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Jayr82

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22/11/16
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Hi Guys,

Found this page while doing a bit of research. Its something I have wanted to do for some time, but never really got around to it.

I think I'm going to start with a kit first to get a feel for it and see how I go from there.

Some of the setups on this page look awesome.

Can't wait to get started.

Cheers Jay
 
Welcome aboard Jay.

A few items to research first would be

1) cleaning and sanitation
2) temp control
3) tricking out kits with different yeast, hops and extracts

Good luck and don't be scared to ask
 
Jayr82 said:
Hi Guys,

Found this page while doing a bit of research. Its something I have wanted to do for some time, but never really got around to it.

I think I'm going to start with a kit first to get a feel for it and see how I go from there.

Some of the setups on this page look awesome.

Can't wait to get started.

Cheers Jay
Welcome mate.
Your on the right track . Do lots of research. John Palmer has some great papers. A couple of things to suggest. Use the no rinse acid
sanitisers. Get new kegs as second hand ones are often crap. Store your hops in the freezer. As said before temperature control and
microbial contamination elimination are critical.
 
Thanks for the advise guys. I think I shouldn't have any probs with the sanitation side of things if I'm anal enough. I just need to work out what I'm going to use for temp control. Im hoping the garage will be suitable, I'll get a thermometer down there to see how much the temp fluctuates on these hot days we've been having lately.

I'm aiming to start brewing after Christmas so should have a bit of time to get my head around a few things.

Cheers

Jay
 
A bit of cheap packing foam (duct taped to form a box) and an esky brick is cost effective for temp control (is what I use during the day when off to the coal mine).

Cheers good luck with the brewing.
 
Welcome aboard Jay...this is a sensational community to learn from. Everyone here is extremely helpful, made all the mistakes you are going to make on your journey, and will help you work out how to fix your errors.

Enjoy it mate!
 
Another one down the rabbit hole!

Coming in to summer, seriously consider temperature control... If you've got a garage chances are you've got room, pop a fridge in there and get an external temperature controller you'll be laughing!

Things might seem complicated but they only have to be as complicated as you want them to be. My first 2 brews were kits with hop/grain additions and yeast that was not the kit yeast, strongly encourage giving a shot as it's really quite simple and can make a kit beer that much better :)

Moad said:
1) cleaning and sanitation
2) temp control
3) tricking out kits with different yeast, hops and extracts
3a) yeast health ;)
 
I always have to restrain myself from suggesting new brewers go straight to BIAB but I can't contain it!

Kits are definitely a good way to get points 1 and 2 sorted before any significant investment but I think many people would be discouraged by the results from kits. No doubt you can get them great but for me, my mind was blown when I started doing AG BIAB brews and it wasn't difficult (just time consuming) after obsessively reading for a week or two.
 
Moad said:
I always have to restrain myself from suggesting new brewers go straight to BIAB but I can't contain it!

Kits are definitely a good way to get points 1 and 2 sorted before any significant investment but I think many people would be discouraged by the results from kits. No doubt you can get them great but for me, my mind was blown when I started doing AG BIAB brews and it wasn't difficult (just time consuming) after obsessively reading for a week or two.
Agree, get the fermentation side of things all figured out first, if you plan on going all grain at all that is
 
damoninja said:
Another one down the rabbit hole!

Coming in to summer, seriously consider temperature control... If you've got a garage chances are you've got room, pop a fridge in there and get an external temperature controller you'll be laughing!
I'm looking at this very thing at the moment and seems fridges should be easy to come by on gumtree (in Melbourne anyways). Getting the temp controller fitted seems a little daunting - I've seen some with heat lamps and things. Lots of threads to read, but if a sparky does the bypass for you about what cost should you expect?
 
Start with cooling only, don't worry about heating until coldest months.

STC-1000 if you want to wire it up yourself
But overall for not much extra cost and zero hassle, check out the inkbird ITC-308 sponsor link or ebay.

I have both, each do as good a job, one is more convenient and not breaking any state compliance
 
damoninja said:
Start with cooling only, don't worry about heating until coldest months.

STC-1000 if you want to wire it up yourself
But overall for not much extra cost and zero hassle, check out the inkbird ITC-308 sponsor link or ebay.

I have both, each do as good a job, one is more convenient and not breaking any state compliance
Just looked up inkbird 308. Bloody sold!
thanks damoninja
 
+1 for the Inkbird 308, I've got two now with the S/S probe so I can dip my wick directly into the wort, and have unplugged the heating belts as my lowest temp overnight is ok.
 
I just haven't posted for a while so thought I had better contribute some thing.
1. Brew better, not more.

2. Good luck.
 
What a wealth of info already, thanks guys.

Well I I got my first brew underway this arvo. I went and got a kit from my local home brew shop and got to it. It was suprisingly easy to set up. For now I'm going to use the towel and ice bricks to keep the temp down as im trying not to spend too much yet being so close to Christmas and all. I'll be keeping one eye on gumtree in case something does pop up.

In saying that I am already planning on a keg in a fridge setup as I think it would be quicker and easier than bottling. As for the BIAB setup mention above, I'll have to check it out, sounds interesting.
Thanks

Jay
 
Welcome to brewing Jay. The most important thing regarding fermenting is keeping the temp as even as possible. Temp spikes will ruin your beer. A dedicated fridge in the shed and regular monitoring is essential. Aspecially this time of year. Follow the directions for the yeast you are using and good luck.
Cheers, Hadrian.
 
G'day Jay,

To echo the sentiment of others: Sanitation, Temp control, and Yeast management (adequate amount, temp, oxygen) are imo the big ones to nail and you'll be on the way to good beer. It's not hard to do but there is a lot of information and it can be overwhelming depending on how deep down the rabbit hole you go, the more you hook in and brew the better you will get.

My 2c:
(Sanitation) Starsan or similar, and some sodium percarbonate are perfect for sanitation, and I like to include boiling water with pretty much everything. NB- Something must be clean before it can be sanitised, if using a plastic fermentor be mindful that anything that can cause tiny scratches (such as a scotch pad or scourer) can enable tiny places to harbour nasties.
Once something is sanitised get to using it asap, e.g. if you sanitise a fermentor be prepared to pitch your wort and yeast pretty much straight away.

(Temp control) Keep an eye out on Gumtree etc and you'll get a second hand fridge for next to (if not) nothing. A 12v fan(s) in the fridge will help to circulate the air and enable even cooling, as previously mentioned an STC or ink bird are handy and affordable temp controllers to maintain a steady temp (raspi/PID are an even more accurate method of maintaining an accurate temperature).


(Yeast health) If using kit yeast be aware that the optimum temps they say to use are at the very high end of the scale.. 24c is generally not going to produce a great American Pale ale for example, but may be acceptable in some Belgians or a saison.

There are a bunch of programs that will let you plug in the gravity of the wort you are dealing with and calculate the amount of yeast you need to use, this will get you in the ball park of what is required. Oxygen is necessary for healthy growth, there are a number of ways to aerate your wort prior to pitching the yeast- to start off with most people shake the fermentation vessel (fv), pour through a sanitised sieve, sanitised paint stirrer attached to a drill, or use an aquarium air pump with inline filter.. ultimately ending with using pure O2 and an air stone. Looking after the yeast I consider to be one of the most important factors to good beer, it's a worthwhile subject to read up on.


I'd also add keeping accurate records of your brew days, recipes, yeast handling etc are a great way to improve.. keep researching, asking questions, and having fun with it, once you nail a great beer that is on par with something you'd buy you will be well and truly hooked.
 
Thanks for all the advise.

I bottled the first brew yesterday and all seems to be going well. Had a quick taste and it wasn't too bad for flat beer.

I will definitely need to invest in an old fridge to use to ferment in. The spot I had chosen for the fermenter got the wort temp up to 24deg on a 26 deg day. So I will have to wait to start my next brew till I have a fridge and thermostat sorted.

After some research, I will be definitely going down the BIAB path. Just getting some gear together. My brother works in a club so I'm going to see if he can grab me an empty keg to use.

Thanks again for all the tips. I think I'm hooked.

Cheers Jay
 
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