First Brew, Taste Test Tonight!

[mwd]

+1 on Us-05 yeast good all round general ale yeast fairly neutral for most style of brews.

 

[MarkBastard]

Don't bother with a lager yeast, they take too long to make and you probably won't mind the same ingredients with an ale yeast anyway. Beerbuoy, arguing over what's better out of XXXX and VB is like arguing over what's better out of cat **** and dog ****.

 

[Beerbuoy]

Don't bother with a lager yeast, they take too long to make and you probably won't mind the same ingredients with an ale yeast anyway. Beerbuoy, arguing over what's better out of XXXX and VB is like arguing over what's better out of cat **** and dog ****.

I agree US-05 is a good start for now, nice and simple. Down the track I would try the lager yeast when you have the temp control and pitching temps sorted. It depends on your personal preference but if you like lagers then it is worth the minimal extra time they take. It takes me 2 weeks to ferment an ale and 3 weeks for the lager, not much really.

As for cat **** and dog ****, I haven't eaten either so I'll leave you to argue that one amongst yourself. Like I said personal preference I guess.

 

[buttersd70]

mark
there are Australian produced kits on the market that contain true lager yeast....Coopers Euro for one.

And a lager yeast if used properly will make a massive difference to the final product. That being said, I wouldn't reccomend using lager yeasts as a new brewer. Get your method right with the more forgiving ale yeasts, like US05 (@16-18C for 'faux lager', 18-20 for ale kits) or Nottingham (at 14-16C for 'faux lager' or 18-20 for ale kits). After you have a few brews under your belt, and have the hang of temperature control (using whatever means you have), then you can look at brewing a true lager.
2c

 

[rclemmett]

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

I was at my LHBS yesterday, buying us-05 as well as other things, and the young guy behind the counter asked me if I'd used the said yeast. I said yes, and then he said he had "heard" it could handle the higher temps......................... I replied "errrrr, I ferment in a temperature controlled fridge". If you want **** advice its easy to come by.

 

[rclemmett]

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

AFAIK Coopers yeast is not 514. I have used both and am quite sure they are different. I don't know the dates but I think coopers homebrew predates mauri yeast.

From my experience both can make a good beer. However, if you use these yeasts and make a good beer, it would have been better with a better quality yeast.

 

[razE]

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:

Yeah mate, i brought mine from ross at craft brewer and is easy enough to set up and very easy to use. It involves chopping up an extension lead and wiring it in but it comes with instructions and is quite easy to do. Fresh ingredients, good water and a good yeast will allow you to make great beer! Sanitisation goes without saying. Also if you want to make another easy improvement to your beer and you dont want to buy litres and litres of spring water then pick up a good water filter. Made a big difference to my beer. Heres a link to a fridgemate http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=718 .

 

[Ade42]

Yeah I went in to my LHBS today and was just about to buy one of the "queen slander" (i'm in Brissie) And Morgans sells two varietis of the SAME tin with difrant labels. One was in the "Aussie" range "bitter" and one was in the QLD Range "Bitter" both instructions were the same word for word, I took two other tins "draft" i think from the Aussie and the QLD range and again same notes about being 22-30c I think the QLD range has an extra Blurb at the top about it better for Hot climates!

So there you go same product diffrant labels,

I ended up getting "beermakers" (NZ company) bitter. as I'm now not sure about Morgans. (I was thinking they were the "****" until today)

The Guy asked me what type of beer i wanted to drink and loaded me up with all the "ingredients" and loads of helpful advice!

 

[Burky]

Alrighty then i 'm back finally,
I have ordered a fridge mate so i'll keep the temps down i will look at a heat pad for winter as it gets pretty cold here.
for my next attempt heres what i am thinking,
1x queenslander gold
1x no. 5 sugars (250g corn syrup + 250g dextrose)
US 05 Yeast (how much???)

does this sound a bit more like it?

I'm heading away this weekend for 2 weeks if i put the brew on and leave it that long it wont hurt will it?

Thanx heaps for all the help so far everyone :icon_cheers:

Burky

 

[svyturys]

Alrighty then i 'm back finally,
I have ordered a fridge mate so i'll keep the temps down i will look at a heat pad for winter as it gets pretty cold here.
for my next attempt heres what i am thinking,
1x queenslander gold
1x no. 5 sugars (250g corn syrup + 250g dextrose)
US 05 Yeast (how much???)

does this sound a bit more like it?

I'm heading away this weekend for 2 weeks if i put the brew on and leave it that long it wont hurt will it?

Thanx heaps for all the help so far everyone :icon_cheers:

Burky

The easiest thing to answer here is your question about the Us 05....put in the whole packet. (from memory it is about 12 grams)

The bit that worries me is that you are going away for two weeks and leaving a poor child alone to fend for itself...eeeek!
Perhaps I'm being a bit anal here but I like to look in on my fermenters every day....OK OK many times a day. Check the temperature, watch for krausen etc etc.
If you have the fridgemate by then it might be Ok. I'm pretty sure that fridgemate only looks after the cooling side of things. Tempmate controls both sides of the picture. Apparently it can kick your heat pad in if things are getting too cool.
If you are leaving the fermenter without a tempmate then I would reconsider and do the brew when you get back.
Cheers

PS. Just looked at your K&K recipe and saw that you only added 500 g of extras. A full kilo would be a lot better. The Coopers BE2 is great as it has, at least, some malt in it. 500 g of malt would be good to add to your recipe if you have already purchased the stuff...otherwise any of the two big supermarkets should stock BE2 or your LHBS will have an equivalent.

 

[buttersd70]

Anything with corn in its name - ditch it. seriously. Are we f*ckin mexicans? No. Malt + hops +water = beer. Do you see any corn in there?...No.

 

[manticle]

Anything with corn in its name - ditch it. seriously. Are we f*ckin mexicans? No. Malt + hops +water = beer. Do you see any corn in there?...No.

Do you feel that way about rice too? I'm looking at doing a Tsing Tao style for my next one as my GF is not a fan of malty brews (last two were belgian strong dark and choc/coffee stout) but loves asian style rice based beers and I want her to share the joys of home brew on occasion.

 

[The Big Burper]

....................................If you have the fridgemate by then it might be Ok. I'm pretty sure that fridgemate only looks after the cooling side of things. Tempmate controls both sides of the picture. /

Latest versions of the Fridgemate now have a heating function as well.

Maybe a controlled light bulb might be cheaper than a brewing belt.

cheers
Dave

 

[buttersd70]

Do you feel that way about rice too? I'm looking at doing a Tsing Tao style for my next one as my GF is not a fan of malty brews (last two were belgian strong dark and choc/coffee stout) but loves asian style rice based beers and I want her to share the joys of home brew on occasion.

hmmm. Slightly more even-keeled, atm, then I was when I made that post....

Personally, I wouldn't use it. However, if thats what she likes, then go for it. I was referring to beer in general context (and rather impolitely, for which I apologise). I think a more accurate (and tolerant) way of looking at it is "Is this adjunct apropriate for the type of beer that I am brewing". The use of non-malt adjuncts has a limited place imo in brewing. There are some beer types where it is not only apropriate, but could be considered to be required. Different kettle of fish, that. Not my cup of tea (which is a personal thing), but I can see it has it's place.

note...I can't for the life of me spell apropriate. :blink:

 

[manticle]

hmmm. Slightly more even-keeled, atm, then I was when I made that post....

Personally, I wouldn't use it. However, if thats what she likes, then go for it. I was referring to beer in general context (and rather impolitely, for which I apologise). I think a more accurate (and tolerant) way of looking at it is "Is this adjunct apropriate for the type of beer that I am brewing". The use of non-malt adjuncts has a limited place imo in brewing. There are some beer types where it is not only apropriate, but could be considered to be required. Different kettle of fish, that. Not my cup of tea (which is a personal thing), but I can see it has it's place.

note...I can't for the life of me spell apropriate. :blink:

Appropriate.

And I agree - appropriate for the style.

Myself I usually like malty beers (the maltier the better) but there's somethng to be said for some of the drier, more refreshing asian beers with spicy food etc. I'd probably choose asian styles over most mexican beers I've tried as I find them a bit watery and tasteless. Mezcal with tacos, tsing tsao with duck.