Discussion
Swervin_Mervin said:
After some advice gents. I've not brewed in 10years 
- used to do full grain brews. I still have all my homemade kit, including tun, kettle etc, but it's been lurking in a combination of garages and sheds all this time and is looking both a little sorry for itself and a bit Heath Robinson.
With that in mind, and keen to get brewing again, I'm thinking of getting some new kit. Has anyone got any pointers of where to look and what's available these days? I imagine things might have moved on a bit.
I've got some Prima Donna hops growing and have some in the freezer from a couple of years ago (last year was barren for some odd reason!) and I'm keen to use them. Hence I want to get cracking soon-ish so I can get my eye back in if you like, before using the homegrown hops.
I built my own mash tun and kettle, used it for a good few years and then went for a Hopcat, which is a cheaper version of a Grainfather. There are lots of similar systems out there. I've not looked back to be honest, cuts the length of a brew day right down. - used to do full grain brews. I still have all my homemade kit, including tun, kettle etc, but it's been lurking in a combination of garages and sheds all this time and is looking both a little sorry for itself and a bit Heath Robinson.With that in mind, and keen to get brewing again, I'm thinking of getting some new kit. Has anyone got any pointers of where to look and what's available these days? I imagine things might have moved on a bit.
I've got some Prima Donna hops growing and have some in the freezer from a couple of years ago (last year was barren for some odd reason!) and I'm keen to use them. Hence I want to get cracking soon-ish so I can get my eye back in if you like, before using the homegrown hops.
Got hold of some nice shiny sink units as well and converted the back of the garage. Needs a bit of a tidy up!!
Cheers Gents. Interesting as the all-in-one solutions look, I think I'm keen for now to stick with the more traditional setup.
I spent last night trawling the oneline stores and have come to the conclusion that I'll probably just stick with what I've got for the time being. I might then look to replace each part in due course for some proper shiny kit.
The main issues I have with my legacy kit are the dodgy kettle, which is a blue food drum with two tesco kettle elements inside - not only are the switches dodgily shrouded, but also it all gets a bit flexible when boiling away. It also takes an age to heat up.
The mash tun was relatively decent, but we used an upturned holey plate for a false bottom and we did occasionaly have stuck mash issues (one of which resulted in an incredible oatmeal stout that was unintentionally about 6.5-7%
I might get a new hop filter for the kettle but would also like to avoid the stress of stuck mashes in future. So I might have to look at fresh options for the false bottom
I spent last night trawling the oneline stores and have come to the conclusion that I'll probably just stick with what I've got for the time being. I might then look to replace each part in due course for some proper shiny kit.
The main issues I have with my legacy kit are the dodgy kettle, which is a blue food drum with two tesco kettle elements inside - not only are the switches dodgily shrouded, but also it all gets a bit flexible when boiling away. It also takes an age to heat up.
The mash tun was relatively decent, but we used an upturned holey plate for a false bottom and we did occasionaly have stuck mash issues (one of which resulted in an incredible oatmeal stout that was unintentionally about 6.5-7%
I might get a new hop filter for the kettle but would also like to avoid the stress of stuck mashes in future. So I might have to look at fresh options for the false bottom
Swervin_Mervin said:
Cheers Gents. Interesting as the all-in-one solutions look, I think I'm keen for now to stick with the more traditional setup.
I spent last night trawling the oneline stores and have come to the conclusion that I'll probably just stick with what I've got for the time being. I might then look to replace each part in due course for some proper shiny kit.
The main issues I have with my legacy kit are the dodgy kettle, which is a blue food drum with two tesco kettle elements inside - not only are the switches dodgily shrouded, but also it all gets a bit flexible when boiling away. It also takes an age to heat up.
The mash tun was relatively decent, but we used an upturned holey plate for a false bottom and we did occasionaly have stuck mash issues (one of which resulted in an incredible oatmeal stout that was unintentionally about 6.5-7%
I might get a new hop filter for the kettle but would also like to avoid the stress of stuck mashes in future. So I might have to look at fresh options for the false bottom
No personal experience with them as currently have a large enough pot for extract but Klarstein equipment gets good reviews, i will probably get something like this kettle from them when i move onto all grain. Looks very good for 'only' £165 https://www.klarstein.co.uk/Home-appliances/Drinks...I spent last night trawling the oneline stores and have come to the conclusion that I'll probably just stick with what I've got for the time being. I might then look to replace each part in due course for some proper shiny kit.
The main issues I have with my legacy kit are the dodgy kettle, which is a blue food drum with two tesco kettle elements inside - not only are the switches dodgily shrouded, but also it all gets a bit flexible when boiling away. It also takes an age to heat up.
The mash tun was relatively decent, but we used an upturned holey plate for a false bottom and we did occasionaly have stuck mash issues (one of which resulted in an incredible oatmeal stout that was unintentionally about 6.5-7%
I might get a new hop filter for the kettle but would also like to avoid the stress of stuck mashes in future. So I might have to look at fresh options for the false bottom
Swervin_Mervin said:
Cheers Gents. Interesting as the all-in-one solutions look, I think I'm keen for now to stick with the more traditional setup.
I might get a new hop filter for the kettle but would also like to avoid the stress of stuck mashes in future. So I might have to look at fresh options for the false bottom
Rice hulls in the mash should stop it sticking.I might get a new hop filter for the kettle but would also like to avoid the stress of stuck mashes in future. So I might have to look at fresh options for the false bottom
Girlfriend's family have a big apple tree in the garden, and a few weeks ago we pressed approx 200l of juice. Most of it went to friends and neighbors, but I got my hands on 25l of it, which I fermented and it is now bottled and undergoing conditioning. Some of it is in PET bottles (so that we can give it away to friends and family), and from the firmness of the bottles it looks like it is already nicely carbonated. We didn't pasteurise the juice, or add any sulfites to it, just sprinkled cider yeast which quickly overpowered any wild yeasts in the juice. Looking forward to it in a few weeks 
.
While the cider is getting ready, we're brewing some ginger beer. From previous attempts, it is probably the easiest and quickest beverage to brew from scratch. We're planning to experiment a bit with adding spices to the brew, like cloves and star anise.
Will update on how both of these brews turn out .
.While the cider is getting ready, we're brewing some ginger beer. From previous attempts, it is probably the easiest and quickest beverage to brew from scratch. We're planning to experiment a bit with adding spices to the brew, like cloves and star anise.
Will update on how both of these brews turn out
.Salamura said:
Girlfriend's family have a big apple tree in the garden, and a few weeks ago we pressed approx 200l of juice. Most of it went to friends and neighbors, but I got my hands on 25l of it, which I fermented and it is now bottled and undergoing conditioning. Some of it is in PET bottles (so that we can give it away to friends and family), and from the firmness of the bottles it looks like it is already nicely carbonated. We didn't pasteurise the juice, or add any sulfites to it, just sprinkled cider yeast which quickly overpowered any wild yeasts in the juice. Looking forward to it in a few weeks .
While the cider is getting ready, we're brewing some ginger beer. From previous attempts, it is probably the easiest and quickest beverage to brew from scratch. We're planning to experiment a bit with adding spices to the brew, like cloves and star anise.
Will update on how both of these brews turn out .
presume you sterilised the bottles first? .While the cider is getting ready, we're brewing some ginger beer. From previous attempts, it is probably the easiest and quickest beverage to brew from scratch. We're planning to experiment a bit with adding spices to the brew, like cloves and star anise.
Will update on how both of these brews turn out
.Swervin_Mervin said:
Salamura said:
Some of it is in PET bottles (so that we can give it away to friends and family), and from the firmness of the bottles it looks like it is already nicely carbonated.
Might want to advise them to open it in the garden 
Salamura said:
Girlfriend's family have a big apple tree in the garden, and a few weeks ago we pressed approx 200l of juice. Most of it went to friends and neighbors, but I got my hands on 25l of it, which I fermented and it is now bottled and undergoing conditioning. Some of it is in PET bottles (so that we can give it away to friends and family), and from the firmness of the bottles it looks like it is already nicely carbonated. We didn't pasteurise the juice, or add any sulfites to it, just sprinkled cider yeast which quickly overpowered any wild yeasts in the juice. Looking forward to it in a few weeks .
While the cider is getting ready, we're brewing some ginger beer. From previous attempts, it is probably the easiest and quickest beverage to brew from scratch. We're planning to experiment a bit with adding spices to the brew, like cloves and star anise.
Will update on how both of these brews turn out .
Keen to hear how you get on with cider. I have found it really hit and miss, mix of apples is key so that you end up with the right amount of tannin and acidity and flavour when it's fermented dry. A nice eating apple can be pretty grim with the sugar removed and obviously a brew made from cookers will be excessively acidic (they contain plenty of sugar for alcohol production though!). .While the cider is getting ready, we're brewing some ginger beer. From previous attempts, it is probably the easiest and quickest beverage to brew from scratch. We're planning to experiment a bit with adding spices to the brew, like cloves and star anise.
Will update on how both of these brews turn out
.A cheap and easy brew I did this year with sweet cicely in spring and then elderflower in summer is this elderflower champagne recipe - very good indeed for the effort involved: https://gallowaywildfoods.com/elderflower-champagn...
I had a mixture of cox and bramley from the garden in my old house. The most successful brew from those was a cyser (a cross between cider and mead) made using honey which had been heated to the point where it started to caramelise and generate toffee apple flavours. I made two versions, a dry, sparkling and a strong, sweet version to which I added some spice (cloves, cinnamon, citrus peel IIRC).
Blown2CV said:
presume you sterilised the bottles first?
Of course. I did start regretting having 25l of the stuff after spending a whole afternoon washing bottles. That said, I always take the time to sterilise everything that the juice touches, and in many years I haven't had any disasters.I'm also quite curious how the cider will turn out. The juice is only from one type of apple (whatever the tree in the garden is), but they have a good balance between sweetness and acidity (when you eat them), and have a nice apply aroma, so fingers crossed it should be a good brew. I like dry cider and let this one ferment until all the sugar was gone (also easier to make), and most of GF's family prefer sweeter ciders, so we will see if they like it.
Looking for some advice before I kick off my first ever non-kit/non-recipe brew...
I've done a few kits, a few recipes and several recent batches of cider with moderate success in the past and am going to be trying my hand at something I've designed myself.
The plan is for a fairly ordinary NEIPA, with Idaho 7, Citra and Mosaic hops in pellet form, liquid pale ale malt extract, and a combination of crystal malt and small amounts of flaked oats and Cara wheat steeped for mouth feel and haze. London Fog yeast.
Few questions for the more expert than I (which is basically everyone here I reckon)...
1) Which hop should I use for bittering? I'm erring towards Idaho 7 as it's got slightly lower alpha acids and I'm not really looking for a great deal of bitterness, just enough to provide a good base for the dry hopping.
2) Any advice on limiting air exposure when dry hopping with your bog standard 25L plastic fermenting vessels? Don't mind spending a little little bit if I need extra equipment if it's likely to make a significant difference as I know dry hopping is one of the tougher aspects to avoid oxygen exposure in.
3) Similarly, any advice on bottling approaches that similarly limit exposure. My plan was basically to fill from a bottling bucket using the fixed tap and a sanitised hose after adding priming sugar, then using oxygen absorbing caps, but I know they'll probably need to be refrigerated and drunk quickly after bottling to avoid them going grey...
I've done a few kits, a few recipes and several recent batches of cider with moderate success in the past and am going to be trying my hand at something I've designed myself.
The plan is for a fairly ordinary NEIPA, with Idaho 7, Citra and Mosaic hops in pellet form, liquid pale ale malt extract, and a combination of crystal malt and small amounts of flaked oats and Cara wheat steeped for mouth feel and haze. London Fog yeast.
Few questions for the more expert than I (which is basically everyone here I reckon)...
1) Which hop should I use for bittering? I'm erring towards Idaho 7 as it's got slightly lower alpha acids and I'm not really looking for a great deal of bitterness, just enough to provide a good base for the dry hopping.
2) Any advice on limiting air exposure when dry hopping with your bog standard 25L plastic fermenting vessels? Don't mind spending a little little bit if I need extra equipment if it's likely to make a significant difference as I know dry hopping is one of the tougher aspects to avoid oxygen exposure in.
3) Similarly, any advice on bottling approaches that similarly limit exposure. My plan was basically to fill from a bottling bucket using the fixed tap and a sanitised hose after adding priming sugar, then using oxygen absorbing caps, but I know they'll probably need to be refrigerated and drunk quickly after bottling to avoid them going grey...
HM-2 said:
Looking for some advice before I kick off my first ever non-kit/non-recipe brew...
I've done a few kits, a few recipes and several recent batches of cider with moderate success in the past and am going to be trying my hand at something I've designed myself.
The plan is for a fairly ordinary NEIPA, with Idaho 7, Citra and Mosaic hops in pellet form, liquid pale ale malt extract, and a combination of crystal malt and small amounts of flaked oats and Cara wheat steeped for mouth feel and haze. London Fog yeast.
Few questions for the more expert than I (which is basically everyone here I reckon)...
1) Which hop should I use for bittering? I'm erring towards Idaho 7 as it's got slightly lower alpha acids and I'm not really looking for a great deal of bitterness, just enough to provide a good base for the dry hopping.
2) Any advice on limiting air exposure when dry hopping with your bog standard 25L plastic fermenting vessels? Don't mind spending a little little bit if I need extra equipment if it's likely to make a significant difference as I know dry hopping is one of the tougher aspects to avoid oxygen exposure in.
3) Similarly, any advice on bottling approaches that similarly limit exposure. My plan was basically to fill from a bottling bucket using the fixed tap and a sanitised hose after adding priming sugar, then using oxygen absorbing caps, but I know they'll probably need to be refrigerated and drunk quickly after bottling to avoid them going grey...
I can't comment on the recipe as I'm not familiar with the hops or making the style.I've done a few kits, a few recipes and several recent batches of cider with moderate success in the past and am going to be trying my hand at something I've designed myself.
The plan is for a fairly ordinary NEIPA, with Idaho 7, Citra and Mosaic hops in pellet form, liquid pale ale malt extract, and a combination of crystal malt and small amounts of flaked oats and Cara wheat steeped for mouth feel and haze. London Fog yeast.
Few questions for the more expert than I (which is basically everyone here I reckon)...
1) Which hop should I use for bittering? I'm erring towards Idaho 7 as it's got slightly lower alpha acids and I'm not really looking for a great deal of bitterness, just enough to provide a good base for the dry hopping.
2) Any advice on limiting air exposure when dry hopping with your bog standard 25L plastic fermenting vessels? Don't mind spending a little little bit if I need extra equipment if it's likely to make a significant difference as I know dry hopping is one of the tougher aspects to avoid oxygen exposure in.
3) Similarly, any advice on bottling approaches that similarly limit exposure. My plan was basically to fill from a bottling bucket using the fixed tap and a sanitised hose after adding priming sugar, then using oxygen absorbing caps, but I know they'll probably need to be refrigerated and drunk quickly after bottling to avoid them going grey...
For dry hopping - while fermenting the beer will blanket itself in co2. If you don't disturb the fermenter while this is going on it won't go away. Just be as gentle as possible when adding the dry hops, open the lid the smallest amount possible, add them slowly etc. Are you putting them in loose or in a bag?
For bottling - not sure what more you could do. I've seen a video comparing shaken bottles to ones that are filled carefully and hardly moved. The shaken bottle oxidised badly while the other was ok.
Are you transferring the beer from the fermenter on top of the priming sugar in a bottling bucket? If so this is an oxidation risk bit the best way to batch prime. Limit splashing as much as possible. They will need a couple of weeks to carbonate so if oxygen gets in it will do it's thing. Deffo drink fresh though.
Guessing you don't have access to CO2 to purge the buckets?
If you’re going for a NEIPA style I’d skip the bittering hops all together, up the oats (a lot) and try S33 as the yeast. 300g in total of citra and mosaic in the dry hop (23lt batch) and you’ll have a belter...
HM-2 said:
Looking for some advice before I kick off my first ever non-kit/non-recipe brew...
I've done a few kits, a few recipes and several recent batches of cider with moderate success in the past and am going to be trying my hand at something I've designed myself.
The plan is for a fairly ordinary NEIPA, with Idaho 7, Citra and Mosaic hops in pellet form, liquid pale ale malt extract, and a combination of crystal malt and small amounts of flaked oats and Cara wheat steeped for mouth feel and haze. London Fog yeast.
Few questions for the more expert than I (which is basically everyone here I reckon)...
1) Which hop should I use for bittering? I'm erring towards Idaho 7 as it's got slightly lower alpha acids and I'm not really looking for a great deal of bitterness, just enough to provide a good base for the dry hopping.
2) Any advice on limiting air exposure when dry hopping with your bog standard 25L plastic fermenting vessels? Don't mind spending a little little bit if I need extra equipment if it's likely to make a significant difference as I know dry hopping is one of the tougher aspects to avoid oxygen exposure in.
3) Similarly, any advice on bottling approaches that similarly limit exposure. My plan was basically to fill from a bottling bucket using the fixed tap and a sanitised hose after adding priming sugar, then using oxygen absorbing caps, but I know they'll probably need to be refrigerated and drunk quickly after bottling to avoid them going grey...
I've done a few kits, a few recipes and several recent batches of cider with moderate success in the past and am going to be trying my hand at something I've designed myself.
The plan is for a fairly ordinary NEIPA, with Idaho 7, Citra and Mosaic hops in pellet form, liquid pale ale malt extract, and a combination of crystal malt and small amounts of flaked oats and Cara wheat steeped for mouth feel and haze. London Fog yeast.
Few questions for the more expert than I (which is basically everyone here I reckon)...
1) Which hop should I use for bittering? I'm erring towards Idaho 7 as it's got slightly lower alpha acids and I'm not really looking for a great deal of bitterness, just enough to provide a good base for the dry hopping.
2) Any advice on limiting air exposure when dry hopping with your bog standard 25L plastic fermenting vessels? Don't mind spending a little little bit if I need extra equipment if it's likely to make a significant difference as I know dry hopping is one of the tougher aspects to avoid oxygen exposure in.
3) Similarly, any advice on bottling approaches that similarly limit exposure. My plan was basically to fill from a bottling bucket using the fixed tap and a sanitised hose after adding priming sugar, then using oxygen absorbing caps, but I know they'll probably need to be refrigerated and drunk quickly after bottling to avoid them going grey...
marksx said:
For dry hopping - while fermenting the beer will blanket itself in co2. If you don't disturb the fermenter while this is going on it won't go away. Just be as gentle as possible when adding the dry hops, open the lid the smallest amount possible, add them slowly etc. Are you putting them in loose or in a bag?
I've got mesh bags but happy to take pointers on whichever you think would be the least disturbing/disruptive method. It's going to be circa 6oz hops for the dry hopping so probably makes sense to bag them all and drop them in together.marksx said:
Are you transferring the beer from the fermenter on top of the priming sugar in a bottling bucket?
Yes, that's the plan. I've got 2 25L buckets, one I intend to use for fermentation and the other bottling.marksx said:
Guessing you don't have access to CO2 to purge the buckets?
I do not, no.Hoonigan said:
If you’re going for a NEIPA style I’d skip the bittering hops all together, up the oats (a lot) and try S33 as the yeast. 300g in total of citra and mosaic in the dry hop (23lt batch) and you’ll have a belter...
Very interesting, thanks. Happy to dispense with bittering hops entirely if that's a good approach.Edited by HM-2 on Wednesday 14th October 20:19
NEIPA is very hard without pressure fermenting and closed transfers which is why I have not attempted one yet, not to say you shouldn't but be aware it is a risky beer without the above.
That aside I will brew one soon as I love the style so have been doing my homework on them. I agree with the above but I would go for a token 10g of bittering hops but go big on your late additions, flameout and a huge addition post flameout at around 80 degrees and let them sit in the mas for a while.
For dry hopping there is a method where people do this around 48 hours into fermentation, the yeast will continue to produce CO2 stopping the hops from oxidizing and the yeast will consume some of the hop profile resulting in a unique flavour.
That aside I will brew one soon as I love the style so have been doing my homework on them. I agree with the above but I would go for a token 10g of bittering hops but go big on your late additions, flameout and a huge addition post flameout at around 80 degrees and let them sit in the mas for a while.
For dry hopping there is a method where people do this around 48 hours into fermentation, the yeast will continue to produce CO2 stopping the hops from oxidizing and the yeast will consume some of the hop profile resulting in a unique flavour.
Doing a huge flame out addition @ 80deg will still give you a bitter beer, I’ve experimented with a few different temps and much above 70deg introduced too much bittering for the style.
Not sure I agree regards the “risky beer” bit as I’ve done loads without a pressure transfer and all have been fine...
Not sure I agree regards the “risky beer” bit as I’ve done loads without a pressure transfer and all have been fine...
RichFN2 said:
NEIPA is very hard without pressure fermenting and closed transfers which is why I have not attempted one yet, not to say you shouldn't but be aware it is a risky beer without the above.
That aside I will brew one soon as I love the style so have been doing my homework on them. I agree with the above but I would go for a token 10g of bittering hops but go big on your late additions, flameout and a huge addition post flameout at around 80 degrees and let them sit in the mas for a while.
For dry hopping there is a method where people do this around 48 hours into fermentation, the yeast will continue to produce CO2 stopping the hops from oxidizing and the yeast will consume some of the hop profile resulting in a unique flavour.
That aside I will brew one soon as I love the style so have been doing my homework on them. I agree with the above but I would go for a token 10g of bittering hops but go big on your late additions, flameout and a huge addition post flameout at around 80 degrees and let them sit in the mas for a while.
For dry hopping there is a method where people do this around 48 hours into fermentation, the yeast will continue to produce CO2 stopping the hops from oxidizing and the yeast will consume some of the hop profile resulting in a unique flavour.
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