Home Brewing

[Shuck.]

Worth it ?

 

see " what to do if you get attacked by a badger "

 

[gyp]

Come on then, just got the kit out the loft..who can recommened a good starting beer kit? I normally drink Guinness(but will drink anything) are the stouts any good?

[Floating Chamber]

Come on then, just got the kit out the loft..who can recommened a good starting beer kit? I normally drink Guinness(but will drink anything) are the stouts any good?

 

 

'NELSON'S REVENGE'!

[colchesterhomebrew]

Come on then, just got the kit out the loft..who can recommened a good starting beer kit? I normally drink Guinness(but will drink anything) are the stouts any good?

 

Single can kits that need sugar to produce the alcohol tend to be relatively thin, light bodied beers. The more malt extract in the kit, the better the body and flavour (and the less sugar you need to add), but the cost is correspondingly higher - typically it works out at around 45-50p per pint rather than 25-35p with a single can.

 

Single can Stouts include Youngs Harvest Stout (1.5kgs ME), Coopers Australian Stout (1.75ME), Edme Irish Stout (1.8kgs ME) and Muntons Export Stout (1.8kgs ME). All make 40 pints at around 4.1-4.4% ABV

 

Double can kits include Milestone Black Pearl (3.0kgs ME) and Muntons Gold Imperial Stout (3.0kgs ME).

 

The Export Stout and Imperial Stout are slightly sweeter beers based on ones originally brewed for export to the Imperial Russian Court in the 18th and 19th Century.

 

I can also recommend trying the Muntons Dockland Porter which is a really dark brown beer (similar colour to Old Peculier), really rich and full bodied but very smooth. I made a batch up as a taster at the office and it proved very popular, even amongst those who otherwise wouldn't normally drink that style of beer - including me...

 

Did I mention that the tasters in the shop are all in 2 gallon barrels and that this means that every time I brew up a batch I end up with 3 gallons left over that I either have to throw down the drain or take home for "quality control purposes"? - the things I do and the suffering I undertake for my art !!!

 

Floating Chamber - I've already done the Wherry and the Admirals and the Nelson's Revenge is currently in the final stages of fermentation prior to barrelling - haven't decide yet whether to put it into one of the tester bins or treat it all as a "home tester" yet

Edited August 14, 2009 by colchesterhomebrew

[Vince Green]

Have a look at this site

 

www.alcoholstills.us/

 

or Google "home made booze"

[Floating Chamber]

I have a hand-written recipe in the loft from the 1960s for a brew called 'Morgan's Ale'. From what I remember, I had one glass of it and I developed an instant headache. This one and the only other beer that did this to me (and I have not touched a drop in over 45 years) is Newcastle Brown!!!!!

 

 

My all-time favourite from Dave Line's book, is Eldridge Pope's 'Royal Oak'.

 

At this mo, on the wine side, I have 5 galls of Harris Rose in bottles (yesterday) and 5 gallons of Harris Sauvignon Blanc fermenting in a newly emptied Sheraton vessel. In September, I hope to have 150 kilos of Sicilian grapes delivered to my door! Merry Christmas, again!

 

FC

Edited August 14, 2009 by Floating Chamber

[rabbithunter2008]

I've got a book with some recipes for beer and stouts.

Send me a pm and i will send some scans of them.

[Markio]

Visited Colchester Homebrew yesterday. Nice little place, met Andy's wife who was very helpful. We bought a wine kit to start with. I'll get some beer started very soon hopefully.

[Neels]

Andy

 

What dispensers do you use for the 2 Gallon tasters? I'm looking for similarly sized barrels/bottels/anything as bottling is becoming a pain, and I don't want to get all 5 gallons in one barrel, e.g. for taking a few pints to a party

 

Cheers

 

Neels

[Floating Chamber]

King Keg is a good barrel. Together with a CO2 cylinder, this will dispense after conditioning.

[Neels]

Thanks FC

 

Any idea what sizes they come in?

 

Cheers

 

Neels

[Shuck.]

King Keg is a good barrel. Together with a CO2 cylinder, this will dispense after conditioning.

 

What are those CO2 cylinders for in the home brew shops FC I always wanted to know.. You use them after conditioning? What for, is it just to force the stuff out of the keg?

 

Edit: Cheers Zap

Edited August 15, 2009 by Shuck.

[Floating Chamber]

What are those CO2 cylinders for in the home brew shops FC I always wanted to know.. You use them after conditioning? What for, is it just to force the stuff out of the keg?

 

Edit: Cheers Zap

 

Most pressure barrels come in 5 gallon (23 litres) capacity. When you barrel your beer (called 'green beer') about three/six ounces of sugar is added as a primer. Fermentation begins again and the C02 liberated cannot now escape some of it dissolves in the beer. After a few days (sometimes ten, depending on conditions) the beer clears. When a pint is drawn off, the pressure in the barrel drops slightly and some of the C02 comes out of solution. Some of this gaseous C02 takes the place of the missing beer and maintains more or less the same pressure. As more and more beer is drawn off, so the conditioning C02 is depleted. It is now that a shot of cylinder C02 can be added via the valve in the cap. This enables dispensing to continue.

 

Edit: My missus, (Brewshop bod) has just reminded me that C02 is also a 'preservative blanket', keeping air-borne bacteria away from the brew.

Edited August 17, 2009 by Floating Chamber

[Shuck.]

I see, I'm glad I bought the pressure keg then, I take it you'll need to do the same for cider?

 

One more question if you will: I am aware that prior to bottling/or(kegging? ) you have to do a test with the Hydrometer.. is this necessary with a purge valve on the top as I thought the Hydrometer test was to mark the end of fermentation?

 

Cheers

[Zapp]

It's a good idea to do a hydromoter check before pitching the yeast and once fermentation appears to have finished. This way you can confirm that fermentation has finished (vital if you bottle condition, as I do, glass hand grenades are no fun at all ), and you will get an idea of what the strength of your brew should be.

 

I've never done cider, so I am not able to offer any specific expertise, but you can go by a period of a day or so with no bubbling in the airlock as an indication that fermentation is finished. However, I would only ever try this in warm weather, or where I could be sure that my primary fermentation vessel had been maintained at optimum temperature.

 

The reason for this is that primary fermentation can "stick" and then restart, particularly in cold weather. Why is this bad? Because you could rack it into your keg/bottles with your priming solution, and then have vigorous primary fermentation begin again, leading to the roof of your house lifting off with an almighty apple flavoured boom.

 

TOP TIP: dissolve your priming sugar in 1/2 pint of water and mix either in a secondary priming bin if bottling or in your keg if kegging. Use the nomograph here to work out how much sugar you need for the required fizz. That whole site is a fascinating resource btw.

 

ZB

[Shuck.]

It's a good idea to do a hydromoter check before pitching the yeast and once fermentation appears to have finished. This way you can confirm that fermentation has finished (vital if you bottle condition, as I do, glass hand grenades are no fun at all ), and you will get an idea of what the strength of your brew should be.

 

I've never done cider, so I am not able to offer any specific expertise, but you can go by a period of a day or so with no bubbling in the airlock as an indication that fermentation is finished. However, I would only ever try this in warm weather, or where I could be sure that my primary fermentation vessel had been maintained at optimum temperature.

 

The reason for this is that primary fermentation can "stick" and then restart, particularly in cold weather. Why is this bad? Because you could rack it into your keg/bottles with your priming solution, and then have vigorous primary fermentation begin again, leading to the roof of your house lifting off with an almighty apple flavoured boom.

 

TOP TIP: dissolve your priming sugar in 1/2 pint of water and mix either in a secondary priming bin if bottling or in your keg if kegging. Use the nomograph here to work out how much sugar you need for the required fizz. That whole site is a fascinating resource btw.

 

ZB

 

Great bit of info there, I did get the hydrometer just in case but just wondered if it was OK to have the brew fermenting in a keg with a purge valve.

With the cider kit the only instructions were for Beer, so it didn't tell you what to do with the nutrient sachet - I just guessed and threw it in with the yeast

It refers to the Hydrometer 'test jar' when testing the sample from the bucket, is this the tube that it is packaged in? It might be but theres no explanation at all on it as the items were all bought separately and I think it thinks I'm a pro Brewer.

 

Cheers for the site I've bookmarked it for when I have to test it in a few days

[Floating Chamber]

(Original gravity minus final gravity) divided by 7.36 gives you an approximate ABV. (Alc. by volume)

 

Example: 1038 - 1004 = 34

 

34 divided by 7.36 = 4.6%

[Zapp]

Great bit of info there, I did get the hydrometer just in case but just wondered if it was OK to have the brew fermenting in a keg with a purge valve.

With the cider kit the only instructions were for Beer, so it didn't tell you what to do with the nutrient sachet - I just guessed and threw it in with the yeast

It refers to the Hydrometer 'test jar' when testing the sample from the bucket, is this the tube that it is packaged in? It might be but theres no explanation at all on it as the items were all bought separately and I think it thinks I'm a pro Brewer.

 

Cheers for the site I've bookmarked it for when I have to test it in a few days

 

Yep, the tube it came in is the test jar. That site I posted a link to has instructions on how to use it properly.

 

TOP TIP # 2: Get a turkey baster, sterilise it and use that to take samples for your hydrometer reading. That way you arent dunking things into your brew every time you need to test. I just whip the airlock bung out and test that way.

 

Broadly speaking, if you get a constant hydrometer reading for 2-3 days, fermentation should be complete given a constant (ish) temperature.

 

TOP TIP # 3: Dont just hoy your yeast in dry from the package - you risk "cold shocking" it and ruining your brew. You need to "start" it. Boil some water, and pour 1/2 a mug full into a clean coffee mug. Dissolve a level tablespoon of sugar into it. Let it cool to 35-40 degrees celsius and then add your yeast. Loosely cover with cling film and leave for 20 mins to 1/2 an hour. Within that time, the yeast should have "started" and will be frothing anc churning nicely (and smelling of bread). When your wort/cider mash/whatever is at 18-25 C, give the started yeast a stir and pitch it in. You will now get a strong start and a vigorous fermentation.

 

ZB

 

PS, thanks FC, I had forgotten to mention the OG/FG bit.

[colchesterhomebrew]

Hi folks,

 

Sorry for appearing to do a runner for a couple of days, had to take the kids to Cardiff for the weekend (they're big Doctor who fans and wanted to see the sights/sites) and have been working on the transport side since we got back.

 

Markio, sorry i missed you. Sam said you had come in - hope the wine goes well. Give me a bell if you need any info etc

 

Neels, the two gallon barrels are the "cut down" versions of the economy 5 gallon barrels that most places stock, rather than smaller versions of the better quality king kegs or rotokegs. They are a little flimsy if you don't adjust the priming sugar as they have a tenedency to "bow" at the bottom and then the rock about like "weebles" unless you put a couple of lengths of 1"*1/2" baton underneath to blance them out. I tend not to stock them in the shop unless people specifically insists because the basic 2 gallon barrel has an rrp of £21.99, whereas the 5 gallon version is only £23.99 and it doesn't "feel right" to me to be asking so much for so little....

 

Shuck, the "test jar" is an extra piece of kit that you place a sample of your brew into (either by dunking the sterilised jar into your brew or using a sterilised turkey baster as Zapp suggests) and into which the (sterilised) hydrometer is then placed. If yours is an "ALLA" style hydrometer, it usually comes complete with a plastic trial jar that is about 11/2" diameter and has a triangular black plastic base (which often leaks as it isn't properly attached to the tubing). If you've got a standard Stevenson Reeve type hydrometer, it is usually supplied in a very thin, tight fitting tube that is only very slightly wider and taller than the hydrometer itself. This is simply the outer protective case and is not to be used as the test jar. In these cases, you would need either a seperate plastic or glass test jar or you can simply place the hydrometer into the beer if you are feeling lazy. Once you know what you are looking for, the "in the beer method" is perfectly ok, but for practical purposes, especially if you are bottling, in which case it is ESSENTIAL that you get the SG reading right, a trial jar on a level work surface is a much better option.

 

I tend to disolve the priming sugar in a pint of beer rather than water - no point diluting the beer any more than necessary- but its really a matter of preference. If you are bottling, rather than adding 1/2 teaspoon to each 1 pint bottle, its often easier to disolve the whole amount of required sugar in some beer and make it up to the 400ml mark. Then, using one of those little medicine syringes (properly sterilised of course) that you always have lying around if you've got kids (or sometimes animals) take 10ml of the solution and inject it into each bottle before topping up with the beer or cider. That way you get a consistent dose in each bottle and don't have to worry about dripping sugar granuals all accross your work surface/floor.

 

If you have barrelled and started drinking the beer before it has sufficient time to condition and generate the CO2 blanket in the barrel, or if you drink several pints in quick succession, you WILL quickly deplete the available gas and start to have problems. Whilst you CAN, if you are using a bottom tap keg rather than one with the tap at the top of the keg, get the beer out under natural atmospheric pressure, what happens is that as the "airspace" inside the barrel becomes bigger because of the reducing level of the beer, the internal pressure drops and falls below that of the external air pressure. When this happens, atmospheric air is sucked in through the tap, bringing all of its contaminents with it. As FC's missus points out, when this happens, the beer now has no protective layer of CO2 and will quickly oxidise and go off. To avoid this, you can inject additional CO2 from any of the various systems - the main difference being the initial cost of the equipment and its ongoing usage costs. The little sparklet bulbs are the cheapest option to start with but are more expensive on an ongoing basis, the sodatream and Hambard screw on bottles are more expensive to start with but contain 30 times the amount of CO2 and are much better in the long run. The sparklets and the Widget World (Cheaper big cylinders but expesnive conversion fittings) are even available with a Nitrogen mixture so that you can get the creamy head on Stouts or Smoothflow bitters.

 

get the impression i enjoy what I do for a living ? :good:

 

Andy

[Neels]

Thanks Andy

 

The 2 gallon barrels appealed to me from a usage point of view, but I see your point about the cost

 

Your comment - "If you are bottling, rather than adding 1/2 teaspoon to each 1 pint bottle, its often easier to disolve the whole amount of required sugar in some beer and make it up to the 400ml mark. Then, using one of those little medicine syringes (properly sterilised of course) that you always have lying around if you've got kids (or sometimes animals) take 10ml of the solution and inject it into each bottle before topping up with the beer or cider. " You sir, are a genius

 

Absolutely priceless advice - I've tried brewtabs, spoons and allsorts of measures and it still remains a mission

 

Neels

[Zapp]

Thanks Andy

 

The 2 gallon barrels appealed to me from a usage point of view, but I see your point about the cost

 

Your comment - "If you are bottling, rather than adding 1/2 teaspoon to each 1 pint bottle, its often easier to disolve the whole amount of required sugar in some beer and make it up to the 400ml mark. Then, using one of those little medicine syringes (properly sterilised of course) that you always have lying around if you've got kids (or sometimes animals) take 10ml of the solution and inject it into each bottle before topping up with the beer or cider. " You sir, are a genius

 

Absolutely priceless advice - I've tried brewtabs, spoons and allsorts of measures and it still remains a mission

 

Neels

 

Another option is to dissolve the priming sugar in a half pint or pint of water and then put this into another fermenter with a tap, or in my case one of my (now redundant) pressure barrels.

 

Next, syphon the beer from the primary fermenter into the pressure barrel. The syphoning mixes the priming solution evenly throughout the beer. Now simply bottle the primed beer directly from the tap on the pressure barrel.

 

ZB

[colchesterhomebrew]

Another option is to dissolve the priming sugar in a half pint or pint of water and then put this into another fermenter with a tap, or in my case one of my (now redundant) pressure barrels.

 

Next, syphon the beer from the primary fermenter into the pressure barrel. The syphoning mixes the priming solution evenly throughout the beer. Now simply bottle the primed beer directly from the tap on the pressure barrel.

 

ZB

 

Even easier if you then fit a dinky little device called a "Little Bottler" which fits on the bottom of the tap and is basically a tube with a gravity activated valve in it. When you press it to the bottom of the bottle, the valve opens and the beer flows in. when you reach the top of the neck, you simply lower the bottle and the valve shuts. lower teh bottom completely and as the tube comes out of the neck, you are left with exactly the correct "headspace" above your beer, ready for capping.

 

Andy

 

All this talk is making me thirsty - I need to put another batch on to brew !!!

[Zapp]

Even easier if you then fit a dinky little device called a "Little Bottler"

 

Ah yes, I've been meaning to get one of those for ages.

 

ZB

[Shuck.]

Thanks FC, Zapp and Andy for the tips, my cider has been fermenting for about 6 days now and the bubbling has gone right down, I'm just about to get the Hydrometer test on the go but just came on to double check what kind of container I should use for the sample.

 

It is the Stevenson Reeves type that I have and I'm not exactly sure how it works, otherwise I'd be able to think for myself and get a container sorted out.. I did a Google search and I just saw proper laboratory style high test tubes.. Would I not be able to use a drinking glass?

 

I haven't got a turkey baster/syringe so do I siphon off a bit for the sample?

Quite annoyed that I don't have all the materials I need

The bloke in the shop didn't say anything about the keg in danger of becoming a bacteria sucking vacuum, either

 

One last question, if you have to note the readings of the Hydrometer over three days, do you take new samples after the tests or just leave the test sample out with the meter in and exposed to the elements over the testing period?

 

F.Y.I I'm not bottling, I'll be using a pressurized keg.

 

Thanks again for all the information, I thought I'd have to join another site for this but looks like all the geniuses are here

Edited August 21, 2009 by Shuck.

[colchesterhomebrew]

Hi Shuck.

 

Sorry i couldn't reply yesterday - Friday night is Rugby League Night on Sky so I'm always out of circulation then !!!!

 

To check the SG readings, if you want to remove the sample from your brew just syphon a small amount into any suitable, clean and sterilised container that is longer than the hydrometer itself. The glass test tube from the lab supplier is perfect, but generally expensive and more likely to break than a plastic one would be. There are plastic trial jars available at MANY good online homebrew supply shops (even those in Colchester ) for just a couple of quid plus postage.

 

Once you have removed a sample from the main brew, either by syphoning, turkey basting or simply dipping the cleaned and sterilised test jar into the brew and wiping it before it goes sticky on your worksurface or table cloth (NOT a good idea !!!), simply put the hydrometer into it and give it a slight spin by twisting it between your thumb and forefinger. That will get it spinning round and dislodge any bubbles against the side walls that might be affecting its bouyancy and thus the true reading. When it stops spinning, crouch down slightly so that you are level with the surface of the trial sample and look at the scale on the hydrometer. Because of the surface tension of the liquid, it will appear to "climb" up the outside of the hydrometer and look as though it is like a mini volcano or the rise in a piece of cloth when you pull a loose cotton. Whatever you do, DON'T take your reading from the TOP of this "mound" of liquid. You must ALWAYS look at the bottom that is level wiith the surface of the rest of the sample. When you are satisfied you have the corerct reading, tip the sample back into the fermenting bin and put the lid back on.

 

As an alternative, you can sterilise the hydrometer and drop it straight into the brew. Its a bit more difficult to work out the correct reading, but you soon get to know how to read the bottom of the meniscus even when looking from above.

 

Whilst its essential to keep everything clean and as sterile as possible, you do need to be aware that "over fussiness" is potentially as bad as "slapdash cleanliness". When many of the books were written, people often had hard, physical, dirty manual jobs that would make their hands, clothes and homes pretty mucky. Many people had open fires in their kitchens/living rooms that put dust and grime particles into the immediate atmosphere. There were LOTS of opportunities to create potentially harmful chemicals from atmospheric contaminents. One of the very few benefits of having lost most of our manufacturing base is that the air is much cleaner and we are all generally much cleaner and carrying much less "muck" about with us

 

Effectively, you are creating a food product and as long as you treat it with the same hygene standards you would use when making a meal, you will generally be ok. Lets face it, the Egyptians and Babylonians didn't have sterilising solutions and "zero tolerance" on dust when they began brewing beer some 6,000 years ago and it didn't seem to do them too much harm. (But then again, they never fell foul of the Health and Safety at Work mafia or the "lets find somebody to sue if you've got a petty grievance and fancy a holiday or a new conservatory" brigade !)