New member from Darwin

[Mozz]

G'day I'm Moz and I want to learn about brewing in the tropics. Brewing because I'm over paying the 50 bucks a carton. Just want to make a consistent light Ale in a keg system. Currently brewing a commercial extraction kit with clean results but might be a bit estery. My brews ferment in the high 20s. Hoping there is a group of high temp brewers that can impart some advice on best yeasts etc to use in places like Darwin. Cheers.

 

[pk.sax]

Mate, get yourself a sachet or two of belle saison dry yeast.

Try making your normal brew with that. Saison yeasts typically rock upto 35 something degrees and personal experience with belle saison is that it does well in that range and lower too.

Get some, then repitch on cake or harvest some... well, good luck. Darwin is ******* hot.

 

[StalkingWilbur]

If you want a clean light ale then you need to temperature control your fermentation.

Get a fridge and a temp controller like the stc1000. Sorted.

 

[Mozz]

Cheers fellas. Practical fool I'm guessing typo- you mean 25C? 35 would be fantastic. My beers are brewing at 28C and racing along but I'm inviting bacteria at those temps.
What I'm hearing is everyone serious has a fermenting fridge?
Trying to suss out who lives in Darwin. I want to pick someone's brains that lives here. Especially about getting stuff. We seem limited to Ozbrew here.

 

[welly2]

Hey Moz!

Yeah, as I said in my reply to your message, I've got myself a fermenting fridge and STC-1000 controller. Been doing a test over the weekend with a fermenter full of water to see how it gets on and so far, it's looking pretty good. I've ordered stuff from Craftbrewer which took a week to arrive, although it was a pretty big order (physically - a 70L boiling pot). I'm going to make a smaller order this week with express post and see how long that takes. Need to order some hops for my next batch as Ozbrew actually have all the grain I need for this IPA. I wonder if Ozbrew would be able to get particular grains or hops in if they were ordered? Would be handy to get them locally if I can. I'll have to ask the guy there.

Anyway, welcome to the forum It's a fount of knowledge here, quite amazing really!

 

[philmud]

Cheers fellas. Practical fool I'm guessing typo- you mean 25C? 35 would be fantastic. My beers are brewing at 28C and racing along but I'm inviting bacteria at those temps.
What I'm hearing is everyone serious has a fermenting fridge?
Trying to suss out who lives in Darwin. I want to pick someone's brains that lives here. Especially about getting stuff. We seem limited to Ozbrew here.

30s is ok with Belle saison, I'd try & keep to high 20s, but that's the unique thing about saison yeasts, they tolerate much higher temps without throwing the fusel alcohols & of flavours that most yeasts would produce.

Also, fermenting at 28C isn't a bacteria problem (assuming you have sound sanitizing practices), the issue is off flavours and fusel alcohols (the latter will cause crazy hangovers even after 1 or 2 beers).

Most brewers decide temperature control is a must-have. Even saisons fermented at 30C plus benefit from the consistency that temp control offers.

 

[Mozz]

Thanks again. Will look in to the Belle Saison. I'm using the Y1 Ale yeast from OzBrew which is temp tolerant but not much info available on it other than that. These posts are making me thirsty.

 

[welly2]

These posts are making me thirsty.

Best have a beer mate

 

[pk.sax]

While I agree with prunce imperious about the temp constant thing, none of my saisons have ever suffered from my abuse, includes the fermenter being left on top of a front loader in a share house so the yeadt gets frequebt rousing.

I'd put a heat belt on a saison in summer in Cairns.... don't be shy, that saison can take it.

The beauty is though that you can knock out an ipa with saison yeast and it'd be tasty but with some phenolics and character of saison yeasts thrown in. Those are subtle though so stringer hopping will tone that down. There are commercial hopfeb weisse in the market that are fantastic, this goes along that direction.

Everything else, get a fridge.

 

[StalkingWilbur]

I think it's also important that you try some saisons (if you haven't) so you can understand the style.

If I wanted a clean ale type beer and someone gave me a saison I wouldn't be happy.

 

[pk.sax]

How is he gonna do that in bloody Darwin hey? Probably cost him a bomb to get some bottles posted in. Be great if he has mates visiting from Melbourne or Canberra...

I say if he is ok with kits brewed at 28 something degrees then he isn't quite looking for 'clean' tasting pales or lagers. as I said, either proper saisons - wheat beer kit ingredients brewed with saison yeast or Ipa kit with saison yeast will give him best improvements over current without getting temp control.

 

[welly2]

How is he gonna do that in bloody Darwin hey? Probably cost him a bomb to get some bottles posted in. Be great if he has mates visiting from Melbourne or Canberra...

Cheeky sod! We have fancy beer up this way too! I saw Crown in the Bottle-o earlier today!

 

[pk.sax]

You owe me the beer I just snorted out of my nose.

I've been in Darwin once, we went into hanumans for dinner, think the beer was ok but switched to wine after one. Work was paying....

 

[StalkingWilbur]

How is he gonna do that in bloody Darwin hey? Probably cost him a bomb to get some bottles posted in. Be great if he has mates visiting from Melbourne or Canberra...

Yes. You're right. No one ever posts beer or wine because its too expensive. Someone better tell vinomofo that.

I just wouldn't be suggesting a style IF they've never tried it before. It's very different from a light, clean ale, which he said he wants.

Mozz, if you've never tried a saison and can't find any in Darwin, send me a PM and I'll chuck one in the post.

 

[Mozz]

Oh Christ. Started a brew war in my first post. I've put away some ordinary beers in the past so committing a keg to a Saison yeast is worth a go. I can go temp control and may do in the future but like the idea of brewing to the conditions. It's hot here but the temp is stable 25min-35max every bloody day.

Probably need to start a thread in another place here but I've been kegging after one week in the fermenter (as soon as the yeast drops out). Reading a bit around here it sounds like I'm not letting it condition long enough over the bulk of the yeast so not allowing Acetaldehyde and fusel alcohols to mellow? I'm pretty happy with the brew as is just have that slight tangy after taste in mouth like something is stuck to the tastebuds. I'm going to let this batch (already scaled up to a 60l fermenter) go 2 weeks before kegging.

 

[StalkingWilbur]

Not a brew war, healthy discussion haha.

If you're down to try it, then go for it. Just saisons normally have fruity and spicey esters, some sour tartness and an effervescent like level of carbonation. So, not much like you were asking for and not for everyone. With that said, some saisons are absolutely delicious!

Keep us posted with how it goes.

 

[slash22000]

G'day mate. Darwin here.

You're going to need temperature control, period, if you want to make good beer. I used to make Coopers kits at room temperature, it worked, they were alright, but it's just too easy for everything to go pear shaped. I got a $100 secondhand chest freezer off Gumtree and paired it with a $30 temperature controller. Problem solved, never had an issue since. Easiest "free" option is to stick the fermenter in an air conditioned room for the first 3-4 days (when most of the off-flavours are produced), air con is normally around 24ºC or something, beer will ferment a few degrees higher than that, but it's a lot better than >30ºC.

You're going to need 99% your ingredients posted in from down south. Ozbrew is a disgrace. The only thing they're good for is buying the fancier Coopers cans and even then they charge a huge markup.

As far as saison yeast goes, that's a good idea. I'd rather use a saison yeast than a typical ale yeast at 30ºC but keep in mind saison yeasts have a very distinct flavour/aroma (spicy like pepper) which you might not like, or maybe you'll love it?

 

[fw00r]

Yeah Moz, Temp control is critical. Fluctuation in the temps will end up with a stressed yeast and the beer will suffer.
Like Slash, I've got a chest freezer off gumtree (150L westinghouse) with a temp controller (stc1000). Doubles as my keg container with a wooden collar and taps.

There are a few great retailers, unfortunately they are all down south... thus inducing the Darwin tax.
It is worthwhile, So worthwhile that I've just started BIAB brews.

Cheers

 

[indica86]

Beware with the Belle Saison yeast.
Sure it will taste how it is supposed to when brewed warm but it can be oh so odd to the uninitiated palate.

 

[Mozz]

Righto slash2200 and fw00r I'm hearing ya. The generous markups at Ozbrew haven't gone unnoticed but a pineapple is always part of the sale here. As a newbie their TUBS taste alright but that's coming off XXXX gold (nothing as fancy as a Crowny). Question is how do their extracts rate compared to others, will my beer be better if I get extracts from somewhere else and where do you go for supplies?
Probably end up setting up a ferment fridge.
Also love a healthy discussion. Gonna have to brew a Saison out of sheer curiosity now.