Home brand

[Bluegum]

Just wondering if anyone has tried a Woollies home brand mix and if so what were your thoughts? I was speaking to a bloke today who reckons they're pretty good. He also said that they were made by Coopers as a spin off. The wife is picking me one up this sarvo while she's out so I will put it down tomorrow.

[Sir Stinkalot]

I havent tried one myself but from other forums I have read they say they are a little watery ..... for the amount of work involved in starting and bottling a brew I would rather spend the extra few dollars on quality goods from the local brew shop.

[Bluegum]

Thanks for that as you know what they say , you get what you pay for.

[Buzza]

Over last few years I've dropped in on a mate that lives a few hundred K's away from me (luckily for him), and he gets me out into his bar where we drink the great beer that he has made all day long.

I asked him recently what his secret was. Homebrand, fermented with white sugar, second fermentation with white sugar was his reply. He also said that he'd done it that way the first time, and it had never failed him ever since, which is getting on for twenty years, and he makes lots of the stuff. His bar is a great domain for a lot great friends with lots of great tales, so lots of Homebrand has been sunk there. :2tsup:

[echnidna]

I used to brew a bit. I trialled a few diffent ones and the Homebrand brewed with glucose was well liked.

So buy a can, make a brew and see if you like it.

[Bluegum]

Might have to give it a go to see how it turns out. I have a brigalow lager in the barrel at the moment, but I recently spotted a couple of what looks to be new mixes last week at big W. Coopers European lager was one of them and I thought I saw a munich lager there as well so the wheels are in motion for the next few brews I have planned.

[NOISY ONE]

Havnt done it but word on the street in other forums is use 2 cans of homebrand and yeast, works quite well.

[benja]

Could be an excellent way of reducing the cost of a 'sugarless' (ie 2 can) brew.
Have been a big fan of these for a while, maltiness and complexity of flavours is great.
Mind you i get coopers pale malt bulk for $6 a kilo from the local HBS.

[Bluegum]

Hey benja,

Who's your supplier mate? that's a terrific price. I might have to look into that as an alternative to seperate tins of brew.

[Buzza]

I think Woollies have it, and here in South Australia, it is about seven bucks for the can and yeast. Very cheap, and it works. (Just in case Benja is away for a while). :cool:

[benja]

Annerley Home Brew, Ipswich Rd Annerley. Traditional, old school brewers emporium, founded in the brewers strikes, and keepin' it real to this day. Pricing is variable, depends if they like you.
Just remember its about $6 a kilo, and malt requires 1.4-1.6 time as much as sugar.

[Bluegum]

Thanks benja I know the place as we drive past it on our way down to morningside. Stopped in there once and I when I first started brewing. No I will have to go back there.

[Dion N]

Over last few years I've dropped in on a mate that lives a few hundred K's away from me (luckily for him), and he gets me out into his bar where we drink the great beer that he has made all day long.

I asked him recently what his secret was. Homebrand, fermented with white sugar, second fermentation with white sugar was his reply. He also said that he'd done it that way the first time, and it had never failed him ever since, which is getting on for twenty years, and he makes lots of the stuff. His bar is a great domain for a lot great friends with lots of great tales, so lots of Homebrand has been sunk there. :2tsup:

Had some of my borther in law's Home Brand brew last weekend - he reckons the first batches were terrible until he replaced the sugar with honey. I thought it was pretty good for Home Brand.

[Buzza]

Honey sounds expensive but nice. I think we are basically looking for the cheapest way to brew a batch. Coles Foodland have brew in the Farmland brand for seven dollars.

Honey for a brew sugar? Now this has me interested . . . :)

[Big Al HomeBrew]

Hi Dave - nope I have never tried a Woolies Home Brand brew - I guess because it looks cheaper and you think it is inferior quality - I am not surprised that Coopers make the Woolies home brew - who told you/what's your source? I have heard of a few blokes taking a few cans of the home brands and mixing them. I have a Brigalow Lager brewing at the moment and it has just gone NUTS - it is still bubbling today 29/6 after I put it down on 15/6. Am comparing it with a brew of the new Coopers European Lager which was quite slow in comparison. Let me know how you go with the home brand. Cheers Big Al

[Bluegum]

Hi big Al,

Welcome to the forum mate as there is plenty in here to keep you going no matter what your into. I leave my brews in the fermentor for two weeks then bottle. I had put down the coopers euro lager and to be honest it didn't really rate to much with me. I would be checking the SG in that brew just to see what its doing. Its only the last few brews that I have taken SG levels seriously as just leaving it in the barrel for the two weeks was enough. I will try to remember who it was that told me about the home brand and Coopers.

[walcen]

Ive tried a few home brand brews, I found if you brew em with 400g dried malt 400g dextrose and 200g corn syrup, OR (Cooper's brew enhancer 2 ),leave it down for a couple of weeks in ambient temp below 24 deg before priming with plain white sugar you will get a real nice full mouth feel bear. But be aware that woolies store there stock on pallets in big hot warehouses, and yeast doesn't like heat, and yeast in poor condition wont brew out properly.
But I'm not an expert:cool:
regards
Wal

[pommyphil]

I've just started drinking a 6month old 2X homebrand draught, and I will not do it again,
but then I'm a black ( Dark Ale ) drinker and all that pale stuff seems "thin".

For anyone who hasn't tried it yet, store your brew in total darkness and taste the difference.

[Buzza]

Ahhh, your name suggests, you are dark beer drinker. The Home Brand stuff is more like beer or pilsener. What you drink is a meal in a glass. :D You cannot compare the two different type Mate.

[Horsecroft88]

I can't say I have tried any of the home brand brews, and while have used Coopers in the past, I mostly use one of the many variants from the Muntons range. Given that I buy my beer kits from my local home brew shop, I am pretty confident their turn over rate is good so that the yeast is not going to be a problem.

Dependant on whether making a dark ale, pale, pilsner or whatever, I change between light and dark malts (dextrose) and on some occasions have also added a little honey. I can't say I have tried corn syrup but always do leave my brews in the dark once bottled. I like mine a lot :D. Cheers Dave