Home Brew

Marquis 351 · 04-04-2011, 09:11 PM

Hey guys! amybody brewing their own Grog! Beer, spirt or wine? I brew my own beer and spirts! Its lots of fun and takes up a bit of time but hey its a hobbie! Let me know what y'all are up to!

dags41v · 04-04-2011, 10:20 PM

I do plenty of beer, a couple of batches of red wine. Recently the wife had me make rhubarb champagne which turned out to be very nice.

Paxton · 04-04-2011, 10:23 PM

Spirit here.

We've been doing it for probably 20 years - me and a mate started when we both lived at home, and accumulated about forty fermenters (got to love council clean-ups), about fifty dozen brown long neck bottles, and lots of spirit bottles, taken from recycling bins at the back of pubs.

Our still is home made, based on a CUB keg.

AUIIPURSUIT · 04-04-2011, 11:30 PM

guys, whilst its all well and good to homebrew beer, keep in mind brewing your own spirits is not.. Feel free to post up if you dont care, but theres many eyes on the world wide web and its really not that hard to work out who someone is..

Personally ive done a brew of beer last year, and am about to do my second... god i hate cleaning bottles, makes me wanna jump straight to kegs.

Paxton · 04-04-2011, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AUIIPURSUIT

guys, whilst its all well and good to homebrew beer, keep in mind brewing your own spirits is not.. Feel free to post up if you dont care, but theres many eyes on the world wide web and its really not that hard to work out who someone is..

Personally ive done a brew of beer last year, and am about to do my second... god i hate cleaning bottles, makes me wanna jump straight to kegs.

Cleaning bottles is easy - Dishwasher on Pots and Pans, and then sterilise. Napi-San works well for this.

Swordsman88 · 05-04-2011, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AUIIPURSUIT

guys, whilst its all well and good to homebrew beer, keep in mind brewing your own spirits is not.. Feel free to post up if you dont care, but theres many eyes on the world wide web and its really not that hard to work out who someone is..

Personally ive done a brew of beer last year, and am about to do my second... god i hate cleaning bottles, makes me wanna jump straight to kegs.

Sadly this is true.....in aus it is not legal to do home spirits. I have been associated with both but its beer that i'm into. I've done quite alot of beers over the last 5 or so years that i have been home brewing. Everything from ginger beer (alcoholic and non-) to german lagers. I like ales mostly so focus on pale ales, summer ales, english bitters and i just did my first IPA.

Here is a pic of one of my dark lagers that was posted in the now MIA beer thread....

mmm...chocolate/coffee goodness....

StealthAu · 05-04-2011, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paxton

Spirit here.

We've been doing it for probably 20 years - me and a mate started when we both lived at home, and accumulated about forty fermenters (got to love council clean-ups), about fifty dozen brown long neck bottles, and lots of spirit bottles, taken from recycling bins at the back of pubs.

Our still is home made, based on a CUB keg.

Nice setup, home made is the only way to go, what % does it come off at? The crap the sell in the stores should be illegal, pvc collection pipes and instructions if followed make something on par with metho, if it needs carbon filtering your doing it wrong.

ubute · 05-04-2011, 11:32 AM

I've been brewing beer for a couple of years now. Started off with the kits, then extract with my own hop additions and some specialty grains, and now moving on to all grain brewing. I think a lot of people still have this misconception that home brew is just rocket fuel that doesn't really taste much like real beer, but in fact it can be easily brewed to taste far superior to the major brewery labels, and even some micro breweries. It's great to surprise people when they taste a beer and really like it and ask what it is, then tell them it's home brew.

Paxton · 05-04-2011, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StealthAu

Nice setup, home made is the only way to go, what % does it come off at? The crap the sell in the stores should be illegal, pvc collection pipes and instructions if followed make something on par with metho, if it needs carbon filtering your doing it wrong.

Depending on if we are using it as a Pot or Reflux still, it will easily push 90%, when refluxing.

The column itself is nothing fancy, and is packed with Stainless Steel Scrubbers, which get changed every run. We have a Carbon Filter setup, but it hasn't really been used. I've found that it imparts a certain taste to the spirit.

FGII-XR6 · 08-04-2011, 12:51 PM

Under the Distillation Act 1901 (Cwlth) it is an offence to distil any spirit without first obtaining a licence from the Excise Business Line of the Australian Taxation Office (maximum penalty $5000).
It is also an offence to make, possess, sell or purchase any illicit spirits regardless of the proposed use (maximum penalty $5000).
The production of beer or wine without a licence is not an offence provided the production is not for commercial purposes, as specified by the Excise Tariff Act 1921 (Cwlth).
The production of fortified wine requires a permit from the Excise Business Line of the Australian Taxation Office. Permits are only granted for commercial purposes.

trippytaka · 08-04-2011, 01:03 PM

I'm starting this week!

Marquis 351 · 28-04-2011, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AUIIPURSUIT

guys, whilst its all well and good to homebrew beer, keep in mind brewing your own spirits is not.. Feel free to post up if you dont care, but theres many eyes on the world wide web and its really not that hard to work out who someone is..

Personally ive done a brew of beer last year, and am about to do my second... god i hate cleaning bottles, makes me wanna jump straight to kegs.

I only use mine for water purification and the odd essentail oils. Spirt is the devils urine! But really i dont care. I however am enjoying my Munctons Irish stout! it is 8weeks bottled and is awsome also a kiwi cider. Cascade Mahogany porter, All very nice beers. Also a morgans Baverian wheat beer. I have done a a mexcaian beer at 20liters, it was recomedned to do at 23liters, but I enjoy a full bodied strong beer. It has to sit afterd bottled for some time tho.

Spanrz · 30-04-2011, 01:11 AM

Best beer I brewed year ago was Coopers Bitter. Reckon I got it to about 9% (hehe added about 2.5kgs of sugar...lol...whoops)

**Captain Stubing** · 30-04-2011, 01:19 AM

The Morgans range of home brew is very good.... I haven't been guilty of using a reflux still every month to distill spirits

Damn it's good!

Marquis 351 · 03-05-2011, 08:01 PM

Oh I ment to say mangrove jack Baverian wheat beer! I mostly do min at 20liters. I also have dicked around with the percentages! While 2 tallies at 9% fun but I,d far rather 4 at 5-6%. I cant wait to get more down. Now that its cooler i will be doing Guinness and a Blonde. Glad to see so many people doin the home brew! I thought i was the only odd one!

TragicAUII · 01-08-2014, 02:11 PM

I make beer. Very nice beer. I'm also a beer judge, and attend my State Comp and lately the Nationals.
I was on the Aussiehomebrewer forum, before I started here. Nice to see mutual interests being shared.
Currently on tap is a lite wheat beer and a big, strong, extremely bitter Double IPA, as well as a lemonade soft drink for the kids.