What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[Mark Jackman]

Cheers MrC, sulphur aroma sounds like a good sign, the rhino farts must be brutal. Going to try get myself one of these down in the next week or so.

[Paul Fraser]

Just brewed this today: Scottish Export 80/-
23L batch
OG 1.054
IBU 26.3

5.47kg Maris Otter
130g roasted barley 1300L
52g Fuggles @ 60mins
90 min boil

Collected the 1st 4L of runnings and boiled hard till reduced to about 2L. First time trying the caramelisation technique.
Fermenting at 17C with 1728 Scottish Yeast.
Going to leave fermenting for about 3 weeks.

[Ralph]

Hey Paul, any reason for the change from the WLP028 that you used previously?

[Paul Fraser]

They were out of stock and DMH had this one which is supposedly the same strain. Bubbling away nicely at 16.5C. I'll try and show restraint and let this carbonate then condition cold for a couple of months. Not sure I can but I'll try.

[Ralph]

Nice, hope it is as good as the previous!

[Gareth G]

I brewed my first beer with specialty malts yesterday, and also my first without hopped extracts.

Briess Golden Light LME

Pale crystal malt

Carapils

US cascade pellets (all late hopped with maximum 20min boil)

It was also the first time using my burner, pot, and immersion chiller in anger.  Boil off was less than anticipated, so I ended up with a weaker beer than planned (but still within the style guidelines).

[mattd2]

Good work Gareth.

Saturday I went the otherway, back to a Cooper's kit. Reason was I found out on Friday that I had less beer than I thought I did after I ran out when bottling up some beer from the kegs. So I through this together, anyone want to take bets on how it will turn out...

15 litres / 1.045(ish) OG

1.7kg Cooper's Oz Pale Ale kit

0.5kg raw sugar!

7g Pacifica pellets - 10 mins

Added the sugar to approx 2 litres of water, boiled for 10 minutes with the hops. Through it in the fermenter with the hopped malt extract, topped up to 15 litres. Used the Coopers' yeast. Can's expirery date was mid 2014.

Fermenting at 17°C

We'll see if it turns into something semi-ok in a few weeks!

[Des Ross]

I started out on cooper kits..I can remember the strong overtones of apple from their Pale Ale kit no matter if I used extra malt extract, late or dry hops! I think there was an improvement when I didn't use the supplied yeast and used something like safale 05

[mattd2]

I know a lot of people talk of the extract twang, but never thought it would be coming from the yeast. What temperature were you fermenting at when you got it?

It was a bit dissapointing when I bought the stuff for this one. Basically came to around $15 all up, I could make 15 litres of pretty decent AG pale ale for only a few dollars more... if I had the time... and if I had the ingredients (only a few more days till Santa brings me a sack of grain!)

[jt]

I did a part mash with a Coopers Lager and a 2kg mash of pale and the coopers yeast a couple of years ago in an attempt at a Coopers Pale Ale.

It was distinctively Coopers - which was what I wanted - not sure how much of that was kit and how much was yeast.

While I do like a Coopers pale now & then, I found a whole keg too much!

[JR]

Swapping out the yeast is the easiest way to make a difference and chucking in lots of dry hops too will help.

I make a few kit beers to grow yeast for proper beers (I use DME instead of sugar though).  I got a silver medal for a muntons ord bitter kit with extra hops DME and 1968 yeast last year so it cant be too bad.

[mattd2]

That's awesome getting a medal for a "starter" beer!

Yeah I had some S04 hanging around but that is now about a year past its BB date so I thought I'd chance the Cooper's yeast (can expiry was mid 2014 so thought it should be somewhat fresh).

I have not ventured out into liquid yeast yet (cost prohibiting) so mostly use S04, US05 and once T58. Wanting to pump this out before NY so I am pushing it for anything flash! I'll probably let it ride as is so I can get it to ferment, cold crash, keg and carb in the shortest time possible.

Once christmas/New Years has past hopefuly time will be a bit free'er and can get back into AG more often.

Cheers guys, I'll try remember to update on if this turns out alright... or not!