2 Weeks Old & Looking Good W/ Pix

[lutonlady]

Thanks for all our your recent advice when I made my first kit home brew...

Just thought I'd update you with how it went my first time!

Apart from the huge bouts of panic where I thought I'd mucked it up, I really enjoyed it and I'm eager to get started on my 2nd Kit - Any suggestions as to what I might have a crack at next? This one came out at 3.2% and I'm quite chuffed with it!!

The bottles are looking good clearing nicely - I transferred the barrel to the fridge on Friday after 2 weeks in the warm & dark.

I had to try it out after a day in the fridge, but its still a tad cloudy (see enclosed photo, the pint glass is from the barrel) It has quite a surprisingly strong bitter aftertaste for a golden ale. Am I just being an eager beaver? How long should I leave it to mature? And how long will it keep for in the barrel?

Is the ale in the barrel likely to clear a bit more if I leave it in the fridge? The bottles that are just in the cupboard a coming along nicely...

 

[Nic_P]

Was this a woodfordes great eastern ale LL?
Mine had been bottled for about 2 1/2 weeks and is still smoothing out. 3 weeks + for it to start getting to it's best. (if you can wait that long)
It does have quite a bitter finish, I also dry hopped mine with some Bobek hops so I can't give an exact comparison
Nic

 

[lutonlady]

Hi Nic - Thanks for that!

Yes its the Great Eastern, I dont know what I am happier about. . .The fact that it is actually fit for human consumption, or the fact that it tastes quite good!

I tested a bottle and some from the barrell and think the bottle was somehow better. Smoother perhaps? Anyone else find that to be the case??
Can't wait (but I will) for a couple of weeks time when it gets to its best. . . :

 

[A T]

I'm always shouting about how bottles are better even though i have six cornies But yea there is definitely more flavor in a bottle. You'll be looking forward to the next brew now? Any plans?

 

[lutonlady]

I've been saving bottles like its going out of fashion but dont think i'll get anywhere near enough. . . Bottling was quite a trauma lol, i'm convinced I got more beer on the floor than in the bottles trying to syphon it slowly in after adding the sugar and stopping before I reached the top!!!!

I like the look of Milestone IPA or Muntons Midas Touch. I'm considering a cider but am not convinced I'll want to drink it all once the summer disappears!

Would love any suggestions from you guys as to a half decent IPA / Golden ale that I can knock up..

 

[jonewer]

Coopers IPA seems to be a popular choice. Coopers kits seem to have a very good reputation and the real article is very fine.

 

[Wez]

First of all well done that looks great :thumb:

Great Eastern is a good kit - it's the kit that set me on the road to All Grain brewing, with lots of huge nudges from Tubby Shaw. The reason it did is that I was told to try dry hopping a kit to see the difference.

I would pick another pale kit and get yourself some hops, a muslin bag, fishing line and a weight that can boiled (e.g. marbles) - when you keg the beer add a few grams of your hops to sterlised muslin bag and also pop in the weight - tie it with fishing line and lower into the middle of the keg, put the lid on and leave for 5 - 7 days before letting the pressure out and removing, put the lid back on and force carb with a co2 cylinder.

The difference it makes is very noticable!

 

[commsbiff]

Can you dry hop in the FV?

 

[markp]

Can you dry hop in the FV?

I've read elsewhere that this is acceptable practice.
Dry hop after the first day or two of vigerous fermentation is over and leave the wort to ferment an extra few days (which seems to standard practice for most here anyway).

ATB

 

[tubby_shaw]

Can you dry hop in the FV?

You can :)
I would wait until fermentation is over and you are letting the yeast drop and clean up and add then :thumb:
Adding dry hops during fermentation is a little counter productive as the CO2 produced during vigorous fermentation will drive off the volatile aroma compounds that are desirable :thumb: