I Never Thought I'd Brew My Own Beer

[the_purple_dragon]

Howdy folks,

Twelve months ago I was a bundy and coke drinker through and through, by the bucket load. Couldn't drink beer and never really had, never really wanted too. Have a few would always make me crook as a dog. How my tastes have changed. In the last six months, social circumstances have brought me to enjoy the amber goodness and now I fin myself buying a kit and getting on the brew train.

Anyways, it seems strange that it has become a kind of obsession to me as well, my wife just doesn't understand, and I'm not sure I do either.

Have you always been a beer drinker?

And, it's good to have somewhere to get advice and ideas, you all rock.

Cheers

 

[wyatt_girth]

My first beer was a VB so from then on I was strictly bourbon for the first years of my drinking life. I couldn't drink beer either-just couldn't stand the taste. Then one day, about five years ago, I decided to grab a sixer of dry and chilled to quench my thirst after the afternoon of yard work that lay ahead and haven't looked back since.
HB has become an obsession even though I am still only finding my feet and manipulating K & K. But it's good fun and my Mrs has gotten used to my disappearing to the shed for a few hours, though she is still a little uneasy about the dollars I have been dropping here and there to get set up. Whenever I give her taste of the latest she tries to be encouraging but admits that 'it just tastes like beer' to her. I guess thats good in itself.
I even gave two-up a miss this arv to do a brew and setup my new brew fridge/area- first time ever that I haven't gone and played.

 

[Sammus]

My whole family were on the VB side of things, so I was brought up into it from a young age. Been a beer man ever since, I remember when all the other guys were drinking coolers and ruski's at school parties when we were 14 and I was an outcast for drinking "beer" hah!

 

[gregb]

Yep, been a beer man through and through. Started in the early days on VB & New and proceeded from there.

Cheers,
Greg

 

[andrewg1978]

There is simply nothing better then freshly brewed beer out of a keg.

...... For Sale - Wife, will swap for extra keg(s)!!!!

 

[lokpikn]

There is simply nothing better then freshly brewed beer out of a keg.

...... For Sale - Wife, will swap for extra keg(s)!!!!

Does she come with a boat and motor ?

We may be able to work something out

 

[andrewg1978]

Does she come with a boat and motor ?

We may be able to work something out

I will throw in my mother in law for free!!!!

 

[Dave86]

Can't say for sure I remember my first taste of beer, but I'm pretty sure it would've been out of a tooheys draught can of the old mans when I was about 3 He used to leave me the dregs in the bottom of the can, i remember liking it so muchi tried to make it go further by topping it up with tap water, i didn't try that again...

 

[sponge]

My first REAL (big) drinking experience wouldve been my yr10 afterparty. Someone asked one of my over-18 mates to pick up some red bears. He thought they said red bitters. Lets just say that because they were pootrid, no one was drinking them so I did...

After that night i couldnt drink beer for about two years....



Thank god i got the taste back before i went to Europe though


Sponge

 

[capitalfinancial]

Howdy folks,

Twelve months ago I was a bundy and coke drinker through and through, by the bucket load. Couldn't drink beer and never really had, never really wanted too.

Have a few would always make me crook as a dog

. How my tastes have changed. In the last six months, social circumstances have brought me to enjoy the amber goodness and now I fin myself buying a kit and getting on the brew train.

Anyways, it seems strange that it has become a kind of obsession to me as well, my wife just doesn't understand, and I'm not sure I do either.

Have you always been a beer drinker?

And, it's good to have somewhere to get advice and ideas, you all rock.

Cheers

 

[Mantis]

. How my tastes have changed. In the last six months, social circumstances have brought me to enjoy the amber goodness and now I fin myself buying a kit and getting on the brew train.

Anyways, it seems strange that it has become a kind of obsession to me as well, my wife just doesn't understand, and I'm not sure I do either.

Have you always been a beer drinker?

And, it's good to have somewhere to get advice and ideas, you all rock.

Cheers

I reckon its the hops. If I still smoked I reckon I would have tried a hop pellot in a rolly

 

[glennheinzel]

Speaking for my brother, he was never really into drinking (especially beer) until about 1 year ago. On that fateful day I had picked up a handful of beers from Northmead Cellars; Gueze, HefeWeizen etc.

For some reason, he loved the Gueuze. For someone who never liked alcohol (let alone beer), it was amazing the chord that this esotoric beer struck with him.

He's a shift worker and two days later he called me mid morning to ask where he could get in Brisbane. He hasn't looked back. His current favourite is the German smoke beers (rauchbier).

I guess he never really enjoyed the Aussie mass market alcohol.

 

[Cocko]

Welcome to the family!

My very first drinking experience was southern comfort!! JEEBUS - I am glad that night come and went!

Beer is beer BUT a good beer is better than a good wine! Its not woody or nutty on the pallet and its undertones will not ruin your lamb!! GOD I hate that bullsh*t wine speak crap!

Who the f*ck created that shit!!

Anyways, enjoy your beer and I will go back to enjoying mine....


Much Ups
Cocko!

 

[BrewerDave]

My first beers were pretty much megaswill and I thought beer wasn't that great, but a hell of a lot better than those alcopops the rest of the kids at my school were drinking. Eventually I moved a little from Tooheys New and XXXX Gold to Tooheys Extra Dry and Tooheys Old (Tooheys Old got me a lot of laughs from my mates at the pub) and Guinness (when it was still on tap at one local pub).

I was lucky enough to be treated to Stella Artois and Lowenbrau from my father. I never went back, until I tasted Stella and Lowenbrau at various Belgian and German/Bavarian Beer Cafe's around Sydney (the local stuff just didn't taste the same after that).

After trying a few 'special' beers like Coopers Pale Ale and James Squire Amber Ale and some research into beer. I researched homebrewing, something I've always been interested in somewhat, and I just HAD TO DO IT!

My first brew is in bottles at the moment and I'm doing another kit in the next few days. It is early days for my brewing yet, but one day I'm sure I'll be brewing great beers entirely from scratch. Even after one kit I can tell this is going to be a lifelong passion

 

[the_purple_dragon]

My first brew is in bottles at the moment and I'm doing another kit in the next few days. It is early days for my brewing yet, but one day I'm sure I'll be brewing great beers entirely from scratch. Even after one kit I can tell this is going to be a lifelong passion

Hi BD,

I totally agree, I've got my third batch bubbling now, a Coopers Dark Ale, the other two are conditioning. I haven't had a taste yet but like you said, give it some time to get some experience, and the mighty fine brews will be a flowin'.

Kind of make you feel warm and fuzzy, why give your hard earned to megaswill when you can a) enjoy the process of brewing and B) enjoy the spoils and c) impress the hell out of your mates....

Happy brewing,
TPD

 

[beernography]

When I started drinking I also hated beer but would drink pretty much anything non-beer. I wrote myself off one too many times though and stuck to beer which has been a faithful friend and partner ever since.

 

[KHB]

I remember my first beer being VB. I brewed a batch with a mate when i was 18 and hated it, then 2 years ago decided to brew again and got hooked. Now im brewing allgrain and look forward to continuing making my own beer from scratch

 

[Brewtus]

Ah you young blokes. I remember as a teen drinking cold gold KB, then Foster's went big. My mate's dad was richer and he had Reches Dinner Ale. There was a fat friend of dads who had the first low carb beer I saw called Carlton Diet Ale. He seemed to suffer drinking it. Needless to say I can from a culture of beer drinkers but they all loved the mega swill. It was all there was. A family friend ran a wine and beer supply chain and got Southwark to brew Canberra Draught and Canberra Light. My dad drank it out of loyalty. It was a bit ordinary. At my 18th I made all my mates bring different beers. They bought Michelob, Emu bitter, Swan, VB, Kronenborg, Tiger, XXXX, Budweiser and many others. Ironically it was all exotic mega swill but it was fun at the time. I could not understand how you could drink beer warm. A few years latter I went to Beijing (86) when it was all strange and tourism was new. I tried my first tsing tau. It stunk and I could not believe people could drink it. I then noticed the bottle lip was chipped and it was the first and only off beer I ever tasted. the next bottle was nice. It was years latter I found out Tsing tau was set up by Germans years before WW2 and taken over by the Chinese in the revolution. For the next few years I mostly drank tooheys old as it had more flavour for the same money as mega swill.
In 88 I went to Europe and tried all sorts of beers though I don't really remember the detail accept "Kangaroo beer' in Norway where th can said Australian style larger which was really a copy of our megswill. Also we went to the Carlsberg and Heineken factories. We went to Britain at the end of the trip and I tried lots of McEwens 80 Schilling in Scotland and learned that ale did not need to be ice cold. I tried lots of English Ales and some of their sad Lagers which were really crap. I soon learned that good beer doesn't need to be icy and crap beer does. Even now I can good lagers at 12 deg and they are still nice. I have spent plenty of time traveling and living overseas and tried many different beers. The best brewers have long traditions or respect tradition. Belgians, Brits and Germans make the best but brewers who care make good beer. Beers made for a mass market with lots of sexy adds and new lbles all the time make rubbish.

Now I mix my own kits and bits I can try lots of good things how I like it.

To the point, I have always been a beer drinker and did try Bundy and other stuff but alway came back to beer. I have always kept the faith.

 

[Cocko]

Hi BD,

I totally agree, I've got my third batch bubbling now, a Coopers Dark Ale, the other two are conditioning. I haven't had a taste yet but like you said, give it some time to get some experience, and the mighty fine brews will be a flowin'.

Kind of make you feel warm and fuzzy, why give your hard earned to megaswill when you can a) enjoy the process of brewing and B) enjoy the spoils and c) impress the hell out of your mates....

Happy brewing,
TPD

Spot on!

I have No. 4 brew in the tin and totally agree with you! Experience, attention to detail and a site like this and all is well....

I have cracked a couple of my first brew, a Coopers Canadian Blonde, and much to my surprise.... pretty f*cking good!! And thats only 4 weeks old! I hope I can stop and let it age

Why give your money?- I love brewing up and watching the process... AND after tasting the first badboy that is 4 weeks old - Who knows what time will bring....

Many thanks to all on this forum! For now and into the future....

Cheers
Cocko
:beer:

 

[petesbrew]

Welcome to the family!

My very first drinking experience was southern comfort!! JEEBUS - I am glad that night come and went!

Beer is beer BUT a good beer is better than a good wine! Its not woody or nutty on the pallet and its undertones will not ruin your lamb!! GOD I hate that bullsh*t wine speak crap!

Who the f*ck created that shit!!

Anyways, enjoy your beer and I will go back to enjoying mine....


Much Ups
Cocko!

Created what shit? The wine, or the wine-speak?
I love my beers and I love my wines... but as for tasting the "nuances of lingonberry over the woody-chocolate palate", WTF?