home brewing....

bilbo · Senior Member

home brewing....

oldbloke · Guru

Brewer here of 32 years. P/T grey nomad.
For a short trip i take HB. Over say 2 weeks just buy beer. Not great but....

Dont know how you could brew on the road, weight and space would be huge issues. Unless you intend always drinking green beer. Yuck.

Swerve · Veteran Member

x2

Dunmowin · Guru

bilbo wrote:
Hi all
newbie here who is grey but not quite a nomad yet/maybe soon ......does anyone who is on the road F/T home brew???... any issues with travelling with a batch that has not finished fermenting??..finding water without chlorine????..cheers Bilbo

G,day Bilbo, and welcome to the forum.

We are on the road permanently, and have an Air Still. The yeast we use is a 24 hour turbo yeast. So we only have to be stationery for maybe 2-3 days to brew and settle the wash. The air Still runs off 240 power, and takes a third of the wash per still. So, we need power, i.e. generator or pay for a caravan park for one night.

We have not had any issues with water, our caravan has three tanks, one is dedicated drinking water so is triple filtered. Probably don't use smelly bore water, (i.e. Quilpie), but have never had an issue with or without chlorine

So, if you are going to brew on the road, you need to time your brew with a longer time camp set up. We did try travelling with a batch, carefully tucked into the kitchen sink, with towels around it to make sure it did not move, but what we did not know was that while tucking the towels in, we also pushed the tap down, and left a trail of brew across the Yorke Peninsula

BTW, home brew is not just about beer.

-- Edited by Dunmowin on Saturday 25th of April 2020 10:48:38 AM

Hetho · Senior Member

Just put one down last weekend. Milk crates are good for storage, 2 crates per brew. I keep 3 brews on the role most times. Keep 2 brews under the bed, 1 In the car. Thats an extra 72 Kg`s (including bottle weight) which is fine for my setup.

If the brews a bit young there are always bottle shops the see out the wait.

Temperature is the biggest problem, but the next 6/7 months will be fine. I have a water filter on the van so just use what we have at the time.

If I can get rain water that's a bonus, plus being in one place for a week helps, if not the brew has a bit of a bounce in the back of the tug. It all settles in the bottle anyway.

Hope this helps. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but I have been brewing for so long; shop bought just doesn't have a challenge.

Cheers.

Hetho.

rgren2 · Guru

I used to make beer at home, preparing to do some travelling I converted to making spirits. Now I carry the pure undiluted spirits in a safe container, I also carry the essences and when a new batch of drinking spirits is required I mix and dilute the required amount. Now my spicy rum is my drink of choice.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

I started to prepare to brew on the road, but never got it done.
I purchased PET plastic bottles with screw tops to save weight.
An active carbon filter (the normal one we have in the OKA) will remove the chlorine.
Cheers,
Peter

sandsmere · Guru

I have an airstill. Doesn't take up a lot of room and works very well.

I only do spirits. Rum and Gin.

I agree with everything Dunmowin has said.

I don't mind the odd beer but don't drink a lot of it so I buy it rather than brew it.

We are travelling full time but with the air still there is very little inconvenience.

oldbloke · Guru

My curent stock

oldbloke · Guru

My curent stock

bilbo · Senior Member

Thanks everyone.....as I live in the Top end I forgot about temps in southern Aust....might just have to pick a warm spot for a week or two.....I just cant drink spirits....battery acid maybe but not spirits!!..cheers Bilbo

Dunmowin · Guru

oldbloke wrote:
My curent stock

So you fit all that in your caravan? Or do you travel alone?

Long Weekend · Guru

Oldbloke reminds me of a man I knew back in the 1970s. He was a keen home brewer and always had a minimum of 100 bottles ready to drink. He would often say that he was getting a bit low when down to 120 (or so) bottles and it was time to put down another brew.

They lived south of Penrith in bushland and relied on rain water tanks. He measured rainfall by the number of bottles of beer he could brew - "Had about fifty bottles worth of rain last night" he would say.

Murray

oldbloke · Guru

Each shelf is a batch. Eq to 30 bottles. Mostly stubbies these days. So 240 long necks. There is an additional batch of my coffee stout, but out of the picture. Just bottled it, so wont try that one for about 4 months. Never drink anything under 3 months old.

Beer and chips.png

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Nice head on those Neil. The beers that is, not the AV biggrin

That dark one on the left looks real nice indeedy.

I have never been into making my own beer or spirits but my ex son in-law up in Townsville did and does still I think and I always liked a whisky he did. I called it the 'green' whisky when letting him know of my ETA. Green because that was the colour of the label of the flavouring.

Now, I really enjoy visiting craft breweries to sample their beers and have come across a few nice ones and so far have two favourites. One from Lord Nelson Brewery in Sydney and one from Bridge Road Brewery in Beechworth Nth East VIC.

Might even crack a LNB one tonight.

Keep Safe out there.

-- Edited by Dougwe on Saturday 25th of April 2020 05:16:56 PM

oldbloke · Guru

That image was from the net
But I just now poured this dark ale. smile

Dark Ale.jpeg

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Looks just as inviting Neil.

I zoomed in on that hoping to get a taste but didn't work.

I just polished off my Lord Nelson 'Three Sheets' very niiiice too.

Keep Safe out there.

oldbloke · Guru

Sorry, licking the sceen doesnt work. Lol

Inland_Sailor · Veteran Member

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

I purchased PET plastic bottles with screw tops to save weight.

Peter

I was going to suggest this as a workable option.

I've homebrewed since my days of being a poor student as I refused to pay 50c for a long neck of Abbotts Lager, my preferred choice at the time, as I thought it was extortion at that price!

Anyway with the effluxion of time, and age to go with it, I changed over to the brown beer PET bottles because of their weight saving qualities.

I was initially sceptical, as my glass bottles ie the original thick glass long longnecks with the "spade" on the side had been my friends for decades. Beers supposed to be best in glass, but to my surprise this was/is not the case. The crates seem to weigh 50% lighter! As well, PET bottles have the added bonus of of being reasonably resistant to breakage. They can split if dropped when full, but then there's no broken glass to pick up.

oldbloke · Guru

I took it up when the long necks hit $1 each. LOL

Yes, PETs when in the van are not a bad option. I just weighed a few sample empties and this is the result.

Old CUB long neck 525g (I found that surprising)

New Coopers long neck 535g

Bundaburg Ginger beer stubbie 199g

2 x 375 PETs 55g Just guessing about the same as a 750 PET

So saving of about 470g per bottle x 30 =14kg per batch weight saving

Using glass bottles 23 kg + 15.7 kg = 38.7 kg
Using PET (aprox) 23 kg + 1.6 kg = 24.6kg BIG weight saving.

Not sure where Hetho gets his weights. I get about 116kg for 3 brews in long necks.

This has got me thinking. Might start saving PETs. Just a reminder you don't need the brown ones as long as they are stored in the dark. eg under the bed.

-- Edited by oldbloke on Sunday 26th of April 2020 12:01:54 PM

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Hi Neil, you could always store them in the mushroom cupboard.

Interesting subject for sure but in my case I will stick with my Lord Nelson and Bridge Road Beechworth. Once I can start visiting new craft breweries I might have a couple if new ones to add to the list.

Keep Safe out there.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

oldbloke wrote:
2 x 375 PETs 55g Just guessing about the same as a 750 PET

The pet bottles I purchased were 600ml and with short necks, so good size to capacity ratio.

Cheers,

Peter

bilbo · Senior Member

"Just put one down last weekend. Milk crates are good for storage, 2 crates per brew. I keep 3 brews on the role most times. Keep 2 brews under the bed, 1 In the car. Thats an extra 72 Kg`s (including bottle weight) which is fine for my setup.

If the brews a bit young there are always bottle shops the see out the wait.

Temperature is the biggest problem, but the next 6/7 months will be fine. I have a water filter on the van so just use what we have at the time.

If I can get rain water that's a bonus, plus being in one place for a week helps, if not the brew has a bit of a bounce in the back of the tug. It all settles in the bottle anyway.

Hope this helps. My wife thinks I'm nuts, but I have been brewing for so long; shop bought just doesn't have a challenge.

Cheers.

Hetho. "

My brewing set up is same as yours Hetho...except I use great northern stubbies (long necks are like hens teeth in the top end) and do a "double" brew (46 litres) at a time...leave fermenting for 6 days then bottle adding 5gms sugar for carbonation....and leave for at least 4-6 months. Am I correct that dark bottles are necessary "for" light??...and what do think is the minimum time you can get away (so as they are not green)??? .and have you brewed in cool/cold times???....cheers Bilbo

oldbloke · Guru

Brown bottles prevent UV entering the brew. (Dont recall if its A or B.) But UV will ruin it. In any case if you keep them out of the light they will be OK. Green bottles still need to be out of the light.

IMHO 8weeks is minimum before drinking.

Hetho · Senior Member

Hi Bilbo.

You are a patient man using stubbies, however they are fantastic for travelling as you can store them in lots of small places that "King Browns" will not fit easily. All my bottles are brown and I always keep them out of the light, and as cool as possible. I quite often leave the aircon on in the van during hotter months.

I had a conversation with a brewer some time back and have changed my thinking a little. He suggested that the Coopers Extract is a suitable starting point for most Australian beer types. So my current brewing supplies come from Farmer Jacks (Mandurah. WA; possibly Foodland in other states) where I`m trying at the moment to replicate Boags Premium. I`m using a Coopers Draught extract, with there No 2 Brew enhancer, which is dextrose and Malt and 12 - 15 gms of Pride of Ringwood Hops, and a good heaped desert spoon full of honey. Ideally with a temp of low 20`s for the fermentation 5 to 6 days, then bottle with 6 gms of sugar. This is pretty close to shop bought. The No 3 kit has corn syrup as well, and use it if the no 2 is not available.

I have my engel set at -1.5 degrees.

In another month I will start brewing my Carlsberg. this is my winter staple, it brews best in below 20 degrees. A bit of mucking around with bittering and then finishing hops but well worth the extra yards.

All the above is all pretty standard brewing stuff, but I enjoy doing it on the road simply for the challenge. At home I always have 6 brews down and endeavour to leave them for at least 3 months, longer is better, but sometimes I get thirstier than normal.

On the road I supplement my HB with Boags or Carlsberg when needed. Man is not a Camel.

Sorry for the lengthy reply, but I do love my HB, and also most people at "Happy Hour".

Take care and happy brewing. If you see a white Landcruiser in the paddock bring over a couple of yours to sample; you never know it might be me and we can share some brew tips, or drink the engel dry.

Cheers.

Hetho