Homebrew Beer Howto

Saruman · 03-09-2011 9:33pm

You will no have much trouble shifting a free fridge. If none of the hombrew people want it, stick it on jumbletown and it will probably be gone that day.

Hellrazer · 03-09-2011 9:40pm

Saruman wrote: »

You will no have much trouble shifting a free fridge. If none of the hombrew people want it, stick it on jumbletown and it will probably be gone that day.

True it would probably go on adverts/jumbletown in a few hours but I`d prefer to give something back to this forum.Ive read every thread,read every link in order to start my first brew.

Hoping to get my kit this week and get started so there`ll be a lot more quetions in the coming weeks and I wont feel so bad if Ive given something in return

rubadub · 13-09-2011 3:39pm

I was in dunnes today, they had fancy lemonade in clear 700 or 750ml bottles with swing tops. Shame they were clear, and they were €3.19 or something which rules them out big time. But maybe some other things come in brown swingtops cheaply, I am thinking veg oil or something.

They had 10L food grade water containers in woodies too.

rubadub · 13-09-2011 3:41pm

cooperguy wrote: »

A guy I know uses Milton for sterilising. Good or bad idea?

Milton is simply bleach (sodium hypochlorite) with some ordinary table salt in it.

You can get tesco value bleach which is unperfumed and unthickened, same stuff at a fraction of the price. Milton just prey on overly worried mothers.

BeerNut · 13-09-2011 3:54pm

rubadub wrote: »

I am thinking veg oil or something.

Getting all that out so it doesn't kill your head retention wouldn't be worth the effort, IMO.

You may as well buy brown ones for €1.51 each if you're that desperate.

rubadub · 13-09-2011 4:20pm

BeerNut wrote: »

Getting all that out so it doesn't kill your head retention wouldn't be worth the effort, IMO.

never thought of that, worth keeping an eye out all the same.

A mate got brown swingtops and it was just a brown veneer on them which was flaking off. Others I saw were made in China, I would sooner get ones from a proper brewery, I have had bad experiences with Chinese seals before on other items, bad taste.

I emailed world of beers a few months ago about cheap brown swingtops, and if you got more than 24 in a "parcel" of 330ml bottles, below is his reply.

In cases of 330ml bottles we can still only get 24 in a parcel because our boxes have cardboard divisions. I do have available some Out of Date German beer in 500ml flips, these are better suited to home brewing due to there slightly larger size. These are available at £1.50 per bottle, If interested I am happy to provide you a list of what we have and the date on the label, we can still get 24 bottles in a box of these.

Best Wishes

***********

website. www.beersofeurope.co.uk

**NEW** SEE US ON YOUTUBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw1VAgWHLy8

I_am_LOST · 13-09-2011 5:45pm

Just put on my first batch of beer

Well, haven't pitched the yeast yet because I'm waiting for it to cool (says the temp is 26 degrees C right now!!) but after that I'll be done

Hope I haven't done anything too wrong. It'd be annoying if it doesn't turn out drinkable! I know I did one thing wrong though....used normal tap water. Didn't boil it off or leave it over night to get rid of the Chlorine but I've heard people use normal tap water and it's been fine so here's hoping!

BeerNut · 13-09-2011 5:48pm

I_am_LOST wrote: »

says the temp is 26 degrees C right now

You're done. Pitch it.

I_am_LOST · 13-09-2011 6:05pm

BeerNut wrote: »

You're done. Pitch it.

Really? Will that not kill the yeast? The guides I've been reading have been saying 19-23 degrees is ideal for pitching the yeast.

BeerNut · 13-09-2011 6:14pm

I mostly use the SafAle yeasts, which recommend 27C +/- 3C. You need to be up in the 40s before you're in danger of killing the yeast, though above 30 and it can throw off-flavours.

I_am_LOST · 24-09-2011 12:36pm

Me again with another question :P

I've gotton hold of 48 pint bottles so I'm in the process of sterilising them right now. Is sticking them in the dishwasher sufficient to sterilise them? I didn't put in any detergent so it's just hot water in there. Maybe I should put a bit of the sanitising powder in the dishwasher?

Also a question about bottling; I bought the carbonation drops. Will one drop per pint bottle be ok? Or should I add two?

Saruman · 24-09-2011 2:29pm

Many people do use a dishwasher yes, not for the washing but for the drying cycle which is hot enough to sanitise. However the best type of heat is a wet heat (steam) and I'm not sure that's what you get in a dishwasher. Have you thought about using a no rinse sanitiser and drain on a bottling tree? In fact the bottling tree is not even needed, just a little more convenient.

I_am_LOST · 25-09-2011 1:44pm

I already have a sanitising powder but maybe for the next time this no rinse one sounds good!

What I did was run the bottles through the dishwasher and instead of using dishwasher powder, I put in some sanitising powder. I then took them out, took off the labels as best I could and rinsed them in cold water. I hope this is enough? The bottles are too big to chuck them all into any tub I have to sanitise that way and I have no bottle brush either

Saruman · 25-09-2011 2:18pm

Actually rinsing can be a bad idea because some of the bacteria will live in the water you rinse with, which is why a no rinse solution is best. Either a commercial product or a bleach ad vinegar solution.

About 30ml thin bleach (cheap tesco stuff) and 30mls vinegar, in 20 litres of water will produce a no rinse solution. Just be sure to mix the bleach and vinegar in to the water. NEVER mix bleach and vinegar together neat.

Limerick Bandit · 26-09-2011 5:09pm

What happens if you mix bleach and vinegar together neat

merc230ce · 26-09-2011 9:11pm

*BOOM*

BeerNut · 26-09-2011 9:33pm

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

What happens if you mix bleach and vinegar together neat

It gives off chlorine gas, which is highly poisonous.

oblivious · 27-09-2011 1:57pm

BeerNut wrote: »

It gives off chlorine gas, which is highly poisonous.

An only ever useful if you reenacting the trenches of world war one

Limerick Bandit · 28-09-2011 5:12pm

Dose anyone filter the beer before bottling to remove the last of the sediment?

rubadub · 28-09-2011 5:21pm

Limerick Bandit wrote: »

Dose anyone filter the beer before bottling to remove the last of the sediment?

You will need some yeast for the bottle conditioning. Also the bottle conditioning will produce more yeast anyways so there's no real point in getting it extra clear before bottling.

BaZmO* · 29-09-2011 8:43am

Leaving the beer in the fridge for a while (after the yeast has been allowed to carbonate the beer for at least 2 weeks) helps a great deal.

Martyn1989 · 02-10-2011 1:06pm

Going to be dry hopping with pellets, just wondering, do I need to boil them down, sanitise them or just chuck them into secoundary when I transfer?
Thanks.

BeerNut · 03-10-2011 10:00am

Hops are self-sanitising. Just chuck 'em in.

Pellets can be a pain when it comes to dry hopping because you can't really get them out of the finished beer.

Martyn1989 · 03-10-2011 7:53pm

BeerNut wrote: »

Hops are self-sanitising. Just chuck 'em in.

Pellets can be a pain when it comes to dry hopping because you can't really get them out of the finished beer.

I was inder the impression they would just break down? Im only using 14g, in what seems to be a pretty big beer already, still it'll be a new experience

14-10-2011 11:28am

Hi, I'm new to home brewing, but thought I'd give a Pale Ale Kit a go, - especially as I'd been to the Craft Beer festival recently...

I bought a kit, and took plenty of advice from this forum. The wort fermented quite vigorously for the first couple of days, and then slowed. After 10 days, it has virtually stopped.

I took a small sample from the tap, and it's very cloudy and has a slight 'fizz' when tasted. But, it also tastes very thin / watery, and has a slight yeast taste. It's not awful, but doesn't have the taste of wanting more

I used the Brewmaker IPA and added 1KG of beer enhancer, but so far, it lacks a full bodied taste.

Should I leave it in the primary bin for a while yet before bottling?

Or, should I bottle and hope the flavour / body improves over time in the bottles?

Any advice would be great.

Thanks

BeerNut · 14-10-2011 11:51am

1013 wrote: »

It's not awful, but doesn't have the taste of wanting more

It's not beer yet. Leave it alone.

1013 wrote: »

Should I leave it in the primary bin for a while yet before bottling?

Give it a full two weeks in the fermenter at least. Bottle it and give it at least two weeks there. Then worry about how it tastes.

14-10-2011 1:45pm

Great!

Thanks for the advice BeerNut

gaz wac · 16-11-2011 11:35am

Hi lads,

I made a batch of Cooper Canadian Blonde http://www.homebrewwest.ie/coopers-international-canadian-blonde-17-kg-513-p.asp , last thursday. I got no bubbling in my airlock at all! The lid was on tight but as of last night...nothing! I didnt take a reading at the start but took one last night....1.016.

Just wondering, do you think i had a small leak in the lid? does this beer just not ferment as much as others? am i ready to bottle if its at 1.016 ?

Cheers
Gaz

BeerNut · 16-11-2011 11:43am

Give it a minimum of two weeks in the fermenter and ignore the airlock: it tells you nothing useful.

rubadub · 16-11-2011 11:49am

gaz wac wrote: »

Just wondering, do you think i had a small leak in the lid?

If its a snap on lid that is easy enough to get on then I would expect leaks.

A way to test would be to put some water in the fermenter, go out the back, put your finger on the airlock hole and turn it upside down and check for drips. Only if you are curious about it, its not important as BeerNut says

Homebrew Beer Howto

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