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I built a PVC pipe counter flow chiller and don't get me wrong it worked really well, but it was a real pain to clean and sanitise because you can't see the inside of the copper pipe. In hindsight I think the immersion chiller is easier to build and easier to use.

A lot of people seem to be still remembering the 70's and 80's when some home brews were crap, so there are still a lot of non-believers around who run a mile when I offer them home brew. But stuff them ... and all the more for me....

The "Sunshine State" Brisbane, Australia. Bloody hot here today, about 35 celcius (close to 100F I think?).

I use "brewers detergent" and hot water to clean all my gear just before use. It says "alkaline salts" on the box, but I think it is just a weak form of caustic soda (NaOH). Then I use sodium metabisulphite as a steriliser, and let the gas do its job for about half an hour. I've only...

Thanks guys, sounds like good advice. Time to throw away the book that says "skim"!!

I've read that it is a good idea to skim the patches of gunk off the top of the krausen during primary fermentation as these can give off flavours. I've also read that you shouldn't do this as you upset the CO2 layer and might also introduce an infection. I'm interested to hear what others do?

Here is a thread about different pub culture. Unfortunately some of these traditions are dying out, but in some small country towns, you still see them. In some states in Australia if you place your empty glass right way up on the bar, you'll get a re-fill, when you are finished drinking...

I've been brewing 11 litre (sorry, 3 gallon) batches because I can get though this quicker and make more batches in a year (more practice, more different styles etc.) It's just a matter of adjusting the recipes correctly, but you can't use pre-hopped kits or they are too bitter. I boil my own...

I think you would make a lot of brewers cry if you sent them to scrap. They may not be totally useful in their current form, but with some modifications, they might be OK.

Making spirits is legal in Australia, as long as you use a spirit kit, but the catch is that these only allow you to make a 20% strength spirit. We are not allowed to distill pure spirit. The craziest thing is that we are allowed to own a 5 litre still for the purpose of making distilled water...

Thought I'd try fermenting in stainless steel, instead of plastic for a change, to see if there is any difference in flavour. I decided to use my mashing pot as a fermenter. It is a large stainless steel pot and I have a 3/8 ball valve in the bottom. I use a galvanised steel washer on the...

I'm an aussie brewer and have been brewing on and off for about 4 years. I'm glad I found you guys. We don't have a lot of in-depth Australian made literature over here. You guys in the US are much more into the "science" of brewing than we are. I'm not one to just follow instructions...