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I installed mine diagonally across the back of the small chest freezer I use as a brew fridge. Only way I could fit a longer/ higher capacity heater. It's been working away over 2 years now without any issues.

Perfect. I use a robobrew but getting it down the last 10-20 degrees with the chiller takes so long. Because I brew up on a bench it's a good 3ft drop from the boiler tap into the FV and I stir with a paddle as it fills. I've just never been sure how long the liquid retains the oxygen if it's...

Question for those no chilling veterens: when do you aerate your wort? When you transfer it hot into the FV or once it's cold before pitching the yeast? In the summer when the chiller is struggling to drop the wort temps because of the ambient temp of the tap water I've often been tempted to...

Cheers Jonathan. I bought another bottle of Ashbeck water and this one seems to be okay. Phew! The only thing I can think that was different with the problem batch was that I emptied it back into the previous bottle. Can't see why that would affect it but I won't do it again.

I've been using Starsan for a couple of years now (still working my way through the first bottle) but the latest batch I've made, using a 5ltr bottle of Tesco Ashbeck water as always, has gone a bit weird... It's a little bit cloudy, but more worryingly it has long, white, stringy bits floating...

Good tip! Just bought a hop spider but the first brew with it is still in the FV so waiting to see if there's a difference in the hop utilisation. It was so much easier than cleaning out whole leaf hops from the robo brew though, I'd be happy using a few grams extra hops in the spider and...

I hadn't heard of diastaticus infection until the earlier reference in this thread. Found this interesting article when looking for more info, so thought I'd share it: The Beginner's Guide to Diastaticus in Beer and How To Diagnose Gushing Bottles, Cans and Kegs | Rockstar Brewer

Tried the Wilko oxi plus on a few test bottles which I left soaking overnight to clean and remove the labels. Gave them two good hot rinses and left them to dry.... Bloody covered in white stuff! Not sure if the solution was a bit strong or if it's more to do with the soak time (I also live...

Thanks Matt - that is a useful article. Just ordered the ingredients for my first go at a proper AG lager (Greg Hughes' Munich Dunkel recipe). I'm going to follow the fast lager method and hoping that fermenting at slightly higher temps will help the yeast as I've only got a single packet of...

Looks pretty good. Should be nice and hoppy! Just a couple of suggestions: Your mash temps are quite high - most recipes you want to mash 65-68c (the higher you mash the more unfermentable sugars you'll get, but too high and you risk getting tannins from the malt). I would steep for longer -...

^This, but I wouldn't blame the Citra. I brewed a Brooklyn Sorachi Ace recipe and all I got was bitter, dry, musty lemon. I drank them all (as you do), but i've never brewed anything with the remaining hops.

Thanks for the feedback on Wilko oxi cleaner. I'm currently using VWP for cleaning but it's a lot more expensive and needs two good rinses as it has a heavy chlorine content. I like the idea of a no-rinse sodium percarbonate cleaner - the extra cost could be worth the time saving.

Does anyone use this Wilko oxi cleaner for bottles or equipment? It's not perfumed but does feel very soapy. I've not tried it on anything but the laundry, but I'm assuming it's not the same as the no rinse homebrew versions?

Thought it worth resurrecting this thread to let you know that I’ve brewed this using the recipe posted by IronBlue and it’s a cracker – almost identical to the original beer. I found this thread while searching for a clone recipe for Gold Hobgoblin but wasn’t sure how it would turn out as no...

I just use a measuring spoon and small funnel (bought a neat little stainless steel set with 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 and 1 tsp). That way you can quickly add the right amount of sugar without the fuss of making up a sugar solution. I use golden caster sugar and add this to each bottle before filling with...

I've brewed a couple of Elderflower pale ales and will probably do another this year for summer. The last brew was a variation on the Greg Hughes recipe where instead of adding the dried elderflowers into the boil, I added them as a elderflower and hop tea into the FV after primary...

Thanks MyQul, that's something I hadn't thought of before.

You've just remind me about the Pacific Gem hops I bought on a whim because they sounded interesting. Still no idea what recipe to use the in!

Lid half on for me as it's the only way to keep a good strong rolling boil with my electric hob. I've not ever suffered from any off-flavours like those described for DMS.

This is how I brew - it's a sort of maxi-BIAB method. I have a 20ltr stove pot but struggle to get a good rolling boil on much more than 15ltrs with my electric hob, so normally brew with half the amount of base malt and the add DME at the end of the boil before transferring to the FV and...