kit (pale ale) and am drinking it atm.
I like my beers bitter and my homebrews have never tasted bitter enough but are always slightly sweet (except once it was sour where i knew i stuffed up).

I dont understand some of the lingo ive read on this site what does ~20IBU, LDME mean; also what do you do with the Ringwood hops @10minutes in 1L of water etc...

Also if you've answered this question a million times is there a link that explains some of the lingo on this site

cheers

IBU is international bittering units - a standard measurement for the bitterness of a brew.
LDME is light dried malt extract
@ x minutes means that's the amount of time you boil them for. A full length grain boil will usually be 60 minutes (although 75 and 90 minute boils are also common). At various points hops may be added for bitterness, flavour and aroma. If you are adding for bitterness, you add early so @60 will refer to a bittering addition that is added early and remains in the boil for an hour.

There is a list of other common acronyms in the wiki section: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...;showarticle=17

If you want your kit brews with higher bitterness you can try doing a boil and adding hops yourself. You can also look at some of the more bitter kits like Coopers IPA or doing a toucan (two kits or cans made up to a single batch volume - higher alcohol volume and higher bitterness)

 

[shonks69]

During the last century and a bit old Australian beers changed much in the same way as beers across the world. As refrigeration became more readily available and less expensive ales became lagers. Why, well answering that question regarding almost any commercial decision in multiple choice format "If In Doubt Tick Cost". Less spoilage, lower ingredient cost, less hops required due to the clean lager fermentation characteristics, longer shelf life etc. Less colour, flavour and aroma, well........... maybe, but the marketing dept takes care of that spinning it any which-way to the masses.

Very few old brewery ales remain. Coopers brewery has largely remained true to ales, the goto recipes for the style would be AndrewQLD's recipes to be found in the recipe database

If you would like to make a clone of one of our famous mega lagers then pretty much any pale lager recipe using 20% of adjuncts to reduce colour should work, bittered to 18 - 25 IBU with one addition of Pride of Ringwood or Cluster Hops would do.

My Ale Clone of XXXX bitter
OG 1.044
FG 1.009
90% Pils Malt
10% Table Sugar (boil 10 min)
Cluster Hops 60 min, 24 IBU
Mash 63, 90 min
Water 120ppm Calc Sulphate
Yeast Saf S-05
Fermentation Temp 18

Ale Clone of XXXX Gold
OG 1.037
FG 1.008
80% Pils Malt
8% Caramalt
4% Wheat Malt
8% Table Sugar (boil 10 min)
Cluster Hops 60 min, 24 IBU
Mash 67, 60 min
Water 120ppm Calc Sulphate
Yeast Saf S-05
Fermentation Temp 18


Cheers,

Screwy

Cheers Screwy

Do you have a recipe for VB? (old tastebuds die hard)
Cheers
Shonks

 

[Screwtop]

Cheers Screwy

Do you have a recipe for VB? (old tastebuds die hard)
Cheers
Shonks

No I don't shonks, but I have made the above with POR to the same IBU's and it was fairly popular with megaswill drinkers here.

Cheers,

Screwy

 

[Bribie G]

Substituting Superpride for the Cluster will give you a more 'VB' flavour straight away. In a 23 L batch, about 25g boiled for 90 mins, no late additions.

 

[Pete2501]

You guys are freaking me out. I know VB is considered beer and XXXX. But.. why? :lol:

 

[Bribie G]

Have you ever lived or travelled overseas? If so you will appreciate that the likes of XXXX and VB actually stack up ok against many overseas brews, they are just a different style due to our malts and hops and sugar usage. Not all of us like orange cloudy ales hopped to the ridiculous with Cascade, some of us actually like a good Australian Lager - preferably one we have brewed ourselves. If we crack you up then I'm glad I've brought a smile into someone's life today

 

[Pete2501]

It looks like you've finished all your tasks for today Bribie you can go home early today.

 

[Nick JD]

Does anyone know what the most likely candidate for yeasts is in the Carlton and Castlemaine breweries?

I think as a homebrewer there's a challenge to accurately copy megaswill. My mates all say my beer is great ... "but it doesn't taste like bought stuff".

I'd like to show them I can make "bought stuff", but don't want to.

The real kicker will be to serve my XXXX Gold ONLY mate a homebrew gold in the proper bottle and see if he picks it. I'm betting he will - but it'll be a fun task trying.

 

[Bribie G]

Does anyone know what the most likely candidate for yeasts is in the Carlton and Castlemaine breweries?

I think as a homebrewer there's a challenge to accurately copy megaswill. My mates all say my beer is great ... "but it doesn't taste like bought stuff".

I'd like to show them I can make "bought stuff", but don't want to.

The real kicker will be to serve my XXXX Gold ONLY mate a homebrew gold in the proper bottle and see if he picks it. I'm betting he will - but it'll be a fun task trying.

I don't know about XXXX but the Carlton Yeasts apparently came from Denmark (Carlsberg) early on in the piece. TidalPete has made a superb Aussie lager using Wyeast 2042. I've also had success with dried yeast S-189 as it ferments warmish. I think I recall Thirsty Boy, who works at CUB, saying that they start fermenting cold then let it gradually rise to the late teens before sending to the lagering tanks for 10 days.

I made the following for a birthday party attended 100% by non brewers and they were more than happy with it as a commercial tasting brew:

4000 BB pale pilsener
300 Carapils

67 degrees 90 mins

20 superpride 90 mins
2 plugs Hallertau Mittelfreuh 10 mins

750 dextrose

S-189 fermented at around 15 degrees for 10 days
lagered for 10 days at 3 degrees
further cold conditioned in keg for 10 days before serving.



I did another version with a bit of crystal (the one on the right) and used two additions of Cluster XXX style but that might be a bit advanced for your mates B)

 

[shonks69]

Have you ever lived or travelled overseas? If so you will appreciate that the likes of XXXX and VB actually stack up ok against many overseas brews, they are just a different style due to our malts and hops and sugar usage. Not all of us like orange cloudy ales hopped to the ridiculous with Cascade, some of us actually like a good Australian Lager - preferably one we have brewed ourselves. If we crack you up then I'm glad I've brought a smile into someone's life today

Good on ya BribeG and thanks for your advice Screwtop

I have been a dedicated consumer of VB for many years as it was the beer that my friends and myself grew up on. In my limited travels I have also been able to enjoy VB in every country I have visited (cant be that bad if it is internationally recognized).
My palate has evolved over the years to my home brew experience and the array of boutique beers available in Australia but it would be nice to have clone of my old school favorite as an everyday drinker.

Cheers
Shonks :chug:

 

[Nick JD]

I used to buy XXXX in Sydney and people would hassle me for buying Qld beer while they sat there drinking VB ... in Sydney. "It tastes better" was my reply with a .

Probably something to do with the use of actual hops.

I found this on an American site where Yanks were asking for A VB recipe. It's quite funny (because it's true!):

This is an excerpt from Homebrewers Digest #2498, 9/3/97.

From: Andy Walsh
Subject: for that hard, cold thirst, the beer is VIC!

Brian Travis asks about Victoria Bitter.
First, a little history.
Fosters Brewing make 3 standard lagers; Fosters Lager, Victoria Bitter
and Crown Lager (4 if you include Melbourne Bitter). For many years,
Fosters was the most popular of the 3, VB was barely advertised, and
Crown the expensive "premium" brand. To confuse matters, Australian
"Bitter" is not particularly bitter, and is not an ale either. It is
just a low-hopped lager, and the term "Bitter" was seized by marketers
to differentiate their product from all the other similar products (you
can only have so many bottle/can colours. Fosters is blue, VB green,
Melbourne Bitter red and Crown comes in a fancy gold-labelled bottle).

Then something happened. VB for some unknown reason steadily grew in
sales (despite an incredibly low advertising budget - the ads on TV now
are at least 20 years old and use the voice of an actor dead for some 15
years or so!) until now it commands some 40% of the entire Australian
beer market. Who says increasing advertising pays dividends?

Since I've surprised a few of the North American HBDers recently by
stating US Tettnang = Fuggle (thanks for some great detective work,
Jim!), I'll go out on a limb and surprise the Aussies by stating that
for all intents and purposes the 3 beers mentioned are the same too.
Fosters brew one stream from which all 3 derive, without boiling hops
(or minimal, solely to aid break formation), and use high gravity
techniques. Hops are added to the bright beer (post filtration) in the
form of a product called HPL6, an isomerised hop extract formed
originally from hops extracted with liquid CO2. No hop aroma exists in
any of them, and IBUs vary marginally from the 22 mark. All have the
same alcohol concentration of 4.9% (by volume). The aroma is best
described as "sewer" (ethyl mercaptan?), from the combination of high
temperature lager fermentation and yeast strain used.

Recipe for any of them:
-OG = 1.042 (or 1.060 if you want to high gravity brew for authenticity)
-FG = 1.006
-soft water
-30% sucrose
-2 row well-modified lager malt
-encourage fermentability via 63-65C rests with pH ~ 5.2 @ mash temp.
(no protein rest!)
-Step infusion mash.
-Fermentation - pitch at 14C, allow to rise up to 18C
-Choice of yeast critical. Fosters use their own strain. Some yeasts
won't ferment well with this much sucrose and will either stick and/or
produce truckloads of acetaldehyde. Try Wyeast Danish lager.
Addition of a yeast nutrient (nitrogen) is wise with so much sucrose
-22 IBU with pride of ringwood hops (any high alpha will do)
-no hop flavour or aroma
-No diacetyl.
-Serve so cold you can't taste how vile it really is, and don't forget
to hold your nose...

One world...one hop...one yeast...one malt...one beer...

Andy (Cantillon-is-just-Coopers-made-in-a-dirty-fermenter) Walsh.

PS. Beer trivia - the Fosters brothers were American, and returned to
New York after just 1 year. (gee, thanks for the legacy!)
PPS. I would really try and discourage homebrewers from attempting to
make this kind of beer.