Homebrew Beer Howto

oblivious

Bought one in Argos in the Blanchardstown center for 19.99 euro

freedgull

Hey all - I'm new to this list

Just ordered my equipment and some ingredients form Grape and Grain...

It's all arriving this afternoon - I can't wait to start my Pale Ale this weekend

3.2 kg Light Extract
Steeped Crystal Malt
Bittering with Northern Brewer
Flavoring and finishing with Goldings

May dry hop it into the 2nd...

It's been close to 2.5 years since my last batch - I lived in NYC and when I moved home I had to leave my stuff behind me

bigears

Hi there freedgull. Good to hear you're getting back into it. I imagine your choice of equipment in NY was better than you'll get here, hope you didn't have to leave anything too good behind!

freedgull

Only my 5 gal carboy - it was from one of those old watercoolers... I had trouble finding one here but Grape and Grain came through in the end.

What I really miss is my local homebrew shop. Nothing like a good browse and chat. I hope I remembered everything I need... Shopping by phone is not the best.

bigears

Yeah, it's a shame there's nowhere you can pop in...

freedgull

Also there was a homebrew gatherings run by mugs alehouse in brooklyn once a month. People would taste each others beers and have a good night out. ..

Didn't take as much advantage as I should seemed like there was always next month to go...

guildofevil

Just found a good deal on ebay. Have a look at this:

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Mash-Lauter-Tun-Homebrew-Beer-12-gallon-capacity_W0QQitemZ150037319783QQihZ005QQcategoryZ38172QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

He sells 10 US Gal (which he has down as 45 litres, but that's 10 UK Gal. 10 US Gal is 38 litres) insulated mash/lauter tuns. Igloo cooler with UPVC manifold and spigot for $50. He also does a 15 US Gal. version.

guildofevil

My Bad. It's actually a 12 US Gal cooler, which is 45 litres.

Séan

bigears

Sounds like you're tempted

guildofevil

Damn right I'm tempted!

A 45 litre capacity mash/lauter tun is loads of elbowroom for lots of grain. I like my big beers.

Using a bruheat boiler and slightly modified 25l picnic cooler, for the sparge water, would give me a three tier system, which would be SO handy.

Séan

oblivious

Hi freedgull

Good to here your back, it seen it’s impossible to get that homebrew monkey off your back.

noby

Would you get screwed on shipping, though, Séan?

guildofevil

Yeah, the postage is pretty steep at $38. But the whole lot boils down to $88, including shipping and insurance, which is €68.

I don't think I could actually get a 45 litre cooler for that. I haven't seen anything above 25 litres available here and if I order it from abroad, I'm back to getting screwed on shipping.

Séan

The Sweeper

Might you get hit for tax on that when you realise the post office/courier company are holding it at customes and want another €20 - €30 on top to release the item?

guildofevil

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

Might you get hit for tax on that when you realise the post office/courier company are holding it at customes and want another €20 - €30 on top to release the item?

That is a danger, but I have ordered quite a bit of stuff from the US in the past, including six cornelius kegs and have never been hit for tax.

Séan

The Sweeper

Hmmm - are they usually privately shipped, using the post office, by private citizens, or shipped using couriers by companies? As far as I can tell, I get nobbled buying anything from the US every time it's from a company (as opposed to on eBay) and is sent by courier...

guildofevil

Maybe that's it. I usually go for the cheapest and therefore slowest option, which usually turns out to be the USPS, whether it's being sent from a company or a private individual. Seems that option is even cheaper than it might first appear.

Séan

bigears

get nobbled buying anything from the US every time it's from a company (as opposed to on eBay) and is sent by courier...

Is this because it is coming from a non-EU country? The reason I ask is that I have ordered stuff from a UK homebrew shop in the past and had it couriered over with no problems.

How would they decide what tax to charge for a "picnic cooler modified for use as a mash/lauter tun?"

freedgull

Only time I have encountered customs is when I sent an iPod to a friend while i was living in new york. I sent it registered insured mail and they snagged it.

I have never had problems myself and have ordered loads of stuff from US companies and Ebay...

**SUBJECT CHANGE**
Has anyone watched the Basic Brewing Video Podcast? It's quite interesting... Loads of helpful info to the beginner and alot of good ideas for the more seasoned brewer I imagine

guildofevil

Me and my big mouth.

Just got hit for tax on a bunch of stuff I got from northern brewer. So much fro that theory.

Séan

bigears

Oh sh1t!!

How was the tax applied? Was it a fixed percentage? It's worth knowing what to factor in if ordering from there.

Was it sent by courier?

oblivious

Sorry to hear about the Tax’s

guildofevil

So you know what the rate is like, the order total was $209.70, which is €164.20. The tax is the tax due is €52.33. I can't remember the shipping off hand.

I know what mistake I made, that caused me to pop up on the tax man's radar. I insured the items.

But, this just gets better and this bit is down to An Post, not Customs and Excise.

As I didn't have €52.33 in cash this morning when they tried to deliver the parcel, (no they won't take a cheque, or VISA) I have to go to the parcel office and collect it. And as the parcel was insured, they didn't bring it to my local post office in Phibsborough, oh no. Séan, who doesn't have a car, has to collect this stuff from the depot in Kilbarrack.

An Post run a wonderful service, don't they? I have no idea why people use couriers.

That's the last time I insure a parcel, I can tell you.

Séan

bigears

Wonderful service.

Can you ask them to deliver it to your door again and pay them the cash then? Normally they will 'redeliver' if you can't come and collect but I'm not sure if this applies where it's gone off to Kilbarrack depot.

The Sweeper

Incidentally, part of the charge incurred through taxes can be an administration fee charged by the courier company for having to do customs administration with your kit.

Getting stung for tax on imports is FAR more likely to happen when purchasing from the US for shipment into the UK or Ireland than it is shipping into Ireland from the UK or mainland Europe. I'm not sure if that's because of the trade barriers within Europe having been dropped, but I suppose it could be.

I have had to pay tax on every single thing I've ever had shipped from the US. If your kit is:

New.
Described and declared on the waybill as being of a certain value.
Insured.

You'll get hit for tax coming through customs. A note on insurance: if you're getting an item sent from the US and the shipper will be putting a description of the goods and their value on the waybill (as they're required to by law I believe), you'll get hit for tax either way so there's no point skimping on insurance to try and dodge a fee from the customs man. All that'll happen is you leave yourself open to risk if the goods go awol (unless you've used your credit card and such things are covered automatically on your credit card insurance).

guildofevil

Trade barriers have been taken down within the EU, so customs have no business charging you tax on an item purchased in another EU country. Even where the VAT rate is different in the country of origin, you pay the VAT there and therefore cannot be asked to pay it here too.

If the vendor does more than about €500,000 per year (figure off the top of my head, so don't quote me on that) of trade with customers in another EU country, Ireland for instance, they have to get a local VAT representative and charge those customers Irish VAT, AT POINT OF SALE. So even in that case, customs have no business charging you extra, once the goods have been shipped.

None of this helps me though, as northern brewer is in the US.

When I had cornies shipped from the US, they did put the item description, value and shipping cost on the airway bill, but I still wasn't hit for tax. That and the fact that insured items appear to be treated differently, makes me a little suspicious of taking out insurance again.

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

unless you've used your credit card and such things are covered automatically on your credit card insurance.

I didn't know that about credit cards. Are you sure that is all credit card companies? If so, I didn't even have to insure the item, as I DID pay with my VISA card.

Séan

The Sweeper

Cool on the clarification on the euro shipping.

Check with your card company regarding your insurance - often times it's in the small print as a value add service, that you don't have to pay for, depending on what sort of card you have (as in gold, platinum, grade A customer or whatever, as opposed to just Visa or Mastercard) and covers you for loss of goods or breakage of purchases in transit etc.

I have a feeling you may have just gotten luckie getting cornies shipped with no customs hit. I get hit every goddamned time I have something shipped - insured or otherwise.

oblivious

Hi all

I just though I would post this article form the BYO, it’s a comprehensive guide to the several of extract home brewing such as concentrated boil, late extract method and Texas two step and there are recipes included.

http://www.byo.com/feature/1510.html

Ceddy

Hi, great to see that there is brew talk alive and kicking over here.

I use to work in a Firkin brewery in London over 10 years ago and we use to produce 1000lts a brew. I have been toying with the idea of starting to do a bit of home brewing for the last year. But after reading this thread this has really twisted my arm.

A friend of mine back in the UK used to use 2 Burca Boilers (1 to boil his liqour, 1 to use as a kettle for hopping) I think these were 50 lt vessels.

He was a great man for using muslin in the mash. He knocked up a sprinkler that could sit on top of his mash tun above the suspended muslin grain bag. He would initially submerge the muslin with 1/3 of the liquor and then sparge (more of a slow drip of water) with the other 2/3 liqour.

He would then boil the wort with hops in his second burca boiler.

He had a modified keg to cool the wort on way to his fermenting tank. The keg had a cooper/aluminimum ring inside which the wort would circulate through. Cold water was constanly piped through the keg to prevent it heating up.

This guy made a great Oatmeal Stout which I have to say was better than an pint of stout I tasted, and I aint saying that cos It was free

He also made a cider from Tesco Apple Juice that was superb but pretty strong.

Sorry for the ramblings or if I have misused terminology.

Hope to be up and running as soon as equipment is acquired.

On another note there is a guy on E-bay who does home brew courses in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. These are weekend courses and he only charges £35. Accomadation & travel extra. Its certainly interest to me.

bigears

Hi Ceddy,

Sounds like you'll have plenty to add to the forum. 50 litre boilers - now that's brewing