Wortgames
'Draught' is not a beer style - it's a lifestyle
Hello everyone!
Well it's been a long time but I'm still alive and kicking.
2008 sucked, I mean it really sucked. My small business finally turned up its toes, my dog died, Mrs W was diagnosed with MS and I got deported briefly.
This year has been much better, so far I've just had a heart attack, none of Mrs W's meds work and, barely into her 30s, she needs wheels to get around - but them's the breaks, the skin thickens and at least the Saints are flying high.
Since we moved to Williamstown and I inherited a back yard workshop, I have been mysteriously procrastinating about setting up the brewery. I kind of had it all figured out, one end of the workshop would be brewery and the rest of it, well, workshop, but I never could get round to buying the necessary water pipe and firing it all up.
A couple of weeks ago I think I figured out why. It was just the wrong place. The feng shui wasn't right. No water, but more to the point, no drainage. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that the most important function of a brewery is to be able to clean things easily. Being lazy (but cunningly disguised as a perfectionist) I would prefer not to have to lug things to a separate area for cleaning, but rather brew in a nice hoseable area. (With a bit of luck and some long sticks, I could even spend the whole brewday in a strategically-placed recliner).
Enter the garage. Smaller than the workshop, grubbier and more full of junk (if such a feat is even possible) but it leans to the side of the house and has a water pipe passing cheekily right through it, and the concrete floor drains merrily down the driveway.
So the last couple of weeks has seen a bit of tidying, cleaning, and lugging of fridges. Some Dexion racking forms the brew frame and workbench. An extra deep double laundry sink from eBay is just the job for cleaning and sanitising duties. Still have a bit of welding to do here and there before I can christen it (I'm thinking a Gueuze across the bows before her maiden brew) but I'm looking at a couple of weeks or so and I'm excited as hell!
:beerbang:
Hence my triumphant return to these hallowed forums. There's been a few changes around here by the looks of it, good to see some of the old names still posting and wow, what a member list! Brewing in Australia is looking very popular indeed!
Anyway, I thought it would be nice to see if there were any local brewers that might fancy coming round and keeping me company when I fire it up, probably a couple of Saturdays from now. For those that don't know, it's a 'HERMS' type setup where the HLT acts as a heat exchanger during the mash and the chill stages. Seems like everyone has one these days, but beginners might get a kick out of seeing an AG brew nonetheless - and experts might help me remember when to add the Irish moss... h34r:
PM me if you're interested and if the weather plays nice we might even get a barbecue out of it...
:beer:
Well it's been a long time but I'm still alive and kicking.
2008 sucked, I mean it really sucked. My small business finally turned up its toes, my dog died, Mrs W was diagnosed with MS and I got deported briefly.
This year has been much better, so far I've just had a heart attack, none of Mrs W's meds work and, barely into her 30s, she needs wheels to get around - but them's the breaks, the skin thickens and at least the Saints are flying high.
Since we moved to Williamstown and I inherited a back yard workshop, I have been mysteriously procrastinating about setting up the brewery. I kind of had it all figured out, one end of the workshop would be brewery and the rest of it, well, workshop, but I never could get round to buying the necessary water pipe and firing it all up.
A couple of weeks ago I think I figured out why. It was just the wrong place. The feng shui wasn't right. No water, but more to the point, no drainage. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that the most important function of a brewery is to be able to clean things easily. Being lazy (but cunningly disguised as a perfectionist) I would prefer not to have to lug things to a separate area for cleaning, but rather brew in a nice hoseable area. (With a bit of luck and some long sticks, I could even spend the whole brewday in a strategically-placed recliner).
Enter the garage. Smaller than the workshop, grubbier and more full of junk (if such a feat is even possible) but it leans to the side of the house and has a water pipe passing cheekily right through it, and the concrete floor drains merrily down the driveway.
So the last couple of weeks has seen a bit of tidying, cleaning, and lugging of fridges. Some Dexion racking forms the brew frame and workbench. An extra deep double laundry sink from eBay is just the job for cleaning and sanitising duties. Still have a bit of welding to do here and there before I can christen it (I'm thinking a Gueuze across the bows before her maiden brew) but I'm looking at a couple of weeks or so and I'm excited as hell!
:beerbang:
Hence my triumphant return to these hallowed forums. There's been a few changes around here by the looks of it, good to see some of the old names still posting and wow, what a member list! Brewing in Australia is looking very popular indeed!
Anyway, I thought it would be nice to see if there were any local brewers that might fancy coming round and keeping me company when I fire it up, probably a couple of Saturdays from now. For those that don't know, it's a 'HERMS' type setup where the HLT acts as a heat exchanger during the mash and the chill stages. Seems like everyone has one these days, but beginners might get a kick out of seeing an AG brew nonetheless - and experts might help me remember when to add the Irish moss... h34r:
PM me if you're interested and if the weather plays nice we might even get a barbecue out of it...
:beer: