What did you brew today?

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Shame you don't live local, I've got 2 refractometers (used to work away and did some stove top brewing). I could have dropped you one off.

Shame, appreciate the offer. Whereabouts are you?

If you don’t need them and would be happy to post I’d be happy to buy one off you? Rather see money go to someone on here than Amazon…
 
Shame, appreciate the offer. Whereabouts are you?

If you don’t need them and would be happy to post I’d be happy to buy one off you? Rather see money go to someone on here than Amazon…
I live in Northumberland near Hexham. I’ll dig out the spare, post a photo and you can see what it would cost on Amazon and you can have it for half that ? Postage will probably be about £3. Anyway we can sort out the details later.
 
Yeah I’ve found it a bit of a struggle as my tap water is well over 8.
I dose up with a fair bit of CRS but still seem to always be high and needing some lactic acid during the mash..
Um… It’s nothing to do with the pH of your water. It’s the amount of minerals there are in it, especially calcium carbonate (chalk). This acts as a “buffer” that prevents the natural acids in the grain, or acids that you add, from lowering the pH.

I’d strongly recommend a read of this very straightforward guide:
Thread 'Beginners Guide to Water Treatment (plus links to more advanced water treatment in post #1)'
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...ore-advanced-water-treatment-in-post-1.64822/
 
Um… It’s nothing to do with the pH of your water. It’s the amount of minerals there are in it, especially calcium carbonate (chalk). This acts as a “buffer” that prevents the natural acids in the grain, or acids that you add, from lowering the pH.

I’d strongly recommend a read of this very straightforward guide:
Thread 'Beginners Guide to Water Treatment (plus links to more advanced water treatment in post #1)'
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...ore-advanced-water-treatment-in-post-1.64822/

Thanks for the pointer… I used this thread when I first started fiddling with water profiles and trying to use my hard as nails water.

Felt a little out of my depth at the time and seems I read it and missed the key point! All makes sense now. Ive been adjusting with CRS to get CaCO3 in the right area and following the guides for salt additions, definitely with a beneficial effect.

The one brew I really had an issue was also the one I had an issue with the mash temp. Should have made the link really…

Another school day, still learning!
Cheers!
 
I now find myself with all kinds of things hanging around, but actually, running out.
So the kit came out.

I bought some of those cheap, out of date hops and am giving them a go.
They were still green (and vacuum packed) when I opened them, which bodes well (I'm told you should avoid brown hops).

I've gone light this time - I wondered about a slightly less strong NEIPA - aiming around 4%. With summer coming up, I spend a lot of time at car shows and the likes, so having 8% beers the night before isn't the greatest idea.

It's a fairly simple affair.

3.5kg pale malt
1kg oats
0.5kg wheat

100g Azacca whirlpool
50g Ekuanot whirlpool

Then I'll be dry hopping 100g Azacca and 50g Ekuanot (you might notice, I like my beer hoppy).

Lallemand Verdant yeast pitched at around 20c and raised to 23c.

OG 1.040 - which was bang on what I aimed for.
Hope to have a FG of 1.010.

As an aside, big thanks to the Malt Miller. Unlike others, they price their shipping fairly if you just want a couple of packs of yeast. Whilst they probably lose money (in terms of man time) on the £1.60 postage to send, it means I'll definitely use them again for bigger orders.
 
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And there you are😄
Fastest brew I've ever made.
I know Verdant is very tolerant and can do up to 12%, but blimey, it can manage a 4% in no time!

It did go super nuts in fairness.

Put it in the FV on Saturday afternoon at 1.040.
Checked it today, Tuesday at lunchtime. 1.008. Can't see it going any lower.

I mean, it's going to need to sit for a week to clear yet - it looks like pondwater still. And I've not yet dry hopped it.

But never known a beer hit FG quite so quickly.
 
A 30 litre batch of a clone of Ampersand's "On The Wing" today. It's a 4.5% NEPA & my local homebrew club are doing a "brew off" to see who gets closest to the original.

Grist is Golden Promise with some oats, wheat & dextrin & hops are Ekuanot, Amarillo, Citra & Chinook all at whirlpool so not a single hop touches the boil!

I'm going with 20 litres fermented with the intended WHC Bond & 10 litres will get Verdant instead (& will also go into 2 X mini kegs for use with the beer engine 😋).
 
Making the Poe's Boston Bitter as recommended by @foxy . Using the BZ with a full brew profile. Working fine so far. Mash...

View attachment 97998

Temperature stable...

View attachment 97999

Bottled/kegged the Poe's Boston this morning. Got down to 1.007 (need to work out the ABV). It was paler than I expected, might look darker in the glass.

Forgot to put some in PET bottles to do the carbonation squeeze test so I'll just have to assume the bottles will be done in a couple of weeks.

No room in any of my fridges for the corny keg so it is force/trickle carbonating at ambient (a balmy 9c at the moment).
 
A brew inspired by "The New IPA" hop book I've been reading. Its just Maris Otter for the malt. The hops are Mosaic, Simcoe and Calypso. Going to be dry hopping during the ferment and the yeast is going to be 90% Verdant IPA and 10% 71B-1122 wine yeast.

Should be really fruity if my understanding and execution are correct.

BZ worked flawlessly :D.
 
A pale ale I hope will turn out something like Wye Valley Butty Bach.

Maris Otter with some Cara Malt, Wheat Malt and a touch of crystal.
Fuggles and Goldings through the boil.
Bramling Cross hopstand and another dose of BX for a small dry hop.

Should be drinkable whatever the result!
 
IMG_2424.jpeg

Taster earlier of the current lineup. Left is a gravity sample from my all British pils, a few points left to go, seems ok.

Middle is the 6x clone I didn’t have the right yeast for, that’s 5 weeks in keg now and only starting to clear, flavour isn’t right at all just seems like the fermentation wouldn’t finish.

Right is the golden ale that I wish would clear but can understand if it doesn’t. Biggest problem is that cascade plus moutere is apparently 100% grapefruit so it’s a bit one dimensional.
 
Saves a faff and keeps it cleaner. I'll skip it too. The yeast was a 90 degree left turn so its no harm.

Had a quick sample of the Poe's Boston from the corny last night (poured into a jug so not really photogenic enough for what did you drink tonight thread). Anyway, very very nice. Nice colour, creamy head and a caramel flavour. Just needs to clear now so I'll leave it a week. Looking forward to sampling the bottled version.
 
Got this mashing at the moment, using some half price malt from Geterbrewed
and cheap hops from the Worcester hop shop.
Not tried Olicana or Plumage Archer before so thought I'd try it as an almost smash, added some Amber and Light crystal to bring the colour up a little.

Batch #49 Olicana pale ale 18L

BIAB no sparge
Total water 24L
ABV 5.3%
OG 1.052
FG 1.012
EBC 14.4
IBU 40
BU/GU .77

Crisp Plumage Archer 4.5kg
Amber 200gm
Light Crystal 125gm

Olicana 15gm 60 mins
Olicana 10gm 30 mins
Olicana 30gm 5 mins
Olicana 45gm 80c hopstand 30 mins

MJ 36 Liberty Bell

Brewing this in the style of an APA, may add a dry hop with either Cascade or
El Dorado.
 

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