Recipe Help

[Brownie]

All,

I have picked up a very very cheap can "Brigalow Bitter Ale" concentrate and am thinking of doing the following brew as an experiment.

Brigalow Bitter Ale kit
Fuggles Hops
500g LDME
200g DDME
1Kg Cooper Brew Enhancer 1 (dex and maltodextrin mix), this may be too much ?
Safale Ale S-04 Yeast.


I know you will scoff at the Brigalow Kit, but I got it damn cheap and like to use these cheap kits for my experimental brews.

So any advise would be appreciated?

Cheers

Brownie

 

[mika]

Cheap you want, cheap you get (and none come much cheaper than me )

Sounds good. Lot of fermentables but the Safale yeast should be good for it (be patient), I'm maybe not the best one to give advice, but if you're going for a dark beer (Ale), it might be best to swap the light and dark malt extract (Quantity wise) but I guess it depends on how dark you want it.
The fuggles should suit the style.
I don't know, I've got 2kgs of extra fermentables in a kit and that seems to be working. Will be a high gravity beer and will take a while to make it to the end.

 

[Brownie]

Mika,

Thanks, every now and then I pickup Kits cheap so I generally use those to experiment with.

Anyway brewed it on the weekend, not to the above recipe, but to the one below:

Brigalow Bitter Ale kit
Fuggles Hops
200g DDME
1Kg Cooper Brew Enhancer 2
130g Brown Sugar
And an assortment of yeasts (Coopers, Brewiser and Morgans Lager) I had stashed from kits I used Saf yeasts instead of under the lid, total yeasts were about 18g, which I rehydrated to see if they were a go'er or not.

Boiled DDME, BE2 and Brown Sugar then simmered Figgles for about 30 mins.

Added Bitter Ale once simmer was finished, and now she is sitting at a nice 18 ish degrees Celc.

Seems to be fermenting OK on day 2.

Gas coming out of fermenter smells a little, but not sure if it should smell or not and what a bad smell is.

Not expecting a premium beer but anything drinkable will be a bonus.

Brownie.

 

[Brownie]

Oh and forgot to add, sample I took to measure gravity was a deep red colour, not brown like the dark ales I have done.

OG was 1046 (however me thinks hydrometer is about 4 to 6 points out. Know that cause plain water is between 4 and 6 pints out.

Brownie.

 

[Brownie]

All,

Now that I have racked to secondary today, I am thinking about priming next weekend.

Was considering the following options as a priming adjunct (Beer is an Ale and is a redish brown in colour)

1. 50/50 Dark Brown Sugar and Dextrose
2. 100% Dextrose
3. 50/50 DDME and Dextrose
4. 100% DDME
5. 100% LDME

Thoughts/considerations/doubtful points? OR other suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Mr Bond]

Honey is an option you overlooked

 

[mika]

Don't know that you'll notice the difference between any of thos options.. except if you go the brauluver route.
But remember honey is only ~75% sugar, so you'll need to account for that in how much you add and Honey will tend to ferment fairly slowly, so don't expect a quick drinkable drop.

 

[Brownie]

Could I use a mix of Honey and say Dark Brown Sugar, or Honey and LDME/DDME or Dextrose.

Thoughts?

And have I forgotten any magical options?