Home Brewing (Complete Noob)

duotone

Today is brew day for: Belgian style Witt
https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/robs-belgian-witt/

RedRabbit

Enjoy!  The orange never really came through with my witt.  Don't know if it was using kveik that masked it or whether I did something else wrong. I'll definitely be using a more traditional yeast if I try it again though.

I've got a Belgian Tripel planned for a week on Saturday.  It's going to be left to condition for a couple of months to be enjoyed over xmas.

duotone

Will let you know how the orange comes through.  Next batch I might use fresh oranges if this 1st batch with the Dried Orange Peel tastes artificial/not good.

I bought ingredients for a Black German Pilsner, so I might alternate brewing that with the Belgian style Witt.

Edit: Unfortunately it didn’t turn out well. I bottled one 500ml & left it in the fridge & having tried it again today, it hasn’t improved & not really drinkable for me. Am glad I just did a 5.75L batch, although it’s disappointing poring it down the sink.

Fingers crossed I have more luck with the Black German Pilsner.

RedRabbit

@hywelg quick question if you don't mind...

I'm planning another kveik brew but I've got a pouch of liquid yeast from Omega rather than the dried stuff I used last time.  The pack suggests using the full amount but, given that it's kveik, this sounds like it could be a serious overpitch.  A quick google brings up suggestions ranging from a single tablespoon to making a 2l starter (definitely sounds like overkill).

It'll be an IPA with an OG of (hopefully) 1.060 so not a big beer by any means.  Aiming to get 23l in the fermenter.  Have you used the commercial kveik strains before?  If so how much would you suggest using?

hywelg

What liquid yeast is it? Is is a smack pack? 

OG of 1060 is borderline two packs anyway so I'd use it all.

I did use a commercial Kveik I'd have to check which one it was, it was a while ago. Managed three or 4 brews from the same pack by reusing the yeast from the fermenters. As regards stressing a yeast you can't overpitch, yeast doesn't like to be overworked in the lag phase, some of my better beers have been when I dump a wort straight on the yeast cake of a previous brew and it goes off like a rocket.

So you need to be planning your next brew right now to get your money's worth from the yeast. A jam jar full kept in the fridge will be good for a month at least. 

My biggest problem was my 45w heater in my fermentation fridge wouldn't hold 35⁰C it only managed 30⁰C so I didn't really get the best out of it. It was fine,mine was a strain that was supposed to be fairly neutral so I wasn't expecting lots of esters. It was done in three days which was a bonus. 

RedRabbit

hywelg said:

What liquid yeast is it? Is is a smack pack? 

OG of 1060 is borderline two packs anyway so I'd use it all.

I did use a commercial Kveik I'd have to check which one it was, it was a while ago. Managed three or 4 brews from the same pack by reusing the yeast from the fermenters. As regards stressing a yeast you can't overpitch, yeast doesn't like to be overworked in the lag phase, some of my better beers have been when I dump a wort straight on the yeast cake of a previous brew and it goes off like a rocket.

So you need to be planning your next brew right now to get your money's worth from the yeast. A jam jar full kept in the fridge will be good for a month at least. 

My biggest problem was my 45w heater in my fermentation fridge wouldn't hold 35⁰C it only managed 30⁰C so I didn't really get the best out of it. It was fine,mine was a strain that was supposed to be fairly neutral so I wasn't expecting lots of esters. It was done in three days which was a bonus. 

Cheers.  I'll chuck it all in and see what happens.  With regard to concerns to overpitching - it's my understanding that a slight underpitch suits kveik and brings out more esters. 

The yeast is Omega's hornindal - meant to give tropical fruit esters so I'm pairing it with some fruity American hops.

My fridge is only small so my 45w heater is fine for 35°C.  I do fancy a bigger fridge though.  I bought a fermzilla for pressure fermentation but I can't get it in the fridge with the gas posts on it.

I haven't brewed much recently so a quick turn around will be welcome.  I finished off my saison last weekend and the Belgian blonde must be getting near the bottom.

duotone

Brew Day was this morning. For a change I thought I would try an Extract Kit after my last all-grain failure. This one: https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/festival-world-beer-kits-german-weiss-beer/

So I got a Festival World Beer Kit - German Weiss Beer & it was nice & easy. For my 1st ever attempt at an Extract Kit...hopefully the final taste does not disappoint. 

It took me just 1 1/2 Hours (including cleaning/sanitising everything) compared to 6 Hour brew days when doing All-Grain.

Will keep you posted how it turns out. 

RedRabbit

Hope it turns out well.  I only did a couple of kits before moving onto all grain but got decent results.  I'd actually be interested to try one again now I've got the brew fridge to control fermentation temps.

I've got an English IPA fermenting at the moment.  I've mainly been focussing on American hops for IPAs before now so it should make a pleasant change.

victorludorum

After doing two Wherry kits and getting the same result both times (drinkable, but not great), I'm going for a different tactic. I ordered a can of Munton's Nut Brown Ale (connoisseur) and a can of Munton's Light Liquid Malt Extract, plus some crystal malt and some hops to hopefully add a bit of freshness and punch to the brew. There's a video of an Ozzie guy doing it this way and it looks very easy, so fingers crossed. If anyone's tried this variety of Munton's, let me know what you thought of it ;-)

RedRabbit

victorludorum said:

After doing two Wherry kits and getting the same result both times (drinkable, but not great), I'm going for a different tactic. I ordered a can of Munton's Nut Brown Ale (connoisseur) and a can of Munton's Light Liquid Malt Extract, plus some crystal malt and some hops to hopefully add a bit of freshness and punch to the brew. There's a video of an Ozzie guy doing it this way and it looks very easy, so fingers crossed. If anyone's tried this variety of Munton's, let me know what you thought of it ;-)

I've never done a Munton's kit so can't comment there.  However, I would suggest that, if this approach doesn't get the results you are looking for, then a simple small batch all grain brew in a bag system really isn't much more work than you'll be doing by adding grain and hops to a kit.

victorludorum

I'm doing this one more out of laziness than anything else. If it fails then I'll go all grain I think.

hywelg

Brew day on Sunday, double batch. Mash was pilsner malt, Munich malt and carapils. Then split the batch and steeped 1kg of dark crystal and Carafa1 

Ended up with 18.5l of pilsner at 1048 and 22.5l of dark pils at 1050. Fermenting happily now. 

duotone

Recently been looking over some YouTube videos & this Brewster Beacon has popped up a few times. I feel like this would almost make it too easy  but should definitely help with consistency.
https://www.brewolution.com/brewster-beacon-40-ltr.html

RedRabbit

duotone said:

Recently been looking over some YouTube videos & this Brewster Beacon has popped up a few times. I feel like this would almost make it too easy  but should definitely help with consistency.
https://www.brewolution.com/brewster-beacon-40-ltr.html

There are lots of similar things on the market.  I've got the brewzilla which seems to be well regarded and I've got good results from it.

I've not heard of this brand as quick Google suggests it's a decent unit.  I'd suggest doing some research into the different brands as, while they all basically do the same thing, there's quite a bit of variance in price, what comes with the kit etc.  I think brewzilla and grainfather are probably the market leaders and David Heath (very well respected brewer on YouTube) likes both.

As for making it too easy - yeah, maybe. Great beer for minimal effort.  What's not to like.

duotone

Thanks @RedRabbit I will definitely have a look at his YouTube channel. Must admit I’ve never heard of him before.

RedRabbit

His style guides are great.  I've done a few of his recipes now and all have come out great.

He's also done a series called "Brewing Bad" which is well worth a watch as it covers common mistakes in the brewing process.

duotone

Am really enjoying them @RedRabbit Very informative.  I found this very helpful & if I can manage a couple more decent brews in the next few months, I am very tempted to get a Cornelius keg.

https://youtu.be/JmkJxFTaQ7k

RedRabbit

duotone said:

Am really enjoying them @RedRabbit Very informative.  I found this very helpful & if I can manage a couple more decent brews in the next few months, I am very tempted to get a Cornelius keg.

https://youtu.be/JmkJxFTaQ7k

Glad you like them.  He really knows his stuff and he's definitely helped me make better beer.

If you're planning on getting a brew system then I'd say a corny keg would be a good idea.  Be warned though, they tend to multiply.  I've got 4 now - 3 19 litre and a 12 litre. Could do with another couple for aging in.

Have you thought about storage? I've got a chest freezer with a temp controller to keep it at 11°c that can fit all 4 kegs as well as some room for keeping a few cans and bottles chilled.  At some point I'm going to make a wooden collar for it so I can fit proper taps but I've been quite happy with party taps and opening the freezer so far.

duotone

I haven't thought about getting a brew system yet. I'm thinking more in terms of avoiding bottling! If I'm brewing 23Litres, then having a 19L corny keg would be really handy.
It's a good point you made though about them multiplying & the storage aspect.
I haven't thought about storage tbh, maybe it's worth starting off with a smaller corny keg that will fit in my fridge...I don't really want to start buying a dedicated fridge just for beers. 

RedRabbit

Have you decided against getting Brewster Beacon then?

To be honest I'm not sure kegs are the way to go if you're not planning on going the whole hog and have dedicated, temp controlled storage.  I think the 12l I've got is the smallest corny available and that'll take up a decent amount of room in a fridge especially with the gas and beer lines connected.  I guess you could store it on its side and only attach the gas and beer lines when you want to serve but that sounds like lots of little faffs rather than the one big faff that is bottling.

I think in your shoes I'd be more inclined to look at ways to take the hassle out of bottling.  It's not something I've looked into but there are various tools etc that are meant to help with the process.