AG#7 Quite Peculier

[rickthebrew]

Fantastic Rick, howd the test with your Dad go?

He really couldn`t tell the difference - and enjoyed the homebrew version more, the colour was slightly different but not enough for him to guess on this alone so a worthwhile brew and one that I really must repeat again -maybe for my next brew

 

[Mr Majik]

Glad he liked it!

Im new to this hobby (new to the brewing, but not the drinking!) and am about to do my first brew. An IPA of sorts.

I noticed you didnt have an airlock on you FV. im about to set up and i have an airlock but my lid has no hole, i was going to cut one but seeing yours im thinking, is it really needed.

Im gussing it would be worthwhile as it lets gas out and not nasties in. What are your thought on this?

 

[rickthebrew]

I have never used an airlock in my beer brewing - I have had a couple of infected brews over the years, most people have an opinion on this but I have never had a bucket lid with an airlock hole and its as simple as that!! I put my lid on tight and don`t 'crack' it open - the co2 will find its own way out So I suppose it doesn`t make a huge difference some people feel a bit safer with one but once the ferment starts the c02 will keep any nasties away, a good sized starter will shorten lag time and get the brew going and this will probably guard against infection if you follow a good cleaning and sterilizing routine.
I have seen a few heated exchanges on the forum around the whole airlock / no airlock and sterilization issue that I have stayed well away from - so brew how and what you like and do it in a way that suits you - loads of great advice on the forum so ask away and then after a few brews you will see what works for you :

 

[Mr Majik]

Its intersting as both my buckets came without airlock holes, and obviosly my home made 10L bucket had no hole either.

I'll give it a go with one of them.

For yeterdays (my first brew) i made the hole bu finding a metal washer slightly larger than the narrow end of the bung, dropping it in my fireplace for a few seconds then picking it out with pliers and dropping it on top of the lid.. Straight through clean cut... No leeks as of yet.

I'll try one without, just to see what happens.

Thanks

 

[rickthebrew]

What a great idea with the washer! :thumb:

I was just thinking of my next brew (sunday if the rain stops !) and i`m gonna do an oatmeal stout flavoured with liquorice - keep meaning to brew quite peculier again but love trying something different each time!! That is the real beauty of AG
Almost 70 brews in and probably only done an exact copy of a previous brew a couple times - so many brews so little time :lol:

 

[FOPA]

Had a try at this one for my second AG Brew. Kept the recipe almost as stated at the top of this thread, but reduced the hops to 60g in total, based on some of the earlier comments. Second runnings stayed good and dark, so managed to get about 34L from the mash. I only have a 30L Burco though, so ended up having to dump some - Booh!

By topping up the Burco as it evaporated, I managed to get 28L at the end, with an OG of 1.064. Based on the earlier photos of lively fermentaion, I split the 28L between my 25L fermenter and a gallon demijohn to allow room to grow. Bucket is bubbling like it's posessed, but seems contained. Demijohn is bubbling out through the bubbler, so I'm having to keep an eye on it.

Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for posting the recipe.

One question - I'll be bottling the finished article. What would you recommend priming with, corn sugar, or a spot more treacle?

An update on how this turned out...

In the end I primed with brewing sugar as normal, but diluted it a little more so as not to over-carbonate the beer, which worked fine. This was meant as a Christmas brew, so now it's Christmas (close enough - I'm not waiting any longer) I've sampled a bottle or three. It's turned out great. It's good and dark, which is what I wanted, with a nice roasted taste and a smooth gentle chocolateyness, but not too much. It's not quite OP on draught, but very close to OP from the bottle. Since I bottled my brew this isn't surprising. It's not a session beer, more a big armchair in front of open fire kind of brew - bang on the money for a Christmas tipple. It's so good, I'm labelling some up to give as Christmas presents.

Thanks for the recipe.

 

[rickthebrew]

An update on how this turned out...
It's not a session beer, more a big armchair in front of open fire kind of brew - bang on the money for a Christmas tipple.

Thanks for the recipe.

Great to hear - and as you say perfect for supping at xmas, I really must brew one again very soon :thumb:

 

[TRXnMe]

Well, I'm sold on this brew, got the grains ordered and hoping to get it brewed up next weekend (I'll do a thread and post pics, I promise).

My parents love this stuff, we 'discovered; it around 30 years ago in a little pub in County Durham, they've been hooked ever since so if I can brew a good replica of it I should be number 1 son for a while :)