My first AG mini mash(now with pic's)

[retourrbx]

looking to move over to NZ in September - what are the prices of grains and hops down there? Also what hops are common and is it easy enough to get ingredients off microbreweries?
In which region do they grow their supplies?
Cheers
Rb

[Martin the fish]

looking to move over to NZ in September - what are the prices of grains and hops down there? Also what hops are common and is it easy enough to get ingredients off microbreweries?
In which region do they grow their supplies?
Cheers
Rb

Only Hop flowers you can get here are found at http://www.nzhops.co.nz/ i have Sticklebract and just got Green Bullet. Both High Alpha 10%+
Pellets are available from Dennis at http://www.dunedinmalthouse.co.nz/ (i ordered 100g each of fuggles and east kent goldings today) as is CRUSHED( ) grain and liquid yeasts.
You can import hops and yeasts from Oz if you want. Customs are an arse here and 90% of anything from abroad i've ordered has been opened and FULLY checked. Sometimes things just 'disappear' too...
There is a chain called BrewersWorld where the owners are v helpfull but definately kit focused. They do have a limited stock of grain in 1kg bags but they don't crush for you. Hence my above experience.

Get ingredients of microbrewers? Not in NZ you won't. As far as i can tell. I haven't found a microbrewer, except for some mad german guy who's just started up in town here.
It would all depend on where your moving to? If your moving to Dunedin then fine, you have the only shop in NZ that caters for AG right on ya doorstep. But if you are near me you'll find it frustrating i guess. But i am a newbie to this brewing game so ask me again in 6 month's and i'll probably have a different answer
Generally, and i hate to say this, kiwi's drink awful lager and seem to be happy with it.

Have you been to NZ for an extended time before? It's a bit like UK in the fifties in a lot of ways. V poor salaries here and a high cost of living-cars, fuel, clothing etc. But the sea's are teeming with fish, scallops, crays, mussels etc and outside of towns £200,000 buys you a fifty acre lifestyle block with 4-5 bed house. Living of the land is a major part of kiwi life. You would find it hard to find a kiwi who don't hunt or fish. Male or female. Venison and sushimi are standard food-you won't find a kiwi paying for it though. It'll have been caught or shot. But the population here is 4 million in same-ish land mass as uk. 3 million of which live on the north island. All of which own at least 3 guns and a fishing boat. Rugby and cricket rule the sports channels. Christmas is hot and dinner is a barby.

[Martin the fish]

It's all part of the learning process. (you didn't try blitzing them in a food processor did you?)

Er, me?

No need for that anymore-Dennis at Dunedin Malt House was v helpful and is sending up 5kg Pale(crushed), 5kg MO(crushed) 1kg Crystal(crushed) 100g Fuggles pellets, 100g EKG pellets & some irish moss. He said he'll throw me in some goodies too. Should be here before the weekend.

Looks like your grain supply is resolved

Looks like it.

I wouldn't have even got to this point without the forum and the encouragement here. Added to the encouragement i got today from Dunedin Malthouse i'm even more excited about my second AG than trying out my first.

Also the whole 'making beer from grain' and the ability to adapt your own recipes to your own tastes is something that is suddenly consuming every second of my spare time. Have i fallen to the dark side? Feels strangely good

[Martin the fish]

Have you been to NZ for an extended time before? It's a bit like UK in the fifties in a lot of ways. V poor salaries here and a high cost of living-cars, fuel, clothing etc. But the sea's are teeming with fish, scallops, crays, mussels etc and outside of towns £200,000 buys you a fifty acre lifestyle block with 4-5 bed house. Living of the land is a major part of kiwi life. You would find it hard to find a kiwi who don't hunt or fish. Male or female. Venison and sushimi are standard food-you won't find a kiwi paying for it though. It'll have been caught or shot. But the population here is 4 million in same-ish land mass as uk. 3 million of which live on the north island. All of which own at least 3 guns and a fishing boat. Rugby and cricket rule the sports channels. Christmas is hot and dinner is a barby.

I'll be over as soon as me and Hector get our Visas

Gimme a course in brewing and we'll sponsor ya

[redmire fc]

Hi mtf.... sorry to here about your low gravity, but it really is part of the experience...in a few brews you'll be sounding like a technical pamphlet for brewing, dispensing knowledge with a modest, yet matter of fact style, to all in trouble ..... most of us on here would probably earn a tut and shake of the head for some of the things we come out with by any really professional brewer....except for the likes of graham wheeler who graces our presence now and again...but 90% of the stuff to learn is fairly easy, & you just learn to be thorough. If you can get your grain somewere near, then temerature, PH, and sparging for at least 45mins are next....temperature is the most important! I kept mine at 66F for my first brew and wondered why anyone had trouble with it...66f NOOooo!66C!!!
I would also mash a little longer as this would hide any teething troubles with ph & temp, sparge etc until mastered.....2 or 3 hrs. Good luck with your next brew & well all help out were we can

[Martin the fish]

I'm in no hurry-i'm having a great time and learning something new. Making some mistakes, having some successes(spelling?) and get to drink beer as the result.

It's a good way for me to get away from the stresses of owning a tourism based business too. Can turn off for a few hours and concentrate on something else. Good for the soul

[Martin the fish]

You'll be getting plenty of repeat business if you have a corni full of beer on the boat

Plenty of repeat something and probably not the thing you want repeating, unfortunately.

Beer and heavy sea's don't often mix too well...

[retourrbx]

calculating the money I will be getting over there is a little depressing - I teach secondary so it will half pretty much... if I was wanting loads of money though I would stay here and get a job somehere else...

[Martin the fish]

As i'm the eternal optomist i bunged my 'wort' into a fermenter and pitched my yeast starter. Took an SG reading today and it's 1004, tastes of nothing but hops but is a great golden colour. So it's going down the drain tomorrow
I would say it was definately down to my badly crushed grain. Now i've seen proper crushed grain i could have got closer i reckon. If nothing it has given me a taste for making beer from grains.

First batch down the drain. If you don't make mistakes how can you learn?

[J_P]

First batch down the drain. If you don't make mistakes how can you learn?

Tough luck there MTF although if the above statement was true I'd be a bloody genius, but I'm not

When are you planning on getting "back in the saddle" so to speak?

[Martin the fish]

First batch down the drain. If you don't make mistakes how can you learn?

Tough luck there MTF although if the above statement was true I'd be a bloody genius, but I'm not

When are you planning on getting "back in the saddle" so to speak?

Already have-check out my first AG brewday. viewtopic.php?t=10145

Have ordered next batch of grain and am working on my next brewday
I am converted to the dark side and i love it