Home Brew Questions
- Thread starter Voley
- Start date
Voley
🐀
I bought 40 g of mulled wine spice off Ebay for a brew of 5 gallons. It was just right - you could taste the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg etc but it wasn't overpowering. It gives a nice flavour to the dry as a bone stuff you end up with if you're making it from apple juice. Well worth doing, imo.
lighterthief
Well-Known Member
Nom, just racked off last weekend's batch of Premium Bitter to my barrel, just put 40 pints of Midland Mild on to ferment under the stairs - I'll probably bottle this lot next weekend. I love home brewing 
Funky_monks
Neo-Rustic
I have my first batch of beer that I made with malt and hops as opposed to tins of malt extract fermenting in a bucket. I'll barrel it when the SG gets to 1 and post some pics. I'm quite pleased with it so far.
Griff
Hardly posting anymore
Going to start my second batch this week.
The first lot were actually very drinkable, I was quite surprised on just how much they looked and tasted like a pub pint of bitter.
Just one question though, how does the hydrometer work?
I got one for doing the first batch, but didn't really use the thing, just kept an eye on it and stirred it until bottling time.
The first lot were actually very drinkable, I was quite surprised on just how much they looked and tasted like a pub pint of bitter.
Just one question though, how does the hydrometer work?
I got one for doing the first batch, but didn't really use the thing, just kept an eye on it and stirred it until bottling time. Hydrometers work by measuring the density of the liquid they've been put into.Going to start my second batch this week.
The first lot were actually very drinkable, I was quite surprised on just how much they looked and tasted like a pub pint of bitter.
Just one question though, how does the hydrometer work?
That density can be varied by dissolving things into it, varying its temperature, or using different liquids (eg alcohol).
Mostly, when we use a hydrometer, we're using it to determine how much sugar is dissolved into the solution, as from this we can work out what the alcohol content will be if all the sugar is fermented. It's a bit more complex than that, in that we really need to know a starting gravity (OG) and a finishing gravity (FG), from which we can calculate how much has been fermented into alcohol. The complication is increased even more by the fact that the alcohol will itself tend to make the overall solution less dense - winemakers get used to fermenting down to negative gravities (wrt pure water), as the final product is a) so sugarfree, and b) of sufficiently high alcoholic content that it ends up less dense than pure water.
In practice, hydrometers are usually calibrated in terms of "points", that being the ratio of the density of the liquid to water, which is calibrated as 1.000 (or 1000) - this is the "specific gravity"
Funky_monks
Neo-Rustic
Also, in beermaking - it tells you when to barrel/bottle, ie when it reaches 1 or thereabouts.
lighterthief
Well-Known Member
Having been on holiday and working away from home I had completely forgotten about this barrel I put away a month ago - should have cleared by nowNom, just racked off last weekend's batch of Premium Bitter to my barrel, just put 40 pints of Midland Mild on to ferment under the stairs - I'll probably bottle this lot next weekend. I love home brewing
*looks forward to tasting session tonight*
mr steev
magic thought wizard
My cider is coming along great
I amalgamated agnesdavies's turbo cider recipe with another one.
I added 150g of sugar at the start with some champagne yeast and some pectin enzyme, then added 3 litres a day to make it up to 3 gallons. Put a bubble air lock on it and left it in the bucket to ferment, then racked it off into demijons.
I tasted it when I put it in demijons and it it was very promissing and quite drinkable. I'd say medium/medium-dry rather than bone dry, but there was still a bit of sugars left according to the hydrometer. The reading I took at the start gave a potential of 6% (so slightly weaker than The Turbo) and there was still a possible 1% when I racked it off (missus)
I amalgamated agnesdavies's turbo cider recipe with another one.
I added 150g of sugar at the start with some champagne yeast and some pectin enzyme, then added 3 litres a day to make it up to 3 gallons. Put a bubble air lock on it and left it in the bucket to ferment, then racked it off into demijons.
I tasted it when I put it in demijons and it it was very promissing and quite drinkable. I'd say medium/medium-dry rather than bone dry, but there was still a bit of sugars left according to the hydrometer. The reading I took at the start gave a potential of 6% (so slightly weaker than The Turbo) and there was still a possible 1% when I racked it off (missus)
Voley
🐀
Muntons kits are very good, I've found. Their IPA got a thumbs up from the U75 crew I had staying at the weekend.
Just put a kit of Pilsner lager on (Muntons again) today. I get the feeling I probably could've done with waiting for the weather to get a bit cooler for lager but you know what it's like when a fermenting vessel's just sitting there empty. It's just not right, dammit.
Brupak's Fixby Gold came out well, too, if not particularly golden. I think Stig said she had the same outcome. Tastes fine, mind.
I've done seven brews since the beginning of this thread, now. The only one that went a bit wonky was the cider - trying to kill off the yeast to dilute it buggered the flavour a bit, sadly.
Just put a kit of Pilsner lager on (Muntons again) today. I get the feeling I probably could've done with waiting for the weather to get a bit cooler for lager but you know what it's like when a fermenting vessel's just sitting there empty. It's just not right, dammit.
Brupak's Fixby Gold came out well, too, if not particularly golden. I think Stig said she had the same outcome. Tastes fine, mind.
I've done seven brews since the beginning of this thread, now. The only one that went a bit wonky was the cider - trying to kill off the yeast to dilute it buggered the flavour a bit, sadly.
lighterthief
Well-Known Member
i've been reading this thread with avid interest. i've gone from being under the misapprehension that home brew is rubbish to really wanting to try it.
the woodford's wherry kit was mention at the start of the thread; what's the difference between wherry and bitter?
the woodford's wherry kit was mention at the start of the thread; what's the difference between wherry and bitter?
Nothing. Wherry is just Woodforde's name for a particular brew.
It's a damn fine ale, and probably the best way to get started. Feel free to ask for any assistance - there's loads of people on here who will be happy to help!
mr steev
magic thought wizard
I've just bottled my lidl juice cider. Sampled some and it's very drinkable!
I've primed the stuff I made using just apple juice, but I did another gallon with some mulled spices in which I've left as it tastes fine enough as it is and I think will be better still than sparkling
I've primed the stuff I made using just apple juice, but I did another gallon with some mulled spices in which I've left as it tastes fine enough as it is and I think will be better still than sparkling
Griff
Hardly posting anymore
Bottled my second brew yesterday and got a healthy 36 bottles done.
Ony a Geordie Bittler from Wilkinsons, but I have to say it tasted rather good, even before sitting in the bottles for a while.
Will have to have a good read through this thread and order something a bit special next time.
Ony a Geordie Bittler from Wilkinsons, but I have to say it tasted rather good, even before sitting in the bottles for a while.
Will have to have a good read through this thread and order something a bit special next time.
Got my second brew on at the weekend, a Fixby Gold.
Frothing out of the FV within 15 hours has done little to halt my infection paranoia, particularly as it smelt a tad sharp this morning.
I'm led to believe this could be a healthy nostril full of Co2 or even the result of a high temperature fermentation.
Anyone offer any thoughts or am I worrying too much? (as I suspect!)
Frothing out of the FV within 15 hours has done little to halt my infection paranoia, particularly as it smelt a tad sharp this morning.
I'm led to believe this could be a healthy nostril full of Co2 or even the result of a high temperature fermentation.
Anyone offer any thoughts or am I worrying too much? (as I suspect!)
You're almost certainly worrying too much! Ale yeasts will normally happily ferment up to at least 24C without any ill-effects, and there can be all kinds of early fermentation products that can smell quite strange.
Don't be tempted to check the FV too often or you WILL end up with an infection, but the best thing you can do right now is let it ferment out and see how things look once it's calmed down a bit.
This is true. When I started, I was doing the hygiene shit like a hospital that's just had its tenth case of C.difficile. Now it's a good wash and scrub of everything, and a quick rinse with some iodophor if it's already clean...I'm positively blase now!Cheers Agnes, I sorta guessed that was the case but it stinks so much more than my previous success.
I've got some big ideas since catching the homebrew bug, will probably learn to chill out a bit once I've got a few more under my belt
And someone (you know who you are
) has asked me what quantities I can supply on an occasional basis for beer festivals...so anyone out there with a couple of metal firkin casks, do get in touch Wood would do at a push, too...That should answer her question, too...though I'd just aim for the one firkin for now, I don't think I can manage an 80 litre batch just yet.
Voley
🐀
Good choice. I'm drinking my way through a nice batch of that atm. It's not particularly gold, it has to be said, but it's a really nice lighter ale. Mine's come out sort of IPA-ish. Not a bad thing at all, imo.
And everyone frets over their first couple. See my fevered posting earlier on in the thread.
I've now learned that bottling it and leaving it for a couple of months will cure most ills.Feeling much better now, thanks folks
Next up (!) I'm thinking of a Coopers IPA with a few hops thrown in, before tampering with another kit for a winter warmer/Christmas beer - any recommendations?
My traditional Xmas brew is based on a Headcracker kit - nice hefty barley wine, good high gravity that'll stand a few herbs and spices being thrown at it. I may bulk it out with a kilo and a half of crystal malt, and the usual spice additions are: ginger, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, cardamoms and a teaspoonful of orange oil. People say the ale tastes like mince pies, so I renamed it last year...
Sounds interesting!
The Headcracker looks like a good base to start from then, maybe I'll get one on the go as soon as I've kegged the Fixby. That should give it ample time before setting it on unsuspecting friends and family!
I'll have 80 pints sat in the garage so the IPA can wait for now...
The Headcracker looks like a good base to start from then, maybe I'll get one on the go as soon as I've kegged the Fixby. That should give it ample time before setting it on unsuspecting friends and family!
I'll have 80 pints sat in the garage so the IPA can wait for now...
