Monday, February 23, 2009

Hi Ho, Hi Ho! It's Off To Brew We Go!

Ahhhhhhh, that wonderful amber liquid called beer... Mmmmmmm

Did I mention I've started home brewing? Yes, I have. It's very cheap and easy too. But before I tell you a little bit about it, would you like some galah pictures?

What's that you say? You wouldn't? Well, tough shit cus youse is gittin' em anyways!

Here's one where I tried to be all artsy-fartsy with the shadows and framing:
artsy



This next one is a great pic of Mrs Tweedle doing what the missus' do best (that'd be running around waving their arms and screeching):
another galah 03



Mr Tweedle then flew so far up in the tree to get away from the above screeching that I had to use the digital zoom to get him (apologies for the "noisy sky"):
another galah 04



Last post I asked what kind of tree the galahs were on. Well, it's called a Native Frangipani. When we first moved in the this abode (the abode with the pool) I thought it was a Champac tree. But after looking at the leaves closer, it's definitely a Native Frangipani. Very fragrant flowers in spring time too. It also survives in the Adelaide climate --NOT an easy thing to do!

Speaking of climates... it's going to get warm again in a couple of days. Sigh... guess that means I'll be spending even MORE time in the pool...

Oh yeah, wasn't I supposed to tell you just what I did in the pool during the previous warming spell? Well, you'll just have to wait cus I really wanna draw this out! :)

Next Topic: BEER!

and the brewing thereof

Coopers brewery has made this just so darned EASY! We are talking simple, simple and very cheap. The whole brew kit was AUD$99, and only $15 of that was consumables. Consumables being the hopped malt extract, brewing sugar, yeast, and secondary fermentation tablets.

This means that each batch of 60 beers costs $15 in aussie currency. That's $10 US'n. Not too shabby, eh?

I've already got my second batch (the first was a standard lager, second is a standard ale) in the main fermenter. The third will be either a cider or a Mexican beer.

In ten days from now there will be 60 lagers ready, 6 days after that there will be 60 ales, and then in another week there'll be 60 more.

Yeah, I'm ready for the heat wave! HA!

I'm going to be talking about just how cool Cooper's is and how awesomely environmentally friendly the brewery is is forthcoming posts.

5 comments:

Suzer said...

I'm keen to learn too Dave. Luckily my f-i-l used to home brew ad plans to start again, so I'm going to go over for lessons.

TwoYaks said...

Danger! Danger! Homebrewing always starts cheaper than buying beer, but it rarely ever stays that way. ;)

If I had the facilities, I'd be starting some stuff right about these next two weeks. Alas! No homebrewing for me.

LoveANewIdea said...

So that's what has been keeping you so busy! I hope you'll give us a detailed taste description, so we can have an online beer tasting :)

Jim and Heather on Meerkat said...

Jim wants to see some beer pics.

Alaskan Dave Down Under said...

Suzer: It's so simple nowadays with the brew kits that Cooper's makes. And Toohey's, Cascade, and a few others now have their own concentrate ready... mmmmmmm... A veritable smorgasbord!

KC: Danger! Danger, Will Robinson! My arms are flailing about! *ahem* Gitcher lazy self back into it! The kits make it quick, easy, and no fuss. A friend of mine back in Salcha used to homebrew but he didn't use the kits... It was always "interesting" when he brought over a slab...

Liz: Actually, cleaning the damned pool keeps me busier! But both are worth it. I'm keeping a log of temps and SG's and time and taste and wort density so I'll start blogging about it, no worries.

SV Meerkat: Yes, pics of the process and the finished product will be coming along, no worries. And I'll be talking about just how easy it is.