Damn You All

[Lobsta]

damn all you guys... i only have 1 k+k brew under my belt and already you have me looking at what is involved in an AG setup... only a few things are standing in my way:
A) there is a LOT of reading involved in finding all about AG brewing, and that is best saved for uni lectures where there isnt ready acess to a tv (im still on holidays until the 25th. WOO UNI! :super: :lol: )
B) there is probably a lot of other things that i should look at improving in my brewing style before i get into AG
C) i have only 1 brew under my belt, and it is a k+k so i dont even know how to boil properly (or if my bbq's wok burner is powerful enough to get a 10L boil going)...
D) im still at uni, and as such, i still like to go out and get drunked off cheap swill beer, and im scared that if i start making AG beer, i wont even be able to use swill beer to wash dirt off my feet, let alone drink...
and E) ive only really been drinking beer for a month, before that, i wasnt really into it that much (p.s. spirits = dangerous...)

anybody that wants to try and give answers to these qualms and convert me to the light(er) side of the force, feel free... :lol:

Lobby

 

[paulwin]

run before it's to late and don't ever log onto this site again, i wish i had

 

[Fatgodzilla]

damn all you guys... i only have 1 k+k brew under my belt and already you have me looking at what is involved in an AG setup... only a few things are standing in my way:
A) there is a LOT of reading involved in finding all about AG brewing, and that is best saved for uni lectures where there isnt ready acess to a tv (im still on holidays until the 25th. WOO UNI! :super: :lol: )
B) there is probably a lot of other things that i should look at improving in my brewing style before i get into AG
C) i have only 1 brew under my belt, and it is a k+k so i dont even know how to boil properly (or if my bbq's wok burner is powerful enough to get a 10L boil going)...
D) im still at uni, and as such, i still like to go out and get drunked off cheap swill beer, and im scared that if i start making AG beer, i wont even be able to use swill beer to wash dirt off my feet, let alone drink...
and E) ive only really been drinking beer for a month, before that, i wasnt really into it that much (p.s. spirits = dangerous...)

anybody that wants to try and give answers to these qualms and convert me to the light(er) side of the force, feel free... :lol:

Lobby

Lobby, so young, so very young,

there is a LOT of reading involved in finding all about AG brewing,

Nothing comes easy. I hope thisn isn't your attitude to your studies.

there is probably a lot of other things that i should look at improving in my brewing style before i get into AG

Yes

im still at uni

you willl learn more important things here than any uni you attend

i wont even be able to use swill beer to wash dirt off my feet, let alone drink...

if I ever hear you say that again I will smack you in the mouth. No matter what you read here, swill beer is preferable to no beer.

ive only really been drinking beer for a month, before that, i wasnt really into it that much (p.s. spirits = dangerous...)

Trust me, you are young. You are a danger to yourself. That said, you are young. You are silly. Older heads will prevail - you will mature. Enjoy the rush - it's temporary.

 

[0M39A]

once you start brewing some decent beer, you'll wonder how you used to be able to stomach some of the **** beer you used to drink.

im a classic example, used to drink pretty much nothing but carlton cold and tooheys red.

got into homebrew because i, very much like you, was a poor uni student who thought he could save a few bucks brewing his own beer.

nowdays the money saving is just a side advantage, and when i do splurge out and buy beer, all savings are lost again because i make sure its decent stuff

 

[Lobsta]

Nothing comes easy. I hope thisn isn't your attitude to your studies.

... and since i am studying to be a pharmacist, there are a lot of other people that also hope that...
and no,

and that [reading about AG brewing] is best saved for uni lectures where there isnt ready acess to a tv

THAT, is my attitude towards my studies :lol:

you willl learn more important things here than any uni you attend

... and a there lot of people that hope that you are embellishing just a little there

if I ever hear you say that again I will smack you in the mouth. No matter what you read here, swill beer is preferable to no beer.

i laughed when i read that. out loud. people looked at me funny...

*edit*
oh, and fatgodzilla (if that even is your real name), i had a look at your footer, and i think you may need to change your "club's" name, it may already be taken by a homeless guy from brisbane. linky - enjoy. also, check out the references for more info (and some pics)
p.s. or, you could relocate him and make him your leader
p.p.s. ... or bronze him and sit him outside your headquarters (ala Richie Beanault or King Wally)

 

[dr K]

Please...watch and then help someone who already brews AG (and does it well, not just he /she says so but because they have some form of recognition) before you travel the path of the uneducated. Brewing beer is not difficult, there is no magic about it but there are 1000 myths. Find a brew club in your area (there are many around), take advice and heed it, enter comps and expect decent feedback, tune your beers and at the same time tune your senses, taste a range of beers, compare them to your own, think smell and taste relentlessly. Then..get pissed..you deserve it.

K

 

[PostModern]

Lobsta, wise words from all the above.

If I could restart my homebrewing experience, I would have not wasted any more time with tins of goo. Get into AG brewing. Do it now. Recruit your Organic Chemistry classmates to chip in on gear and assistance. Do what you have to do, take the plunge into AG, headlong with all the entusiasm your youth can muster. You won't regret it.

A) there is a LOT of reading involved in finding all about AG brewing, and that is best saved for uni lectures where there isnt ready acess to a tv (im still on holidays until the 25th. WOO UNI! :super: :lol: )
B) there is probably a lot of other things that i should look at improving in my brewing style before i get into AG
C) i have only 1 brew under my belt, and it is a k+k so i dont even know how to boil properly (or if my bbq's wok burner is powerful enough to get a 10L boil going)...
D) im still at uni, and as such, i still like to go out and get drunked off cheap swill beer, and im scared that if i start making AG beer, i wont even be able to use swill beer to wash dirt off my feet, let alone drink...
and E) ive only really been drinking beer for a month, before that, i wasnt really into it that much (p.s. spirits = dangerous...)

A) Rubbish. Crack some grain, mash it, boil it, ferment it. Three bits of reading.
B) Sanitation of your fermenter. Keep everything on the finished side of the boil sanitary, ferment at the right temp for the yeast and you're fine.
C) Three ring burner+ reg = $50. Even a student can afford that.
D) Brew enough and you won't need to buy swill.
E) You are one month into a lifelong relationship. Enjoy.

*This has been a PoMo youth corrupting announcement*

 

[Thirsty Boy]

The thing that was written above that I agree with the most is from DrK

educate your palate .... and I don't just mean with beer. Taste great beers - instead of getting drunk, get two or three great beers and learn how to appreciate them. Go to a cooking class... hell, go home and talk to your mum about cooking, learn what food tastes like and why. Learn what wine tastes like, all those wanky descriptions on the back of the bottles... you'd be surprised how often you can actually taste some or all of that.

If you have to brew K&K for a while to allow time and money for that... then it will be worth it. But, do keep on brewing, your beers and your satisfaction with them will expand as your palate expands.

Be the weird guy who likes to eat and drink the stuff that all his friends turn their noses up at... he's the one who really knows how to enjoy what he puts in his mouth. And beer is certainly one of those things

 

[Dave86]

Go for it lobsta!

I'm in much the same boat as you, just about to start 4th year pharmacy (the end is near!) Get your gear together asap so you can reap the benefits! I did do a few more k+k's (about 5 or 6) before moving into partials. I'd say it took me about a year from buying the coopers kit to knock out some cheap piss for me and my housemates to my first AG, which shat over every other beer I'd brewed so far. Even if your first AG isn't great, it'll be a lot better than anything you get out of a can.

The only problem with uni (that I find) is that the holidays get in the way of brewing when you have to do placements etc. That said, I'll be making the most of this year and brewing like a maniac to up my stocks before real life begins and I can't brew whenever I feel like it.

The sooner you start the better, I'm sure there's plenty of people in brissy that can offer advice and show you how its done. That said its not too hard to figure out, (I've never seen it done, other than by myself) people have been doing it a long time, they managed, I'm sure you can

Dave

 

[beernography]

you willl learn more important things here than any uni you attend

:beer:

'nuff said

 

[Simon W]

Echo what PoMo said.... just jump in the deep end, you'll learn to swim real fast, you'll never look back... and many other catch phrases.

 

[pint of lager]

Clear a spot on the bookshelf for brewing books.

Start eyeing off no rinse sanitisers on your lists of chemicals you have access to.

Start scrounging for bottles on recycling night.

Make a few dedicated spots in your bookmarks folder for brewing.

Start planning now on your ideal home, which will include a cellar, bar area and brewing area.

Start looking now for a girlfriend that also enjoys beer.

Join your local brewclub.

Ask for brewing gift vouchers when people ask what would you like for your birthday/xmas.

Start scrounging in hard rubbish cleanups for AG brew gear. Amazing what other members have found.

 

[beernography]

I'm also going to take the step into AG when I've moved out and have space, so whats the space requirements (in cubic milkcrates) for the additional gear required for AG? I reckon I fit my K&K into the following

2 fermenters... 4 crates
assorted brew **** thrown into boxes & capper... 2 crates
Beer backlog.......6 crates (rapidly diminishing though)

So anyone care to calculate AG equipment for a quality set up? I don't like doing things by halves if there's a better/easier way.

Also about how much longer it takes, time wise for the actual brew -- and the associated cleaning. My most hated part of brew day is at the end when I'm tired and sweaty from carrying the stuff and cleaning bottling etc then having to clean all the **** up before it goes crusty. I reckon I would spend 45min on end of day cleaning/packing up presently.

 

[Adamt]

Bare minimum you need for a traditional AG setup is...

Mash tun (1-2 crates)
Kettle (maybe 1 crate)
Burner (depends on type, 1 crate max)

The rest of the gear will fit in and amongst others in above milk crates.
If you want a HLT add another crate. If you're going to BIAB, subtract the mash tun and add "sewing machine (1 crate)"

Typical brewday takes at least 4 hours including cleaning... much more to clean with AG.