Gday from Ipswich

[Hairy camel]

Hi guys how's things I'm just starting brewing I'm using extract kits atm and would love to go all grain when my very limited budget allows
Got one brew under my belt which has been in the bottle for a week now
My second brew is the all in brewing wort that I'm going to try cold racking with some finnings for my 40th next month
After that I'm trying my hand at a couple of lagers
My plan in the not to distant future is have a crack at biab but not having any mates who brew makes it hard for advice

 

[Barge]

I'd advise steering clear of lagers for the time being. They are generally harder to make and any off flavours that might arise will be glaringly obvious and off-putting.

I would also recommend picking a basic recipe and tweaking it to get a feel for the effect that your changes make. Basically, pick a recipe and brew it. Then maybe change the yeast, or boil some hops and add it or steep some grain.

Also, as a general rule, try to keep your fermenter at a constant temperature. For most ales this would be in the 17-20 degree range and requires some sort of temperature control. There's lots of ways to achieve this. Most use a fridge with a separate external controller. I use a big foam box with 2 chambers, one for the fermenter, the other for blocks of ice. Some place the fermenter in an esky with ice and water.

Choosing a decent yeast (ie usually NOT the one that comes with the kit) and temperature controlled brewing will allow you to brew pretty decent beer from the start.

Definitely don't use table sugar. Use dextrose but limit it to 20% max. Top up the kit with malt extract (dried is convenient). It's much better than the brew booster type packs that HBS sell.

Lastly, SANITATION. Get yourself a good no-rinse sanitiser like starsan and use it on EVERYTHING that comes into contact with beer/wort.

 

[Hairy camel]

Hi barge I have a sct controlling temp in a brew fridge currently sitting on 18 the lagers will be at 12 my local shop gave me the advice of not using the kit yeast
I should add I have brewed before but it was a looooong time ago nothing controlled like it is now

 

[Barge]

No worries. Welcome back!!

 

[LAGERFRENZY]

G'day HC and welcome aboard. As a born-again brewer like yourself I found it really came together very quickly again the second time. Once you get the yen to do some BIAB there are some articles here that will help you to start on a shoe-string budget (sub $60) using many of the things that you already have lying around the house - the search button of this site has been my best friend going down this path.

 

[Hairy camel]

It's funny my missus is saying...are you on that site again...
Yes dear I am but there's so much good stuff on here [emoji4]

 

[Grott]

It's funny my missus is saying...are you on that site again...
Yes dear I am but there's so much good stuff on here [emoji4]

Hi Hairy camel, you sure you were on the home brew site when she asked??
Cheers ​

 

[Hairy camel]

Haha she looked over my shoulder and asked what's that your looking at

A herms system Hun don't worry just leave my credit card out sometime I need to buy something lol

 

[wynnum1]

Hi guys how's things I'm just starting brewing I'm using extract kits atm and would love to go all grain when my very limited budget allows
Got one brew under my belt which has been in the bottle for a week now
My second brew is the all in brewing wort that I'm going to try cold racking with some finnings for my 40th next month
After that I'm trying my hand at a couple of lagers
My plan in the not to distant future is have a crack at biab but not having any mates who brew makes it hard for adviceIf you cold crash

If you cold crash then no need to use finnings problem is bottling so easy to leave in the fridge for extended time.

 

[Hairy camel]

Well guys my first brew turned out pretty good

It was just a esb apa 3kg kit with a u.s 05 yeast added my second brews in the bottle now
Also in the brew fridge sitting happily at 12 degrees is my all in brewing lager and a coopers heritage lager