Search results

12.4% imperial stout w/ cocao nibs, lactose, vanilla and sour cherries. I gave it some time on bourbon soaked wood chips to emulate BB ageing. It was the proof of concept for the beer in the picture. It is really nice. Can't drink more than two though. I've just finished brewing two more big...

I brew my imperial stouts with a fairly basic grain bill in comparison to my lower abv offerings because otherwise they will finish very high. Get enough crystal etc in a brew, mash warm, perform an extended boil and even a 4.5% stout will stop at 15-16. My imperial stuff is usually a 90m mash...

Like most things everything is fine until it isn't. I've had four issues. I had an issue with a corny (prv wouldn't hold) and got a nice email and replacement valve in the post FOC pretty quickly. Good stuff. Another time I ordered some essences and got a crème de menthe instead of a chocolate...

Between £65 and £120 depending on strength and style. Vast majority are £75-85. The old rule of thumb for what it is worth was 10 * abv + £20 for extremely twiggy beer and + £30 for something a bit more interesting. Add on as much as you think you can get away with if it is something...

Hop burn is a flavour some people like, but comes from having literal bits of hop pellet in suspension. I consider it a flaw resulting from inadequate settlement time and/or packaging. Usually it'll settle out in keg and the beer will be better for it. But honestly, some people like that flavour...

It is ... alright. I've used it in brews where I'd usually use something more traditional for a twist (wheat beer, pilsner, dry hopped lager) or in something traditional with a complimentary twist (fruit blonde, american wheat) and I've used to pad out hopping in pale ales and IPA's alongside...

Think of it like cooking. Think of your ingredients, water, grain, hops, yeast and anything else you want to use and how you are going to choose and process them to get a desired outcome. Have a desired outcome, looking at the description of beer styles helps here, some ingredients and processes...

What counts as adequate condition is REALLY broad. I've worked with brewers who've fermented beer dry and not primed and those who rack near final gravity, like 1-2 points and those who do a bit of both. I used to be Mr 2 points of residual fermentation EVERY TIME though over time I'm more like...

Hey Rob. While there is always a way around it to increase the chance of good outcomes, brew seasonable stuff for example, temperature control was one of the big milestones for me that took my home brewing from hit and miss to predictable. It allowed me to work with different yeasts and perform...

Interesting diversion. Is the preservation of british cask ale about the style, dispense method or both? 90% of the time I'm shoe horning what is essentially american keg beer into cask anyway. Isn't british cask ale a constantly fluid definition? A bit like language, constantly defined by...

900g in 21 litres is just shy of 14 points which is definitely sickly territory for me. I once did as a trial big chocolate, bourbon biscuit vanilla pastry stout using natural commercial flavourings. That used 12 points of lactose and true to the style was completely unbalanced, to the point...

I've drunk a fair few different ones and while I can't say I'm much of a fan of the style I know how I'd put one together. It can be simplified based on what you've got to hand .. basically .. Produce a proteinous wort designed for average attenuation. Colour can be pale or darker, up to a deep...

Hi Clint. Use something like extra pale, pilsner or golden promise base malt. There is no need to use anything particularly characterful. Use 7-10% flaked torrefied oats per kilo of base malt if you aren't using copper fining and are performing a short boil, it'll look like milk. I don't care...

I've mashed as normal and sparged wort at approx 80C and done a few different things with it in the past. A few times I've soured with LAB from various sources (probiotics, yoghurt) without great temperature control therefore it took an age to sour and a few (1 in 3?) started to show very minor...

This is because there are already macro, regional and large family brewers who make very keenly priced, recognisable classic bitters and have some money to market it. If as a micro you decide to dip a toe into that market you'll quickly hear "how much?!" from the publican because you don't have...

My advise would be to forgo the brewing aspect for a while yet to focus on the realities of running a brewing business and what that is going to look like. Do you intend to do this from home? Is this to replace or supplement an income? The regulations for food prep are way more important to you...

I used to be a member and am not any more. We heavily sponsor the local festival with the stipulation that we can bring our own bar and that they will buy a certain amount of our beer. The beer is pretty much at cost because they expect things like buy two get one free and stuff, but it somewhat...

I've a green house, but I've got them outside, I can move them into it. I've never grown them before. I spoke to a few people last year who grew them successfully in pots on patios and stuff so I figured if we have a good summer, they should be alright?

I started 6 each of 5 varieties from seed under grow lights inside late January. They took about two weeks to germinate, but they all did and once going grew fast. I potted up once and a few weeks later again. They were inside until about late march at which point some were starting to flower so...

Ok so I left the smaller bottle in the fridge all day today and brought the larger one in the house for a few hours before trying again. This time it took it up to 13.9kg It is actually an SB sized bottle so will hold 6.4kg when full so I got 60% full. I think if I completely froze the...