2nd Brew Down...

[iJosh]

Well, the bugs well and truly bitten and I successfully put down my second batch on Saturday night. Foamed like a b!tch too!

First batch was the Coopers European Lager kit made to 22-ish litres with BE2, spring water and dry-hopped with 30g of Hallertauer plugs in the 2nd week (more hops next time I think, and maybe saaz?). Seems to have gone well, ie smells and tastes like beer, maybe Becks, although still green. Had a small scare halfway through and nearly lost the full FV off the table! I bottled Saturday night and it looked clear as a bell going in with no clouding whatsoever except in the first and last bottles which look like pond water because of rookie mistakes... I'll crack one of this batch at about 6 weeks and see how it's fairing. 12 weeks is recommended by Coopers.

2nd batch is a Thomas Coopers IPA kit made to 23L with a LHBS 1.7kg can of liquid LME, spring water and dry-hopped with 70g of Cascade plugs. Smells awesome, very similar to Little Creatures Pale Ale which I'm very happy about! I've got a couple extra plugs and might just chuck in another soon as its super tempting to boost that awesome aroma. Can't wait to taste this one! Though I'm a bit scared that I used only LME and no dex or sugar... :unsure:

Man I LOVE this new hobby!!! :beer:

 

[waggastew]

Sorry to say but the bug will only bite harder!

Your first brews sound good. I did not have much success with the Coopers Euro but the IPA is a cracker. My 'housebrew' is that kit with malt and Cascade hops. You could try using US05 yeast next time as it gives a nice clean profile.

Stew

PS. Make sure you report in how they went when you crack a bottle

 

[Blackapple]

Well, the bugs well and truly bitten and I successfully put down my second batch on Saturday night. Foamed like a b!tch too!

First batch was the Coopers European Lager kit made to 22-ish litres with BE2, spring water and dry-hopped with 30g of Hallertauer plugs in the 2nd week (more hops next time I think, and maybe saaz?). Seems to have gone well, ie smells and tastes like beer, maybe Becks, although still green. Had a small scare halfway through and nearly lost the full FV off the table! I bottled Saturday night and it looked clear as a bell going in with no clouding whatsoever except in the first and last bottles which look like pond water because of rookie mistakes... I'll crack one of this batch at about 6 weeks and see how it's fairing. 12 weeks is recommended by Coopers.

2nd batch is a Thomas Coopers IPA kit made to 23L with a LHBS 1.7kg can of liquid LME, spring water and dry-hopped with 70g of Cascade plugs. Smells awesome, very similar to Little Creatures Pale Ale which I'm very happy about! I've got a couple extra plugs and might just chuck in another soon as its super tempting to boost that awesome aroma. Can't wait to taste this one! Though I'm a bit scared that I used only LME and no dex or sugar... :unsure:

Man I LOVE this new hobby!!! :beer:

Much better with LME than dex or sugar, should be a nice drop.

I made one similar once but got an infection.
Ill try it again one day.......

 

[iJosh]

Sorry to say but the bug will only bite harder!

I'm very worried about this! Could easily get obsessed

Your first brews sound good. I did not have much success with the Coopers Euro but the IPA is a cracker. My 'housebrew' is that kit with malt and Cascade hops. You could try using US05 yeast next time as it gives a nice clean profile.

Stew

PS. Make sure you report in how they went when you crack a bottle

What went wrong with your Euro? I think if I do it again I might use more malt as it's almost toooooooo clear... And how would you describe the character of your IPA? Since we've basically done the same recipe I'm interested...

Will definitely report back on both brews!

 

[iJosh]

Much better with LME than dex or sugar, should be a nice drop.

This is the impression I got reading up but I'm not really sure why it's the case. If someone could explain it to me that would be awesome. The main reason I did it was for colour, body and I'm not a big fan of modified corn starch (dex) *insert generic hippy joke*

 

[Blackapple]

This is the impression I got reading up but I'm not really sure why it's the case. If someone could explain it to me that would be awesome. The main reason I did it was for colour, body and I'm not a big fan of modified corn starch (dex) *insert generic hippy joke*

LME comes from malted barley, sugar is just and additive to give the yeasties something to chow on so they make more alcohol.
I dont use any sugar or dex anymore. Get into steeped grains and extract once you get the kits down.
Its a slippery slope from here

 

[HBHB]

Basically, because beer is always better when it's mostly malt. The less simple sugars like dextrose, the better the result. There are exceptions for some (very few) styles, but stick to malt/malt extract and maybe Maltodextrin for best results. You'll always find a brew made on eg. 250g Maltodextrine, 250g Dextrose and 500g Light Spray Malt tastes better than a brew done with a kilo of dextrose.

Quality beers start with quality ingredients.

:chug:

 

[waggastew]

+1 on the malt although I still use a small amount of dextrose to get the attenuation down in many of my beers (when it suits the style). I gave up using maltodex as I think you can taste it in the brew and if you need more body just use malt! There are some quite good dried malts out there now too including an extra light dried malt that is useful for lagers etc.

The Euro was perfectly OK, just did not attenuate that well and had a hop character that did not sit well with the style IMHO. Some people have had success with it but next time I will use the Morgans Blue Mountain kit as the base for my Euro lager.

As for the IPA, here is a link to the review:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...c=44280&hl=

 

[iJosh]

Thanks for the replies about malt, I understand it much better now ^_^

Got a question...... My krausen's subsided and I've removed the kollar (coopers kit) at day 3, so fermentation is probably on the decline. Now, the brew is still very cloudy especially compared to the lager I've just bottled. When will this typically die down and is okay to bottle if still cloudy even though the FG is steady?

TIA!

 

[mickos]

Thanks for the replies about malt, I understand it much better now ^_^

Got a question...... My krausen's subsided and I've removed the kollar (coopers kit) at day 3, so fermentation is probably on the decline. Now, the brew is still very cloudy especially compared to the lager I've just bottled. When will this typically die down and is okay to bottle if still cloudy even though the FG is steady?

TIA!

I've only done two myself, plenty more planned. What I have found is that I leave it in the fermenter for 14 days that it clears up a heap. I read that the extra weak gives the yeast a chance to clean up the brew. I jsut did a real ale with a caramalt liquid extract, looking wicked. Waiting for it to mature a bit.

 

[Salt]

Thanks for the replies about malt, I understand it much better now ^_^

Got a question...... My krausen's subsided and I've removed the kollar (coopers kit) at day 3, so fermentation is probably on the decline. Now, the brew is still very cloudy especially compared to the lager I've just bottled. When will this typically die down and is okay to bottle if still cloudy even though the FG is steady?

TIA!

Rack onto some gelatine in a secondary fermenter, or alternatively you can add packet finnings to the primary (basically a packet of gelatine)...which I have done and works pretty good. The gelatine settles the trub nicely into a jelly like consistency.

Your Brew will clear up in the bottle too.

Remember, its an IPA, so it will generally not come out as clear as a Lager (in my experience, however others on here probably boast a pretty clear Ale), but with a kit, it may take some gelatine and some time in the bottle to clear up.

My 2 cents.

Cheers

 

[lano]

I have done the IPA many times... its my stock standard (goes well with Cascasde or fuggles hops).

I generally leave it in the fermenter 10 - 14 days then bottle. It will not be as clear as a larger, but if that is not good enough drink it in the dark

You can drink after abou 3 weeks but try to leave it for a month to 6 weeks!

 

[iJosh]

I was contemplating leaving it for 14 days, so I might just try that before adding any finings or racking as I don't have a second FV.

Thanks for the tips! Its all new ground for me so every little bit of info is helpful.

 

[mwd]

You can gelatine into the primary no problem just make up in a steralised jar and add to the FV.

Also store the primary in as cold a place as possible and it will clear much faster.

 

[iJosh]

You can gelatine into the primary no problem just make up in a steralised jar and add to the FV.

Also store the primary in as cold a place as possible and it will clear much faster.

Can gelatin cause any unwanted effects? Would it reduce hop aroma/flavour? Sounds scary putting it in!

 

[mwd]

Can gelatin cause any unwanted effects? Would it reduce hop aroma/flavour? Sounds scary putting it in!

As long as you are not a veggie. It attracts the yeast and makes it fall out Link to how to gelatine dead easy.

You can buy pot of Wards edible gelatine from any grocery store.

 

[drtomc]

The only reason I have for withholding the gelatine is if I'm brewing something my vegetarian or vegan friends will be drinking (or in a couple of recent cases, for an extremely orthodox Jewish colleague, who I don't completely understand: normal wine is off limits because wine is used by Christians as part of the Eucharist, but he is completely happy drinking Chimay, brewed by monks, to fund their monastery.)

But, in your situation, I think the most appropriate expression is "patience grasshopper".

FWIW, in most cases, I leave my brews in primary for 1-2 weeks then in secondary for 1-2 weeks - usually more at the 2 week end in both cases.

T.

 

[iJosh]

HOLY SHI..........! I just took an FG and taste sample... YUM!!! FG is 1009 (makes it about 5% before bottling) and the taste is freakin AWESOME! Still a little cloudy at the bottom so I'll give it til this coming Friday or Saturday before I bottle, but geez, this brew is tasting fantastic already! I put some in a glass, chilled it for a while and drank it pretending it was carbed and all I can say is wow! Loving the cascade flavour and aroma as-is so I hope it doesn't fall away too much. I'm planning to leave the hops in until I bottle too so hopefully that'll help retain things a bit.

 

[iJosh]

It was 2 weeks and 1 day and I couldn't wait any longer! I cracked one last night after fridging it for 24hrs. I'm no beer tasting expert but I'll have my first ever crack at it...

Poured the whole 740ml (minus the sludge) into huge Belgian style glass. First thing I notice is how dark it is! Probably a jarrah honey colour with a hint of coppery redness. It's good for the true style I suppose (a less alcoholic AIPA) but for some reason I was thinking it'd come out a bit more on the Pale Ale colour scale as I'm sure it was lighter at bottling. Moving on, I notice how good the head is! With a fairly rough pour it starts out thick and creamy in an off-white colour. I did dissipate as I drank, but a good swirl brought it back nicely. Forgot to take note of any lacing though. Carbing was good. Felt nice in my gob and it stayed there all the way through til I started being a bit wanky and swirled too much! Clarity was excellent also! I was a little concerned as they went into the bottle with some cloudiness but this has settled out perfectly. I won't ever need to use finings if this the end product I get consistently.

Now for the aroma... Excellent hops on the nose that have mellowed from the original full on passionfruit I was sure I smelled in the FV. More subdued but still pungently delightful! I was also detecting the hops that are in the kit as there was a pleasant accompanying hop aroma that I couldn't put my finger on but knew it wasn't something I had added. There was also a hint of caramel, I suppose that is maltiness?

Flavour is beautiful! I can't beleive that I've been able to produce a beer so good from a kit and some bits!!! First up I get the hops in the same order as the nose. I'm struggling to find a good example to describe it. next time I'll spend a bit more effort trying to pin it down, but it's not what I would call citrus like cascade is usually associated with, but it definitely has the same character as commercial beers I've tasted that use cascade. Make sense? There is also a mid-palate hint of that malty/caramel character I got in the nose, but then it quickly switches to a fantastic bitterness that really balances the whole experience. So refreshing! Defintely not a session beer though, I had just the one drunk fairly quickly due to time constraints and it's got a good kick. My estimates where for about 5.6% alc. but is it possible that it's gone higher in the bottles?

Anyway, that sums up my first homebrew experience. It was such a relief to drink such a good beer after all the paranoia I've experienced reading about infections and carbing problems. I don't think I will buy commercial beer again unless I have to!

Josh.

 

[J Grimmer]

Congrates Josh your on the slippery slop now. Good luck with your future brews.