Beer

Phil_aka_Pip

HRH Prince Philip, to waiter at some posh do in Italy, who had just given him some wine he didn't like: "I don't care where it comes from, GET ME A BEER!"

DiscoStu

Iamnobody said:

Iamnobody;400268" said:

[quote="dchwhite;399930"][quote="DiscoStu;399924"]



For homebrew, Woodforde's Wherry kit is a good start. My starting point and although not as good as going malt extract it is leaps and bounds better than the kits me and my dad made back in the 80s/90s

Agreed. My Dad really got into it at one time & was getting the grain as a starting point. I found the Woodforde's kits to be a good balance between something that tasted fine, and space/time considerations etc. The wherry kit has 20% off at Wilkos in their homebrew sale atm too.

[/quote]

Tell me more lads. I note the kit is only £20 - what else would I need to get going and what sort of space - a small corner in the garage is all I have available.

[/quote]

EDIT: found this link

http://www.lovebrewing.co.uk/guides/beer-making/beginners-guide-to-beer-making/

I started with this Wherry kit:

http://www.brewuk.co.uk/beginners-kits/beer/woodfordes-microbrewery/complete-woodfordes-starter-equipment-set.html

I added a dozen Grolsch type bottles so spent about £80 on the first order. 40 pints = £2 per pint which is what 'craft' beer costs in the supermarket and far cheaper than the pub.
Buying a second box of Wherry, already having the kit, would have worked out at 50p per pint. But I went straight to malt extract brewing for my second one, which involved more kit. A huge stock pot for a start! But the end result is leaps and bounds beyond the Wherry kit which is already a good beer. I also use Greg Hughes' 'Home Brew Beer' book.

I don't have room to do full grain brewing at the moment as I don't have a garage so I'm brewing in my kitchen then fermenting/bottling in my smallest spare room. If you have room to store a fermenting bucket (preferably on a table or raised level, for syphoning/bottling purposes) then you can make beer. Prepare for a messy kitchen though!

If you do try this out (and you should) then don't be quick to drink your efforts. Give it a fortnight to ferment (some instructions say 1 week but better to leave it a bit for the yeast to fully work itself out) then 5 weeks to condition at room temperature. I was trying my first batch after 2-3 weeks and it didn't taste right. After 5 weeks it was fine, and improved again after that. I only used the barrel on my first go and have bottled ever since as I don't have any way to chill a barrel! Bottling needs extra gear and it is a nuisance to clean and sterilize them all but I recently bought a bottle stand washer and it is fab! Plus you get to label them and give them to your pals!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10329124_10152446096074597_2577826878259548067_n.jpg?oh=f2957878676b23d0ebe0f2638f7bd03f&oe=54F0A9CB&__gda__=1423490990_2106746f7716f266ed4bf77301e4b622

holnrew

As a gaylord vegan I can't drink cask ales  

A lot of bottled ales are fine, such as Shepherd Neame's, and the Spitfire smooth (I think that's what it's called, it's draught rather than cask) is fine too. 

joneve

Really can't understand all the love for Doombar. It's ok, but really nothing to write home about IMO. Maybe it's because it's saturated here in Gloucester, seems to be everywhere.

Also, anything owned by Marstons tends to be pretty shit too. Ringwood, Wychwood, Banks'

Smaller commerical breweries and independents are where the good stuff is at.

WezV

holnrew said:

As a gaylord vegan I can't drink cask ales  

A lot of bottled ales are fine, such as Shepherd Neame's, and the Spitfire smooth (I think that's what it's called, it's draught rather than cask) is fine too. 

is it that you can't consume live yeast, or is it the use of animal bits (gelatin, casein, isinglass) as a filtering agents.   the second one will rule out a lot more than just cask ales.  Most bottled ales will contain some live yeast.  most clear beers use finings from animal products

I know grolsch and Cobra are suitable for vegans, not sure about any of our real beers

ThePrettyDamned

WezV;400639" said:

holnrew said:

As a gaylord vegan I can't drink cask ales  

A lot of bottled ales are fine, such as Shepherd Neame's, and the Spitfire smooth (I think that's what it's called, it's draught rather than cask) is fine too. 





is it that you can't consume live yeast, or is it the use of animal bits (gelatin, casein, isinglass) as a filtering agents.   the second one will rule out a lot more than just cask ales.  Most bottled ales will contain some live yeast.  most clear beers use finings from animal products

I know grolsch and Cobra are suitable for vegans, not sure about any of our real beers

I'm a vegetarian... I've been checking the bottles, but I suspect some I've had may not be suitable.

I've had to be more careful recently since discovering this - I know the waitrose ones are all vegetarian friendly.

But as for others, I don't know. It's a shame because there are vegetarian alternatives for finings that work really well. One local market chap switched to them because, although slightly more expensive (I think he said that anyway!) he said a lot of his customers were vegetarians, and it seemed a shame to not cater over such a small thing.

Might be different with larger breweries though...

WezV

often the finings get filtered out anyway.  if the beer you are drinking is clear then you are not consuming finings.   but obviously they are used in the process and its your call how much you care

Misterg

Drew_fx said:

Doom Bar.

Can drink that shit like water!

Bass.

Drink that, shit like water!

holnrew

WezV said:

holnrew said:

As a gaylord vegan I can't drink cask ales  

A lot of bottled ales are fine, such as Shepherd Neame's, and the Spitfire smooth (I think that's what it's called, it's draught rather than cask) is fine too. 

is it that you can't consume live yeast, or is it the use of animal bits (gelatin, casein, isinglass) as a filtering agents.   the second one will rule out a lot more than just cask ales.  Most bottled ales will contain some live yeast.  most clear beers use finings from animal products

I know grolsch and Cobra are suitable for vegans, not sure about any of our real beers

It's the animal bits. Live yeast is fine although it makes me shit if I have too much. A lot of commercial lagers, ciders and wines are off the table too sadly.

ThePrettyDamned

WezV;400666" said:

often the finings get filtered out anyway.  if the beer you are drinking is clear then you are not consuming finings.   but obviously they are used in the process and its your call how much you care

Yeah, my reasoning sadly means I'd rather not...

I know.

I wonder if there is a list of ales and beers that are suitable for vegetarians? Some say on the label, some say not suitable, most have nothing...

I'd hate to lose these great flavours. Giving up meat and haribo was easy, but I fucking love a nice beer. I never used to until I had (believe it or not) a hobgoblin and thought, "this has flavour".

Then Europe just blew my tits off.

Bellycaster

Tribute

Doom Bar

Badger

Piddle

Otter

Bradfield

London Pride

Just to name a few.

The most awful Beer I ever tasted was Wards Best Bitter (the original stuff), people up here went mad for it, but to me it just smelt like rancid farts.

Axe_meister

Now German beer does not use finings all part of the Reinheits gebot (pureity law).

ThePrettyDamned

Axe_meister;400776" said:

Now German beer does not use finings all part of the Reinheits gebot (pureity law).

Not all follow the purity law.

I think, by definition, wheat beer cannot - it contains wheat, not just barley, hops and water.

But if it helps me find beer with no finings, I hadn't considered that.

WezV

Now?

the purity law started stating beer could only have 3 ingredients. It was before they knew yeast existed.

ThePrettyDamned

WezV;400798" said:

Now?

the purity law started stating beer could only have 3 ingredients. It was before they knew yeast existed.

Yeah, when I was in Germany the tour guide said, although it's true for the "big 3" brewers of Munich largely, in terms of additives, it's mostly a marketing tool these days.

But if it means no finings...

Which I doubt. Sigh.

If you know of any ales and beers that are "safe", please feel free to let me know.

Also, I might pm you about brewing and stuff.

holnrew

ThePrettyDamned said:

I wonder if there is a list of ales and beers that are suitable for vegetarians? Some say on the label, some say not suitable, most have nothing... 

http://www.veggiewines.co.uk/beer.htm

EDIT: Actually this one is more comprehensive http://www.barnivore.com/beer

Nitefly

Probably the worst beer I have ever tasted was Okells from the Isle of Man - just bloody undrinkable.

A close second was in Malta, 15 years ago.  It may have been called John Bull.  It was swill.

:-L

crunchman

chillidoggy said:

Fuller's "London Pride" is a favourite,  and I'm also partial to Newcastle Brown in the bottle, but if I go into a pub, I will try anything on the hand pump that I haven't tried before.

I live about 10 minutes walk from the Fullers brewery.  They sell small casks in the brewery shop so we normally get one at Christmas.  I really like their ESB as well but it's a bit lethal at 5.8%.

robinbowes

DiscoStu said:

I recently bought a bottle stand washer and it is fab! 

Which one did you buy, and where from?

R.

DiscoStu

The 45 bottle drainer and the matching rinser

http://www.brewuk.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?cat=0&q=bottle+drainer

The drainer is a lifesaver! The rinser is a cinch to use too, you fill it with sterilizer then push your bottle down on the sprung nozzle and voila- a sterilized bottle!