Home Brew Questions

[ExtraRefined]

Torygraph personal finance blog advoates homebrewing

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/financ...ll-and-how-to-cut-41pc-off-the-price-of-beer/

Tax avoidance is generally regarded as only for the rich or those people wealthy enough not to need to spend everything they currently earn. But there is one ancient form of tax avoidance which is available to everyone – or at least anyone with a little patience, some room about the house and an understanding spouse.
Now a new government initiative may have the unintended effect of renewing interest in this time-honoured means of avoiding tax and cutting the cost of living. Yes, I am talking about Home Secretary Theresa May’s madcap scheme to impose a minimum price on alcohol.

 

[Addy]

A Breferm Grand Cru...

Its not cloudy at all, its warm glass, cold beer scenario

8.4% of Belgian burnt caramel lager

 

[butcher]

Burton Bridge Porter using beer enhancer, 15 days after secondary ferm from a pressure barrel, it's bloody lovely:

 

[Dovydaitis]

well after reading this thread and only having crude brewing experience (ginger beer, ginger beer plants and very crude cider) but we go away camping a huge group of us every July and am planning what to brew for next year's trip. Does anyone have any suggestions? Would like a mix really of ales, cider and (unfortunately) lager

 

[mr steev]

Does anyone have any suggestions? Would like a mix really of ales, cider and (unfortunately) lager

How about wine?
The damson wine I make is excellent (other peoples words, not just my own ) Very drinkable, around 12/13% and doesn't give you a bad head the next day. If you can find a damson tree then the only cost is the price of the sugar and yeast.
If you're planning on drinking it next summer it makes an good sangria for drinking all day in the balmy sunshine

 

[Dovydaitis]

ooo never thought of wine however dont have access to any fresh fruit but i suppose could get it from the grocers...

 

[joustmaster]

ooo never thought of wine however dont have access to any fresh fruit but i suppose could get it from the grocers...

its elderflower season at the moment..

 

[butcher]

well after reading this thread and only having crude brewing experience (ginger beer, ginger beer plants and very crude cider) but we go away camping a huge group of us every July and am planning what to brew for next year's trip. Does anyone have any suggestions? Would like a mix really of ales, cider and (unfortunately) lager

Just get everyone to chip in and get 3 kits, three pressure barrels and brew the cider last as it needs less conditioning, and then you have 120 pints of booze and 3 re-useable pressure barrels to auction at the end of the trip.

I like biggerjugs website for my homebrewing consummables

Or just declare a competition with three groups making a brew each

 

[Dovydaitis]

hmm, plenty to get me thinking....

butcher, like the idea of a competition think I may need more than 120 pints though as there are 24 of us was thinking of making a start september time doing the ales first then down the scale. Obviously will need to cater for 'testing'

 

[mr steev]

A few years ago me and some mates got into brewing by deciding we were going to have a 'beer festival' (but with any booze acceptable as long as it was homemade). We set ourselves a date for 9 months time and got brewing, had a tasting session/party and got pissed

 

[Dovydaitis]

well with the amount of booze we get through in the week the home brew route could make things more interesting, especially if we get the competition element in to it. Also my home brew bug has been well and truly woken up saw an xmas ale kit that I might have to give a whirl....

 

[butcher]

Have just transferred my first Woodfords Wherry kit to secondary ferm, priming 40 pints with 125g golden syrup, initial sampling is fantastic, really nice and hoppy, roll on two weeks when I can see how she has progressed

Next will be 40 pints Norfolk Nog in pressure barrel no.2, follwed by a 2x Brewferm Diablo for 36 pint bottles of Xmass-time 9% belgian stylee ale!

 

[badseed]

I love it when this thread gets bumped....

Would like a mix really of ales, cider and (unfortunately) lager

Don't confuse proper lager with the freezing cold tasteless drink you get in the local.
I make lager and pilsner often. It's malty and hoppy and has a lot of flavour. I always have one on the go.

Currently I am makeing a Belgian Wit Bier (Wheat malt, Coriander, Dried Orange Peel, Torrefied Wheat). I recently made a Hoegarden clone, which was a nice beer, but I wanted more citrussy flavours so I have increased the coriander load.
I have struggled to keep the temp up (16 C for the Wyeast Wit Bier smack pack) it is winter here and cold. I have the fermenter wrapped in a sleeping bag in my brewing fridge, it has been fermenting at 15 for about 10 days (racked after 8). I thought I would leave it in the brewing fridge as at least the temp is constant and 1 degree out is probably not really anything to worry about. It is fermenting well, just slow.

 

[badseed]

Here is my favourite skulling beer, I am drinking this right now

Laughing Dog Pilsner.
Plenty of Saaz Hops & made with harvested & washed Bohemian Pilsner yeast.
Wyeast smack packs cost a lot, but harvesting and washing the yeast makes it a bit less expensive.

Since I started using liquid yeast my beer has improved a lot, really noticeable difference.

 

[butcher]

Wherry Kit is now maturing in the barrel, I might just have to have a go at this soon:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Wurzels-Orange-Wine-(Wow)

 

[Addy]

I often make the Wurzel wine, comes out very good but make sure you de-gass it well before bottling.

The xmas pudding wine is very nice too..

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=11696

 

[butcher]

I often make the Wurzel wine, comes out very good but make sure you de-gass it well before bottling.

The xmas pudding wine is very nice too..

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=11696

OMFG! I am on THBF too incidentally

 

[badseed]

All the food groups, fuck yeah.

 

[friedaweed]

OK you crazy feckers. Get me started
I want to make this

My local dealer says he can do me all the shizzle and that kit for £70 including a barrel, Is that about right or should i go with the coopers DIY kit and bottles?

Your thoughts much appreciated.

Frieda

 

[butcher]

Read this: http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/

Lotsa kit reviews and friendly enthusiasts.

My experience so far is that two can kits are the nuts, if I was starting again, I'd get a start up kit from biggerjugs.co.uk and a king keg (bigger hand hole for cleaning).

 

[friedaweed]

Read this: http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/

Lotsa kit reviews and friendly enthusiasts.

My experience so far is that two can kits are the nuts, if I was starting again, I'd get a start up kit from biggerjugs.co.uk and a king keg (bigger hand hole for cleaning).

Ta. I've been trawling through that forum and this thread. Totally inspired

I've just managed to get my hands on two 5 gallon pressure barrels that have been sat in a loft for about 7 years (One had some liquid in it ). The dude at my local brew store said he'd pressure test them if I got my kit from him but they look in pretty good nick. I assume letting these stand in a bleach solution for a while will clean them yeah?

Anyway cheers.

Off to be inspired....

 

[butcher]

Lots of them in THBF use oxi cleaners, I just wash very well and then use an iodine based disinfectant at 1:1000 (cost £10 for 500ml and is non rinse).

My advice is us a Woodfords Wherry kit as a starting point, ferment for 14 days (lets the yeast clean up any left of ferm by products, condition for a minimum of 14 days.

Get a CO2 valve lid for your PB, the sparklet CO2 bulbs are cheap on ebay, and vaseline your rings before pressure testing.

First brew. I'd just put in the PB, and then get some more kit for bottling brew 2, ie a bottling stick and capper etc

Feel free to PM when your kit is clean.

 

[sojourner]

Me Da's just put another barley wine brew on for us, bottled all the Chardonnay, and is putting a Merlot on for us too

 

[friedaweed]

Ok we're off

 

[friedaweed]

I see you baby, shake your little ass

 

[butcher]

I see you baby, shake your little ass

What size FV is that?

 

[friedaweed]

What size FV is that?

30ltr.

 

[butcher]

Plenty of room for some head action!

 

[friedaweed]

Plenty of room for some head action!

I was amazed. It took off like a banshee. It's gone down considerably this morning but it looked like it'd push the lid off last night
Got myself a load of 660ml brown bottles in Sunny Runcorn yesterday and some malt extract to batch prime it. How much dme should I prime 20ltrs with for bottling butch?

 

[mr steev]

then use an iodine based disinfectant at 1:1000 (cost £10 for 500ml and is non rinse).

That's the stuff I use and I'd thoroughly recommend it. Irrc the stuff I use is about a fiver for 500ml, and you just dissolve 2.5ml into a litre of cold water. It's called Videne and you can order it from the chemist.