New To This Lark!

[sandy13]

Hi all. I've just arrived in Australia (from the UK) and have just purhcased a home brew kit (the basic of all basics to start me off - the Coopers one).

Since I'm new to this home brewing, i'm not looking to start mashing just yet, so was wondering if any one can recommend any decent recipes using the canned wort & may be the odd packet of mixed ingredients I'll need to boil & add to the wort, to make the following -

A real ale on a similar to either James Squires Golden or Hop Thief ales

A real ale similar to London Pride

A real ale style Cider

A cherry beer


Any information will be greatly appreciate and also please note that since I'm new to this, I'm not looking for excellent recipe's, just some that are in the ball park of the types above, to start my budding home brewing hobby off.

Cheers

Sandy

:beer:

 

[GMK]

PM me with your e-mail address and i will send you Kits & Bits Recipe Spreadsheet.

It might also help to fill out your location so that local brewers will be able to provide local advice/help.

 

[mike_hillyer]

I would do a couple of cans with the basic sugars to get your head around the process. These will be quaffing beers if you age them a bit and with the money you save go buy a few bottles of London Pride etc... That's what I do.

Then try half malt, half sugar, with a finishing hop.

The 3kg $25-$30 ESB cans produce awesome beers and are easy to use. Muntons do a $45 can which is two 1.8 kg cans I did one called smugglers and it also very good.

Also that kind offer of recipes from GMK will be real treasure trove of great info. I find brewers are a great bunch in that they happily share info.

Cheers

 

[sandy13]

Thanks for this.

I've done the pale ale (kinda screwed it up a bit by adding too much water so it's a little weak) and a coopers lager which was poor (don't know if it was my brewing or the actual lager is just not good).

I've been keen to get into the ales but I remmeber my time in the uk at uni trying to do it and they were near undrinkable. Mind you, I guess things will have moved on considerabley since that was over 10 years ago.

 

[DrewCarey82]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...amp;hl=best+kit

Check out this thread.

 

[mike_hillyer]

I do the cooper's lager with a lager yeast, which I buy form the brewshop. This goes outside in winter to get "some" lager qualities. I would not do this for a year or so until you lock down the basic process. Just my opinion.

The cooper's draft makes a good easy drinking light ale good for summer. Use the packet yeast 500g sugar, 500g light malt, pinch of hops. I use white sugar on this but I invert it. As a beginner I would swap it for raw sugar and learn to invert later.

Hops: - optional

A finishing hop is easy, they come in a tea bag and are soaked for 2-5 minutes in a cup of hot water, discard the bag then tip the wate/hop mix into the vat.

Later on:
Hop pellets are more economical but you need to strain them and don't use too much. Saaz and Goldings are good. 5 grams of Goldings or 10 grams of saaz.

Try and age your less liked beers they do get better and stick at it, like anything you quickly iron out early teething problems and your confidence quickly grows.

 

[mika]

I think you're only option for the cherry beer is to buy one of the Brewferm kits, not cheap.... but cheaper than buying Kriek from somewhere like the international beer shop...and way more fun

 

[DrewCarey82]

Guys.

For Coopers Lager I actually dry hopped into secondary with about 20g of Cascade Pallets.

When I tried the beer after 3 weeks of bottle conditioning it had a sort of greenish cast to it.

It tasted okay, but I am wondering with further conditioning will this drop out and go to a nice lager colour.

Tasted okay but.... Not great.

 

[DrewCarey82]

Anybody?

 

[mike_hillyer]

I've found that the hops do drop out, eventually even without finings. If this were my brew, I would definitely age this one as I find highly hopped brews benefit from it. By this I mean the hops run through the taste smoothly when aged, young they tend to hit you in a "blurt". The "blurt" effect reminds me of seasonal fun beers and as always, personal preference is the ultimate decider.

Aging or cellaring is best done, according to the late (and dare I say it, great Dave Line) at the lowest temperature that the yeast just works at. For ale in the range of 16-13 C but I wouldn't toss and turn at night over this Finally, a 6 month would be a good period, after a year they get a bit sharp. I do drop my priming for longer aging. I also drop my priming on my English Ales. For both I use 3 grams per 750 ml.

Finally, I do appreciate supply level, thirst, mates arriving unannounced can all make aging a difficult prospect.

 

[DrewCarey82]

Your right I am trying to get up to 500 longnecks b4 drinking as particularly in the summer the unexpected mates can be a prob.

Will leave for another 3 months and if there isnt improvement then will toss it, its only a Coopers Lager and can think of better things to go in the bottle.

 

[kook]

To be honest if you're looking for real english cider, you're not going to get it with a kit.

I'd try hunting down some cider apples, pressing them (with some eaters if need be) and leaving the juice in a glass fermenter for a few months.

Real cider is usually naturally fermented by the bacteria living on the apples. Thats why it has some much character and flavour

If you're looking for a commerical style cider though (ie magners / strongbow etc) you'll do ok with a kit and some pasturised apple juice.

Good luck anyway, and welcome to AHB