Thinking About Losing The Goo..

[drsmurto]

Howdy Greg/Richo
Will be doing AG's every few weeks from now on. PM if keen to watch/partake in one.
Once you do you will never go back to that canned crap. A good analagy is the flavour of powderd milk to fresh un homoginised milk un pasteurised milk.... only its beer :wacko:
Gregg J

Never heard of that analogy.

I tend to use the dolmio spag bol version.

Kit = jar of dolmio.
AG = fresh tomatoes, fresh herbs (basil, oregano) and a full 1 hour boil with various additions

 

[RobboMC]

Hi Greg,

Start with a partial first of around one kg or less. I've just taken about one quarter of a red pill. By doing 25% of the batch as AG you improve the end result, hopefully, but retain the option of tipping the few litres of wort down the sink if you totally stuff it up. Also I believe best results are found by bringing the grains and water UP from a lower temperature gradually rater than simply chucking it all in an esky and letting it soak.

Also, you need to give some thought to rapid cooling when you drain the esky, and about guarding against oxidation when hot.

If it were as easy as chucking it into an esky of hot water and great beer comes out, we'd all be doing it an no-one would be able to sell all those kits. get a good brewing textbook and start learning!

I'm now up to about one and a half kg of grain, done about 5 brews now and feel each one is better than the previous as I refine my techniques. I reckon launching straight ibnto a 4 to 5 kg grain batch is asking for trouble unless you have someone to show you all the tricks.

 

[PostModern]

Hi Greg,

Start with a partial first of around one kg or less. I've just taken about one quarter of a red pill. By doing 25% of the batch as AG you improve the end result, hopefully, but retain the option of tipping the few litres of wort down the sink if you totally stuff it up. Also I believe best results are found by bringing the grains and water UP from a lower temperature gradually rater than simply chucking it all in an esky and letting it soak.

Also, you need to give some thought to rapid cooling when you drain the esky, and about guarding against oxidation when hot.

If it were as easy as chucking it into an esky of hot water and great beer comes out, we'd all be doing it an no-one would be able to sell all those kits. get a good brewing textbook and start learning!

I'm now up to about one and a half kg of grain, done about 5 brews now and feel each one is better than the previous as I refine my techniques. I reckon launching straight ibnto a 4 to 5 kg grain batch is asking for trouble unless you have someone to show you all the tricks.

With all due respect to Robbo and other partial mashers:

I honestly regret the time I spent making partial mashes. AG is much easier to handle recipe formulation-wise, consistency-wise, ease of no-chill, hop utilisation, predictability.... I also use less water now I brew AG than I did when I made partials.

I reckon Richo should get himself to an Adelaide big brew day tomorrow and watch what it's all about. Don't get me wrong, I learnt a lot making partial mash beers, but there is not a great leap in difficulty going AG. Larger volumes of water and grain, that's all. Volume doesn't equal complexity (in this case).

Take the Red pill!

 

[Cracka]

Hi Greg,

Start with a partial first of around one kg or less. I've just taken about one quarter of a red pill. By doing 25% of the batch as AG you improve the end result, hopefully, but retain the option of tipping the few litres of wort down the sink if you totally stuff it up. Also I believe best results are found by bringing the grains and water UP from a lower temperature gradually rater than simply chucking it all in an esky and letting it soak.

Also, you need to give some thought to rapid cooling when you drain the esky, and about guarding against oxidation when hot.

If it were as easy as chucking it into an esky of hot water and great beer comes out, we'd all be doing it an no-one would be able to sell all those kits. get a good brewing textbook and start learning!

I'm now up to about one and a half kg of grain, done about 5 brews now and feel each one is better than the previous as I refine my techniques. I reckon launching straight ibnto a 4 to 5 kg grain batch is asking for trouble unless you have someone to show you all the tricks.

:huh: I went straight to ag from K & K



& I didn't see anyone do a demo for me, bar on you tube.

 

[drsmurto]

With all due respect to Robbo and other partial mashers:

I honestly regret the time I spent making partial mashes. AG is much easier to handle recipe formulation-wise, consistency-wise, ease of no-chill, hop utilisation, predictability.... I also use less water now I brew AG than I did when I made partials.

I reckon Richo should get himself to an Adelaide big brew day tomorrow and watch what it's all about. Don't get me wrong, I learnt a lot making partial mash beers, but there is not a great leap in difficulty going AG. Larger volumes of water and grain, that's all. Volume doesn't equal complexity (in this case).

Take the Red pill!

I skipped the partial step and went straight from K+K to AG. Didnt see the point of partials or extract brewing. Went and saw an AG brew day and the whole process step by step with a very patient brewer (DrGonzo) who dealt with all my questions and supplied me AG beer to boot. Pushed my over the edge quick smart.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Can only agree with going straight nto AG

Plenty o guys who would be more than helpfull in showing you the ropes, just ask for a AG demo

Ditch the tins, go AG


(damn usugh Jazmns kaybord )

 

[Josh]

I went straight from K+K to AG as well. Went to the old ESB for a mash demo. Leon handed out some sheets of info and I was hooked. You can get the same info from here and a website like howtobrew. Then you just need to work out what kind of equipment you want to run.

Go for the red pill.

 

[Prawned]

I also went from k&k straight to AG, done kits for years and added little bits to them. found a sale and got most of my ag gear cheap and watched a few people make beer on youtube and read loads and loads of info on this site. With my first AG (4weeks ago) i made a few mistakes, but the end result was a wonderful beer, better than any k&k batch i had ever made.

 

[himzol]

Yep I did the same, went strait from K&K to AG, However I had a great teacher in Stephen Nelsen.

If your interested then maybe you should get in touch with Regency TAFE. They do an AG beer making course which is on Wednesday evenings and all day Saturday. I believe the cost is about $400

Sorry I can't help with when the next one is.

The course covers water chemistry, Hop additions, multi infusion and decoction brewing there are also tasting sessions and you get to take home some of what you make.

Himzo.

 

[crozdog]

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear"

Zen & the art of homebrew - love it!

Like many others, I jumped straight into AG without seeing a demo or youtube video. Sure I'd read how to brew and cruisenews but for me you have gotta do it to learn. Yes you make mistakes but you gain a deeper understanding of the process along the way.

There are a lot of posts on this forum re how to start AGing quickly & cheaply. BIAB and bucket in bucket spring to mind as ways to get going easily - so use the search button. I'd suggest you get a pot which is 50l or bigger now cause if you do take the red pill, you'll probably find you outgrow a small pot quickly - a larger boiler gives you greater flexibility as your knowledge and experience grows.

AG is a great journey so make a start on your journey today.

 

[Barramundi]

I'd suggest you get a pot which is 50l or bigger now cause if you do take the red pill, you'll probably find you outgrow a small pot quickly

ummm what would you know of a small pot ???? he whos boiler is almost as tall as he ....LOL !!!

sorry philip but i couldnt resist ...

 

[crozdog]

ummm what would you know of a small pot ???? he whos boiler is almost as tall as he ....LOL !!!

sorry philip but i couldnt resist ...

Yeah even that 180l pot is now too small B) - a 500l jobbie would make big brew days easier

 

[drsmurto]

180L is a pot, 500L is a jobbie. Is there a size at which the name swaps over?