How to get to Sunbury Wine Region

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How to get to Sunbury

Or just follow your nose.

It is Time to Brew Again

After several months I found the wheat beer to have improved, head, carbonation and taste. Now down to the last few bottles . So it is time to get in and brew a new batch - in time for Spring and Summer.

The outcome of the Wheat Beer

Not that good - does not appear to have fermented enough, more sediment than the first batch. Will leave on the shelf for a couple of months

Trial of the Brews

Munich Lager -

The Wheat Beer Experiment - wrong time of the year, but we all learn by a little trial and error.

I'm not sure how well it will improve with age but one can only hope.

The Wheat Beer Experiment

Second brew attempt - Redback (Wheat beer)

Redback is Australia's original wheat beer, brewed from both malted wheat and malted barley, and a blend of Saaz and pride of Ringwood hops. The combination of quality ingredients and the care taken by Matilda Bay's brewers resulting in a unique refreshing beer that has a creamy mouth feel and a subtle bitterness on the palate. So sayeth the web site. This may be a better beer to try brewing leading up to summer - to achieve the optimum brewing.

This style of beer brings back fond memories of being kicked out of the Redback Hotel - late eighties/early nineties.

Saturday 16 August

Recipe

Morgans Golden Sheaf Wheat Beer

Brewcraft #10 Brew enhancer

Yeast Safeale/Wheat K-97

Approx 12 g Hallertau Finishing Hops (Will try pride of ringwood next time).

Used the methodology from Brewing crafts. Approx 4 ltres of water.

While stirring liquid kept on heat - low simmer. 10 mins while the hops sat.

Poured 10 ltrs of cold water to the fermenter. Then added brew.

Added hops to fermenter (through fine sieve).

Took to garage and added the rest of the water to make 23 lts.

Temp less than 30 approx 26 when I pitched the yeast, (dry).

OG = 1035-1040.

Sunday - temp dropped to 16 may have to let brew for 10 days at least. As optimum fermentation is 20-30.

The First Batch Continued

Saturday 9 August 2008

Gravity measurement - 1020 (probably too high), Temp 16 degrees celsius, Cloudy appearance after settling - however did settle in the tube. Top - less foaminess, Bubbling had ceased as well. Taste - actually not all that bad. Time to bottle I think. Which I did but foolishly ran out of stubbies - ran out of time Saturday Morning to buy the bottles.

Thursday 14 August 2008

Bottled second batch of bottles. Sat next to heat pad. Less sediment and fermentation seemed to be more complete. FG - 1015

Saturday 16 August 2008

Tried first beer from stubbies - Week after bottled. Not bad until getting into the sediment after initial pour.

The first batch

The inaugural brewing commenced on Saturday 2 August 2008.

The First brew - Brew craft Munich lager and #15 Brew Booster, (Glucose, Corn Syrup, with added malt extract.). Basic Lager kit - European style lager. Note: Brewing Crafts recommends #20, 1kg brew craft hopped spray malt, also #60 German lager conversion kit. You can buy ingredients but I wanted a basic kit initially - something to baseline against, fermentation process, readings, bottling, gassiness (beer not yours truly), taste, sediment levels in the bottle etc.

Boiled approx 4 litres of water - should have been 2 so sayeth the book and label. (Main reason - temperature when adding the yeast. Temp was sitting at about 34 degrees Celsius once adding the first lot of cold water.)

Mixed the malt and improver kit into the big pot 4 ltrs of water keeping it over heat = simmering (gently) for approx 15 minutes and stirring. Brewing Crafts recommends gently boiling for 15 minutes. Tipped the mixed brew into the fermentor. (Should have added 5 litres cold to fermenter prior to this). Carried the fermenter to the garage. Then commenced adding the cold water. This did make things easier but next time will have to make sure I only use between 2-3 ltrs of water ie to ensure the temperature. Once the temperature hit about 31 degrees I then pitched the yeast (packet from the can), and stirred in until all yeast was just under the surface.

With Failure written all over the imminent bottles imagine my surprise in the end results.