Aspiring and experienced beer brewers alike will soon be able to share tips and tricks under the experienced eye of Bruce Findley.
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Bruce has been brewing his own for more than 50 years, and recently installed an impressive 50 litre setup in the garage of his Dalmeny home.
“Mine is the same system used in commercial breweries – scaled down – but you can brew your own for next to nothing; there are ways around expensive kit,” he said.
Bruce reckoned more than half of the people who brewed their own, did so because they were bought a home-brew kit as a birthday or Christmas present.
“The kits are okay for a start, though if you are expecting great beer, forget it. But with a few small alterations you can lift your brew from something ordinary to something quite drinkable,” he said.
“The kits don’t tell you everything you need to know and they keep it cheap: one of the main ingredients of beer is malt and they don’t give you enough malt, because it is expensive; they give you a kilo of sugar instead.”
You can brew your own for next to nothing; there are ways around expensive kit.
- Bruce Finley
Bruce said the first thing to do was replace the sugar with malt to “get rid of those home-brew flavours you don’t want”. He said beginners also went astray with fermentation and sanitation.
“You have to control the temperature for fermentation,” he said.
“If your yeast gets out of control, it explodes – it self-destructs!
“You also need good sanitation – you can easily buy superior and safe products that are specific to beer.”
By establishing a brew club, Bruce hopes to pass on his experience and get beginners brewing better beer sooner.
“I can start them off on the right track and step them through levels of brewing – people can decide how far they want to go with it.”
He used the example of swapping out the malt extracts found in kits for grains purchased from high-end brew-shops as the next step for starting home brewers.
“Malt comes from barley grain,” Bruce said. “There are hundreds of grain varieties you can purchase, and speciality grains you can add.
“Brewing from extract limits the palette – you are using the end product of malting. If you are prepared to go back to the grain, opportunities open up.”
Bruce is also hoping to attract more experienced brewers to the group.
“We can play it by ear, see who rolls up. I have a bit of knowledge behind me and if people want that information I am happy to help,” he said.
Contact Bruce on 0423 710 067 or co2cuja2@bigpond.com
