Home brewing in Japan

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Much appreciated Guzzibrew. It's a pretty sturdy/flexible garbage can, so hopefully I won't have a disaster like that. I think the heater will automatically turn itself off when not submerged, too.

As to cooling in summer, I was just at a second hand place looking at fridges. Couldn't find anything of an appropriate size/price, but will keep an eye out because I can't go another summer without brewing. Ice packs are a good start and I will use them if I don't have another setup by then, but I really need an old fridge.

I have absolutely zero experience with wiring/electrical stuff. Is hooking up and old fridge with temp control something I could do pretty easily/safely without putting myself or my house in too much danger?!
 
Wim we must have been writing posts at the same time - looks like we have a few of the same questions...
 
mooh said:
Hi all,

I almost got all my stuff to start for my first brew.
Still have got a few questions:

1) the morgan australian lager extract comes with some instructions from brewland themselves. They give a few suggestions about using less water and sugar. The kit originally states like 23 liters, but i am thinking of going with only 17. Also they require some amount of sugar. Tektonjp suggested before not to add any, but I think I am gonna try with a little bit my first time. Is just normal sugar you can buy in the local supermarket sufficient?

2) i got a separate lager yeast as well for this extract, but how do you calculate the amount necessary for your brew? Is there some kind of x grams per y liter rule? I am guessing that every yeast is different, so how would I get the right amount?

3) still havent found a place to get an auto-siphon, any suggestions?

4) temp control: i do not have a fermentation chamber, so how do you usually keep your temperature stabile during two weeks of fermentation? Any cheap solutions/suggestions?

Thanks in advance!
Wim
Click to expand...

Wim,
1. Yes, normal table sugar is used. FYI, in "normal bewing", having up to about 10 percent of the fermentables as simple sugars will not alter your basic taste profile except to help dry it out a little. But, as I said before, it's your beer. Personally, since I've been there with kits, I'd rather have 10 liters of decent beer rather than 20 of thin cidery beer. Just my opinion.

2. Use the whole packet even if brewing a half batch. Since you're brewing a lager and using a lager yeast, you want to keep it a bit cooler during the process, and so you'd need, in theory, more yeast. I just finished a german lager, 20l, and used two packets of lager yeast as I fermented at 12c.

4. During this spring weather, someplace with a fairly constant temperature, like the closet or genkan.
 
Hi Wim!

Such a slick production... looks like a commercial web site, humm, maybe better than most, come to think of it.

I was, however, stimulated by it (and your post too) so today I finally ordered a controller... I am not sure if I will use his design or not... (the box looks kind of weak & flimsy, but it might be good for awhile).

Are you thinking about making one too?

Ray
 
Hi Ray,
I actually already made one.
I have no experience with electric stuff, but I like diy allot. I used a different type of box from the 100 yen shop. cutting out the holes is the hardest part. I used a drill and a file for it.
For the outlets I got two separate single outlets with a frame to plug them in. Wires and a wire cutter I got from the home center and the stc1000 I got of the Japanese amazon(2300 yen all in). Also got an extension cord for 100 yen.

Seemed like Japan had no grounding so the wiring is really easy.

Best,
Wim
 
mooh said:
Hi Ray,
For the outlets I got two separate single outlets with a frame to plug them in.
Click to expand...

So you did it like the article?
I noticed some 2 in 1 outlets (shown in other's work) have a removable piece that connects the two outlets top & bottom, on both sides, one side which needs to be removed... but in the newer one's I saw today, that area is out of sight and thus out of reach(?); Is this the reason for choosing 2 singles rather than a single with two built in?

mooh said:
Seemed like Japan had no grounding so the wiring is really easy.
Click to expand...

I wonder if there is any advantage in getting ones with ground plug holes & or Earth wire screws....


Ray
 
Hi Ray,

Yes, most of the outlets I found in the home center are of the quickwire type. Since I didn't know how to open a double outlet up, I just got two single ones.
You basically just plug in the wire till you hit a lever inside the hole and it will keep your wire there.

I don't know about grounding here, but all outlets at my place don't have a plug for the grounding. If yours has, you might consider it. It's probably safer that easy. You will just need to add a few extra wires. Just like the US versions.

I added some attachments with what mine looks like.

Best,
Wim

IMAG0942.jpg


IMAG0943.jpg


IMAG0944.jpg
 
Ok,

Thanks for the pictures.

Another choice are outlets with the 1 tall & 1 short plug holes and those where the holes are equall in height... (not yet having the device the stc will controll - makes things much less clear which to choose!)
 
So, today I tried my first brew.
After chilling the wort from the extract, I poured it into this old glass sake container which I was gonna use for fermentation.
And when I tried lifting the container up again (with about 11 liters of wort), the bottom of the container just cracked off... and the wort all got down the gutter.:(

Gotta get me a new supply to try my first brew. I still got the lager yeast which I re-hydrated, but temperatures are rising here in Japan, so would it best to switch to an ale-type of beer? I do not think I will be able to control lager yeast fermentation temperature that well the coming months. Any suggestions? Also suggestions for a new fermentation container?

As a consolation for today's event, I opened me one of those Duvel Tripel Hops.

Best,
Wim

2015-04-05 17.45.41.jpg


2015-04-05 17.56.59.jpg
 
Man that truly sucks but at least you aren't quitting and you seem to have a positive attitude. You have to learn from your mistakes; I was going to use one of those sake jugs to ferment in but now I know not to. So, thanks for saving my brew :) You can use lots of things to ferment in to include plastic that is food safe. I use plastic buckets and car-boys. You can even go with out using a lid but I would suggest using something like a cheese cloth over the top to keep things out.

I would also suggest to use an ale strain of yeast for your first time. I think it is easier for a first time brew. Good luck on the next brew and keep at it.
 
Mooh,

I don't know if you still need a fermentor, but I've got a couple of plastic ones that I'm not using anymore.

If you want them they are yours for the cost of shipping from Kyushu. No idea how much that would be.

One is an older plastic one I bought in Canada a while back (It looks like it holds about 15 L (it has a conical neck so you'd need a bung) and the other is just a 20L pickles bucket I picked up at a home center.

The pickle bucket has a hole in the lid for an airlock(it is air tight) and a hole on the side at the bottom with a plastic valve installed- it doesn't leak and works- barely. But it doesn't flow that well. I'd replace it, but since I'm not going to use it anymore I've decided not to.

I've started to ferment in my corny kegs and that just seems to be a whole lot easier and I can ferment under pressure and transfer under CO2 so I'm stoked.

Let me know if you want the fermentors, and I'll post them off to you.

GB
 
Really happy you didn't get cut with that glass! See HBT threads about glass carboy safety for some horror stories! I don't think I ever want to use glass for anything unless it is long-term aging.

I have been using PUBKEG bottles for my fermenters since September and I highly recommend them! You need to pick up both the bottle and the bucket that it comes in from a craft brew place that serves imports. Contact them and they will likely be more than happy to get rid of it for free. Ask for a USA import, most of them are in pubkegs (vs other brands of one-way kegs) - these are easiest to disassemble for use as fermenters.

Instruction videos are on youtube but basically you just need to depress the valve to release pressure from the keg. Tip it sideways first to avoid a blast of beer/sediment/yeast, or cover the valve with a cloth first to catch the mess. Afterwards, use a large set of pliers (the type that has adjustable width jaw/channelock type) to grip the outside of the valve, and turn it counterclockwise. It is tight and will move very slow at first, but its better to go slow than to crush the bottle trying to move fast. If there is any pressure left, it will automatically release through a channel in the threads when you get it partially unscrewed, so don't stress too much about that. Once the valve is off, just clean out the keg and you are ready to go! The bottles take large rubber stoppers just the same as most carboys. If you really want to get creative you could try doing that all aseptically and just drop your wort onto the commercial yeast in the keg! Some have lots of yeast to go on if they are unfiltered.

Cheers!
 
Wim,
Sorry for your bad luck, but it looks like you have some good options... thanks to Guzzibrew and Bendan!

I am still having a bit of indecesion about the wiring of my STC-1000.
Could you walk me through your wiring?
(I can't see behind the screw caps in your pix)
(Where are your power cord wires going?
Are you using a "U" shape to bridge the two outlets on one side?

I think I have right, but want to compare before plugging in for the first time.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments.
As for now I still have the fermentation bucket that came with the starter set. I will try using this one for my next try.
I really wouldn't recommend any of the sake-bottles to anyone. I think they are not made anymore in Japan, and the ones sold on Yahoo Auctions are probably fairly old and haven't been kept clean.

I googled a bit about those PUBKEGs, they seem really neat. Also easy to store since they are fairly small. Would fit perfectly in the closet. Could you tell me where you got yours, Brendan? I might mail them too if they can send one or two for payment upon delivery.

Also I am still undecided about what extract I should try next. I think I might just go a step up and get a DME, with maybe some extra hops. I am also undecided about the type of beer, but I am thinking something Pale Ale-ish. If anyone has any good ideas for a start recipe, please do let me know.

Blue-Frog, I will take some extra pics when I get home today or during the weekend and give some explanation on what I did. It truly is not a big deal. I have not tried to run it for a long-time yet, but with some tests everything worked just fine.

Best,
Wim
 
Those pubkegs look great! What breweries use them here in Japan? I want to get my hands on one or two! I wonder if any of the breweries here in Fukuoka use them?

How tall are they compared to a standard tall corny? I wonder if they'd fit in my keezer.

My only concern would be that the threads might not stand up to repeated opening and closings, but if they are free.... :ban:

You also need sankey couplers- but they are cheap enough on yahoo auction.
 
Blue-Frog,

Please check the attachment for how I wired the STC 1000.
The numbers indicate the order I wired the unit.
As for the outlets, I use no bridge at all. My understanding is to avoid a bridge between the two, I have just 2 separate quick wire outlets but had a separate mount (don't know the official name) to fit them in so I could screw them to my casing.

Best,
Wim

stc1000 wires.jpg
 
Thanks Wim.

Thats what I had, I think. I will check my current design and make sure.
I am sure that in some of the UTubes it is clearly stated one side is linked and the other must not be...(I guess in a way, the neutral sides are bridged by 8 & 9 being joined in 10.)

JFYI... and other people who might BE or GET confused...
I think you made a typo (?):
Your 9 should say "heating" (not "cooling")
and
Your 3 should say "cooling" (not "heating")

Well, I will finish re-viewing everything and hook it up and see what happens!
------------------------------------------------------

RE PUB KEGS
Are they (the internal vessel) like 20 L Coke bottles?
I couldn't tell their capacity by the images, but by coincidence, I did see some empty, new 4L PET bottles today as well as 3 or 3.5L. ones.

I too would like to know who actually has these Pub Kegs on hand....
------------------------------------------------------

Guzzibrew,
Do you think the bucket with a valve (that works but poorly),
could work for bottle filling?

In any case I need a bucket with a valve.
If you still want to part with them I might be interested....

bf
 
Wim,

The STC is up and running... everything seems to be working correctly.
Thanks for your help.

Now I want to try and make an extra sensor....
 
Those pubkegs look interesting. Personally, I use a 15 galling keg, but those seem interesting enough. My thought are about the hole size in the internal vessel. Is that problematic? Also, I couldn't help but wonder if heating tape or pads fit between the inner vessel and the outside bucket? Seems like an awesome efficient way to control temp...
 
Here is the site for the manufacturer of most of the pubkegs I have seen: http://pubkeg.com/features/#
You can see dimensions on there etc...

I do not keep the threaded valve, I ONLY use them for fermenting as they are not intended to be re pressurized. That being said, I have used them once to dispense 20 L of hurricane cocktails for our Mardi-Gras party at the restaurant - this was under low pressure. I don't think they can be used for force-carbonation so using them for serving seems like much more work than the risk is worth. They accept the same large rubber stopper that I used for my previous fermenters. This should be the same size as most carboys?

Yes I have slipped a heat mat in between the shell and the bottle very nicely! It was a seedling starter heat pad. I used foam insulation on the outside and it was fine during winter. Cooling it may be more difficult, I have sat the whole thing in the tub but the outer shell prevents water from circulating very well. Placing blocks of ice on the lid allowed for the slow trickle of cold water to chill inside however. This year I hope to build a ferm chamber and then this won't be an issue.

Any craft place that has imports should have them, and they cost money to dispose of in Japan so you can get them for free. I have at least one a week at Nawlins in Yokosuka but there will be closer options for you in Yokohama.
 
Blue-Frog

The bucket with the valve could indeed be used for bottling- that's what I used it for. The valve is a plastic one that flows, but can clog if you are using whole hops- ask me how I know. It flows slowly. Good for bottles, bad for kegs (it takes forever to fill a keg). The valve action is pretty flimsy as well. I usually just left it open and pinched the hose when filling bottles. It does however eliminate the need for a syphon :) and the valve is just slightly above the bottom of the bucket so it leaves the trub behind.

I'll try and take a picture of it when I get home.

If you are near/ in a big city I would definitely trade the bucket for one of those pub kegs if you could source one... or a few bottles of your home brew...


GB
 
WhoZit,

Is that a 15 Gallon Keg? Is that an steel keg? Did you find that in Japan? I've not seen any around. The biggest I've seen looked to be about 25 liters? (about
6 gallons.)

I'm using corny kegs which hold about 20L, but I'd love something larger for a primary when I need space for the krausen.

GB
 
I was lucky. It's a sanke with part of the top cut out and converted to corney connectors (not by me). One extra port on top to which I attached an adjustable PRV for pressurized/closed system fermenting. Also has a port near the bottom but I just plug that with a thermometer.

Counter pressure transfer to serving kegs and secondaries, beer gun for bottling.
 
Speaking of kegs, has anyone ever seen or tried this?
http://makebeer.jp/

I stumbled on this site yesterday. I have 2 20l sanke kegs from some bbqs I organized before. I just forgot to return them, but if this tool works fine, I am thinking of keeping them for kegging.

Best,
Wim
 
I used to use one. It's a very cheap way to start kegging, even though you're technically renting the kegs with the deposit price. It's expensive for what it is, but depending on how many kegs you want it can be cheaper overall. I used this system until I collected enough corneys to make the change.
 
I just recently returned all my Asahi kegs and got the deposits back (traded for co2, etc)...
 
Btw, the large bungs at advanced brewing fit the opening of the J-sanke kegs pretty well. Just keep in mind you can't ferment out a whole 20L unless you ferment it concentrated and dilute it later...
 
WhoZiT said:
I used to use one. It's a very cheap way to start kegging, even though you're technically renting the kegs with the deposit price. It's expensive for what it is, but depending on how many kegs you want it can be cheaper overall. I used this system until I collected enough corneys to make the change.
Click to expand...

Is this tool easy to use? I do not plan on using the kegs for fermenting, but just for dispensing. Is it safe to dispense if you opened them with this tool?

Also, my friend is working for one of the Belgian beer distributors in Japan, and they recently had some beer on Growler kegs and they dont need them anymore. They are 5L I think. But reading up about these kegs, you cannot use any CO2 on them. Has anyone experience with these?

Best,
Wim
 
There is a latch that keeps the spear from shooting out. If you take the extra steps to remove the latch, it works well.

Removing the latch could be dangerous. Just remember to release the pressure before removing it. This tool helps depressurize the keg by pushing in the poppet when you crank it down.
 
If you are at all handy, you can open it with tools around the house.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stMPpVAJ8ho[/ame]

If you have access to a drill and either a grinder or a file you can easily make a tool that will make the job less brutal than this video shows and will probably make the gasket last longer too!

Buy two large washers at your local hardware store that are the same diameter as the inside of the sanke assembly. You will also need two bolts and two nuts. The nuts should be slightly bigger than the hole in the washer. Drill a biggish hole halfway between the inside hole and the outer edge of both washers. File two slots in one washer so it fits inside the sanke valve.

To use:

1)Release pressure (push down on ball with screwdriver) Direct flow of stale beer away from you!
2) To unscrew the spear assembly as much as you can. Put the two washers together and assemble them with the two bolts and nuts with the bolts on the slotted side.
3) Place the slotted washer over the sanke valve with the slots mated to the tabs(the second washer will stop it from falling through)
4)Use the two standing bolts to unscrew the valve. I use a big adjustable wrench across the bolts.
5)With the valve unscrewed as far as possible disassemble the washers and using only the slotted washer with a bolt and nut insert the washer and turn it so the second offset hole aligns with the s on the valve.
6)Screw down on the bolt so it depresses the valve and seal as far as you can.
7)Insert long slender screwdriver through drilled hole between the seal and the edge of the valve. You are probing for a channel- slide the screwdriver down the channel and trip the safety. then finish unscrewing the complete assembly.

If you are planning to reuse the valve assembly you *could* remove the safety, but then the spear would probably launch in your face if you ever tried to remove it with pressure still in the keg!

These instructions sound difficult but it's pretty straight forward. Took me a couple of hours to make the tool- it was the first one I made and I made some mistakes. It took me a lot longer to find the instructions on how to trip the safety. Most of the American sanke kegs use a different system that uses a circlip.
 
Thanks for all the info!
Yeah, its fairly expensive, but if I can open and close up those kegs safely with it, it might be worth the buy.
Either way, I am still far from kegging! Still have to retry my first brew.
I am thinking of buying one of those specialty kits of Brewland with the LME and DME and some hops. Anyone used any of their full kits before?

I also looked started reading up about SMaSH brewing. I think that might be my starting point for when I get my own grains! Asahimalt seems like a good place to buy resources.

Best,
Wim
 
At 8500 for the tool you are a GOOD ways towards getting a corny keg. Think about how you are going to clean that sanke keg before you buy the tool. A corny keg is accessible to cleaning and that convenience in itself should be worth the price difference.
 
Hey all,

I was reading through John Palmers book, and I was wondering how you guys connect your wort chiller to the kitchen faucet. I have been looking around in the home center, but I don't seem to find the right solution.
 
Does your faucet have threads or is it the smooth type? If the threaded type, try to measure it and get a screw on adapter.

The smooth type is actually easier and you can often find the parts at 100 yen shops. There are adapters for hoses that slip onto the smooth faucet and grip it tight when you tighten the threads. Some come with screws that can also be used to secure to the faucet if you are concerned about water pressure knocking it off. They also come in 2 flavors, one that allows you to attach a hose directly and another that has a male quick-connect. I use the quick connect, and the female connector stays on my chiller line. Most of the time I never take the male connection off my kitchen faucet. Only problem is that the hoses they are usually for are pretty large diameter, so you need to figure out how to adapt that to the chiller coil connection. My workaround is a smaller diameter hose with a section of rigid tubing in it, slipped into the larger tube, and a hose clamp on the whole mess. It splices it good enough but isn't pretty.
 
A friend clued me into a great device that you hook up on the water line into your washing machine. The device allows you to divert it to a garden hose with one knob. You can find them at most home centers, and it has a quick disconnect already installed. Very useful.

IMG_20150419_121002.jpg
 

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