Gardening Australia, turning your hops into an abomination!

[lmccrone]

So the latest Gardening Australia magazine had an article on hops, it included this handy how to guide for all grain brewing, it seems we've all been doing it completely wrong all these years!

You will need:
Brewing kit, stove, large pot, spoon, measuring cup, malt, grain, water, hops, sodium metabisulphite, brewing yeast (sachet) and a good recipe from a book or website.

Method

1. Place grain in a plastic bag and use a sturdy rolling pin, or a mortar and pestle to crush.
2. Heat 10L of water in a large pot to about bath water temperature (warm, not hot), then add the crushed grains. Remove from heat, and leave with the lid on for half an hour.
3. Place the pot back on the heat and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add your hops. Return to the heat and boil for about an hour.
4. Cool the wort (unfermented beer) by sinking the pot into a tub of cold water and ice, or just by placing the hot saucepan in cold water. It’s best to cool the wort quickly.
5. Sterilise the barrel and tools with sodium metabisulphite. Strain wort and pur into the fermentation barrel. Pitch (add) the yeast.
6. Seal the barrel and wait for about ten days. Follow the kit instructions to test whether the fermentation process is complete. This is important, otherwise bottles may burst.
7. Sterilise the bottles and gear. Prime bottles with malt, then fill, cap and seal.

Age from one month to many many years, depending on the type of beer and desired taste.

So after reading that if you would take any of their advice about anything you could tune in on the 13th of June at 6:30 when they will have segment on hop growing.

 

[slcmorro]

LOL

Right.

 

[yum beer]

There's a new batch of would be brewers fucked over.......

 

[eMPTy]

Wow. And i had thought some new brewers had been unlucky with LHBS advice...

 

[jyo]

Bath temperature? I've tried holding my hand in 65' and it sure as hell isn't close to bath water temps.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Its TV your talking about yeah?

 

[hoppy2B]

That Gardening Australia Magazine article was obviously written by someone who must have simple done a cursory read of brewing and doesn't have any experience. It would be helpful if it carried the advice that anyone wishing to attempt all grain brewing would be wise to look into the subject a little more deeply.

 

[Adr_0]

What are these recipes they are talking about?

 

[Dan Pratt]

These are the areas where CBIA should be contacted them and getting the right information to the consumers, that can be done by having a pro brewer involved or at least a homebrew store, all of which can get there business advertised.

 

[TimT]

On the one hand they you can give them credit for trying.

On the other hand, not really - because they haven't thought through some of the most obvious stuff. (When I first read that I thought, "shit, using a plastic bag for brew in a bag?" Thankfully not.)

I'll bet though a lot of people who start brewing really have to work out a lot of weird details by themselves and come up with some interesting solutions. I used to crack all my grains in a blender. Probably plenty of brewers here still do the mash in an esky. etc.

 

[HBHB]

Nice way to burn a potential new brewer for life.

 

[TimT]

Speaking of 'bath temperature'.... Older brewing recipes often specify that yeast be added when the wort is 'blood warm'.... which as we know is around 37, way above the right range for yeast. But maybe it makes sense: the yeast will definitely start at those temps, and as little or no temperature control is possible, will go through the first stage of development in a healthy temperature range, and for the rest of the week it will ferment happily away at room temp, whatever that is.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Reads like Mrs Beeton's brew in a bag method, taking out the plastic bag and putting the grains in a muslin bag, definitely been taken from some old book from when most people wouldn't have a thermometer.

 

[panzerd18]

Yeah probably a very old method

 

[manticle]

Pretty sure the plastic bag is intended to contain the grains while you crush them rather than mash them. Still rubbish instructions though.

 

[Grott]

I think the researcher may have watched West End Draught being made.

 

[TheWiggman]

Come on, don't hate on it too much. It specifies that you need a brewing kit in the ingredients, and then says follow kit instructions for fermenting (which as most know is not ideal but that's how we all started right?).

So basically -
1. Crush grains very agriculturally. Normally kits come with crushed grains anyway.
2. Heat (too much) water, steep specialty grains that would be included with said kit
?. Missing the step to remove grains
3. Bring to boil and add hops. (details lacking about hop timing)

Other steps are as per normal brewing process. Crap if you included every single step with all exceptions the instructions would be so complicated you wouldn't know where to start.
I've seen worse instructions.

 

[lmccrone]

Come on, don't hate on it too much. It specifies that you need a brewing kit in the ingredients, and then says follow kit instructions for fermenting (which as most know is not ideal but that's how we all started right?).

So basically -
1. Crush grains very agriculturally. Normally kits come with crushed grains anyway.
2. Heat (too much) water, steep specialty grains that would be included with said kit
?. Missing the step to remove grains
3. Bring to boil and add hops. (details lacking about hop timing)

Other steps are as per normal brewing process. Crap if you included every single step with all exceptions the instructions would be so complicated you wouldn't know where to start.
I've seen worse instructions.

Your almost right, they only missed two important steps

Step 8. Take the entire batch and place gently into the rubbish
Step 9. Never talk of it again

 

[TimT]

Come on, don't hate on it too much. It specifies that you need a brewing kit in the ingredients, and then says follow kit instructions for fermenting (which as most know is not ideal but that's how we all started right?).

Yes, there's many ways to do brewing.

The pity is if the writer had done a little more research - asked a brewing mate, for instance - or if the editor had thought to do the same a lot of the problems would have been avoided.

 

[TimT]

Pretty sure the plastic bag is intended to contain the grains while you crush them rather than mash them.

That's pretty much still how I crush biscuits when I want to make a biscuit base for a slice. Mum showed me how to do it and it hasn't changed since.