# Beer Brewing **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 30, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723 "2002-12-30T18:44:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Pebs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Johnny\_Pebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Pebs)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723/41 "2003-01-01T22:03:27Z")
I would think soaking it in sanitizer and/or running sanitizer through the siphon tube while it is still attached would clean it satisfactorily. After all, if you run sanitizer through the valve, it should hit everything that your wort would hit. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723/42 "2003-01-02T02:51:35Z")
It’s years since I last made homebrew, drinking less beer I guess, but I only started because a friend gave me a beer at his place which I identified as Coopers’ Real Ale. He had homebrewed it with a Coopers kit. At the time this was the beer I drank at the pub. It comes in bottles and, made in the traditional manner, has some sediment just like the homebrew. Both my friend and I made batches of various Coopers homebrews and they are all great. It seemed really cool to be able to brew beer that was exactly like what I had previously bought. All their kits contain the same ingredients used at their brewery, even the family’s 90 year old yeast strain. Their US distributor is [Cascadiabrew](http://www.cascadiabrew.com/) and the [Coopers](http://www.coopers.com.au) site has agents in other nations. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723/43 "2003-01-02T11:11:18Z")
Coopers Stout kit and a couple of pounds of honey makes a really nice “light” stout. Ahhhhhhhhhh ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723/44 "2003-01-02T20:43:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JohhnyPebs \* > \*\*Another siphon method I’ve heard of but never tried is installing a one-way check valve in-line on your siphon tube. Then as you push the tube down into the brew it forces its way up the tube, but cannot fall back down (because of the one way valve) as you raise the tube to push it back down into the liquid to force the level higher. \*\* I bought one of those. It worked once. I just use a [carboy cap](http://www.northernbrewer.com/ferment.html) for my carboy; it’s got one hole in the center for the racking cane, and another tube off to the side. You put that on the top of the carboy and blow into the tube until the beer comes out. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723/45 "2003-01-02T20:56:25Z")
**Ethilrist** ’s racking method works particularly well if you use CO[sub]2[/sub] to push the beer from one carboy to another. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723/46 "2003-01-03T00:05:45Z")
I’ll also add my recommendation to Coopers products. Quality, no-nonsense, gutsy brews. From memory they do: -Stout -Australian Draught (pub style rich lager) -Lager -Classic Old Dark Ale -Bitter (this one is my favourite - a slightly “Aussiefied” version of a UK pub bitter) ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723/47 "2003-01-03T04:29:57Z")
Siphoning techniques in our house-- a) mouthful of vodka, then suck; b) use just a tube (not a racking cane), submerge most of it in the beer, stick your thumb over the end and lower it so that it starts with gravity weight. A low-tech version of Johhnypebb’s technique. Did any other experienced/ novie hombrewers see that Alton Brown show? There were a couple of spots where we went “what?!”-- lost a tad of respect, but I understand that is was a generalist and first step kind of information he was trying to get across so we still love him. Wasn’t surprised when his beer was nigh-undrinkable at the end. Oh, was at bro-in-law’s place over the holidays and used a wort cooler for the first time and it was like finding religion. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Pebs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Johnny\_Pebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Pebs)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723/48 "2003-02-22T23:47:41Z")
So **Casey1505** , have you brewed anything yet. How’d it go? Pebs ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723/49 "2003-02-23T01:21:11Z")
I have not. Hopefully, when Uncle Sam pays back the interest free loan I spot him every year, I will be in a position to purchase the necessary equipment and have a go at it. Thanks for keeping me in mind, though. I will post back with a progress report after initial batch is completed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-brewing/145723.md?page=2)