Home Brew Questions

[Addy]

I have a similar friend who supplies me with grains & hops. I also had a box of 2000 bottle caps

 

[og ogilby]

I spent about £350 in the sale so that probably works out at around £800 or maybe more that I won't be spending in my lhbs over the next few months. I do feel pretty bad about it but who can afford to pass up on that kind of a saving.

 

[mr steev]

I have a mate who grows his own hops. Something I intend to do up the allotment at some point.

I discovered a very handy little gadget that my mate lent me last night when I was bottling my last brew. It may be old news to some people, but I've never heard of it before. A very simple little valve at the end of the syphoning tube with a tiny plastic pin sticking out that opens when you push the pin on the bottom of the bottle and closes as soon as you lift the tube slightly. All my bottles got filled to a perfect level really quickly with no spillage

 

[Addy]

A bottling stick or 'little bottler'
I have 1 that attaches to the tap on my FV when I bottle brews, makes it much quicker and convenient.

 

[Dovydaitis]

I didn't do too great in the wilkos sale, was sold out but now the shelves in wilkos are full again

but I did get:
2x black cherry wine
1x pear cider
1x stout
1x lager
1x chardonnay starter kit

Nothing on at the mo as I go away in a couple of weeks. Also a mate of mine is giving up on the old HB game and giving me his stuff. It's only another FV and a couple of bits but saves me buying it. I will still pop to my (not so) local HBS as the woman who runs it is great and they do bits for spirit brews I can't get from wilkos

 

[friedaweed]

Morrisons selling this off half price at 78p a box

Putting a box of it in my bock

 

[Addy]

Interesting, I'll look out for those tomorrow when I do the weekly shop.
Cheers for the heads up.

 

[friedaweed]

Interesting, I'll look out for those tomorrow when I do the weekly shop.
Cheers for the heads up.

It just says 'caramelized sugar' on the ingredients.
That looks and sounds just like candy sugar as far as I can see. I think the caramalised taste will suit the bock very well and I'm going to try it in the Newkie kit as well. If it does perform like Belgian CS 3 kilos for £4.70 int bad anyways.

 

[Addy]

I generally make my own, but it would be handy to have some ready made in boxes for idleness

 

[friedaweed]

I generally make my own, but it would be handy to have some ready made in boxes for idleness

Yup same here. I've just opened one and the daughter says it's the biz as sweets

If ya can't get any give us a shout I'm gonna go and clear out my local Morrisons tomorrow. I've just seen how much online HBS are charging for it

 

[og ogilby]

Morrisons selling this off half price at 78p a box

Putting a box of it in my bock

I read your post before I went to Morrisons and I thought I'd have a look for that.

The price label said 78p and underneath in smaller print it said £1.56 per KG.

It didn't look on any kind of offer to me.

 

[friedaweed]

I read your post before I went to Morrisons and I thought I'd have a look for that.

The price label said 78p and underneath in smaller print it said £1.56 per KG.

It didn't look on any kind of offer to me.

http://www.waitrose.com/webapp/wcs/...+Lyle+sugar+amber+crystals.html?storeId=10317
£1.59 (£3.18 per kg)
http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Tate--Lyle-Amber-Crystals-Sugar/40855011
£1.59
Price per kg: £3.18
http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesc.../tate_and_lyle_amber_sugar_crystals_500g.html

Does it look on offer now bozzo?

It's either a price mistake or a half price reduction. It's been £1.59 in MOrrisons for about 3 months which is why I've never purchased it until now.

This ones for you X

 

[og ogilby]

I think it must be a price mistake then. They wouldn't reduce the price by 50% without making a big song and dance about it, I don't think.

I might even go and clear the shelf tomorrow myself. I didn't buy any tonight, but now I know it's a bargain I want it all.

 

[Dovydaitis]

No morrisons near me

 

[friedaweed]

No morrisons near me

PM us if you want Dovy I'll post you a bag

I think it must be a price mistake then. They wouldn't reduce the price by 50% without making a big song and dance about it, I don't think.

I might even go and clear the shelf tomorrow myself. I didn't buy any tonight, but now I know it's a bargain I want it all.

My Morrisons has none left now

It's one of the things I always try and keep an eye out for in the super markets price fuck-up. That and fruit juice

 

[Superdupastupor]

i put on a 20l strawb ribena +sugar w/ a white grape and cranberry base at the start of Apr and i must say it's coming out lovely now *hic*



(must lay down gallon )

 

[Dovydaitis]

PM us if you want Dovy I'll post you a bag

My Morrisons has none left now

It's one of the things I always try and keep an eye out for in the super markets price fuck-up. That and fruit juice

cheers, will have a nosey round here first and might be venturing oop north this week so can have a look then. if no joy will drop you a PM

 

[Dovydaitis]

So, just been in lidl and they have coffee syrups on offer so I have grabbed a bottle of caramel syrup for my cider for just over a sov. Bargain!

 

[friedaweed]

So, just been in lidl and they have coffee syrups on offer so I have grabbed a bottle of caramel syrup for my cider for just over a sov. Bargain!

That sounds nice

*Looks to see if he's near Lidl tmw

 

[Dovydaitis]

They have caramel, vanilla and hazelnut. Can always do a goods swap frieda

 

[friedaweed]

They have caramel, vanilla and hazelnut. Can always do a goods swap frieda

I'm up for that. I'm gonna check a store out at work tmw but according to my gaff they don't do it. Me wants the hazelnut and Caramaccacaca

Will check and see

 

[Dovydaitis]

Just let me know it's round the corner from me

 

[butcher]

Got some organic chocolate extract for my next Coopers stout.

 

[friedaweed]

Just let me know it's round the corner from me

Got two today. Hazelnut and caramel. I fancy having a go at that toffee apple cider.

I'm just enjoying a glass of my Belgian Wit (7 months in the bottle now). I can't believe I made this. It is so fucking nice

 

[Dovydaitis]

Got two today. Hazelnut and caramel. I fancy having a go at that toffee apple cider.

I'm just enjoying a glass of my Belgian Wit (7 months in the bottle now). I can't believe I made this. It is so fucking nice

I fancy giving that a whirl too

 

[friedaweed]

Okey dokey made the Toffee apple cider.

Went with this little recipe.

1 Wilkinson 40 pint cider kit
1 kg of amber sugar crystals
1 bottle of LIdl caramel syrup
1 jar Morrisons cheap honey
2 vanilla pods (Bashed)
250 gm pitted dates
2 Assam teabags
Glug of vanilla extract
5 liters of Morrisons apple juice
Water to 23 ltr brew length
2 teaspoons of pectose
1 proflac tab
2 teaspoons of yeas nute
Youngs cider yeast


Boiled the tea, sugar, honey, vanilla pods and chopped dates in 2 lts of water and brought to a hard crack (Removing the tea bags after about 5-10 mins) and then chucked it in the FV with the rest of the bizzle.
It smelt fantastic and has already gone off like a rocket. SG of 1062 should give me a nice 8% cider.

My kitchen smells like a sweetshop

 

[butcher]

Whacked a Coopers APA plus 1kg enhancer and 500g light DME on yesterday, dry hopping with 30g Cascade after 5 days, hoping for a nice light, hoppy, slightly boozy summer ale.

 

[Addy]

Whacked a Coopers APA plus 1kg enhancer and 500g light DME on yesterday, dry hopping with 30g Cascade after 5 days, hoping for a nice light, hoppy, slightly boozy summer ale.

Try doing this again with Apollo hops, its a very nice drink.

 

[Dovydaitis]

Itching to brew but go on holiday in 2 weeks where my current load will be drunk and ill get my barrels/bottles back.....

 

[badseed]

I posted this on a 4wd camping trailer forum which I occasionally frequent but it's good info for here too.

I use corny kegs in a kegerator at home and never want to go back to bottling. I always miss having my own brews with me when I'm away but the half size kegs are so expensive and not as readily available as standard corny's so I did a bit of googling and came across this idea.
All you need:

• 5l keg
• Rubber bung for keg
• Presta valve cut from old inner tube
• Co2 bike pump

5l minikegs, presta valve, bike pump. Awesome.
I am a cyclist anyway so I have a co2 pump and often have punctured innertubes with presta valves.


I bought a couple of minikegs and bungs from this place but I am sure you can get them on the UK: http://minikeg.net.au/
I have knocked up a great DIY delivery system that fits in an esky or fridge. I know I am not the first one to do this but here are some instructions and pics for any young players.

Take the rubber bung with the intact middle bit.

Drill a 5mm (or 5.5 - takes a bit of trial and error) and push a presta valve through the hole. I pushed it halfway through then put a bit of silicon on the base and pushed the rest through.

I should point out here that I used a threadless valve, in hindsight this was a mistake as the nut would have held the valve in place better. I know for the next time.

I bought a beer line disconnect for a corny key and attached a couple of metres of pvc hose to it.
I connect this to the out of my standard corny and let it fill the minikeg. Simples....

I should also point out that the beer is already carbonated and ready for drinking from the corny. This is just storage/serving. You can use these kegs to carb as well, but I already have a system in place for that,

Once it's full you simply put the bung in and attach a co2 bike pump to pressurise the keg, hardly any gas is needed, just enough to push the beer out.

Result

Great for camping, picnics, barbecue etc or, as I did last night, in front of a film without having to get up.