Stirring The Pot

[lou]

Hi folks

I just want to stir the pot a bit

I rekon all that bs about brewing being easy should be dumped right now

sure- getting yeast to eat malt is no big hassel when all you have to do is open the packet

but making something which is pleasurable to drink and which you wouldn't feel shamed sharing with friends is another matter

Brewing is a skill, a fine skill worth ones learning but its not easy.

The never ending questions and the existence of this forum is a testament to both these propositions

Most (but not all) homebrews that i have brewed and others have serious flaws.

I myself have had great dificulty making something I would want to drink
but its a great learning curve about what hops you like etc etc

anyways there my two cents <_<

lou

 

[dane]

This should be fun.....

Lou - I gather that you hasven't tasted a good homebrew? Many of the AHB memebers are state champions in what they do and sure they have had years of experience in their hobby to get where they are.

This is a big different between the different methods of brewing - I suggest you having a look at http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...?showtopic=2294 for info on Ag Vs Extract Vs Kit.

There are arguments for every type of method.

I'm not to sure what type of answer you wanted for this post - maybe just to get something of your chest?

I'm sure if you persevere and read some of the threads from the forum that you too will learn to make a pretty damn fine tasting homebrew.

 

[GMK]

Where do you live Lou....

And what style of brewing do you do...

 

[Andrew]

Lou,

Last weekend I tried three beers from GMK's kegs. I would drink any of them any day over pub megaswill. Lurk about this place, there's heaps of helpful people and tons of stuff to help you produce a top quality drop.

Cheers!

 

[GMK]

Lou,

Last weekend I tried three beers from GMK's kegs. I would drink any of them any day over pub megaswill. Lurk about this place, there's heaps of helpful people and tons of stuff to help you produce a top quality drop.

Cheers!

And Thats only because it was FREE!


:lol:

:chug:

 

[lou]

Well...

what i saying is exactly that

plenty of the fabbo people out on this forum have had years of experience

and i'm sure their brews are evry bit as good as they say, but...

i get the feeling that the hb industry is trying push the its easy and cheep nonsense
to get you hooked

once you have made a couple of bad/average brews youkeep buying more equiptment malt etc just to get smething drinkable which you need from the get go

how a bit of truth in advertising :angry:

Beer is good and brewing a fine passtime, but it ain't cheep and it ain't easy

brew on

 

[Boots]

When I read this, I held my breath hoping it wasn't a troll. phew...

I do know what your are saying lou. I have a friend here at work who is having a real hard time of it in kit and kilo land. Has tried doing a few masterbrews etc, but is doing *something* wrong.

I've been giving him some help (the limited amount i can) moved him up to racking, and bulk priming etc, but he's still making BAD beer. I think he has infections or something, and doesn't control ferment temp, but he's at the point where he's gonna dump all his gear in the cupboard and forget about it.

BUT ... I did my first homebrew when I was 18 and knew nothing about beer other than it got you drunk. Thought I was being fancy using wonderful dextrose instead of crappy sugar (LOL), fermented at 25 - 30 degrees, and made drinkable beer.

So it cant be all that bad.

Bottling does suck tho

 

[user 384]

Lou

Are you a rep from Carlton United Brewery or some other major brewer? It seems at bit odd to come on to this forum and try and convince guys that make top quality beers, that it's not easy and not cheap. Do you want us to give up and drink VB?

I personally don't agree with the idea that it's not easy. I started with kits and what can be more easy than opening a can and adding water and yeast? These kits were no way my best beers, but still better than the commercial beers on offer. I progressed to all-grain, and again found it fairly easy. My all-grain beers beat what is available from the pubs and bottle shops.

And it is cheap. I posted recently how to make an all-grain brewery for $280. A sack of base malt can be bought for about $50, liquid yeast for around $11, hops is probably the most expensive component and thats getting cheaper. I make beer for a fraction of a price of what you pay for it at the bottle-shop.

Maybe you just need to read some more articles and get a little help. You will soon discover home brewing is fun, easy and cheap!

Cheers
MAH

 

[johnno]

lou,
if by any chance you are a rep of one of the big beer companies PM me and i will send you my address. Maybe you can send me a few slabs of your finest to try and convince me how good it is.

cheers

 

[Kai]

Beer might be more expensive on our end, but remember that the government's taking a fair mouthful out of every beer you buy. Bloody thieves.

As for brewing, first kit I did was a K&K Coopers India Pale. I was fully expecting it to be undrinkable, but it turned out quite palatable even warm as the first bottle was when we realised it'd hit its two week anniversary. Thin, but better than some beers I could name.

Once you do a couple ****** brews, I reckon you stop and realise that your sanitation methods or your temperatures are all out of whack, usually with the free help of your local HBS guy or dudes online. Sure, if you've got more money than sense then you can waste a heap of money on home brewing, but it's equally possible to do it on the cheap.

 

[lou]

No i am not a rep from the big breweries but I do live just down the road from

XXXX, the smell is wonderful but the beer.... :unsure:

I like to think i've got pretty good taste buds and love my hops, the first time i

smelt fresh hops was worth every other thing i've done with brewing

I am not bashing home brew but ...

gripe 1

Why does the yeast suppiled with kits always leave a telltale( and definitely disticntive) after taste

My brother who brews makes a nice drop but it takes a good 6months of aging to mellow out the flavour.

even when brewed at correct temps. If they really were acceptable (I no longer

use them ) we wouldn't be paying for liquid yeast. how much bad beer are you

going to brew before you work it out?


sure you can throw it away but its one more hurdle on the path to brewing Nirvana

Don't want to annoy anyone, this forum is great- learnt heaps.

thanks

lou brew on

 

[wedge]

Lou, use a wyeast yeastpack and you wont get this flavour. That flavour is because the yeast you are using is cheap and nasty.

Wyeast if used propably will cost you less in the long run and increase the flavour of your beer tenfold.

Using a starter and etc, means you can use wyeast many times, yes it a $11 investment but if you use it eleven times.......

 

[bonk]

Lou, the hb bloke show owner here reckons putting in half a lemon to get rid of that tell tale sign of homebrewyness

a few people i know that does this, swear it works.

 

[Jovial_Monk]

Liquid yeasts will improve you beers, for a $18 investment

look around for good dry yeasts as well: Danstar Nottingham and Windsor, the 34/70 lager yeast and the k97 German ale yeast. Useful to have some of them in the fridge for an impromptu brew or when a starter has become infected.

hehehehe the only good use I know of for the 5-7g packets of kit yeast is to boil the yeast in the wort for at least 30 minutes--great yeast nutrient for the REAL yeast you pitch.

Jovial Monk