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Thanks! I'll maybe add 7g at 20 minutes and see where that takes me with bitterness. My flat tends to be about 22° so that should be okay I think. I'll maybe wrap it in a towel to keep the heat it gives out in, but I'll keep an eye on it to stop it overheating.

So my plan for my first brew from the Brewuk lucky dip is with the WLP644 strain. I've heard it works well with Galaxy hops, so since I don't have anything (other than tettnang) in the freezer, I thought I might try a single hop. At least in part because it's cheaper. I quite fancy something...

Thanks for the advice. I keep wondering if I could ever make use of my balcony for brewing lagers, but I suspect even with wrapping the FV in lots of insulation it wouldn't keep a consistent enough temperature. I'll investigate doing a lambic with the Brussels Brett. I think I was thinking...

I think people used to think the WLP644 was Brett, but now it turns out it's not. It looks interesting though. Described as having "wild yeast like fermentations". I've found a recipe for an IPA with it that I might use as a base. I could maybe use the pair of Yeast Bay Mélange to make a...

So they arrived! I got WLP 835 German lager (likely will go unused as I have no way of fermenting at lager temperatures), Yeast Bay Brussels Brett blend, WLP644 Sacc brux trios, and two Yeast Bay Mélange. No idea what my plan is for these!

Thanks, it's good to hear other experiences! Hopefully I'll get a decent selection.

Aah, that's interesting, I might try it for bottle conditioning if I get a Brett strain. I was going to try a Dubbel at some point so it could go with that. I'll probably have hundreds of questions if I get anything like that. I should probably hope for something more conventional though! I'll...

Do they tend to be the strains that shops don't sell many of? My girlfriend will be happy if I'm encouraged to make something sour.

I hear this is an occasional thing they do, but BrewUK have a lucky dip where you get five different out of date yeasts. I've gone for it, the way I see it if I get two yeasts I'll use it'll be worth it, especially if it encourages me to try something new. Anyway, here's the link...

Thanks. What I actually was meaning was did I do things wrong dry hopping before fermentation had definitely finished, but the post below seems to suggest that I may have dry hopped at the best time, after the vigorous fermentation had finished but while there's still a bit of movement of the...

I've put some hops in my latest brew for dry hopping, and I put them in after five days. I took a gravity reading just before and I think it's in the final stages of fermenting, but not completely finished yet. Was that a bad idea, or is it okay to do it near the end of the fermentation...

Smart idea! Though I'm not sure I could do the waiting required for brewing to get such a small result at the end of it. Glad you're making it work, and good luck with your bigger brews.

How much water are you using for mashing? Unless it's a tiny amount, losing 6ºC in half an hour seems odd. Do you mash outside? Do you stir the grains properly when they come into contact with the water, and then take the initial reading then? I mash about 16l of water in a steel pot wrapped...

Using up all my columbus hop that's been in my freezer. Aiming for 12 litres, but I've definitely overshot. I might have to waste some of it, sadly. Grain bill of 3kg pale ale and 350g medium crystal. 10g columbus at 60 minutes, 30g going in at 5 minutes, and another 30g dry hopping later on...

First gravity sample (it's just a wonderful coincidence that it means I have to taste some) and it tastes good! The belgian flavours are coming through, and I'm glad I didn't put any bittering hops because I think they'd be clashing with the flavours from the yeast. There's a bit of alcohol...

Pitched last night (directly into the wort because it's only a small batch), sat down with a glass of wine and realised I'd completely forgotten to aerate. And I poured it into the FV while hot earlier in the day so it won't have got oxygen from pouring in either. Oops. So I spent five minutes...

Cheers. I'll definitely keep an eye on the temperature. I should try and get a small fan if I can, to keep the air circulating as well as wrapping it in a damp towel.

Thanks! I'm excited, to tell you the truth. It's very cloudy already (and the WLP500 will only make it worse) so I'll have to put it in secondary for a little bit probably. I should have recirculated the wort but I couldn't be bothered. Just about to put my hops in (it feels weird not having...

My first brew in a little while, also will be my first with liquid yeast and my first brew of my own creation. Aiming for 12 litres 2.5kg pale ale 150g aromatic malt (smells lovely! I can tell I'll be using this again). 350g sugar (Not quite sure why, but it was in the recipe I used as a base...

Thanks! I'll just save the Columbus for another brew without upping anything else, which brings the IBUs down to 46. I'm hoping this won't turn out to be awful, but it's a bit of a first for me!