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Brewing Log

All of my brews are included in the summary table below. The brew numbers are in chronological order, so if you flick through them you can track how my brewing techniques have changed with time. You can also see how my knowledge of brewing has changed. Some of the early comments, and the factors attributed to some of the not-so-good beers are a bit embarrassing, but its all there, warts and all. Detailed brewing and tasting notes for each brew are in a separate file linked to the brew number in the table below. If you want to be able to pull up all brews of a particular style, find someone who knows a lot more about web mastering and databasing to set it up for me.

If you are interested in turning your backyard lemon tree into cheap alcohol, have a look at Brews 35 and 38.

One of my favourite beers is Little Creatures Pale Ale, brewed in Fremantle, WA. If you are in Perth go there for a drink, the microbrewery has a good atmosphere, good food, and you are sitting at the base of the fermentation tanks. The Pale Ale has a strong hop flavour and an incredibly intense floral hop aroma. This hop character is hard to match without using hop flowers, but I keep trying. Early average kit attempts included Brews 34 and 57. All extract versions were Brew 65 and Brew 72. Partial mash versions were Brew 77, Brew 83 and Brew 87. Full mash versions were Brew 93 Brew 94 Brew 103 Brew 114. Brew 114 won the pale ale category at Bathurst in 2005. Other beers that did well at Bathurst 2005 were Brew 109 and Brew 115.

Brew 157 came first in the low alcohol class at SABSOSA 2006 in Adelaide, at least it would have if it hadnt been discounted for coming from WA. Brew 100 was Grand Champion Beer at the Bathurst comp in 2006.

Brews 1 to 65 were basically kit beers, with various grain and hop additions. Some of them were pretty good and would be worth looking at for kit recipes. Brews 66 to 89 were mostly either extract, partial mash, or Grumpys packages. From Brew 90 onwards, the beers are full mash, and in my opinion even the not so good full mash beers taste far better than the previous brews.

 
Brew Number Style Cap Label Comments

1

Mexican

MX

Bit flat – bad capper (using a hammer capper at the start)

2

Pilsener

P

Bit flat but nice

3

Munich

-

OK

4

Mexican

MXV 5/11

Nice dry Mexican

5

Mexican

MXV 7/11

Nice dry Mexican

6

Pilsener

PXV 20/11

Good beer

7

Ginger Beer

GB 20/11

Very refreshing

8

Mexican

MXV 2/12

Horrible-bad malt (Look out for out of date liquid malt)

9

Munich

MUXV 27/11

Horrible-bad malt (Because this stuff just wouldnt ferment)

10

Ginger Beer

GB 11/12

OK-high alcohol

11

India Pale Ale

IPA 21/12

Nice once aged

12

Munich

MUXV 18/12

Good but cloudy

13

Mexican

MXV 7/12

Lovely-drunk at Katanning Christmas

14

Pilsener

DHP 7/1

Very nice but cloudy

15

Mexican

MXV 4/1

Lovely dry Mexican

16

India Pale Ale

IPA 14/1

Very nice once aged

17

Draught

NZD 13/1

Initially not great but improved with age

18

Pilsener

DHP 23/3

A superb beer similar to Little Creatures Pale Ale

19

Mexican

MXV 16/3

Excellent dry Mexican

20

Guinness (like)

G4 1/4

Good but a bit syrupy- slightly different fermentation conditions to Brew 21
21 Guinness (like) G5 1/4 Lovely smoky stout-thanks BJ
22 Ginger Beer GB 7/4 Highly gassed and refreshing
23 Wheat Beer WB 27/4 Low carbonation but excellent wheat flavour
24 Pilsener DHP 12/4 Very nice but better with different hops
25 Bavarian Bel 18/5 OK but incredibly overgassed
26 Canadian Can OK but incredibly overgassed
27 Kilkenny (like) KK 27/6 Excellent malty creamy ale
28 Pilsener DHP 25/6 Lovely dry pilsener, limited aroma
29 Wheat Beer WB 18/8 Delicious spicy flavour
30 Kilkenny (like) KK 25/8 Improved hop character, lovely ale
31

Pilsener

 DHP 3/9 Nice flavours, aroma a bit lacking
32 Guinness (like) G5 25/9 Lovely smoky stout, but some bottles unfortunately bleached!
33 Mexican MXV 25/9 Ok, but slight yeast bite
34 Triple Hop Pilsener THP 24/9 Superb, comparable to Little Creatures PA
35 Alcoholic Bitter Lemon BL 8/10 Not easy, but good in the end
36 Coriander Lime Beer CL 9/10 Excellent spicy summer drop
37 Fleurs Mexican FM 18/10 Not very nice - yeast bitten
38 Alcoholic Lemonade AL 22/10 Interesting - lemon champagne!
39 Dutch Lager DL 25/10 Lovely - big hit with the ladies-a recipe someone posted on BJs site
40 India Pale Ale IPA 29/10 Subtle, another big hit with the ladies
41 Kilkenney (like) KK 8/11 Lovely
42 Honey Bavarian HB 17/11 Drinkable - incredible head
43 English Ale EA 22/11 Oooh, delectable
44 Guinness (like) G4 4/12 Big improvement, very grainy, very nice
45 Cherry Kriek CK 19/12 Lovely and fruity - recipe provided by Oliver and Geoff
46 Triple Hop Pilsener THP 28/12 Excellent, but still want more aroma
47 Wheat Beer WB 28/12 Always good
48 Japanese Lager JL 11/1 Nice dry lager with floral hints - Steve put this recipe on BJs forum for me. Would have been better lagered.
49 Grainy Munich GM 11/1 A taste explosion
50 Smugglers Ale SA 22/1 Pretty good, but pricey and maybe not worth the money
51 Dutch Lager DL 16/1 Even better than the previous one
52 Coriander Lime CL 1/2 Lovely dry yet spicy lager
53 Goldings Pale Ale GPA 27/1 Excellent refreshing ale
54 Tettnang Pale Ale TPA 3/2 Great hop flavour in a dry ale, but that dry enzyme isnt too good
55 Green Bullet Ale GBA 9/2 Heaps of hops - great flavour
56 Brown Ale BA 16/2 Smooth, malty, delicious -adapted from an Oliver and Geoff recipe
57 Four Hop Pilsener FHP 16/2 Again, comes close to Little Creatures PA
58 Cherry Kriek CK 6/3 Based on Belgian Framboise/Kriek, very sour, not what I was aiming at.
59 English Ale EA 5/3 Increased malt, increased hops compared to Brew 43. Hoppy!
60 Guinness G4 27/3 Increased malt, hops, grain over Brew 44. Too much flavour!
61 Wheat Beer Light WBL 27/3 Our standard wheat, with a bit of extra hops and bit less alcohol.
62 Ginger Beer GB 30/4 An OK ginger beer.
63 Dutch Lager FHDL 30/4 Very nice, getting better.
64 Engish Ale EA 5/5 Lovely.
65 Four Hop Ale FHA 5/5 Very nice hop flavour, would still like some more aroma.
66 Old Peculier OP 12/7 Grumpys extract and grain kit, lovely, but very spicy/grainy
67 Kilkenny KK 12/7 Grumpys extract and grain kit, pretty good, would like more hops and less grain
68 Green Bullet Lager GBL 6/7 GBLL 1/8 Quite nice including apricot esters
69 Czech Lager CZL 6/7 CZLL 1/8 Not so good because of apricot esters but improving
70 Goldings Pale Ale GA 6/7 Lovely hoppy ale, not very pale though.
71 Green Bullet Lager GBL 15/8 High IBUs, but quite drinkable, fruity esters help in this one
72 Cascade Pale Ale CPA 1/8 Yet another attempt at Little Creatures, quite bitter, quite lovely!
73 Brown Ale BA 12/7 More crystal grain and hops than the last version, very nice
74 Duvel DV 24/7 Grumpys partial mash strong Belgian ale , lovely, but better with a liquid yeast to add some esters to balance the alcohol.
75 Hoegarden Wit HW 24/7 Grumpys partial mash wheat, nice, shocking head retention
76 Lowenbrau LB Good, but has some esters which shouldnt be there.
77 Cascade Pale Ale CPA 24/8 Lovely, hops full on the first month but settling now.
78 Speckled Hen SH Hard to pick from the commercial version
79 English Ale EA Kit beer! But its always good!
80 Excelsior EX Partial mash, Jury still out on the hop combination, definitely improving with age
81 Guinness G Partial mash, Grumpys recipe, sweetish, but pretty good
82 Lowenbrau LB A bigger partial mash version, cleaner than previous version, no esters
83 Cascade Pale Ale CPA Partial mash version of Jayses full mash, BLOODY CLOSE TO LCPA
84 Porter P Partial mash chocolate porter, lovely and chocolatey
85 Duvel DV Partial mash Grumpys kit, this time with Belgian Wyeast, pretty good, better than last version I think
86 Goldings Pale Ale GA 13/12 Partial mash attempt at previous kit beer, pretty good, maybe too much wheat
87 Chinook Cascade Ale CCA 13/12 Another LCPA Clone, huge hop flavour, delicious
88 Kilkenny KK 13/12 Grumpys extract and grain recipe, OK but has some esters
89 English Ale EA Excellent, bit like Fullers but less hoppy
90 Robust Porter   FIRST EVER ALL GRAIN - london ale yeast, pretty good
91 Robust Porter   Thames valley yeast pretty good
92 English Mild EM Mid strength beer! Getting better with age but still a bit odd
93 Chinook Cascade Ale CCA First full mash LCPA attempt, American Ale II 1272 Lovely
94 Chinook Cascade Ale CCA First full mash LCPA attempt, American ale 1056 Lovely
95 AHB ESB ESB1 Perth AHB brew day, ag attempt at Fullers ESB, 1275 yeast, highly hopped but good
96 AHB ESB ESB2 Perth AHB brew day, ag attempt at Fullers ESB, 1968 yeast, highly hopped but good
97 Dry Irish Stout 1 IS1 Guinness attempt, Thames Valley yeast, pretty good
98 Dry Irish Stout 2 IS2 Guinness attempt, Irish ale yeast, pretty good
99 Bobs Brown Porter BBP Trialing crystal rye, dont think much of the rye
100 Barleywine BW1 sg1.100 brew, 1056 yeast, flat, needs much longer Champion beer of show, Bathurst 2006
101 Barleywine BW2 sg 1.100 brew, 1728 yeast, flat, needs much longer
102 Kirin lager KL First attempt at an all grain lager - bit too Crown tasting
103 Little Puppy Pale Ale LPA Another little creatures attempt - lovely
104 ESB ESB1 A go at Fullers ESB, 1968 yeast, not bad but need another go
105 ESB ESB2 A go at Fullers ESB, 1275 yeast, not bad but need another go
106 Chocolate Porter P1 Another porter, 1968 yeast (Big Shit Porter for Christmas Case)
107 Chocolate Porter P2 Another porter, 1275 yeast very nice
108 Ordinary Bitter OB1 Low alcohol beer, Marris Otter malt, S04, actually a bit dry and sulphury
109 Ordinary Bitter OB2

Low alcohol beer, Marris Otter malt, 1968, not bad for light beer

3rd place at Bathurst 2005, Bitter Ale
110 Oatmeal Stout OS1 Pretty good but needs some age.
111 Oatmeal Stout OS2 Slightly different ferment temp.
112 ESB ESB

A lighter malt attempt at an ESB with a lot of maize

Highly Commended, Bathurst 2005, Strong ale
113 Chocolate Porter CP The house favourite
114 Little Puppy Pale Ale LPA

Another LCPA clone but going for more hops and fruit

First place, Bathurst 2005, Aus and American Draft

115 Smoked mild SM1

Another light beer attempt, 1098 yeast

First place Bathurst 2005, low alcohol
116 Smoked mild SM2 Another light beer attempt, 1028 yeast
117 Bobs Oatmeal Stout OS Similar to previous version, except we got very drunk while making it
118 ESB ESB Horribly bitter, but I got to like it
119 Demon Ale   Loads of amarillo hops
120 Ginger Beer   Kit plus quite a few bits - not that good
121 ESB   Backed off the hops on this one, 1968 yeast
122 ESB   Split with 121, using 1098 yeast
123 Ordinary Bitter   Similar to previous attempt but backed off the hops and upped the crystal
124 Little Puppy Pale Ale   Similar to previous versions but added torrefied wheat
125 English mild Kegged!!! Unsmoked version
126 Southern Cross Pale Ale   Using fresh NZ hops
127 Chocolate Porter   Yet another batch, very popular at my 40th birthday (keg emptied)
128 English Ordinary Bitter   Looking for a keg of mid strength beer, and a jolly fine one it is too
129 English Dark Mild   Another mid strength beer, not as good as the previous version
130 Classic American Pilsner   First proper fridge fermented lager
131 Lemongrass Lager   Brew 130 with some fresh home grown lemongrass added
132 English Strong Bitter   Drinking well but a little dry
133 Big Dog Stout   A little under attenuated
134 Simcoe Pale Ale   OK, bit dry, nasty yeast choice, but drinking OK
135 Vienna   Pretty good, maybe a little much melanoidin-getting better with lagering
136 Big Dog Pilsner   Drinking well
137 Wee Dougie Pale Ale   Doug seemed to like it. Like LCPA but more fresh
138 Christmas Case ESB   More of a dryish English Pale Ale, I like it
139 Christmas Case Upsized Demon   Needs a bit more age but pretty good - fruit salad aroma which declined with age
140 New Year Golden Ale   Quite good, SG hops have a strong flavour
141 Coopers Pale Ale   Came up pretty well, maybe a little too fruity
142 Dry ESB V2   Gassing up - very nice, well received at 40th birthday
143 English Dark Mild   Good body and flavour for a mid strength
144 Little Puppy Pale Ale   Ended up too dry, but drank pretty well anyway.
145 CAP   Very nice clean lager, was drunk real fast
146 Rice lager   Fermented 2 weeks, lagered 2 weeks, drunk in a day, very tasty
147 Little Puppy Pale Ale   Popular at my 40th birthday and almost identical to LCPA
148 Porter   Bobs birthday beer, OK not great, could be infected so I ditched it
149 Classic American Pilsner   Drunk within a couple of weeks
150 Pride Pale Ale   Pretty good, hops a little rough
151 German Lager   Bit too bitter at the moment
152 Rice Lager   Improved dramatically with lagering, good beer
153 Porter   Brewed to replace Brew 148
154 British Strong Bitter   Slightly overhopped, quite dry, but I really like it
155 Classic American Pilsner   Again slightly overhopped for the malt but very tasty and drinking well
156 Little Puppy Pale Ale V4   Rough coarse flavour from home grown chinook but improving
157 English Dark Mild   Good light beer, first place SABSOSA low alcohol class, except it was from WA
158 Big Dog Dry Stout   Not that dry but very nice, Tony liked it
159 Stein Beer Marzen   Brew day was a disaster but the beer is OK
160 Big Dog Sparkling Ale   Not really that good - too dry and alcoholic, slightly cidery
161 Big Dog Pale Ale V5   Remade brew 156 with commercial chinook. Better, but now I realise Amarillo and Chinook just dont go well together
162 Big Dog ESB/Pale Ale   Bit much crystal taste, back off the melanoidin
163 Little Puppy Pale Ale V6   Back to being very close to LCPA
164 German Lager   Got drunk pretty fast
165 Chocolate Porter   Up to the usual standard, Bob has now run out
166 Nugget Summer Ale Very easy drinking, went down well at Darryns brew day
167 Green Tea Lager Ended up being my Christmas Case beer, with mixed reviews. I liked it.
168 Classic American Pilsner Whole keg was drunk while playing cricket at Shanes
169 Little Puppy Pale Ale Keg was emptied at Murrays 40th. Bit much chinook in the flavour but very nice.
170 Classic American Pilsner Half keg emptied at Murrays 40th
171 TTL Bitter A very nice bitter made using the actual TTL yeast
172 Rooftop reddish Actually turned out very nice, but a less coarse hop would be even better
173 German/Japanese Lager Trying out the Kirin malt, it was drunk, must have been OK
174 German lager Again it was drunk
175 German lager   Drunk again
176 German Lager   Currently lagering
177 Best Extra Stout   Brewed for Bob and Tony, they seemed to like it
178 Nelson Sauvin Golden Ale   Immersion chiller split, lost the whole 50 l
179 Nelson Sauvin Golde Ale   Fixed immersion chiller, tasty
180 Big Dog Coopers Pale Ale   Pretty good a little too fruity
181 Little Puppy Pale Ale   NZ Cascade a bit muted, should have used more
182 TTL style bitter   TTL yeast, very nice
183 TTL style bitter   Northwest yeast, not nice, infected
184 Iron Brewer   Scored OK at ANAWABS as an English IPA
185 Styrian Bitter Jolly nice
186 Hallertau Summer Ale Golden and tasty
187 Little Puppy Pale Ale A little muted but pretty good
188 Best Extra Stout Slightly underattenuated, but very nice
189 Nelson Sauvin Golden Ale The beer my Dad liked best when he came to stay
190 Little Puppy Pale Ale Used 200g cascade plus home grown chinook, very close to LCPA
191 Kirin megaswill 100% kirin, POR to dial in malt falavour, quite nice, knovked off 40 l
192 Kirin Lager 1 Using NZ Hallertau, bit underattenuated and a hint of diacetyl
193 Kirin lager 2 Using NZ B Saaz, much better beer due to using yeast cake from Brew 192
194 Darkish English Mild Was very nice until Mr Acetobacter arrived at end fermentation. Tipped 20 l, chilled and kegged the other 20, actually OK
195 Best Extra Stout Very nice, 2 packs US05, high attenuation, bit of an alcohol kick
196 EKG ESB Liking that brown malt, but hops are a bit old
197 Schwartz Bier First attempt
198 EKG SG ESB Same brown malt but more of the EKG and added some styrians as well