Wanting Better Results From Home Brewing

[Wadey]

Hi Guys/Gals.

Great site BTW, some really helpful hints and tips.

My neighbour and I have been home brewing Coopers Mexican with Liquid Sugar (dont say it) for I reckon 18 months, he has always had a consistant result, and the beer is ok. Mine on the other hand is all over the place and often tastes a bit metallic or soapy.

Anyway I have had engough, I have bought some PET bottles, ditched the stubbies, and visited my LHBS at Kedron in Brisbane. They talked me into the following receipe and have just put it down tonight:

Crown Lager Style
Morgans Blue Mountain Lager
1kg Ultra Brew
12g
Hallertau Finishing Hops
Lloyds Lager Booster 100g

I just have a few questions I am hoping you can all help me with:

1. What do you think of the receipe?
2. What the hell does Lager Booster Do and how do you use it?
3. They loaded me up with Sodium Met Sterlizer and some Sanitizer, is Sodium Met the best sterlizer and does it matter if it is not completely dry when you put the brew down?
4. I noticed some floaties when I went to pitch the yeast, hope that doesnt stuff it after all this, think it was from the lager booster?
5. I am also thinking of getting into kegging, with one proviso, I start getting better resluts, what is the general concenus on kegging?

Thats enough for now, sorry, alot of questions, looking forward to your repsonse.

Wadey

 

[dkaos]

Hi Wadey,
As no one has posted yet I'll help you out with what I can:

1. Doesn't look too exciting, but hallertau hops? That seems interesting to put in a Crown Lager clone.
2. No idea what lager booster does mate, maybe ask the brew shop?
3.Sodium Metabisulphate is widely regarded as being a bad sanitiser. Many people use Starsan in which the active ingredient is phosphoric acid I believe. I use a capful of bleach in my fermenter and swish it around, then continuously rinse with hot water until I can't smell bleach anymore.
4. The floateys would have been from the ultra brew. Nothing to wrorry about mate, as it's just going to be dry malt extract that they put in the mix.
5.I just started kegging and there is nothing like it. I wish Mark at the homebrew shop had convinced me more when I first started brewing. It is inevitable, so you may as well start doing it now and save yourself the cost of buying bottles etc.

Cheers

Clint

 

[fasty73]

I use the sterilizer from BigW and as long as you rinse well with hot water it is ok if the bottles aren't dry. With your varying results, make sure that your fermenters are CLEAN and well rinsed and temps ARE CONSTANT!!!!! Hope this helps, simple answers are best at this early stage.

 

[Wadey]

Thanks guys for the prompt replies.

I will see how it turns out and let you know of the result. Just noticed that bloody tap has a very slow leak, I think the brew gods know that I am nervous about this one and want to get a good result for a change. Will this cause an infection to you think?

I told the store of was using bleach but they said that was a no no, then I did some googling, as you do and looks like Sod Met is a no no.

Cheers

Wadey

 

[Hatchy]

To cut a long story short, hang onto the sod met, I remember reading here that there's a use for it but can't remember what. Get some starsan, that gear rocks. It's easy enough to brew a decent kit beer. A can, some malt extract, some dextrose, some hops & most importantly a decent yeast. I used us05 for the huge majority of my kit beers & only had 1 miserable failure. None of my kit beers won awards (or even got entered in comps) but out of about 30 batches only 1 was rubbish. Have a read of how to brew (available online at howtobrew.com) & read through the kit & extract forums on here.

My kegs cost me damn close to $800 with all of the odds & ends. I waited until I was confident I could brew a good beer before I got them. If yr sure yr going to keep brewing long term then they're definitely worth the investment.

 

[beerbog]

I told the store of was using bleach but they said that was a no no, then I did some googling, as you do and looks like Sod Met is a no no.

Cheers

Wadey

I have used 1/2 cup in the fermentor filled to the brim with cold water, added to it the tap, sediment reducer and airlock, to sanitise for the past 50 -60 brews, never had a problem.......... :beerbang:

 

[Ade42]

That Beer booster, I asked the guy at kendron about it a couple of weeks ago.

from what I can remember he said his dad made up the concoction years ago, he was a industrial chemist and a home brewer (who owned a LHBS), he recons there's hops in it (coudent say what though) and yest nutrient and lots more goodies. Ive made a few brews with it and noticed no change.


Im making the same brew as you, I added the Hallertau and boiled for 5 mins, plus I added steeped grain and am brewing it in my fridge at 12c with w34, can't say im very impressed with the sample I took last night. I wasnet trying to make a clone either just experimenting with the new found lager fridge.

I bought the Blue Mountain kit as I thought it was a "neutral" kit! I was wrong! yet the 2 store's I bought the tin from (got 2) told me it was neutral and ripe for experimentation!!!

 

[New2thebrew]

I've been to the Kedron HBS a couple of times, shit store, shit advice.

I live on the southside of Brisbane (so frequent Craftbrewer on weekends), but I work on the Northside, and usually go to Brewers Choice at Enoggera if I need something during the week. The guys there are great with advice, and carry a wider range of grains, hops etc, all of which will improve your brews.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[Wadey]

Mmmm.

Interesting, might be just a gimick, I was pretty much just going by what they told me as I am lacking experience, oh well have to wait now and see how it compares to the old Coopers Mexican.

Anyone got any comments on this leaking tap, is it likely to spoil the brew, I hope not.

 

[New2thebrew]

Mmmm.

Interesting, might be just a gimick, I was pretty much just going by what they told me as I am lacking experience, oh well have to wait now and see how it compares to the old Coopers Mexican.

Anyone got any comments on this leaking tap, is it likely to spoil the brew, I hope not.

You shouldn't have too much worry of an infection from a leaking tap (just the loss of precious beer). I always spray inside the tap with some morgan sanitiser (mixed up in a spray bottle) before bottling.

 

[Wadey]

Thanks mate, should be ok then.

I might head to Enogerra on the weeked and have a look at Brewers Choice, I live on the north side and proably about the same distance anyway as Kedron.

Thinking of getting a Bottle Drying Tree with a Bottle Washing attachment. I used to wash my stubbies in the dishwasher but giving that away I think that may have been the root of my problems, kids think a dishwasher doubles as a food dispenser so I am sure that not a good environment for them.

Cheers,

 

[J Grimmer]

Wadey,

all I can say is hang in there, and find what works for you. I use sodium met and have good results. If your mate next door is getting good results ask him what he does and maybe put on a brew together (just a thought). To reinterate a previous point have a consistant ferment temp with as little variation in temp as you can get, and you will be surprised at the improvement in results. And with a little time you wil be brewing better beer than you can buy. I can also reconmend craftbrewer in brisbane for advice on how to improve your beer. Leeky tap make sure you clean it good and proper before you bottle it.

my 2 cents

J

 

[New2thebrew]

Thanks mate, should be ok then.

I might head to Enogerra on the weeked and have a look at Brewers Choice, I live on the north side and proably about the same distance anyway as Kedron.

Thinking of getting a Bottle Drying Tree with a Bottle Washing attachment. I used to wash my stubbies in the dishwasher but giving that away I think that may have been the root of my problems, kids think a dishwasher doubles as a food dispenser so I am sure that not a good environment for them.

Cheers,

Check out Ebay, there's always someone selling a bottle tree/jet washer on there (that's where I got mine).

I've almost finished putting my kegging setup together (just need a CO2 bottle), otherwise I'd sell you mine.

 

[fasty73]

Just use the Brigalow sanitizer from BigW!!!!! I don't even measure it. I pour heaps into the laundry sink and HOT water out of the tap. Soak for a while and RINSE well. As for the leaky tap, tighten it up a bit, even if it points up when tight, just undo half a turn when bottling time comes, can't get an infection if stuff is going out of fermenter, only if stuff gets in!!! Bottle drying tree is the ONLY way to go. about $56 of ebay plus delivery, a MUST for any home brewer bottling I reakon!!!

 

[waggastew]

If you want a god kit base for an Aussie lager try the Thomas Coopers Heritage Lager. Use Coopers BE1 (malto dex/dex mix), the kit yeast or US05, don't bother with extra hops, and ferment as close to 18degC as you can (assuming you don't have temp control otherwise brew with a lager yeast at 12degC). The Blue Mountains is more of a Euro style lager base.

 

[Parrothead]

" I used to wash my stubbies in the dishwasher but giving that away I think that may have been the root of my problems, kids think a dishwasher doubles as a food dispenser so I am sure that not a good environment for them."

I use the dishwasher to sanitize my bottles for bottling. I run them through with no other dishes, no detergent, and on the hottest cycle possible. Works well for me.

 

[rendo]

Hey Dudes,

Read this important link about cleaning your fermenter tap HERE

Wadey, with an approach like you are taking you are destined to make HEAPS better beer than the guy next door, my view is that you are going wrong somewhere along the lines of cleaning methods, either you are getting detergent in your fermenter, eg not rinsing it out well enough, or indeed you arent washing it well enough,then rinsing.

There are a ton of ways to clean stuff and a ton of products. In my opinion you cannot go past unscented napisan as a great "cleaner" to get rid of all the gunk and to soak all your brew stuff in, eg taps, fermenter, everything, yourself, the stuff is great, gets anything crystal clean after a 1-2day soak. Then rinse REALLY well. Then on your brew day, just mix up a spray bottle of starsan and spray it on the stuff you are going to use. Starsan is great, OR if you cant get that then get Morgans no-rinse. There is so much to read and learn here mate...good beer is coming to you really soon. PS...visit craftbrewer. Worth the trip.

Rendo

 

[pk.sax]

I read it somewhere on this forum:> and now just stick some sodium met with a bit of water in my empty fermenters when storing them away until next brew, that way it just keeps the nasties from developing in there. Need to rinse it before use anyway so doesn't hurt. Have done it with both glass and plastic and no adverse effects so far

 

[Ade42]

I go over the top and use Home Brand Nappysan (unscented) Its costs 5$ for 2kg and i use about 6 capfulls in hot water to fill my Fermenter. let the tap full a bit to get it in the tap and then wait 3-5 days/ Never had an infection since i did this.

and its cheap too. Oh and throw all your other beer making plasticware into the fermenter while its soaking. Spoon, bottle thingy, mesuering jugs, small bowls for the hop weighing etc

 

[Hatchy]

Sod perc from beerbelly does the job for me, $5.50/kg for the pure stuff.

http://beerbelly.com.au/cleaning.html