Where have the innovators gone ?

[Bribie G]

As posted in an earlier comment AHB is following a similar life story to other forums. A perfect example of this is DTV forum. I joined in 2003 and for a few years it was not unlike AHB back in the days of the_new_darren. We even had our own version who threatened to come over to Bribie Island and slit my neck.

Long were the threads on LCD vs plasma , how dare channel 7 claim 576p as HD and would we ever see 15 channels. Arguments raged over Blu-ray vs HD DVD and, most importantly would LCD ever be larger than 40 inches and cheaper than a grand.

It's all been sorted nowadays and the forum is now inhabited by a few geeks similar to our Arduino brethren plus newbies posting "should I get a curved screen on my 4K ?
The arguably biggest issue of the last decade, namely Torrentz, invites a ban similar to distillation on our main forum.

So it goes.

 

[antiphile]

Hi Tony (love your avatar btw) and Stu

In some ways I would have liked to be there in the early days when invention was the mother of necessity; and with many years passing you could look back with fondness.

Yet I have to admit, with only a few years under the belt, I'm happier to have started when almost all of the ground breaking had been done, when the internet has made so much information and advice available, and it's so much easier to learn from the mistakes of others. There's so much unadmitted gratitude owed to you guys and your ilk.

I only feel sorry, though Tony, that you weren't around when the relatively new innovation of dentistry started. :blink:

 

[mwd]

Hi Tony (love your avatar btw) and Stu


I only feel sorry, though Tony, that you weren't around when the relatively new innovation of dentistry started. :blink:

Now you know the result of many years opening bottles with your teeth. It prompted the Breweries to introduce twist tops :lol:

 

[takai]

When i first started brewing in 2001 it was a relatively arduous process on a manual 3v setup, although one of the guys had the gear to fill 50L kegs so we didnt have to bottle. THen in 2006 when i brewed again for a bit it was a pain in the arse on a 50L 3v setup sparging without pumps etc, and only having a tiny selection of grain from the LHBS, plus bottling... bloody bottling.

After restarting last year again it has become so very simple. Im now doing an Urnfather type setup, which has its difficulties, but i dont mind the gingerbeering. But BIAB is a complete revelation, as is the sheer range of gear available. So much easier now.

 

[Steve]

When i first started brewing in 2001 it was a relatively arduous process on a manual 3v setup, although one of the guys had the gear to fill 50L kegs so we didnt have to bottle. THen in 2006 when i brewed again for a bit it was a pain in the arse on a 50L 3v setup sparging without pumps etc, and only having a tiny selection of grain from the LHBS, plus bottling... bloody bottling.

After restarting last year again it has become so very simple. Im now doing an Urnfather type setup, which has its difficulties, but i dont mind the gingerbeering. But BIAB is a complete revelation, as is the sheer range of gear available. So much easier now.

"BIAB is a complete revelation". Some 6 or so years ago you would have been shunned like a leper for that statement :lol: so much so you would set up your own BIAB forum based website

Edit: I now refer to BIAB on a daily basis for people wanting to get into AG quickly, easily and cheaply.

 

[verysupple]

I've only been brewing a few years and have been a member here for almost that long. Between AHB, other forums and books there was so much information not only about how to brew but the why of things. I learned what needed to happen in the mash tun, kettle, fermentor etc. before I tried to do it. This lead to a very simple home made setup that I thought was pretty innovative. I was about to start a thread describing the system and how I use it, but a quick search showed that it was actually a really common setup. As it turns out i had reinvented maxiBIAB. This has happened a few times since, like with my great idea for a recirculating single vessel system like a Bruameister but wort returning to the top, not bottom. You know, like a Grainfather. Or QldKev and many other people's. Hmmm, I'm good at reinventing the wheel it seems.

So I think there are innovators out there, it's just that most innovations have already been written up.

 

[kaiserben]

$0.02
I don't think this phenomenon is just this forum I think it is all forums. Internet opened up doors to those with nous to search and research.

Not only that, but social media can negate the need for forums for a lot of people.

I've spent many hours pouring over the existing and excellent info on this forum, but these days I spend more day-to-day time on Facebook and see ideas relevant to me because of various pages I have liked and the many people commenting on them.

Social media also aggregates a lot of the beer info I'm interested in (by me liking various brewery pages, homebrewing association/group pages, and media organisations. Back in the day a forum would have been where I got all that info.

 

[takai]

"BIAB is a complete revelation". Some 6 or so years ago you would have been shunned like a leper for that statement :lol: so much so you would set up your own BIAB forum based website

Edit: I now refer to BIAB on a daily basis for people wanting to get into AG quickly, easily and cheaply.

I know. its pretty radical eh. In August last year i was going to pick up my 3V setup when i was next back in Adelaide, in May this year i sold it off to a mate instead and turned to BIAB fully.

 

[Benn]

I'm new to AHB but not new to internet forums, I've seen this same topic before. The core of brewing will never change i.e Wort+Yeast=Beer neither does the "grass roots" fundamental equipment/methods. Once the basics have been Q&A'd and archieved it's mainly rehashing the same topics. That being said, this is a fantastic resource and a weath of knowledge and infomation with plenty of great contributors who continue to field Q's and post links to old threads for us to read which is great for perpectuating home brewing (cheers, and thanks). As long as we have sheds we will innovate :icon_cheers: people will always "improve" on any system. Once in a while something radical comes along and creates a flurry of activity, if this was a smart phone forum there would be new **** happeneing everyday-but you can't drink an Android!

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Trial and error is a great teacher.
The disasters make for great storys, like never EVER open a stubby of yeast given to you by Ducatiboy Stu!

Soo many spend soo much time googling and not enough time "doing"

Show just how good w1728 is.

It was a split from my initail starter. Put it in a coke bottle and posted it down

I still laugh when I think about what happened.

It spent a long time in his fridge... and the day he grabbed it to use it, it gushed out like a fire extinguisher all over the roof of his shed....emptying the whole bottle.

Poor old Tony... He was never able to salvage any of it...

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I miss the old Grumpy's forum.

There was some funny posts on there

 

[Elz]

People do inovate (eg WW, which I am proud owner of) but generally met with criticism. when trying to open up discussion around new innovations overall i have found this forum to be quite conservative (not a critism but just an observation). Beer brewing is steeped in history and in its simplicity (+/-). Any change IMO goes against the grain (note the pun) of this process. I do note the advances, since i have joined this forum, along with the arguments that people raise against any change from the norm. Ironically with all these changes the hobby is becoming more attractive to a broader range of people. Brewing is probably representative of the broader community; left v right/conservative v progressive. Ultimately change is viewed with scepticism. But with change comes innovation and i reckon better beers!

 

[waggastew]

Saw this thread last night and has had me thinking all day........

My thoughts are that one thing that may be reducing the amount of innovation is the amount of good home-brew people are producing these days. Thanks to all those who brewed before us we can, in a relatively short period of time brew awesome beer, pretty well as good or better than the commercial craft stuff. As an example there is a massive amount of info and emphasis on fermentation - temp control, pitch rate, sanitation, aeration, nutrient etc that has meant even an average recipe and mash can produce great beer.

My point is that if you are 10 batches of home-brew in and producing beer that tastes better than the bottle of craft you get at the bottle shop the impetus to tweak is a little less than in past times. Don't get me wrong there is still plenty of variables to think about but much of the 'biggies' have been taken care of. Thanks to AHB and Google every great 'new' idea I have usually turns out to have been thought of and tested before. I am happy about this, saves me time etc. When I recently setup my 3V Gravity AG setup I made all my design mistakes on paper and rectified them using info on the net before even getting out the credit card.

Stew

 

[SJW]

I agree with Sprog. I was on this forum back in 2004 when it kicked off. We had no idea, but together we helped each other and the forum has gone from strength to strength. While I have not been on for a few years Ive been brewing on my Braumeister. My issue with the forum is after being active for 10 years plus you end up seeing the same old questions come up over and over again. That's great and will help an entire new generation of Brewers but for me, it's all been said before. Screwy, GMK and and a stack of other founding members were instrumental innovators but it's hard work answering the same Ol stuff over and over.

 

[Robbo2234]

A lie bit of innovation my sky crane..
A electric winch mounted on rolling track..

 

[Steve]

You go to all that trouble and expense, yet you have two plastic $4.50 bronco taps sticking out of your fridge door! :lol: Priorities man, priorities!

 

[Robbo2234]

I know aye! This one is at my dad's place to help him with lifts we have also made a bracket that connects to fermenter handles to push it in to the fridge. Will take a photo next to time I am there

 

[pcmfisher]

I agree with Sprog. I was on this forum back in 2004 when it kicked off. We had no idea, but together we helped each other and the forum has gone from strength to strength. While I have not been on for a few years Ive been brewing on my Braumeister. My issue with the forum is after being active for 10 years plus you end up seeing the same old questions come up over and over again. That's great and will help an entire new generation of Brewers but for me, it's all been said before. Screwy, GMK and and a stack of other founding members were instrumental innovators but it's hard work answering the same Ol stuff over and over.

This happens on most forums from my experience.

There is only so much you can talk about on any subject.

 

[Tony]

Now you know the result of many years opening bottles with your teeth. It prompted the Breweries to introduce twist tops :lol:

You would not believe the amount of people who I spent years talking to on this forum and when I met them in person that said..... "you look nothing like your picture"

I am 40 and actually have perfect teeth with not one filling

Show just how good w1728 is.

It was a split from my initail starter. Put it in a coke bottle and posted it down

I still laugh when I think about what happened.

It spent a long time in his fridge... and the day he grabbed it to use it, it gushed out like a fire extinguisher all over the roof of his shed....emptying the whole bottle.

Poor old Tony... He was never able to salvage any of it...

I will never forget that evening.

I thought, I might chuck this scottish ale yeast in a starter to kick it back up again.

It was in a 375ml stubby from memory. I remember cracking the lid and it let out a loud Pssssht.
I then watched in horror like watching a grenade explode in slow motion in a movie, as the contents kind of boiled in the bottle for a second or two...... and then it emptied its self in 1/10th of a second, all hitting the roof of my garage at 2000 KM/hr, Showering me and everything within 5 meters in yeast.

I was not impressed

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I sent it in a small coke bottle...definately wasnt glass

 

[antiphile]

(stirring up trouble)
GeezTony, it must take something really amazing to impress you! That sounds like the best practical joke ever and it came off beautifully. You must have done something massive to annoy Stu so badly.
(/stirring up trouble)

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

That was back nearly 10yrs ago.....when liquid yeast was like gold...literally....was hard to get and bloody expensive

 

[Fatgodzilla]

I was never high tech opinionated or patient enough to go through the 3v, herms, architecturally designed brew stand, cold chiller etc etc etc stages in life. Simple eskies, boiler - serviced my self well. I got excited over a new hop sock and a sticker from Barossa Brewers and Tidal Pete for my fridge. Probably just bone lazy to make all that stuff, but much of what we used to talk about bored me. But it was good companionship.

I now BIAB in a Birko urn.

However, there are always new areas for the innovators to go to. Solar power! Cheaper water osmosis units. A hose fitting system that will let me fill a milk crate of bottles all at the same time. A system to clean my BIAB bag properly without multiple rinses and little bits of grain everywhere.

And I miss Chappo. Can someone find him and bring him back?

 

[Tony]

(stirring up trouble)
GeezTony, it must take something really amazing to impress you! That sounds like the best practical joke ever and it came off beautifully. You must have done something massive to annoy Stu so badly.
(/stirring up trouble)

Hahaha na wasn't a practice joke.....Stu is just a **** brewer :lol:

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Just showed that you couldnt look after yeast

 

[Tony]

Back to inovations........

I used to get used fine nylon sock filters from the starch plant I worked at to filter break and hops from my beer when racking.
That weekend at my place over a decade ago, Ross said they would be great to use to hold Hops in the boiling wort.
I got him the info of where to buy them when he started up Craftbrewer and the Hop Sock was born.

I remember using a cast iron Davey hot water circulating pump to transfer beer between vessels before March pumps were readily available. It had to be stripped, cleaned out and dried after each brew as the cast iron would rust if you didn't.
I still have that pump.

I also remember when the only steraliser you could get in a HBS was Sodium Metabisulphate.
Everything I read said it was not good at this job and I switched to unscented bleach. Never looked back. Bleach kills EVERYTHING!

 

[MastersBrewery]

A lie bit of innovation my sky crane..
A electric winch mounted on rolling track..

I have that winch...... why no thread ????? I could use that!!

 

[GalBrew]

I also have that hoist. Works great, the rails are an 'innovation'!

 

[pcqypcqy]

In defence of newbies (being one myself), while there is a lot of great info here, sometimes you don't even know what to search for.

It's easy to say google is your friend, but if you don't know the serach terms you'll never find the right thread. I always try to do a search before asking a question here or elsewhere, but changing just one word can be the difference to finding all the previous threads on a topic and getting 'no results found'.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

In defence of newbies (being one myself), while there is a lot of great info here, sometimes you don't even know what to search for.

It's easy to say google is your friend, but if you don't know the serach terms you'll never find the right thread. I always try to do a search before asking a question here or elsewhere, but changing just one word can be the difference to finding all the previous threads on a topic and getting 'no results found'.

This is true. There is a mother load of info to try and trawl thru on AHB.

Quite often it is easier to ask the question after doing a search and getting 50 pages of results