First Brew, Taste Test Tonight!

[Burky]

Hey there beer lovers, beer gods and anyone else reading!

This is my first post with my first brew, but i'm sure it wont be the last for either.

For my first attempt I mixed a morgans queenslander gold kit with 500g of corn syrup (very simple) on advice of the local brew shop to hopfully create somthing similar to xxxx gold. realised later i needed to add some dextrose to bring it to around 3.5%, but a lower percentage beer for a start will do fine as long as it tastes alright.

I have a couple of questions as i had no luck scouring the forum to find my answers.

First is another temp question! I went the queenslander kit as it has a higher fermentation temp then the other mids (i think), it states between 20-30C the best being 25, because i 'thought' it was still summer here. i pitched the yeast at 26C and managed to keep the temp at that give or take 2deg. since the second brew i did last weekend (with the added dex) the temp here has droped dramaticly and i was wondering some ways to bring the temp 'up' to keep it at around 25? it has sat between 22-25C for the week so i havent been worried about this one but if it gets colder for my next batch how do i keep the temp up slightly?

the other question was simply has anyone else brewed the same kit and how did it go? What did you use? Also when winter comes and the temps are low, hows the mid 3.5 (morgans)? if anyone have some knowlage to throw my way it would be great

Cheers all, I look forward to the replies, and to tasting my first home brew stubbie a bit later :chug: !

Burky :icon_cheers:

P.S. the morgans website dosent seem to work, when i click on the queenslander gold it does not show the recipe, it says on the bottom of the page 'error on page' does anyone else get this or is it just my com??

 

[buttersd70]

Burky
whoever advised you to brew at 25C is just plain wrong in the head.....
18-20C is what you want to brew at.

 

[Cocko]

Damn that Paul Mercuiro!!

Welcome to boards Burky!!

 

[Burky]

I read that on the can, chose it beacuse it would suite the current temp here in Wagga. it's (morgan's queenslander gold) supposed to be better for warmer climates. i realise it's sounds alot higher then everything else i have read thats why i posted the question! i'll scan the instructions and add them if you would like, hope my beer later will taste o.k.
Cheers for the reply Butters

Burky

 

[mwd]

+1 Buttersd70 has it. Aim for 18C

Cannot see the Paul Mercurio connection must be missing something subtle here.

 

[MarkBastard]

I think if you want to replicate the horrible taste of XXXX brewing at 25 degrees is acceptable. Don't brew at 18 degrees, it'll taste too much better than XXXX Gold probably haha.

If you do want to keep your fermenter warmer an easy way is a wooden box with a low watt light inside it. Gives off a bit of heat.

 

[Pollux]

Merc is the "Star" of the coopers HB package DVD/VHS.....Which was full of what is known to those here as not such great advice.

I much preferred him in Strictly Ballroom personally.....

 

[seemax]

The can says, as does coopers, that they yeast will work between 20-30C for the simple reason that it makes the brewing appear simple. If they said hold the temperature at precisely 18C using an electronically controlled fridge then many people would be turned off due to effort and expense.

It's been said the coopers yeast (mauri?) is more heat tolerable, but from my experience it produces unwanted flavours at all temperatures.

Decent dry yeast is cheap ($4-5) and really does make the difference, just as much as temp control. Plus you can easily harvest the yeast cake (slurry on the bottom after fermentation) and reuse it for the next brew using PET bottles and good sanitation.

 

[razE]

Mate you want to keep your ales at 18 - 20. For your next brew try and set your fermenter up in an old fridge using a temp mate (controlls the tempreture on your fridge) or if you have an old fridge that doesn't work try some frozen water in coke bottles around the fermenter. Will improve your next brew and before you make your next brew post up your recipe and let us all have a look at it. Hope you enjoy your first one because it all gets better from here :icon_cheers:

 

[hoppinmad]

what's the deal with those bloody kits anyway? #1 they give you shite yeast #2 they tell you to add cane sugar and #3 they tell you to ferment at 25-26 degrees! Coopers, Muntons, Brewcraft.... they're all giving dodgy instructions!

Regarding ferment temperature. Isn't XXXX a lager? i'm not from QLD... but yeah I thought it was your version of our VB. If that be so... you should get a lager yeast and ferment at 12c. And don't use that corn syrup shit either

 

[Burky]

I think if you want to replicate the horrible taste of XXXX brewing at 25 degrees is acceptable. Don't brew at 18 degrees, it'll taste too much better than XXXX Gold probably haha.

you could be right there! some of my mates can't stand it and others love it, as they say though 'each to there own'.

I'll try to add the scaned instructions lets see if it work.

 

[MarkBastard]

what's the deal with those bloody kits anyway? #1 they give you shite yeast #2 they tell you to add cane sugar and #3 they tell you to ferment at 25-26 degrees! Coopers, Muntons, Brewcraft.... they're all giving dodgy instructions!

Regarding ferment temperature. Isn't XXXX a lager? i'm not from QLD... but yeah I thought it was your version of our VB. If that be so... you should get a lager yeast and ferment at 12c. And don't use that corn syrup shit either

Yeah but what kit is going to include a lager yeast in Australia?

XXXX Gold may be a lager but the supermarket kits are all about marketing. Chuck any old crap in a tin along with a bad ale yeast and call it a lager. Lagers are just lighter coloured beers anyway right? Haha.

 

[Burky]

Bloody Kit instructions!!!

Cheers for all the info so far, all advice is welcome and recorded, having a blast so far (not the bottles fortunatly) and cant wait to make a worthy brew!!!

all the help needed from those who know!

Burky

 

[Burky]

Yeah but what kit is going to include a lager yeast in Australia?

XXXX Gold may be a lager but the supermarket kits are all about marketing. Chuck any old crap in a tin along with a bad ale yeast and call it a lager. Lagers are just lighter coloured beers anyway right? Haha.

??? lager yeast in oz??? also i'm not sure it's a supermarket kit, it was from the local brew shop (lingo: lbh?) but that could be the same thing?

Burky :beer:

 

[MarkBastard]

??? lager yeast in oz??? also i'm not sure it's a supermarket kit, it was from the local brew shop (lingo: lbh?) but that could be the same thing?

Burky :beer:

There's broadly two types of brewing yeasts, ale yeasts and lager yeasts. Lager yeasts typically need to be fermented at much lower temps than ales, e.g. 10 to 12 degrees.

Ales need to be 16 to 20 degrees usually depending on style.

Constant or controllable temperature is needed to make good beer.

So the beer kits you're buying are aimed at beginners / people that don't know better / people that just want to get drunk cheap. They use ale yeasts because at least ale yeasts have some chance of surviving Australian temperatures, even if they produce horrible flavours when too hot etc. So all the so called lagers are really ales.

But commercial beers often lie, ales are called lagers and lagers are called ales. So I guess it's all a bit of a moot point.

 

[Burky]

So it seems pretty clear i need to change the yeast. any sugestions? trying to keep things simple, i do have a small bar fridge that i think will fit the fermenter so will a tempmate do the trick? i really don't know much about this so i need to keep all things simple! :huh:

 

[Beerbuoy]

Isn't XXXX a lager? i'm not from QLD... but yeah I thought it was your version of our VB. If that be so...

HOPPIN!!!! Wash your mouth out son!!..........XXXX our version of VB(Very Bad)..............I'm lost for words

Seriously tho, I just tried a partial version of that Morgans Qld Gold with Saflager S-23 yeast and fermented at 12 deg in a fridge as mentioned by others. Very impressed with the results and I'm a born and bred XXXX Gold drinker.

It may be a bit early for partials but if you get a fridge sorted out and get some better quality lager yeast you will find the difference is huge.

I prefer the fridgemate to the temp mate but I live in Central Qld (cyclone country) and don't need the heating function.

Ask lots of questions. People are happy to help you out on this site. Thats how I'm learning.

Hope you enjoy the first brew.

Cheers

Ian

 

[Brewer_010]

Try US-05 which is pretty neutral and clean with a dry finish. It will cope with more wonky tempertures too if you can't hold it at exactly 18.
I use it often and it has a good track record with my brews. Either that or go Fermentis S-04, which is a fast and reasonably neutral ale yeast.
And steer clear of the corn syrup!

 

[svyturys]

The SAF yeasts seem to be the most reliable and consistent. About $4.50 a pack. The trick is to match the yeast to the recipe.
For example, if you were to get a tin of coopers Australian lager, a pack of be2 (both available in supermarkets) and you wanted to make a lager out of them you would use Saflager S23 yeast and brew at about 12C. You could pitch the yeast at around 22C.
The same ingredients but with Safale US 05, would be brewed at about 18C to 20 C and you would get different tasting beers.
In a nutshell that is as simple as homebrewing is.
For your first projects I would keep it at that and concentrate on cleanliness/ sanitation and temperature control in your brewery. The beer will taste best a few weeks or more after bottling...12 weeks is often cited.
Once you've got the basics happening you could move on to adding hops etc. Then the sky's the limit.
Cheers

 

[np1962]

Welcome Burky,
If you look at the signature at the bottom of buttersd70's post you will find links to answer heaps of questions asked by new brewers.
It would be good for you to read those as it will give you a head start in your brewing.
Good luck with it all.

Nige