Keg King - Malt King - Geared 3 Roller Grain Mill - Adjusting Gap Size

We've assembled our grain mill, so the next step is to go ahead and adjust the rollers to the required gap size. Adjusting the gap size is important as it effects how the grain is crushed. A smaller gap will lead to a finer crush, which can help with conversion of starches to sugar, but can cause issues with recirculation or sparging, since the water is not able to flow through the grain bed as easily. Conversely, a larger gap will give a coarser crush, which can aid in water flow through the grain bed, but can lead to decreased conversion of starches to sugar (ie. efficiency). Finding the sweet spot for your brewing system is key, and like most things, setting the gap size is pretty easy once you know how to do it. The provided instructions with the grain mill certainly lack the kind of detail you need to do it properly. Read on for some detailed steps on how we did it.

Cerveza Piñata - Mexican Lager - Tasting Results/Review

Our second attempt at a Mexican Lager and we're very pleased with how this one turned out. A new recipe and new yeast variety helps to keep things interesting, and makes it all the more satisfying when it turns out well.

KegLand - RAPT Pill Wireless Charging Kit - Review

 

We've had our RAPT Pill for quite some time now - after purchasing it back in early 2022, not too long after they were initially released by KegLand. The wireless upgrade kit has been available for some time now, and we finally got around to ordering one and fitting it to our Pill - read on to see what we think.

Keg King - Malt King - Geared 3 Roller Grain Mill - Assembly

The next step in our homebrewing journey is to take the plunge into milling our own grains. We opted for the Malt King from Keg King - a geared 3 roller grain mill that comes with a nice steel mounting board and saves us having to muck around creating our mounting board from timber. We recently went through the assembly so figured we'd document our experience.

KegLand - Blunderberg Ginger Beer Kit - Review

We often like to have a beer alternative on tap and we recently tried KegLand's Blunderberg Ginger Beer kit. It's essentially a glorified cordial, requiring some flavour "shot" concentrates to be mixed with water, sugar and another additive to prevent it from fermenting. 

Juice Boost 2.0 - Hazy IPA - BrewZilla Brew Day

 

Our first daytime brew day in quite some time, and this time we're making our second version of the Juice Boost Hazy IPA (formerly NEIPA). A slightly tweaked grain bill from the original and some new hop varieties, and our first beer using Lallemand's new Pomona yeast. Can't wait to see how this one turns out!

Juice Boost 2.0 - Hazy IPA - All Grain Recipe

Our second attempt at a Hazy IPA (or New England IPA), after the great success of the original Juice Boost recipe. We've kept the name but modified the grain bill and hop schedule as we always do to try and keep things new and interesting.

Flying Horses - American Amber Ale - Tasting Results/Review

This was our second attempt at an amber ale, following on from our reasonably successful Headspace Amber Ale that we made last year. We changed the recipe slightly this time around, firstly as our local brew shop was out of the Gladfield Shepherd's Delight malt that we think really made the difference in our first attempt, but we also like to try out different hop varieties and malt combinations - and we feel we definitely learnt a few things after making this beer. A late change a couple of weeks after kegging actually seemed to turn this beer around, as to be honest, we weren't all that pleased with how it initially turned out, but in the end it turned out great!

Redemption - West Coast IPA - All Grain Recipe

This will be our third attempt at a West Coast IPA, after our first two batches come out somewhat lacking. After plenty of research, we're confident we've found the reason for this - too much sulfate in our water profile that lead to an aggressively bitter finish and stripped out nearly all hop aroma and flavour.

Cerveza Piñata - Mexican Lager - BrewZilla Brew Day

 

Here's a quick run down from our latest brew day - our Cerveza Piñata Mexican Lager. We had a friend join us for this one, so we didn't capture as many photos as we normally would.

Stone & Wood Pacific Ale - Official Clone Recipe - Tasting Results/Review

 

Third time's a charm, or so the saying goes, and it certainly was for us in this case. Our 3rd attempt at creating this iconic beer, and we feel like we've really nailed it this time. Although we can't take all the credit (refer to the original Recipe post for more detail on how the recipe we used came to be), we're certainly very pleased with how it turned out, and think this is the closest we're going to be able to get to replicating the original Stone & Wood Pacific Ale.

KegLand - Series X Kegerator - Review

For homebrewing enthusiasts, having a personal kegging setup is often considered the ultimate goal. The advantages of kegging over bottling are well-established, with significant reductions in cleaning time and oxidation risk being the most notable. Additionally, the sheer enjoyment and ‘cool’ factor of serving your own beer from a tap at home is an experience that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Cerveza Piñata - Mexican Lager - All Grain Recipe

 

Our second attempt at a Mexican lager and we're going for a slightly different approach and recipe. Although we're including the crucial ingredient in a Mexican lager - some kind of corn derivative like maize, we're going for a slightly darker beer than the usual pilsner malt base like we did in our first mexican lager (which turned out great).

Stone & Wood Pacific Ale Clone - BrewZilla Brew Day

 

This is our third attempt at trying to replicate this iconic beer, and we're hoping this attempt will be the closest and best one yet. Check out our previous post with the full recipe details that were apparently shared by an ex-Stone and Wood brewer.

Full Nelson - New Zealand Pilsner - Tasting Results/Review

It's actually been a little while since we blew through the keg of this one, however we had a couple of bottles from this batch sitting in our kegerator that we decided to enter along with our Mr Rice Guy Japanese Rice Lager into the 2024 NSW Homebrewing Competition.

Mr Rice Guy - Japanese Rice Lager - Tasting Results/Review

We were pretty pleased with how this one turned out, and we actually decided to enter it into the 2024 NSW Homebrewing Competition where it claimed 3rd place in the pale lager category, which we're incredibly proud of, with a combined score of 73/100.

Full Nelson - New Zealand Pilsner - BrewZilla Brew Day

Another (brew) day under our belt - here's how it went.

Full Nelson - New Zealand Pilsner - All Grain Recipe

Foreword

We actually brewed this beer several months ago but negated to post it at the time (for a couple of reasons), but after recently entering this beer into the NSW Homebrewing Competition where it claimed second place in the pale lager category, we figured it's definitely worth sharing.

KegLand - Hop Bong - Hands on Review

We first looked at KegLand's Hop Bong just prior to it's release way back in 2022. It may have taken us a while, but we finally got our hands on one, so here's our hands on review based on our experience with it so far.

Building a Home Brewery - Design Ideas

Thinking of designing a dedicated space for your homebrewing adventures, and looking for some inspiration or ideas? This was us a couple of years ago when we were designing a new house. We were able to include a few brewing related additions to our design, in particular in the garage where at least part of it was going to be used for brewing. These inclusions have been paying dividends for us since we moved in, so we thought we'd share our experience on this.

Flying Horses - American Amber Ale - BrewZilla Brew Day

Here's the run down from our latest brew day - our Flying Horses American Amber Ale. You can check out the link to the recipe at the bottom of this page.

Flying Horses - American Amber Ale - All Grain Recipe

Foreword

Although it's the end of winter and spring just sprung, we're definitely in the mood for something hoppy and malty whilst the nights are still quite cool, so an amber ale seems to be in order. Our first attempt at an amber ale, dubbed Headspace, turned out great, so our next iteration of an American Amber Ale is quite similar but with a slightly adjusted grain bill and hop schedule, since we like to continuously change things up and keep it interesting.

High Sulfate Levels in Beer - How Much is Too Much? (feat. Adam Makes Beer)

In a previous blog post, we shared our anecdotal experience with excessive sulfate levels in beer, particularly in hop forward styles like IPA's. You view the article here, but in summary, we found that a number of our beers, all of which featured loads of hops added late in the boil and at dry hop, were completely lacking in hop aroma and flavour. On top of this, they had a harsh, astringent bitterness that overpowered everything else, and a strong malty sweetness. In short, these beers just weren't any good, and we ended up dumping a couple of them.

Pacific Pale Ale - Tasting Results/Review

This would have to be one of the best pale ales we’ve ever made. There’s a few things we’d adjust slightly if we were to make it again, but overall we’re very pleased with how it turned out. A slight tweak in our water profile, namely moving away from the Brewfather hoppy profile and trying a reduced level of sulfate appears to have netted us some real improvements in hop aroma and flavour.

Keg King - Apollo Stainless Steel Pressure Lid - Review

Back in August 2022, we got our hands on Keg King’s Apollo Titan fermenter, and it’s been our go-to fermenter ever since! The stainless steel construction is top-notch, and the small opening at the top gives us a reliable seal every time.

Mr Rice Guy - Japanese Rice Lager - BrewZilla Brew Day

Our latest brew day was for our Mr Rice Guy - Japanese Rice Lager recipe. Here's how it went

Mr Rice Guy - Japanese Rice Lager - All Grain Recipe

 

Foreword

We're on a mission to try out all the different types of lagers, and next up is a Japanese rice lager. We're big fans of Japanese lagers, especially Asahi, so if we can whip up something even close to that, we'll be pretty happy.

KegLand - Premium Stainless Steel Drill Powered Mash Stirrer - Review

Let's face it, brewing beer is a delightful blend of art and science, but nobody wants to spend eons stirring like a medieval alchemist. Enter the KegLand Premium Stainless Steel Drill Powered Mash Stirrer & Mixer (KL32247) - a bit like the superhero of your brewing toolkit.

Raspberry Sour - Tasting Notes/Review

Our inaugural attempt at crafting a sour beer has yielded delightful results that exceed our expectations. Utilizing Philly Sour yeast proved to be a winning choice, aligning closely with the experiences of others who have explored its capabilities.

Awesome 4Some - West Coast IPA - Tasting Results & Review

Here’s a quick update to wrap things up – unfortunately, this brew didn’t make the cut (i.e., we ended up pouring it down the drain). It’s only the second time we’ve had to do this, but life’s too short to settle for subpar beer.