Home Brewing With Properbeermate Part 2

Back again with with Part 2!

Time to wake up the brew after 60 mins mashing time in the beer-bed .


I now unwrap the pot and bring her back out side and pop the lid.


Mmmmm.......Nice intense malty aroma just what we want! You can actually give this stuff a taste just to get an idea how the level of maltyness in the final beer will be . Very sweet stuff aye..... brewers actually call it "sweet water".


I pick up the heavy bag and let the rest of the sweet water pour into the pot which is great for my biceps!  The bag can get real heavy with all that grain and liquid so what I do is when my arms get tried from holding it up I place it into another big pot to drip out .  Another way of doing this is to get an "A" frame ladder and tie the brew bag to the top of the ladder over the brew pot and let it drip out that way.



Time to put the big brewpot full of sweet malty goodness on to the burner to start the boiling process. Once the brew has come to a good rolling boil I add whatever liquid is remaining in the smaller pot as well. Some people like to sparge some hot water over the remaining grains to get more malty goodness out and add that to the brew too. Personal preference I don't do this as I am quite happy with my past results without doing this : ) .



Time to get the hops ready!



Woo-hoo-- Hops! One of my favorite things in the world! These are Czech Saaz hop pellets which are basic compressed and extruded hop flowers which are great for home brewing.  I have added a bit more hops than the recipe calls for as I had some left over Saaz from a previous brew day and I 'coz love my hoppy character in beer. This single hop addition will change the sweet water's flavour and aroma from sweet and malty to something a a bit more bitter and aromatic that resembles beer in its purest form.


So once the brew has come to a good rolling boil I add my first and only hop addition for this simple recipe @60mins. The count down from 60mins starts now. Some other recipes such as big IPA's  can have 15 hop additions throughout the boil at different intervals. Usually the first addition at is for bittering and towards the end for the boil eg @10-15mins the hop addition is for taste and finally @zero mins the addition would be for aroma either in the brew pot or as a dry hop in the fermenter.

Now at of the boil ten mins to go I add my whirlfloc tablet to assist in clearing the brew and stir the brew to make sure it dissolves properly. Once the count down has finished I turn off the burner (flameout) and put the lid back on the brew.

I use the Aussie no-chill method  to get the brew down to a suitable temp for pitching the yeast... As it is Autumn here in Australia at the moment and the temp is around 10-18 degrees C at night here I let the brew cool on my cold garage floor making sure the lid is on securely and not letting any nasties in. If you are in a warmer  climate I suggest putting the pot into an ice bath or I have even heard of some brewers using their swimming pool as a solution! The best way is actually  with extra equipment such as a wort chiller or plate chiller which i'll be asking Santa for later this year!



So the brew (wort) is going to take another rest overnight to cool next to it's final home my PROPERBEER kegarator fridge!
Part three will be up in a couple of days!

Home Brewing with ProperBeerMate Part 1

Hey Guys I'm going to show you how I brew my beer at home here in Australia. Today I'm doing an all grain brew using the Brew In A Bag method (BIAB)  I'll be brewing a Czech Dark Ale Version of one of my all time favie beers Budvar Dark!

Here's my Grain bill and Ingredients which is a recipe from my local Home Brew Shop-- Marks Home Brew  here in beaut Newcastle Australia!

Grains:
Cracked extra fine (0.9mm) for BIAB
Premium Pilsener  3.230 Kg
Munich Dark 0.586 Kg
Cara Munich T2  0.586 Kg
Wheat Chocolate (yummy!) 0.220 kg

Hops:
Saaz Czech (T90) 79g @60mins boil time

Yeast:
Safale US-05 (I'm using Muntons Prenium Gold this time)

Here's my Equipment & Grains


From Left :

1. Thermometer -decent scientific one.
2. Hydrometer  to calculate abv and gravity
3. Whirlfloc tablet- finning/to clear the brew at end of boil
4. Saaz Hop Pellets-Yay- Hops!
5. Grain bill-Malty goodness!
6. Burner- Mine's an Italian spiral type

More Equipment:


-My good 'ol faithful brew bag that holds 5 kgs of grain no worries! Cleaned and ready for action!



My Brew pot that I picked up In Thailand last year- 36 litre capacity and does the job. Filled up with just over 20 litres of good 'ol H2O.



Here's some Spare Pots from previous brewing adventures along with a strainer and my mash paddle which is also great for stir frys too!



I prop the burner up onto my old barbie (BBQ) for safety reasons pop the pot filled with water on top  and connect the gas up to the burner and let her rip! Aiming for 50 degrees Celsius strike water temp I grab the thermometer and monitor the temp.



Woo-hoo! After about 10 mins the water temp nears 50C strike temp-- time to get the bag and grains ready!



So after the temp hits just over 50c I turn off the gas and take the pot down off the burner (with oven gloves on- as I don't like getting burnt) . Now the bag goes in the pot followed by the grainy goodness being poured in nice 'an slow.



Now the grain is given a good stir making sure I get all the lumpy bits mashed and all the grains are wet.
Oohh it smells good! Once thats done I pull the tie on the bag to seal it up and pop the top on the brew pot.



Now I'll put the brew to bed for 60mins to let it mash--- have a beer and read some beerbeer.org and properbeermate!



What I use to wrap the pot up to maintain the mash temp is a towel and some old clean bed covers -does the trick!
In Part two the which will be posted  next week we'll start the boil and add the magic that is HOPS!!
Cheers till then!

Vale IPA

This little beer caught me by surprise at last years Warners at the bay beer festival. I have since then been eagerly awaiting  for the bottled version to hit my local  bottle shop and well just the other week it had!

On the pour the beer presents itself with a fantastic amber glow followed by an awesome foamy head which is not overly carbonated at all. Big fresh citrusy aroma on the nose with some hoppy pine thrown in too!

These wonderful smells reminded me of  a  a good IPA poured off the tap at a PROPER craft brew pub.
The marvelous aroma follows though going down with good hoppy bitterness that  lingers coupled with a smooth mouth-feel thanks to the malts used in this brew. Great finish too leaves me reaching for the glass again for another hypnotizing hop hit! 

Doesn't have a heavy resin mouth-feel at all like as some other American styled  IPAs out there, which ultimately adds to it's character and overall drinkability. At 5.5%ABV  this brew is a great sessionable ale too if you can handle/love your hops!

If are a hop lover or just curious why people like me go crazy over hops- and you see it out there at your local- grab a four pack/pint you wont be disappointed.


Some good 'ol aged tasty cheddar cheese and crackers or tapas style garlic prawns would be my food match recommendation with this tasty brew.

Hoppy Hefe!

Mad Brewers here in Australia have created something special .........a Hoppy Hefe!

The first thing that hits me is the massive citra hop aroma when I pop the cap followed by the sweet smell of the malts.
On the pour it generates a awesome fluffy creamy white head with a orangey hazey body just like a good hefe-wheat beer-a pleasure to look at! Again I'm in hop heaven on the aromas of this crafted ale....big piney citrus and good punchy hoppyness on the nose- much like an aggressive American IPA one of my favorite styles.
Going down the mouth feel is full and some what sweet as well. Dangerously smooth and satisfying! Superb hoppy bitterness thrown in too.  Abit syrupy on the finish like a good barleywine but not in a bad way at all. And very refreshing again like a good hefe should be.
At 7%ABV you gotta watch yourselves though! I reckon you should treat this brew more like an IPA and savour with a food match of Pepperoni Pizza.

This Beer ticks all the right boxes for me as it combines the characteristics of two of my favorite beer styles the German hefeweizen and the big hop monster ales of the USA . Too bad its only a limited addition-I'll have to visit my local homebrew shop guy and try and clone brew it (^-^)

Warners At The Bay Beer Festival 2011@Newcastle Australia

On Sunday it was Warners At The Bay's Annual Beer Festival which this year coincided with Newcastle Craft Beer Week.
What a day! Held from 12pm to 4pm the event held in the motel car park of my favorite bottle shop hosted over 80 Beers from 25 suppliers and a couple of  ciders sunk in too! The weather after a week of non-stop rain Sunday really turned it on with blue sunny skies and the mercury  hanging round 30 degrees Celsius--purrrfect beer sampling weather in my book!


The event was a sell out with tickets capped at 700 and by the looks of things everyone showed up! Each ticket holder was given a coopers show bag which contained a pen, a back issue of beer & brewer magazine, info sheets,beer tickets, a copy of the excellent  Beer Lovers Guide To Australia and the most important thing of all a 200ml Warners At The Bay tasting glass!  On to the beers!

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar



Wow and I mean WOW! This ale was a big surprise. Big malty character on the nose with a bit of caramel thrown in too. The mouth full is where the awesome Hazelnuttyness  hits you wonderfully smooth going down and satisfying. I get abit funny about brewers adding stuff to beers...BUT this is done right in true Rogue Brewery fashion- these guys really know what they are doing.  Had this over at the Innspire Craft Beer Merchants tent- a great bunch of guys who bring in some incredible beers from around the world.  Check out their ute/pickup below.



Over at the Stone & Wood Brewery tent the home of one of my favorite brews Pacific Ale which was as always excellent... the fellas were also sampling a Spanish lager brew called Moritz



A very thirst quenching brew very smooth going down in the spring sun and a somewhat faint vanilla taste to it on the finish. Very nice! Will definitely be picking up a case of these on a scorching hot day this summer!

Next up was the Lord Nelson Brewery Stand



These guys from Sydney's institutional brewpub  were very informative and great to chat with... the beer was great too! They had the Three Sheets Pale Ale and Old Admiral strong amber ale on tap for the day. The Three Sheets was great- not too overpowering in the hop department and a very inoffensive ale- Extremely refreshing. The Old Admiral on the other hand had a good malty backbone to it-would be great by the pint on a cool evening. The brewpub is a great place to check out if you find yourself  in Sydney-a great establishment that is a part of Sydney's and Australia's craft brew history.

Next up we made our way over to the wonderful peps at the Beer Importers and Distributors (BID) stand



Sam Adams Lager as always-- a great Vienna style lager with malty goodness went down a treat! Warstiener a very clean bright  larger which would rival any Mexican style lager as the easiest drink brew out there . Noble Pils from Sam Adams was also a good example of the style. Hope to see some Belgians next year from BID as they provide the Aussie market with some cracker beers from beer's holy land.

McLaren Vale



I have converted a few peps over to craft brew with Vale Ale from these guys. I was pleasantly surprised they also brew an IPA which was one of the only IPA's available for tasting at the event. And what a great IPA at that! Big hop aroma on the nose and a sweet maltyness going down, finishing up with a awesome hoppy bitterness which hop-heads like me are addicted to. Hope to see more from these guys.
Notable Mentions:


Mudgee Brewing Amazing Wheat beer! Has the biggest banana aroma of any wheat beer I have ever tasted! Great to see a good Aussie brewer making a PROPER wheat beer.

Black Duck Brewery Great beers on show especialy the PROPER bitter lovely beer could've drank it all day... and that has nothing to do with the fact it has PROPER in its name I swear (^_^).

Ekim Brewing & Happy Goblin best pale ales at the event-great bunch of guys too!

Mark's Home Brew- Mark and Shawn great guys and last minute suppliers for taps and things so the breweries could serve us beery people beer! Thanks Heaps!

Last but not least a massive thanks to Mark Mead & Crew from Warners at the Bay and Corey Crooks & crew from the Albion Hotel & Newcastle Craft Beer week Founder for making this amazing event happen....us beery folks really appreciate the enormous time and effort that you guys have  put into this event to make it a cracker! Cheers fellas.

Women & Beer event @ Bar Petite Newcastle Australia

Well here we finally are at this very special week in November! Newcastle Craft Beer Week has begun!! One of the opening events was a Ladies only night  event hosted by "the beer Diva" Kirrily Waldron at Bar Petite on King Street here in beaut Newie!



Now you might be thinking did PROPERBEERMATE have to wear a wig, mascara and a pretty dress to get in and review this event?  Sorry to disappoint you but no....I sent in the PROPERBEER MAIDENS!  Who took all the photos and notes for me to complete this review!  Cheers ladies!
Now onto the beers!
Hargreaves Hill Hefeweizen



A wonderful representation of the style and one of my favies too. Aromas on the nose are the traditional lolly banana and clove you'd expect from a good Hefe along with a welcome surprise of  some vanilla notes as well. Great drinkability smooth and very refreshing going down. The PROPERBEER MAIDEN'S favorite of the night!

Matilda Bay Bohemian Pilsner



Little to no hop aroma on the nose,  very appealing appearance and easy drinking as most pils type beers are but with a slight bitter finish.Nothing fancy here.... very close resemblance to the macro brew lagers available on tap at most pubs.


2 Birds Brewing Golden Ale



Big strong honey notes on the aroma along with a somewhat fermented soy bean quality too! Very smooth going down due to the intentional low carbonation of this beer. Would go great with any chilli based spicy foods to cut through the heat.

Ninkasi's Angel Tripel



The first all female brewer collaboration brew here in Australia! Which is also named after an ancient beer goddess, is a Belgian inspired style of  beer which incorporates local ingredients to complement the traditional Tripel style. Big spice notes on the nose, full bodied and quite strong on the alcohol make this brew a sipper not a chugger by any means. Goes great with a good cheese and crackers on a cool night! 

Hunter Beer Co. Lambic



Very young home brew and sour aroma to this brew. Again on the taste very yeastie  applely and SOUR!  Needs more time to mature in the bottle maybe to mellow it out a bit perhaps... but then again this is a sour style. The Chocolate tart that complemented this brew however was excellent! 

Thanks again to the PROPERBEER MAIDENS for their superb tasting skills and notes!


And to Kirrily Waldron "the beer Diva"  who has broken down so many barriers and perceptions of beer appreciation and beer culture for both females and males over years through her constant hard work in the beer community here in Australia and aboard. We beer enthusiasts thank you for your passion and commitment towards the craft that is beer. Cheers!

Newcastle Craft Beer Week @Newcastle Australia! Update

Hope everyone enjoyed the festivities during the Oktoberfest month! Here is the finalized listings for the upcoming Newcastle Craft Beer week which now includes an event hosted by one of my favorite brewers Richard Watkins from the Wig and Pen Brewpub in Canberra!

Click on the image below to view the updated event list!