Probably should not be here!

[Corella Beer]

Hi All, I've been brewing for 30 years or so, no great shakes but with very few exceptions make a brew that please me and surprises most doubters, who are rigid in their commercial slop, how not bad at all it is.
I have never posted here as I really feel I don't belong: I am not a connersewer but love a beer and generally prefer my own to the commercials, although some of those imported beers are pretty tasty and I do like a Bintang or several when in Indo.
Number one reason for homebrewing is economics: at 1½ cartons a week (give or take) I really could not afford to buy the stuff, and I'm not willing to give it up!
I used to use Coopers kits, but then found that the Woollies Homebrand Draught was practically indistinguishable so that's what I have been brewing mostly. Occasionally when on special a Coopers Stout or Lager.
So most of you have probably turned off already but I'll persevere just in case anyone is still listening
I brew in a standard 30 litre plastic drum. I kg white sugar to the can. We are on tank water so that's what goes in. I wrap a blanket around the drum, have an old style light bulb with dimmer switch warming from underneath through a hole under the centre of the drum. I brew it nice and warm and busy for a few days until the bubbles ease off then give the drum regular shakings to stir it all up and let bubbles roar. I've found this speeds up the process which can take up to a couple of weeks otherwise. When the fermentation is negligible I turn the lamp off and leave it alone for a few days to settle and clarify. Then bottle.
Shame on me......I even use plastic drink bottles. We have a trailer sailer (small live aboard yacht) and when we go away for a couple of weeks I take my supply in plastic, which is much safer aboard and can be stacked and stored in lockers without fear of breakage. I have to admit I prefer glass for brewing but on the boat it's not practical. I generally allow three weeks for secondary, but that often extends to a few months if I manage to get ahead of myself.
So that's me. If there's anyone in the Horsham area who'd like to share a drop, let us know.
If I don't belong on this forum you'd better say and I'll shut up and go away.
Cheers!
Pete

 

[Rocker1986]

Not much wrong with using plastic bottles but the ingredients and fermentation process could be improved. There's no need to shake it around, all you will do by doing that is potentially introduce oxygen which can very smartly ruin a beer. You'd probably get a better beer by ditching the sugar and replacing it with dry malt, and fermenting more around 18-20 degrees, but your beer, your call.

 

[pnorkle]

Ya never know Pete - if you stick around long enough, you might just pick up a few tips to try & improve your beer.

Good Luck.

 

[Corella Beer]

Not much wrong with using plastic bottles but the ingredients and fermentation process could be improved. There's no need to shake it around, all you will do by doing that is potentially introduce oxygen which can very smartly ruin a beer. You'd probably get a better beer by ditching the sugar and replacing it with dry malt, and fermenting more around 18-20 degrees, but your beer, your call.

Hey Kelsey, I probably could improve it but I like what I have! As I said, I'm no connasewer but I do like few beers each night. The shaking up thing I have only recently taken too, being impatient to turn the brew around and start a new one. Brewing at 18 20 I think the process would take too long and I'd end up thirsty waiting for the brew to finish. No-one likes being thirsty when there's no beer to be had!

 

[Danscraftbeer]

There is plenty of innovative ghetto style brewing. A little researching can raise the bar on your results too without spending too much. As mentioned, - temperature. Not so good to ferment at higher temps, better cleaner flavors to ferment around 18c for Ales. That can simply mean to use no heating at all. Room temp this time of year should be right. You do need healthy yeast and probably more yeast at lower temps. The kit yeast (white satchel) is such a small amount and can be poor performance. Lash out on a reputable yeast and see how that goes. By all rights you should be able to bottle after 2 weeks. You can have better results to skip the secondary altogether because its exposure and can compromise the quality of the beer.
Do you have a Home Brew store to go to?

 

[Rocker1986]

I think by secondary he meant in the bottles.

 

[altone]

No problem with what you are doing. You achieve your goal and make beer, so all good.

As others mention the ferment temp is one area you might reconsider to get even better results.

So long as the plastic bottles can hold pressure then no issue there.

Check out the forums and you'll find lots of helpful info. Don't feel out of place though.
Half the guys here might think my beer and brewing procedure is crap - do I care?
Drinking a nice American pale I made so NO! care factor zero

If you make beer at home you belong here, and if you need advice on something specific - just ask.

Welcome @Corella Beer and keep brewing.

 

[Capt Pete]

Not much wrong with using plastic bottles but the ingredients and fermentation process could be improved. There's no need to shake it around, all you will do by doing that is potentially introduce oxygen which can very smartly ruin a beer. You'd probably get a better beer by ditching the sugar and replacing it with dry malt, and fermenting more around 18-20 degrees, but your beer, your call.

This has always annoyed me when people say this.How can you introduce oxygen by shaking the fv to stir things up especially if it remains sealed, when you are creating CO2 in the process? Any oxygen is purged via your airlock! This would only happen if the lid was removed. Tell me if I have got it wrong anyone else agree with my thoughts?

 

[Rocker1986]

This has always annoyed me when people say this.How can you introduce oxygen by shaking the fv to stir things up especially if it remains sealed, when you are creating CO2 in the process? Any oxygen is purged via your airlock! This would only happen if the lid was removed. Tell me if I have got it wrong anyone else agree with my thoughts?

More to the point, why even bother stirring things up? It's completely unnecessary anyway. And if it doesn't remain sealed, what's to stop air getting in?

 

[Garagebrew]

The main reason I know of for agitating the fermenter is if your temps have fallen to the point where the yeast needs a kick to help reactivate it but if your maintaining correct fermenting temps anyway then I dont see a reason for it. I generally keep fermenter movement to a minimum to aim for a clearer beer but the kit beers always seemed to clear up pretty well on their own.

 

[Rocker1986]

I am aware of that reason but it doesn't appear to apply to this situation; the yeast can be roused without shaking the fermenter around too. Besides, if my post was read properly it says potentially introduce oxygen, not 100% certainly introduce oxygen. It's just a risk worth noting.

 

[sp0rk]

This has always annoyed me when people say this.How can you introduce oxygen by shaking the fv to stir things up especially if it remains sealed, when you are creating CO2 in the process? Any oxygen is purged via your airlock! This would only happen if the lid was removed. Tell me if I have got it wrong anyone else agree with my thoughts?

CO2 doesn't create a blanket in closed or semi closed environments when there is a mix of gases, I'll have to ask one of my lecturers at uni about this as we've just finished the ideal gas laws unit and are doing dynamic equilibriums now
More info here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/the-co2-blanket.587394/

 

[Thurston Forabrew]

If I don't belong on this forum you'd better say and I'll shut up and go away.

After reading your brewing situation, it's actually critical that you stay. Your beer is going to get nothing but better with what you're going to pick up from these threads.

I recently met another brewer who lives on a boat. He bottles in plastic for the convenience and also uses 9.5 litre kegs with 16gram C02 bulbs and a pluto gun to serve because they fit in his fridge space.

 

[HamoAus]

Hi All, I've been brewing for 30 years or so, no great shakes but with very few exceptions make a brew that please me and surprises most doubters, who are rigid in their commercial slop, how not bad at all it is.
I have never posted here as I really feel I don't belong: I am not a connersewer but love a beer and generally prefer my own to the commercials, although some of those imported beers are pretty tasty and I do like a Bintang or several when in Indo.
Number one reason for homebrewing is economics: at 1½ cartons a week (give or take) I really could not afford to buy the stuff, and I'm not willing to give it up!
I used to use Coopers kits, but then found that the Woollies Homebrand Draught was practically indistinguishable so that's what I have been brewing mostly. Occasionally when on special a Coopers Stout or Lager.
So most of you have probably turned off already but I'll persevere just in case anyone is still listening
I brew in a standard 30 litre plastic drum. I kg white sugar to the can. We are on tank water so that's what goes in. I wrap a blanket around the drum, have an old style light bulb with dimmer switch warming from underneath through a hole under the centre of the drum. I brew it nice and warm and busy for a few days until the bubbles ease off then give the drum regular shakings to stir it all up and let bubbles roar. I've found this speeds up the process which can take up to a couple of weeks otherwise. When the fermentation is negligible I turn the lamp off and leave it alone for a few days to settle and clarify. Then bottle.
Shame on me......I even use plastic drink bottles. We have a trailer sailer (small live aboard yacht) and when we go away for a couple of weeks I take my supply in plastic, which is much safer aboard and can be stacked and stored in lockers without fear of breakage. I have to admit I prefer glass for brewing but on the boat it's not practical. I generally allow three weeks for secondary, but that often extends to a few months if I manage to get ahead of myself.
So that's me. If there's anyone in the Horsham area who'd like to share a drop, let us know.
If I don't belong on this forum you'd better say and I'll shut up and go away.
Cheers!
Pete

Welcome Pete.

Cheers