Taste Test: Coopers Australian Lager

This was my first attempt at beer making, and it was very successful. I bought the Coopers DIY beer kit that came with an Australian Lager malt extract.

I made it up as per instructions and sampled a little when bottling. It says that it makes 40pints, but I got 37 pints out of it, but I stopped bottling when the sediment was being picked up by the siphon.

After 2 weeks in the bottle I started drinking and sharing with friend and family and to my surprise everyone seemed to enjoy it. In fact if anything it was me that was more critical on it's taste, I found it a little too yeasty in flavor, but as the weeks past and the more I sampled, the less this was noticeable and it matured into a very, very enjoyable drink.

Two months after bottling, needless to say, they had all gone and they were most enjoyable. I probably wouldn't do anything different apart from maybe leaving it longer before drinking. I would highly recommend and will be making again in the future.

I hope you like the review and video, please feel free to like and comment etc

Sterilizing Home Brew Equipment

One of the great things about home brewing is that much of the equipment can be re-used. But it is important that you do not re-use equipment that does not have germs on them, as this may ruin your next batch of home-brew.

Basically I have found there are 2 main trends of thought on how keeping germs off your equipment can be done, these are either by Sanitizing or Sterilizing. (even though British I have gone with the American spelling!).

When I first started with this hobby I didn't know there was a difference, but there is, not only in the results but the processes involved, but ultimately both seem to achieve the desired results!

Sterilizing is my favored method, when you sterilize you remove all germs, so no risk of germs remain on the equipment. This does not mean the equipment can't become contaminated but for me I like to know things are as clean as they can be. I use VWP, (other brands are available), and I clean the equipment with the solution, leave 10mins and rinse. Once dried the next batch can be made and ready to go.

Alternatively you can sanitize, now this also gets rid of the majority of germs, and will leave your equipment in great condition to use. Most mums sanitize milk bottles for their babies so it's all good and works well. Some sanitizing brands can be made up, or sprayed on then wiped clean and used to brew with straight away. So I can see the appeal and as it takes less time to do and works well.

As previously mentioned I sterilize my things, but I do this immediately after use, then before my next use I wipe them with a soft cloth and warm water. It may be seen as overkill but I like to know my equipment is in good shape for my concoctions!

Which ever one you do it doesn;t really matter, just keep it clean! I hope this has helped any new brewers out there and keep brewing people! ;)

Making the Coopers DIY Beer kit from start to finish

As my previous posts have shown, the Coopers DIY beer kit is a great kit to get to start your beer, cider or ale brewing adventure.

So, I have put together a little video that shows the process from beginning to bottling, at which point after bottling and conditioning for a couple of weeks is ready to drink.

The reason I did this is to show how easy it is, and at this point of writing this I have actually sampled it and would recommend the Australian lager kit all day long!

So if you're new to brewing, or thinking of starting a new hobby, then check it out and see how easy it is!

Thanks for reading and or watching and please comment etc.

Cheers!

What is a PET bottle?

When I started into the home brewing scene I came across the term PET bottle. I didn't understand what it was and how come a home brew plastic bottle always seemed to be a PET bottle.

I also noticed that these plastic bottles were fairly pricey, if I wanted a dozen branded plastic bottles it would cost me well in excess of £5, and then if bought online I would have to factor in delivery.

So I did a little research on what a PET bottle is and found that PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate (...easy for you to say!!), and they are sometimes referred to a PETE bottles too. Basically it is a type of plastic that lends itself well to being recycled, and because it can take quite a lot of pressure make it great for fizzy drinks, beer and even champagne bottling.

I also discovered that the green or brown plastic bottles are often more desirable as they filter UV rays (sun light) preserving your better. This is also often the case with the glass bottles too. And often the coloured bottles will control a premium price when compared to clear plastic bottles.

As mentioned before PET bottles are great for fizzy drinks, and can often be bought far more cheaply with branded fizzy drinks in them. Simply use then sanitize the bottle and re-used for your brew. I find the green plastic lemonade type bottle ideal.

I have also used bottled water bottles to house my brews in, and these can be bought very cheaply, they are still PET bottles and are great but often clear, which I don't find makes a difference as I condition my home brew in a dark room (brick built shed) concealed in a cardboard box, so there's very little chance of getting sunlight in to them etc.

The reason I like to use PET bottles is sometimes, depending on your brew, the pressure can build up so much in the bottle it explodes. If your using a glass bottle this can be more dangerous and the clean up job more hassle, so I PET bottle most brews or wines that I carbonate.

As for the prices of the branded 'beer' bottles it just seems to me to be a bit of a rip off, but if you can pick them up do so as they generally are good quality and can be used time after time.  :)

Brewing From a Kit: The Basics

Having truly now been bitten by the brewing bug! I thought it best to share some of the little wisdom I have learned along the way.....so far.

I have only made a 40pint beer kit and a 6 bottle red wine kit to date, but I have learned a thing or two which hopefully will help anyone getting into the home brew hobby.

One of the first things I discovered is that there a loads and loads of brewers/wine makers out there! Some will drink pretty much anything and some take it very VERY seriously!

Before brewing anything I thought wort was the same thing as a wart! Beer and wine making were the same thing and I didn't know there was a difference between sterilize and sanitize, although I still regularly use the wrong word!

Let me address some of the points:

So what is Wort?
Well it seems that wort is the liquid or brew before it is fermented. Once fermentation has taken place it magically is beer, wine or spirit etc.

All home brew is the same thing, or process........WRONG! I never had a clue that the processes in beer, wine and spirit making were so different. It seems that each area has specialist equipment and to be extremely knowledgeable across all areas will take some time. Certainly longer than I've been doing it!

Do you sanitize or sterilize?! Well generally the equipment is sanitized, which in lay mans terms means cleaned very well. Sterilized means it's perfectly clean, which is pretty hard to achieve....but I still prefer to say sterilized! And does it really matter? Well in the grand scheme of things probably not but sanitized is probably the word I should be using.

I also got hung up on what is a PET bottle, 'cos I'd never heard of one before and the most confusing (for me) the hydrometer test.

Please click on the links above to see my videos on them.

Also if your starting out, stick to the ingredients, recipe or guides. Don't go all maverick too early or it may become an expensive hobby with poor results. If you have any good, easy recipes then please share them, as I find them I'll try the ones that I fancy the most and review them etc.

It may also pay dividends to invest in the right equipment, I still don't have a funnel.....and it would really help!

Thanks for reading and happy brewing! :)

What's in the Coopers DIY Beer Kit

A closer look at what is actually in the Coopers kit. I opted for the Australian Lager kit and looking forward to brewing a few other types and brands in it etc.

Hope you like the video, please let me know your thoughts on it, bear in mind I'm still settling into the whole video thing :)

Wilko: Cabernet Sauvignon Starter Kit

Here's what's in the Wilko 6 bottle red wine starter kit. I think it's great! 

When starting out with these sort of hobbies it can be a little confusing.....well it has been for me! I'm rapidly learning though as I don't particularly want to mess up one of my beer or wine projects! :)

I'll be making this kit in a few weeks so watch out for the video and let me know if you have any hints or tips for an easy to make beginner wine! Thanks for reading/watching! :)

Coopers DIY Beer Kit 2016

The brewing bug has taken it's first tentative steps and invested in the coopers DIY Beer Kit.

This kit includes pretty much everything you need to get your first home brew under way. As I say in the 2nd video it's a shame they don't actually include a DVD and a sterilizer or sanitizer would be great for the next brew.

Overall though it's a pretty comprehensive kit and although it may seem a little pricey, as you can re-use most of the kit it means you'll be producing relatively inexpensive alcoholic beverages before you know it.

Hope you like my first video, sorry about the sound issues, there appears to be a slight problem with the sound when I record. :)

The Brewing Bug gets social!

We are proud to say that we are now on Facebook and YouTube so if you want to get in contact, ask a question, check out what we're up to etc then please do!

Hello World!

Greetings and salutations to everyone!

Most importantly welcome to The Brewing Bug. So what is the brewing bug? Well I thought I'd try a new hobby, making a little home brew and .......caught the bug! Yep that's right the 'brewing bug!'.

But when starting out in this new hobby I found that there are a lot of terms and use of language that I was not used to. So I thought I'd document my experiences and hopefully help anyone else starting out with beer or wine making and hopefully learn and improve my brewing skills along the way.

I hope my blogging helps and welcome any comments, requests, questions or advice.

Best brewing luck to us all! :)