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In Part I of the brewing equipment article, you were shown what gear you need as basic kit to make your first hand-made beer.
Of course, as with any hobby, there are improvements you can make to your equipment that make the job easier, nicer and more fun. That's what this article is about.
Having been making beer and cider for a while, I thought I would share the list of extra gear that I have and how it works and why you should consider owning it too.
* Bottle Tree
* Bottle Rinser
* Bottle Brush
* Priming Scoop
* Side cutters
* Scales
* Thermometer
* Test vial / test tube with stand
* A big stainless steel stock pot
* Bottle Tree
This delightful lump of 1970's orange coloured plastic is worth its weight in gold, but certainly doesn't cost that much.
It has 63 positions for bottles. It's perfect for draining newly washed bottles and for draining freshly sanitised bottles prior to priming and bottling.
It's really a huge convenience.
* Bottle Rinser
Basically it's a bowl with a spring loaded squirty thing. You invert the bottle onto the nozzle and push down firmly, delivering a dose of no rinse sanitiser into the bottle and killing all those nasty bugs that would otherwise ruin your beer. It's better to give three squirts.
You remember we mentioned a sanitising agent (no, not the Pink) in the last article? This is one of the places where you use it. 30 ml in the bottom of the bowl, top up to one litre, insert the squirty thing and you're in business.
The only refinement I suggest you consider for this piece of equipment is a big galvanised or stainless steel washer to put on the bottle collar on the nozzle. It prevents the nozzle wearing and also assists accommodating a range of bottle neck sizes.
Usually, you can buy this item and the Bottle Tree as a kit for a lower price than buying them separately. Better yet, the Rinser has a storage place on top of the Tree. Clean, neat and tidy.
* Bottle Brush.
No matter how careful you are, sometime sooner or later there is going to be something stuck inside your bottles and you're going to need a way to clean it out. Enter the bottle brush.
There are nice fancy horsehair ones from brew shops. They're excellent. However in the spirit of being economical, I recommend the long handed ones for about $2 from $2 shops. They'll do just fine.
* Priming Scoop
This odd looking thing is actually a double ended spoon.
The larger end holds enough priming sugar for a 750 ml (tallie) and the smaller end holds enough priming sugar for a 330 ml (stubbie).
We can get into priming sugars in another ingredients oriented article.
* Side Cutters
Pretty normal stuff. Pliers that have an angled cutting blade.
Used to remove the tamper-evident collars from the PET bottle caps at the time of sanitising prior to bottling. After all, if the collar is still there, you can't put a new cap on, can you?
* Scales
Ideally, if you can find a low cost pair that measures up to 5 kg and has one or more decimal places (i.e. 500.2 grammes vs 500 grammes displayed weight) and you're happy with the price, you will be very happy.
However, one with no decimal places will do just fine.
Digital scales are the most preferable as they give you a plain number result rather than having to interpret as you do with the older dial type ones.
One feature that is very necessary as a convenience is Tare. In other words, the scale reads zero when you start. You put an empty container on the platform and it shows 106g, you press a button and it shows zero again. Now you can weigh your ingredients without having to remember that the container's weight. It's also great when you're making multiple additions of ingredients to be used at the same time, such as 10 g of this hop plus 15 g of that hop to be used in the boil.
* Thermometer
Any reasonably well calibrated thermometer will do fine so long as it reads reliably from say 5C to 110C. That's pretty easy these days.
A reasonably priced digital thermometer is the one from Ikea. It comes with a remote probe and functions both as a timer and a thermometer. The best feature on it is that you can set an alarm when the measured substance reaches a certain temperature. Need 70C for steeping grain? Preset 70C on the pot of water on the stove top and walk away until it beeps.
The time is great too, for obvious reasons: Set it for 30 minutes after your boil has started and you have made the first hop addition. Beep! Time for the second hop addition. Perfect if you don't want to spend your brew day staring at a clock and a pot and would prefer to do other things at the same time.
Simple, inexpensive creature comfort that will give you much pleasure for under $20.
* Test vial / tube with stand
When you take samples to read the specific gravity, you need something tall and skinny into which you take the sample so that you don't waste too much of the brew. Big containers equal big waste.
If you buy a good quality glass hydrometer from your brew shop, they almost invariably come in a plastic tube with foam in the ends to protect it. Some brew shops suggest just to use the storage tube for taking the sample. That works, but it's not elegant and the tube doesn't stand up very well on its own.
If you can a large plastic test vial / test tube with a base or stand, then you're at a whole new level of simple luxury. It stands up on its own, can be washed separately and the case for the hydrometer can remain clean and the hydrometer can remain safe.
For only a few bucks, it's worth it.
* A big stainless steel stock pot
Less than $25 at any of the mega-chain-stores like K-Mart and maybe even cheaper at the $2 shop. Ideally, you're looking for something around 18 - 30 litres.
Aluminium is cheaper, but stainless is easier to clean and is a wee bit better for your health.
If you're following the instructions that come with kit beers, then this isn't strictly necessary. However, kit beers are rather plain and as you progress and want to make better beer this will become a necessity.
When you get into steeping specialty grains (Carapils, Cararoma, etc) and progress to all malt brewing using either unhopped cans or unhopped bulk malt pails and creating your own hopping schedules, this stock pot is where all the action is.
So - that brings us to the end of the Basic equipment list and the Additional Equipment list. By now, you will have spent somewhere around $200 - $275 and you will be equipped to brew plenty of good quality beer for many years to come.
Next up - I'll talk you through kit brewing - methods and ingredients - using both the manufacturer's instructions and also improved methods to move you on to the next stage of enhancing their product into something akin to premium beers.
Cheers!!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Brewing Basics - The Equipment
Quite a while ago, I promised a series of articles about brewing equipment and how to get started.
The idea is that I would like to help you save time, money and some frustration in getting started the right way with the right tools and keep it reasonably simple while you learn the ropes. For the most part, these articles are aimed at Australian readers. There are differing opinions and techniques in USA and UK which have their reasons and purposes but are beyond the scope of this "Get Started Easy" series.
First up, let's talk about equipment - the basics. Then, I'll explain some add-ons which you will find makes the process less fussy, faster and more pleasurable.
You're going to need a few simple things to get going:
* A fermenting vessel with a tap and airlock
* Bottling wand
* Bottles and caps
* Hydrometer
* Sanitiser
* Cleaning agent
That's it - that's your basic equipment list. Easy, huh?
Here's what it all does:
* A fermenting vessel with a tap and airlock
This is where you put your fermentables so that they, um, ferment.
There are two main types in use in Australia - the pail and the carboy. The Pail is basically a big plastic bucket with a tight fitting lid. The Carboy is a big plastic container with a screw-on lid with an o-ring to assist the seal. What you choose is up to you, but the Carboy is superior in my experience.
The tap is to eventually release the beery goodness into bottles, obviously.
The airlock is a little piece of equipment that goes into the top of the fermenting vessel so that the CO2 produced by the fermentation process can escape (otherwise your well sealed fermenter could burst, or just eject your precious beer out through the seals), but stop normal atmosphere and all the fun microbes that travel in it from entering your ferment.
* Bottling wand
This is a semi-rigid pipe that inserts into the tap. It has a valve (either spring loaded or gravity operated) in the tip.
You insert the wand into the bottle, press up and beer flows down. Magic stuff, this gravity.
This method is the simplest way to fill the bottles without exposing the beer to excessive oxygen which would be detrimental.
* Bottles and caps
Obviously you need something to store the beer in while it undergoes conditioning, and of course to dispense it from.
You can re-use glass beer bottles. However, if you're starting out, I strongly recommend using PET bottles from a brew shop or one of the Coopers or similar kits from a big store such as K-Mart.
The bottles are re-usable and will last quite a number of years with simple care and cleaning. The caps can also be reused if you wish, but at only a few dollars for a pack you may as well get new ones each time at the beginning of your brewing hobby so that there is one less variable to contend with.
The reason for using PET instead of glass is because if you make a mistake in assessing the end of the fermentation or there is a contaminant in the bottle, a PET bottle exploding has much less danger than a glass bottle. These kinds of bottles are known as "bottle bombs" for a reason - high speed flying glass is deadly. When your experience and confidence are matched, then you could progress to glass.
* Hydrometer
This simple tool is used to measure the specific gravity of the liquid you put into the fermenter and to take measurements to make sure that the fermentation is complete.
The measurements you're going to make will be:
* OG - or Original Gravity. This is after you have added all your fermtentables to the vessell but before you add the yeast.
* FG - or Final Gravity. This is at the end of the fermentation. After it is stable (i.e. same reading) for two days, then it's time to bottle.
* Sanitiser
In brewing, we need to sanitise. Not sterilise. Sanitise.
Sanitising is killing most of the microbes and bugs that aren't beneficial to our process. Sterilising is killing all.
A good no rinse sanitiser is needed for all of your equipment that will come into contact with the wort (unfermented goodies that go into your fermenter) and the beer (the fermented result).
There are a few kinds on the market, but I would be inclined to recommend 'Sanitise' from Morgans. Simple, effective, but not the least expensive. It's reliable and a very good starting point. You can get fancy or cheap later when you know a little more about what you're doing.
* Cleaning Agent
The most common cleaning agent used is simply called "Pink Powder".
It's a strongly alkaline cleaning agent that is bright pink in colour. That way you won't sprinkle it on your cornflakes - it's a safety thing. Speaking of safety - read the safety warnings on the package. This material is caustic and can be dangerous if mishandled. If the safety precautions are followed, there is nothing to worry about.
Usually, you clean your fermenter with warm water and a non-scratch scourer, then add two teaspoons of Pink, three or four litres of very hot water and carefully agitate to ensure that every internal surface of the fermenter has been washed thoroughly. Then, rinse a few times to make sure any residue is removed.
Does it all make some sense so far?
It's simple, isn't it?
Next article? A few extra tools to make the process easier, quicker and more fun - all without spending a fortune.
Cheers!!
The idea is that I would like to help you save time, money and some frustration in getting started the right way with the right tools and keep it reasonably simple while you learn the ropes. For the most part, these articles are aimed at Australian readers. There are differing opinions and techniques in USA and UK which have their reasons and purposes but are beyond the scope of this "Get Started Easy" series.
First up, let's talk about equipment - the basics. Then, I'll explain some add-ons which you will find makes the process less fussy, faster and more pleasurable.
You're going to need a few simple things to get going:
* A fermenting vessel with a tap and airlock
* Bottling wand
* Bottles and caps
* Hydrometer
* Sanitiser
* Cleaning agent
That's it - that's your basic equipment list. Easy, huh?
Here's what it all does:
* A fermenting vessel with a tap and airlock
This is where you put your fermentables so that they, um, ferment.
There are two main types in use in Australia - the pail and the carboy. The Pail is basically a big plastic bucket with a tight fitting lid. The Carboy is a big plastic container with a screw-on lid with an o-ring to assist the seal. What you choose is up to you, but the Carboy is superior in my experience.
The tap is to eventually release the beery goodness into bottles, obviously.
The airlock is a little piece of equipment that goes into the top of the fermenting vessel so that the CO2 produced by the fermentation process can escape (otherwise your well sealed fermenter could burst, or just eject your precious beer out through the seals), but stop normal atmosphere and all the fun microbes that travel in it from entering your ferment.
* Bottling wand
This is a semi-rigid pipe that inserts into the tap. It has a valve (either spring loaded or gravity operated) in the tip.
You insert the wand into the bottle, press up and beer flows down. Magic stuff, this gravity.
This method is the simplest way to fill the bottles without exposing the beer to excessive oxygen which would be detrimental.
* Bottles and caps
Obviously you need something to store the beer in while it undergoes conditioning, and of course to dispense it from.
You can re-use glass beer bottles. However, if you're starting out, I strongly recommend using PET bottles from a brew shop or one of the Coopers or similar kits from a big store such as K-Mart.
The bottles are re-usable and will last quite a number of years with simple care and cleaning. The caps can also be reused if you wish, but at only a few dollars for a pack you may as well get new ones each time at the beginning of your brewing hobby so that there is one less variable to contend with.
The reason for using PET instead of glass is because if you make a mistake in assessing the end of the fermentation or there is a contaminant in the bottle, a PET bottle exploding has much less danger than a glass bottle. These kinds of bottles are known as "bottle bombs" for a reason - high speed flying glass is deadly. When your experience and confidence are matched, then you could progress to glass.
* Hydrometer
This simple tool is used to measure the specific gravity of the liquid you put into the fermenter and to take measurements to make sure that the fermentation is complete.
The measurements you're going to make will be:
* OG - or Original Gravity. This is after you have added all your fermtentables to the vessell but before you add the yeast.
* FG - or Final Gravity. This is at the end of the fermentation. After it is stable (i.e. same reading) for two days, then it's time to bottle.
* Sanitiser
In brewing, we need to sanitise. Not sterilise. Sanitise.
Sanitising is killing most of the microbes and bugs that aren't beneficial to our process. Sterilising is killing all.
A good no rinse sanitiser is needed for all of your equipment that will come into contact with the wort (unfermented goodies that go into your fermenter) and the beer (the fermented result).
There are a few kinds on the market, but I would be inclined to recommend 'Sanitise' from Morgans. Simple, effective, but not the least expensive. It's reliable and a very good starting point. You can get fancy or cheap later when you know a little more about what you're doing.
* Cleaning Agent
The most common cleaning agent used is simply called "Pink Powder".
It's a strongly alkaline cleaning agent that is bright pink in colour. That way you won't sprinkle it on your cornflakes - it's a safety thing. Speaking of safety - read the safety warnings on the package. This material is caustic and can be dangerous if mishandled. If the safety precautions are followed, there is nothing to worry about.
Usually, you clean your fermenter with warm water and a non-scratch scourer, then add two teaspoons of Pink, three or four litres of very hot water and carefully agitate to ensure that every internal surface of the fermenter has been washed thoroughly. Then, rinse a few times to make sure any residue is removed.
Does it all make some sense so far?
It's simple, isn't it?
Next article? A few extra tools to make the process easier, quicker and more fun - all without spending a fortune.
Cheers!!
Quick loaf of bread...
It's been a while since I have been talking about the yeasty goodness side of life, as it has been very busy for the non-yeasty side of life for me. So, to atone for all of this ignoring you while I do the 9 to 5 grind, I'm going to post fast and furiously.
A new brewing season for those of us down under has started - warmer more stable temperatures for the time being and of course the desire for a good cold beer on a hot afternoon. We'll get into that side of things shortly.
In the meanwhile - here's a recipe for one of the fastest loaves of bread you're ever likely to make:
* 500 g white flour (any kind will do)
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* 2 level tablespoons of yeast
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 300 ml warmish water (say 25 - 30C).
Combine all the dry ingredients in your machine on low speed (refer to earlier articles about this point) or sift 'em together if you're still doing it manually. The idea is to combine them all rather well.
Add the oil and increase machine speed.
Add the water and increase machine speed to dough mixing speed.
Let the dough form!
In the meanwhile, line a loaf pan with baking paper.
Remove the dough from the chamber, shape it to suit your baking pan.
Insert into baking pan. Cover it loosely with cling wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180C fan forced.
Brush oil on the loaf, decorate with seed, draw pretty pictures with a razor blade on top, etc... whatever you like to do to decorate your loaves.
Bake 25 minutes.
Done.
This produces a loaf with a reasonably fine crumb that is quite moist and good to eat with smoked salmon, Vegemite or whatever you prefer on freshly baked bread. Owing to the high moisture content, it's not too good for toast until day two or three.
Yes, it's quick and dirty and breaks all the rules about good bread making, but it works and it stops you being hungry. We can get artsy or artisan styled some other time.
Cheers!!
A new brewing season for those of us down under has started - warmer more stable temperatures for the time being and of course the desire for a good cold beer on a hot afternoon. We'll get into that side of things shortly.
In the meanwhile - here's a recipe for one of the fastest loaves of bread you're ever likely to make:
* 500 g white flour (any kind will do)
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* 2 level tablespoons of yeast
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 300 ml warmish water (say 25 - 30C).
Combine all the dry ingredients in your machine on low speed (refer to earlier articles about this point) or sift 'em together if you're still doing it manually. The idea is to combine them all rather well.
Add the oil and increase machine speed.
Add the water and increase machine speed to dough mixing speed.
Let the dough form!
In the meanwhile, line a loaf pan with baking paper.
Remove the dough from the chamber, shape it to suit your baking pan.
Insert into baking pan. Cover it loosely with cling wrap and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180C fan forced.
Brush oil on the loaf, decorate with seed, draw pretty pictures with a razor blade on top, etc... whatever you like to do to decorate your loaves.
Bake 25 minutes.
Done.
This produces a loaf with a reasonably fine crumb that is quite moist and good to eat with smoked salmon, Vegemite or whatever you prefer on freshly baked bread. Owing to the high moisture content, it's not too good for toast until day two or three.
Yes, it's quick and dirty and breaks all the rules about good bread making, but it works and it stops you being hungry. We can get artsy or artisan styled some other time.
Cheers!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Green Beer
Green beer? Yes.
I'm not talking about that green-dyed swill that gets served on St Patricks' Day. I'm talking about ecologically sustainable and vegan beer.
Look here: http://www.mnn.com/food/beer/stories/green-beer-101
Oh - and by the way - all the beer recipes that are part of this blog are vegan. 100%. The ones in the little window at the bottom of the page may or may not be. Mostly they are, but if you're a vegan (tasteless bastard that you are - eat some meat - we're an omnivore species!), then you probably know what ingredients you shouldn't eat.
Me? I'm going to have a beer and a vegetarian for dinner. A cow.
Cheers!
I'm not talking about that green-dyed swill that gets served on St Patricks' Day. I'm talking about ecologically sustainable and vegan beer.
Look here: http://www.mnn.com/food/beer/stories/green-beer-101
Oh - and by the way - all the beer recipes that are part of this blog are vegan. 100%. The ones in the little window at the bottom of the page may or may not be. Mostly they are, but if you're a vegan (tasteless bastard that you are - eat some meat - we're an omnivore species!), then you probably know what ingredients you shouldn't eat.
Me? I'm going to have a beer and a vegetarian for dinner. A cow.
Cheers!
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