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Sorry for not replying earlier. My fermenter is 60l, not the usual 30l version. It give me a few better options and it also means that the first major ferment doesn't overflow like it did with the smaller ones. And I tend to use two yeasts. The first one is the major flavour profile and the...

Guess I've got an issue with paying for stuff...so this one's free. And most of the software packages I've looked at are always missing that one ingredient I need sooo badly (sorry, Stan Freberg).

Hi, I don't know if anyone does multiple additions to their fermentor during the process, but I do. And to keep a track of the alcohol, I made up this little spreadsheet. Basically, so I know what yeast I'll need for bottle conditioning (as some yeasts don't work when there's too much alcohol)...

Just started a 'toucan' - 2 Coopers Canadian Blonde and 2 Coopers Real Ale (plus 4kg of malt). And just realised I don't have a hydrometer, so the OG sample is waiting for me in the fridge.

Hi all, I'm fairly sure I used to use the Liquorcraft calculator to give me an idea of my OG for K&K brews. But it seems to have gone missing. Not too fussed about exact calculations for other items, but I used to use this to work out what sort of gravity I should expect before and after...

I do my brew in a 60l fermenter. It holds 70l of water, but the measurements on the side go up to 60 only. I started using this as I was brewing with lots of sugars and the smaller containers simply could not hold the initial 'explosion' of krauser. I just have to be carful when carrying the...

All my brews are for bottling, and in most cases I don't have an issue. But for one of my recent batches, I tried a new yeast which produces a fine tasting beer, but seemed not to survive enough to be able to produce bubbles after bottling. Now, this is a 12.6% Imperial Stout style brew, and...

I use about 10g of the root in my initial boil (for a 55l brew). I find it adds a fair amount of sweetness without any extra added sugar. And 10g in 55l might sound small, but a little goes a long way. The brew is a (sort of) imperial stout ending up around 11.5-12.5% abv - depending on what I...

Hmmm. My old recipe seems to have become corrupted - or maybe I put it in wrong. It's gone from 11.6%abv to 2.67 (and it's definitely the former). So I'll be in it! Thank you...

Combination of CUB 750's and the new 750's from Liquorcraft - so all glass. And these are intended to age for a long time, so carbing them up won't really work as they really need to generate their own CO2. The Saison was the reseeding. In theory it's supposed to be tolerant of high abv - but...

This sounds like exactly my problem. I've made a new version of my Imperial Stout but couldn't find any MJ Belgian yeast, so was using MJ's Saison instead. I figure it may have just run out of puff at around 11.6-12% (or maybe it didn't like the month with the oak chips). Anyway, the bottles are...

I haven't made anything other than K+K brews since I came back about 7 years ago. Prior to that I'd tried grain brewing in the 80s, but had never had consistently successful brews, so I gave it up and bought the amber fluid pre-brewed. Then I noticed a Coopers kit for $99 in my local Coles (I...

If you've ever had a lambic beer you'll recognise the same sour/tart taste. Wild yeast, man, that's wild! In conditions other than an open fermenter (where you WANT the wild yeast), it's generally caused by a lack of proper cleaning. Not blaming the OP, probably just something missed. I clean...

It's a combination of lost of active yeast, lots of food (i.e. sugars) and a healthy temperature. For my high sugar ferments, I took to only putting in half the sugar for the first yeast pitch, and then once the initial burst of activity had slowed down, then I put in my second lot of sugar. For...

Liquorice root - it's easiest if you can find some tea with nothing added. Adds a different sort of sweetness and can be used to offset the earthy bitterness of some of the darker grains I use to colour the porter/stouts that I make. Cinnamon - is good, but I use sticks, lightly broken up. And...

Really? "strangely silent after the court case" and "turned up to court in a wheelchair which he hasn't been seen in since", eh? Well, let's see...WA passed those new mandatory sentencing laws as a direct result of this case, so I'm not sure how 'silent' that is. And the guy has been able to...

Reporting back. OK, I've done the Ubrewit experience at Keilor (bit of a hike from Narre Warren) and it's been good. First, they won't have any other yeasts than what they provide - the reason is risk of infection (I'll accept that). The site is clean, the guy/gals are friendly (if a bit...

Thanks all. Not sure if my local shops have W1728, but I'll see what I can find on the weekend. And I'll be careful with the dry-hop. I'm bringing my own hops whatever they have there, so I'll do the same with the yeast. And I'll see if I can talk them into only putting the bag in for the last...

Understood and thanks. I guess I could live with a straight Scottish from their recipe book. But I tend to like that sort of caramelised taste to go with a little floral/citrus aroma, or the beer starts to become too sweet for my tastes. And I've looked through all their recipes - the Scottish...

It's been a while, and I've been doing my own home brews semi-regularly. But Mrs Cloth Ears got me a Ubrewit (Keilor) gift for Valentines Day (she must really love me!) I've decided on a Scotch Ale, as that is somewhat similar to the effect I look for (malty, sweet) in both my lighter and...