Making your own beer. (Read 1,097 times)

[swampy]

"But they also use to do something with champagne and I think it was Crème de cassis I could be totally and utterly wrong but I'm pretty sure it was that."


That's a classic recipe for a "Kir Royale" if I remember from my old bar tending days..

[DocP]

Jul 13, 2011 8:39:05 GMT -6 thewookster said:

Start brewing my second batch tonight. This time it is a beer, no lager this time. Got my dried hops ready and prepped so will let you know how it goes

\o/ Tell us how it works out. I could do with a project

Jul 13, 2011 12:42:37 GMT -6 swampy said:

That's a classic recipe for a "Kir Royale" if I remember from my old bar tending days..

Your old bar tending days eh ? Nipping behind the bar and helping yourself doesn't count as a job you know

[chudz]

Jul 13, 2011 8:39:05 GMT -6 thewookster said:

Had a quick taste test before bottling up.

Tasted alright wasn't unpleasent.

It was flat as this was pre bottling, but I'm quite looking forward to trying it in a few weeks time ;D

Start brewing my second batch tonight. This time it is a beer, no lager this time. Got my dried hops ready and prepped so will let you know how it goes

That is a great site. I can't remember if it's Revy or Revvy, but he's a guy to get a lot of info from.

Just passing on some info: It's all beer. You can split that into ales or lagers depending on the yeast and temperatures you use. If I remember correctly, lager yeast works from bottom up, and ale yeast works from top down. Also, lagers are fermented at a much lower temperature than ales are, that's why it's tough for most beginning home brewers to brew a true lager, simply because they don't have the proper cooling equipment.

However, there are kits out there that use a lager recipe and ale yeast. I forget what you call that combo, but it's not a true lager. Also, you could use lager yeast and ferment it at ale temps, but I'm not sure what you'll end up with. Heh.

And I agree, one of the best parts is tasting your beer along it's route to completion. When I bottled my cream ale, it almost tasted like creme-soda. Totally awesome! Of course, a lot of the sugar used to carbonate the bottles was present, and it didn't have that same flavor when done. But it was still very good.

I can't wait until I win the Lotto and can go to an all-grain setup, plus get a proper cooling deal for lagers.

Exit: Chudz dreaming....

[thewookster]

Temperature's not so much of a problem in my house.

If it needs a cooler temperature will just put it in the garage.

If it needs a warmer temperature it can just go in the snake room where it's always nice and toasty.

Yea it basically tasted like flat weak lager but that should change within the next couple of weeks.

My new batch I started last night smelt so damn good as I was mixing, quite looking forward to it.

[thewookster]

Jul 13, 2011 15:55:55 GMT -6 DocP said:

Jul 13, 2011 8:39:05 GMT -6 thewookster said:

Start brewing my second batch tonight. This time it is a beer, no lager this time. Got my dried hops ready and prepped so will let you know how it goes

\o/ Tell us how it works out. I could do with a project

Jul 13, 2011 12:42:37 GMT -6 swampy said:

That's a classic recipe for a "Kir Royale" if I remember from my old bar tending days..

Your old bar tending days eh ? Nipping behind the bar and helping yourself doesn't count as a job you know

;D Brilliant ;D

[chudz]

Jul 14, 2011 1:26:57 GMT -6 thewookster said:

Temperature's not so much of a problem in my house.

If it needs a cooler temperature will just put it in the garage.

If it needs a warmer temperature it can just go in the snake room where it's always nice and toasty.

Yea it basically tasted like flat weak lager but that should change within the next couple of weeks.

My new batch I started last night smelt so damn good as I was mixing, quite looking forward to it.

For a true lager, you need to keep it really low, like in the high-thirties or low-forties.

Look at this link:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagering

[thewookster]

I suppose it's all trial and error really.

The lager is in the garage which is pretty cool all year round even in the summer as it's in the shade of the house and some trees. No idea what the temp in there is, but it's pretty chilly in there.

The beer batch is upstairs in the snake room, that room is a constant 22°C - 24°C (72°F - 75°F) I know that 100% because that room is regulated.

I will take temp reading in the garage later on and check that out.

[thewookster]

Had my first bottle last night.

It surprised me a little bit. It tasted ok, not at all what I was expecting.

Fair enough it's not a patch on the stuff you buy. But as fobbing it off to your mates goes or a quick fix when your out of beer it's fine

So might carry on with it, instead of it turning into another fad.

[swampy]

"
Tasted alright wasn't unpleasent.'

nah just wait till it ages.. It will be good!

I did invest in a co2 system. You fermented your batch (US 5 gallons) and poured it into a coca cola 5 gallon cylinder that used to be used in restaurants. I had a second hand fridge that it sat in and aged with a proper tap stuck in the door. The nice thing was.. no more bottling and using that sugar add for the proper bottle pressure.

The second nice thing was.. when it was ready to drink..you put a pitcher under the tap.. and the yeast blew out first.. After that you had nice clean no yeast beer..

[thewookster]

That would be so good. But I'm just restricted to some piddly fridge thats in the garage which when I say small, it is really small.

Yea it's going to be left for a while but I just couldn't wait any longer to try some, so I cracked.

[chudz]

Jul 26, 2011 12:44:18 GMT -6 swampy said:

"
I did invest in a co2 system.

You are meh Heroes!


P.S. Bottling is teh Devil's Work!

[thewookster]

Just done a random check of the beer that I brewed a few weeks ago and I have noticed a broken bottle.

I done some research and the main consensus is that I have over primed which has caused this mess. I used the sugar method because I am a bit of a tight wad and frankly couldn't be assed to buy a spangly air thing (I was tempted to try putting it in the soda stream for a laugh)

Luckily all the beer is in a plastic tub in the garage otherwise I would have been castrated had it happened in the house.

Only one has broken so far so maybe it's a one off. Any of you lot had any broken bottles after priming?

[swampy]

Aug 17, 2011 1:18:34 GMT -6 thewookster said:

Just done a random check of the beer that I brewed a few weeks ago and I have noticed a broken bottle.

I done some research and the main consensus is that I have over primed which has caused this mess. I used the sugar method because I am a bit of a tight wad and frankly couldn't be assed to buy a spangly air thing (I was tempted to try putting it in the soda stream for a laugh)

Luckily all the beer is in a plastic tub in the garage otherwise I would have been castrated had it happened in the house.

Only one has broken so far so maybe it's a one off. Any of you lot had any broken bottles after priming?

My first batch blew.. We finally found a chart that explained how to make the right sugar mixture depending on what the alco content of your beer was, I think.

Also the first time I used some whole grains as an additive. I forgot to "teabag" them. During fermentation some got stuck in the blow out tube.. The top blew out of a 5 gallon fermenter at 3 in the morning and splattered my ceiling.. lol.. beside a big boom which woke up my neighbor and scared the out of her.

[thewookster]

"beside a big boom which woke up my neighbor and scared the out of her"

lol, gawd that must have been some explosion ;D

[chudz]

Pictures please!