Greetings from Melbourne

[beermeupscotty]

Hello fellows,

Pretty new to brewing - started 4-5 months ago at my grandpa's place with him and my cousin. So far just brewing from extract in a couple of 30L HDPE fermenters. Pretty happy with things so far (except for the Irish Stout - a taste I've not acquired just yet ) but I'm definitely interested in experimenting and improving operations.

I've got a few friends who want to join the action, so I'll be starting up an extra fermenter or two at my place soon, which will provide better opportunity for experimentation. I've also had a brief look into all-grain brewing, which looks very interesting. I like the idea of starting more from scratch (plus the fact it's supposedly much cheaper on running costs) so this is something I'll also be considering. I might just have to take a look around the forums to see how most people achieve this and the costs involved

I'm working as a process engineer, and potentially interesting in pursuing brewing as a job, so I'm keen to learn more and become a more experienced brewer. I recently purchased "How to Brew" by John J. Palmer which I've been poring over. It's been awesome to get into the details of brewing and gain a better understanding of the overall process. It's giving me a lot of ideas for experimentation and improvement.

Some improvements I currently have in mind include:

• Cleaning and sanitisation (settle on inexpensive and effective chems and method, and sharpen up on good practice)
• Temperature control
• Yeast cultivation (maybe)
• Bottling efficiency
• Log keeping (more strict and with greater detail)

Some things I'd like to learn more about:

• Types of beer
• Beer tasting
• Brewing process (duh... lots to discover)
• Recipe making

Our most common brew of choice are pale ales. My favourite so far was supposed to mimic the Mountain Goat Steam Ale (but looked/tasted nothing like it). My favourite beers to drink would be ales. My knowledge of beer descriptors is poor, but I'd say I tend to enjoy a darker colour (pale to brown) with a bit of body and slight sweetness. Caramel/chocolate/toffee/biscuit flavours(?) and a good dose of hops, without it being too bitter. Some beers which I've come to enjoy include: James Squire Amber Ale, Mountain Goat HIghtail and Steam Ale, Fat Yak Pale Ale and Killer Sprocket Amber Ale (oh so delicious on tap).

Looking forward to learning from the forums and contributing what I can, and maybe sharing a beer or two with some locals.

Cheers.

 

[manticle]

Where in Melbourne?

 

[beermeupscotty]

Kensington

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Welcome. If you're a process engineer, you'll be able to build an AG brewery in no time.

There are a couple of different threads here detailing a very lost cost entry into AG using existing household cooking and minimal equipment outlay - such as 'all grain brewing under thirty bucks' and '2 pot stovetop method with ghetto lauter'

Big 2 improvements to kit brewing is meticulous sanitising and using proper yeast, rather than the package under the tin lid.

 

[Yob]

such as 'all grain brewing under thirty bucks' and '2 pot stovetop method with ghetto lauter'

Fist one much less informative since the OP removed all the photo pictorials..

second one is still a corker though

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

It'd be great if someone replicated the process and rebooted the under $30 thread.

Thanks for your kind words about the 2nd, proving cheap equipment and poor handyman skills are no impediment to making great beer.

 

[beermeupscotty]

Thanks, Lord Raja.

I took a quick look at the link in your sig - awesome. Looks pretty simply really, and I already have a mash tun (i.e. 25L esky ). I think I just need the buckets, tap and pots. I'll definitely be taking a closer look at this and probably end up buying the equipment sooner than later, seeing as it looks so cheap.

Question: How does this taste compared to an all-metal setup? Does the plastic impart any flavour into the beer?

 

[kenlock]

There is no difference in taste between (food grade) plastic and metal. Your improvement list will take care taste.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

what @kenlock said.

It's the same principles, same type of equipment, just 'ghetto-fied fo' shiz'.

It's a bit like food grade plastic in mineral water vs glass. I cannot taste the difference.

And Qld best judges (including our very own Ross from Bacchus Brewing) can't tell. So I'd say that's a safe guess.

The thing with the plastic - it's only in it for lautering (where you whack the porridgy mess in and separate the liquor from the grains). The pots are where the boiling action happens. Having said that BABBs system wars' ghetto system uses a bucket of death (buckets with kettle element, instead of stove) and no issue there as well. There's a vid on youtube of it.

Just a tip on the thread, nearish the end is some videos with me showing how I made the bucket in bucket lauter and how I mash in/out and boil. These are more helpful than the piccies.

 

[beermeupscotty]

Lord Raja, (noob question alert) how does your method compare to BIAB? Is one better? Are they mutually exclusive?

I'll be doing more reading on this in the coming days/weeks but I've been reading heaps this week already and I'd like to start accumulating my new kit and start brewing, so I feel like shooting out a lazy question - hope you don't mind.

 

[Yob]

Isn't it still BIAB.. Just brew in a bucket

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Get yourself a copy of Designing Great Beers by R Daniels.

Its not a recipie book, but gives you all the info about different styles, how to brew them and formulate recipies.

After Palmer, its the next more advanced book.

 

[beermeupscotty]

Thanks, Ducatiboy stu. Yes, I've seen it mentioned a few times - I think the guy at G&G even mentioned it when I was buying Palmer - so I'll pick it up next time I'm at the shop

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Isn't it still BIAB.. Just brew in a bucket

Yob

Stop it.

We all know its Behold I Am Braumeister.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Lord Raja, (noob question alert) how does your method compare to BIAB? Is one better? Are they mutually exclusive?

I'll be doing more reading on this in the coming days/weeks but I've been reading heaps this week already and I'd like to start accumulating my new kit and start brewing, so I feel like shooting out a lazy question - hope you don't mind.

Nope, not mutually exclusive or better/worse.

What AG brewing requires you to do is extract the liquor from the grains. It's about wort production and that's what makes it different from extract. Extract, you have to do the hopping, so that's similar.

So, what equipment you use to get the wort is irrelevant, so much as 'just doing it'. The 2 pot stovetop method is just a cheap equipment version of it. Braumeister, 3V, HERMS, RIMS - all valid methods and all have their pros and cons for the brewer (costs, efforts, ease of use either better or worse). But if the right principles are applied, the result will be much the same.

As it stands, I've never really needed to get a 'blingier system' - I'd rather spend the money (which I did in BNE) on kegging.

 

[Bribie G]

Greetings from the North. LRG makes a good point about bling. Much of the bling you see on the forum revolves around getting the wort, which is only step D or E in the sequence A to Z. I've personally seen literally a couple of grand of Stainless Steel Blichmann water boiler, mash tun and conical fermenter and the guy fermented at room temperature because he didn't have anything big enough to put the conical in.

In South East Queensland :unsure:

Far better to concentrate on what you do after you obtain wort, and there are several suppliers such as Craftbrewer who will happily sell you some of that as well.