The RiotACT guide to singleton survival - Episode 2: Beer

Why wasn’t this thread posted 5-6 weeks ago?

Then I could have got one for the missus birthday and she could have given me 12 cases of chrissie presents (yes, I’ve always wanted that).

This has seriously reignited one of those “gunna” projects from many years ago. So, where is this “Brew Your Own At Home” of which ye speak?

I’d second the suggestion to leave it in the bottle as long as possible – after only a week or two, it will still taste pretty ordinary.
Thing is, once you’ve built up a bit of a stock, if you keep up the supply all your bottles can be of a decent vintage. Most of my batches these days ferment for a week, sit in a secondary fermenter for at least two weeks, then in the bottles for another 3-4 weeks before I even try them.

But when you first start out, having that much patience is pretty much unheard of 🙂

mm, boil up the honey with slices of root ginger before pitching it into the brew, luvverly.

and yes, very dangerous.

“Alcoholic ginger beer is a trap. Don’t do it.

You will drink 30 long necks in a night and not wake up for days…
“

I have brewed a number of alcoholic ginger beers, the most recent involving a goodly quantity of raw sugar and honey. Even in a fairly strong (alcoholicly) ginger beer, you don’t really notice the alcohol. Then you try to stand up.

hee hee

Sadly no.

Rule of thumb is on week to brew, one week to carbonate in the bottle.

Even then it would be better to leave it to about 6 weeks old depending on what you’ve brewed.

So start them going one a week through the fermenter. Drink Melbourne Bitter or Reschs longnecks (800ml!) to build up the bottles. After 6 weeks you’ll have 12 cases of beer, you always wanted 12 cases of beer didn’t you?

Seriously though I’m in the process of rebuilding my stock and most of it gets drunk around the two-three week mark.

Just put a couple aside from the good batches to build a cache of the seriously primo stuff.

You should be right for the one dayers.

cask wine and lemonade for extra buzz…

If I get the missus to put a kit under the xmas tree for me will I be able to start drinking the product xmas afternoon?

Or will I have to wait ’til the start of play on Boxing Day?

Cask wine and orange juice (for students that would be orange drnk.)

The RiotACT guide to singleton survival – Episode 6 – How to make coke in your bathtub

For those who abstain, ginger beer can be brewed and bottled and makes a refreshing change from commercial soft-drinks. Bottles can explode if you get it wrong !

I’ve been a fan of the goonbag too Seepi but I find it can too often lead me astray.

I prefer something no more than 5% alcohol for casual drinking.

Cask wine.

I’m a moderately keen home brewer, and I would add 2 small bits of advice:
1) Always make sure everything is super clean and sterile when you prepare brewing kit and bottles.
2) Letting your beer mature a while in the bottles will often produce a better result.

Home brewing is not only extremely cheap (15 bucks for 28-30 longnecks of finished product), but heaps of fun too.

I heartily endorse the products and services available from Colin at “Brew Your Own at Home”. There is no finer range, nor corresponding free advice available on the subject in Canberra.

I’m not in any way affiliated with the store, but I do spend an awful lot of time there 🙂

If you drink any decent quantity of beer, and aren’t brewing your own, you’re missing out and spending much more than you need to.