The Beer Machine $65 at Target

Related Stores

Target Australia

• 

  KnownSystemError on 24/04/2013 - 14:51

  Is this a bargain or regular price?

  • 

    Crampton on 24/04/2013 - 14:56

    It is in the "Below Cost" section of the Target website. I was told it's normally over $100

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  Bitsurfr on 24/04/2013 - 15:01

  Saw this last night, was wondering how long it would be before someone posted on ozb lol

  • 

    00 on 24/04/2013 - 15:10

    You could have posted it.

    • 

      PlagueistheCheap on 24/04/2013 - 15:11

      Maybe he didn't because its a piece of junk and didn't want people to waste their money.

    • 

      Bitsurfr on 24/04/2013 - 15:42

      +2

      I thought it was a piece of junk, didn't seem particularly cheap.

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  one man clan on 24/04/2013 - 15:12

  Any reviews of the product (the brewer and the brew)?

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  altomic on 24/04/2013 - 15:15

  It's simple but I'd prefer to bottle my beer rather than drinking something that has been sitting on a bed of yeast.

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  weezlebub on 24/04/2013 - 15:24

  +15

  best bet getting the coopers home brew kit …

  alternatively, go to bunnings & get:
  - 25L plastic barrel with a screw plug in the bottom (approx 20$)
  - a plastic tap that fits (approx 2$)
  - go to brew shop & get one valve way twisty water thing (approx 5$)
  - get rubber seal for one way valve (approx 2$)
  - get can of home brew stuff from supermarket (approx 15$)
  - 1kg sugar (approx 2$)
  - 1 bag of carbonation drops (approx 5$)
  - empty plastic bottles (screw top with lids)

  Then you just:
  - drill hole in top of plastic barrel
  - insert rubber seal
  - insert one way valve into rubber seal
  - insert plastic tap into plug hole in bottom of barrel
  - ensure tap is turned off
  - add sugar
  - can of home brew stuff
  - add 18-20L of water
  - wait 1-2 weeks

  When ready you:
  - use tap to fill plastic bottles
  - add 1 carbonation drop per 3-400ml
  - seal & store for approx 4 weeks

  then refridgerate & drink when icy cold

  = 51$ set up cost for 2 cartons of beer
  = 22$ per 2 cartons ongoing

  • 

    markjd on 24/04/2013 - 15:37

    +1

    Well played, Sir.

    Having done the home brew scene many years ago, the beer machine looks a lot easier.

  • 

    altomic on 24/04/2013 - 20:02

    cut some corners on setting up.

    bunnings 22 ltr food grade bucket + lid $8.
    one way valve - just use some thin plastic tube that you bend so the end sits in a glass of water on top of the bucket.
    rubber seal/grommet -essential
    bottles - go to a pub and ask if you can dumpster dive into their glass recycling bin for appropriate beer bottles. buy some caps from supermarket 50 for $2.50. or find a restaurant/cafe that sell coopers and ask them to save them for you for recycling. get yourself a warwick (capper). nothing beats glass.

    • 

      Melthar on 24/04/2013 - 22:06

      +1

      Better still than the grommet.. Just cover the bucket with glad wrap, used the rubber seal that normally lives inside the lid as a giant rubber band to keep the glad wrap in place. Can see inside the fermenter far more easily, keeps any nasties out but the gas escapes fine.

      (50+ batches of beer/cider done this way).

      • 

        altomic on 26/04/2013 - 09:45

        pardon my ignorance, but the gas will pass through the glad wrap?

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  MrZ on 24/04/2013 - 15:49

  -3

  Can it make beer that doesn't taste disgusting (like piss)?

  • 

    King Tightarse on 24/04/2013 - 22:50

    You have tasted actual piss?

    • 

      MrZ on 24/04/2013 - 22:54

      +2

      Yes, I once was stranded at sea and had to in order to survive.

      • 

        altomic on 26/04/2013 - 09:44

        define "stranded", "sea" and "survive".

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  dbrent12 on 24/04/2013 - 15:50

  good luck getting beer mixes…………..

  • 

    rawm on 24/04/2013 - 15:51

    Exactly what I was going to ask, where do you get the mixes from and how much do they cost?

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  Melthar on 24/04/2013 - 16:02

  +1

  No need to use their mixes..

  Can use the coopers kits if you want (without the extra sugar/malt.. or half can/half malt) or better still 1KG of dry malt, whatever hops you want, boil for 20minutes or so (can get more complex depending on your style) chill and add yeast. All this really is is a nifty container,the fermentables are whatever you want them to be.. easy enough to make a decent cider from a few bottles of just juice.

  Could be useful for people who have less available brewing space. If nothing else I'm tempted to add it to my brewing kit simply for dispensing my normal brews, half a batch into this, the other half into bottles.

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  Dr Techno on 24/04/2013 - 16:16

  Probably good to make ginger beer in :)

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  Cheejay on 24/04/2013 - 16:26

  Great post weezlebub though you forgot the part where you have to clean and then sterilize the different items. This adds a fair bit of time.

  $22 for 2 cartons? Nah. I do double brews in a 60l old printing ink container and it costs me around $42 to get 5 cartons (1 brew) after everything is accounted for. Just bottled 60 tallies of Czech Pils yesterday and they need to be left for about 3 months. I buy everything from my local privately owned brew shop which matches the prices of BigW and Kmart.

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  scampy on 24/04/2013 - 19:38

  Thx, just got one from Riverview Target, had 2 left after me. The mix was below cost as well at $10