Brewing efficency

Most home brewers love talking about their brewing efficiency. Most often this referring to the amount of extract they get out of the potential the grain they use offers. Most often this is a figure between 70-85%, however you can get 90’s and theoretically above 100% even, but that needs a mash press like the one Coopers use.  To me this is an important measure of efficiency that impacts on my brewing but not a key driver, or even something that I really strive towards. I make assumptions on it to help formulate a recipe but that’s about it. I don’t care if its  70%, grain is cheap and its only homebrew (this isn’t an attitude that can flow through to going commercial mind you).

Taken from my good friends at Wikipedia – Efficiency in general describes the extent to which time, effort or cost is well used for the intended task or purpose. Time and effort are my key measures of efficiency. As previously blogged I have a 4 hr round  trip to brew. This sucks kind off and removes the ability to brew on a whim. It also gives my beer one hell of a carbon foot print, or beer miles. So when I am there I am there to brew and get home. I still like a good brew day, its my Zen time after all, but I like to do it efficiently.

Yesterday I put out a 40l batch of pale ale and a 27l batch of a US amber in 4.5 hours from go to wo. From turning on the hot water to closing the door on the woolshed. That is a so far by most efficient brew day, my best measure of efficiency. And I think I’ll end up with a few kegs of decent beer for a cousins upcoming 21st b’day party. Win’s all round.

I am a well oiled machine (well I was yesterday).

I have my cheats, but only ones that wont hurt the beer, shortened mash and boil times, and a runoff speed that would make some home brewers say “but what about the efficiency!” as for my boil time! it needs to be 90 minutes! Bugger that I say, my time is money, work or leisure, my efficient use of time is my real measure. And I feel really good knocking out a couple of batches in the time I hear some people take for one batch. I do however have further to go, a mate is doing 20 minute mash and boil. I like it but I’m not there quite yet, well not with these recipes anyway.

Oh and it was a good brew day, however I realised that I stuffed up. I didn’t make a stout. I think there is probably some kind of rule that you should only brew stout on StPats day, poor planning on my behalf. Damn it I didn’t event have a stout (well any beer for that matter) yesterday. I need to brew some stout I think, perhaps that can be a 20/20 beer?

Cheers D

PS – having some good conversations RE purchasing a rather large fermenter and making some beer for real, at that stage all my previous comments RE efficiency will probably go out the window 🙂

 

what to brew?

I’m thinking about brewing this weekend but have no real inspiration of what to brew? I am now open to sugestions, open to anything, well not lagers but thats more from a lack of fermentation temp control.

So let me have it with the suggestions. I’ve got about 22 hours from now until I need to decide and order my grain.

Cheers D

Mayo Jar and Beer

There is something in this for us all, well at least those of us who like a beer

Stuff Alex Thinks

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar…and the beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was…

View original post 249 more words

Coopers Alehouse

At the Radelaide airport with time to kill, why not have a beer? Exactly what I thought. So here I am at the Coopers Alehouse at the Adelaide airport, a bar where you can enjoy a Coopers while watching people clear security.

Currently having a Thomas Coopers 150 years anniversary beer, a beer who’s idea is better than its actuality. Hitting the spot right now though.

Happy 150th Thomas.

Cheers D

Let there be Zen! Brewing this weekend

Its been a big week, I gave notice from my job this week, I’m off to the footy tomorrow and I’m brewing on Sunday. The Zen will return. I’m brewing an English style IPA. I think I’ll call it Resignation.

The recipe – Resignation IPA

7500g Simpsons Marris Otter Pale Malt, 600g Joe White Munich, 70g Simpsons Crystal, 200g wheat malt. Hops (at this stage) equal parts Fuggles and Goldings – 20g each first wort hopped, 30g each at 5minutes, 22g each in the hop back. Or something like that, I may add more to go past the 40 ish IBU that should give me. Mashed at something like 63 deg C, and I think I’ll add some gypsum, and maybe a bit of sugar (no more than 5%). All fermented with a Nottingham yeast unless something else takes my eye at Grain and Grape tomorrow.

Bring on the Zen, and some beer. I have not brewed for a long time, hope I remember how to do it.

Cheers D

 

 

Fly Fishing, where to start?

I have decided that I am going to learn how to fly fish.

This is something that has come to me over the past month or so. Watching Robson Green on extreme fishing. Hearing someone talk about the old D Gen production – “A River Somewhere“. Catching references to fly fishing on the “Whole Larder Love” blog. its something about the rhythm, the serenity, and all the cool gear. Mates somewhere doing manly things and clocking up reasons for a couple of beers, and a steak or a parma. Manly stuff.

I’m off on holidays tomorrow, I was looking to find somewhere with fly fishing. No go, we are out of season for Tasmania it seems.

However I have now got some mates on board. It seems that I have a couple of mates in join me in fly fishing, the only problem is none of us know how. It seems that we are all in on the idea that it’s a good thing. Get some cool gear, escape once in a while with a great cover all the while camping and having a few beers.

So where do I start? do I get lessons? what kind of gear do I need? do I need one of those hats or vests that I put my flys in?

Who do I talk to what do I do? any help would be appreciated.

Oh and dont worry, I’m going to keep brewing and this wont become a fishing blog.

I’m off on holidays now.

Cheers D

I have never heard the term double fisting used in this manner, interesting idea thoush

criticallyrated

Double fisting is not sexual slang, it’s when you get two drinks at once. After a stressful day at work, or a regular day at work, or a day off from work it’s nice to go to the local watering hole and grab a drink. But it’s pointless to grab just one drink because you know that you will have another one soon. So you should get two drinks. And you should mix it up because variety is nice. So you get an IPA and a Jack & Coke. You settle down and relax a bit, switching between your fluids and making friendly conversation. But you have to pay attention to which drink to grab when double fisting. You don’t want to run out of your beer before you finish your Jack & Coke and vice versa. It’s a balancing act and a delicate one at that. So mind the…

View original post 8 more words

How to hide your beer

I dont know about the music, or the beer, but I like the idea

Junction Hotel Newport and almost June

Well its almost June. How the hell did that happen? It feels like only weeks ago I was at Lorne having a swim (and getting rained on) back in January. Ah well, that means its well and trully winter, nearly tax time, and time for end of financial year sales (EOFYS, oh joy, Marku thats for you, yes its better than Christmas).

To celebrate this (OK not celebrating anything) I’m off to the Junction Hotel in Newport for a few beers with Dirk. We are well overdue for a beer, and the Junction has beers so this should work.

Better go catch the train now. Oh yes this is a complete nothing post, just killing time until the train, its a massive 4 minute trip. How will I cope.

Oh and also I want to put in a personal milestone for myself, this month I have had over 500 views of my blog. Doesnt really mean anything, or make me any better off financially but its nice to know someone seems to read this stuff. Cheers to you all.

Cheers D

Hillbilly of the year! Opening A Beer Bottle With A Chainsaw. Oh The Talent.

hillbilly of the year!

CoolCounterCulture

We’ve opened a beer with a lot of things in our time. As a group of mates we would regularly try to pop the lid with the strangest things we could find.

At the time of print we’ve used beer bottles, the spokes of a bicycle, a hair-dryer, teeth, a dumb-bell and a comb.

While all of the above took a certain amount of innovation and beer inspired invention I don’t think we’ll ever reach the zenith of beer bottle opening in the way that this elderly gentleman has.

The Kaiser Chiefs sang about predicting a riot. If I got my hands on a chainsaw and a glass bottle I predict my Halloween costume for the rest of my life would be the most accurate version of a white Stevie Wonder you’ll ever see(no pun intended)

View original post