Bulldog Four finger Jack American Pale ale.

[el gringo]

I set this one going on Monday night (10th) and was really impressed with how easy it went together, certainly easier than my previous brews.

Bottled this last night as it's been sat at 1002/3 for 4 days, batch primed with 115g of sugar and ended up with 48 500ml Grolsch bottles of a lovely pale beer. The hop aroma was really nice, fruity even.

OG was around 1048 but i hadn't corrected so was probably nearer 1050 which leaves me with about 6.2% which should be quite nice.

 

[davecullen86]

[quote="el gringo":16w59qcb]I set this one going on Monday night (10th) and was really impressed with how easy it went together, certainly easier than my previous brews.

Bottled this last night as it's been sat at 1002/3 for 4 days, batch primed with 115g of sugar and ended up with 48 500ml Grolsch bottles of a lovely pale beer. The hop aroma was really nice, fruity even.

OG was around 1048 but i hadn't corrected so was probably nearer 1050 which leaves me with about 6.2% which should be quite nice.[/quote:16w59qcb]

Ill be interested to know what you think when you start drinking it Gringo. Mine turned a bit weird as already mentioned. I got a similar ABV to you too....

Good luck :)

 

[el gringo]

[quote="el gringo":21628xkx]I set this one going on Monday night (10th) and was really impressed with how easy it went together, certainly easier than my previous brews.

Bottled this last night as it's been sat at 1002/3 for 4 days, batch primed with 115g of sugar and ended up with 48 500ml Grolsch bottles of a lovely pale beer. The hop aroma was really nice, fruity even.

OG was around 1048 but i hadn't corrected so was probably nearer 1050 which leaves me with about 6.2% which should be quite nice.

Ill be interested to know what you think when you start drinking it Gringo. Mine turned a bit weird as already mentioned. I got a similar ABV to you too....

Good luck :)[/quote:21628xkx]

Thanks, i'm looking forward to it, i tried a drop of the left overs and it tasted very sweet and not quite what i expected (not sure what i was expecting really).

I'm hoping it turns out ok, i think i may have under primed slightly but we shall see. I also tried a new no rinse steriliser rather than my normal routine of using miltion fluid so i hope its worked.

 

[el gringo]

So being my normal impatient self i decided to try a sample for quality control purposes.

1st bottle i had after 1 week - small amount of carbonation, not a lot of head, nice aroma, tasted weird.

2nd bottle - 2 weeks in - great carbonation, good head but disappeared quickly, nice aroma although not as pronounced, still tastes weird

I can't put my finger on it, its got a lovely carbonated 'bite' but it's almost flowery at the moment, sweetish.

I'm not very good at describing aromas/flavours (as you might have guessed) and i know 1 and 2 weeks is too early but i'm interested to see how the beer develops.

Will keep you updated

 

[davecullen86]

4 and a half weeks in the PB - Not tasted it since a few weeks back so Ill post on Friday when I try a half pint!

Not expecting much change tho, who knows!

 

[davecullen86]

Ok, I tried it a day early.. All these Homebrew Wednesday vids that get me in the mood!!

Anyways... Its a bit better actually. As it ended up about 6.4% it does taste like a very strong ale to me.

Its lost a bit of that "odd" taste so there is still hope. Im a session ale drinker, so I like it between 3 and 4%, can't see myself drinking this one in a hurry but I'll keep it as long as I need to.

Ill keep this thread updated. To be honest there does not seem to be much activity, possibly this kit isn't that popular?

 

[el gringo]

Sounds promising Dave :thumb:

I've stuck another one in the fridge for Sundays test so i'll update when I've tried it

PB'd my Simply Pale on Wednesday and woke up this morning to find it had leaked all over the kitchen floor - i was not popular.

 

[norm]

Had this one bottled for 5 weeks now. Tried a couple 2 weeks ago-decided it needed a little bit longer. Tried a couple more yesterday-not much difference.
It has very little head,a few bubbles rising.-Tastes quite pleasant but not like any ale or lager I've ever had. More like alcoholic fruit juice. Is A.P.A. supposed to be like this?

 

[FC101]

Had this one bottled for 5 weeks now. Tried a couple 2 weeks ago-decided it needed a little bit longer. Tried a couple more yesterday-not much difference.
It has very little head,a few bubbles rising.-Tastes quite pleasant but not like any ale or lager I've ever had. More like alcoholic fruit juice. Is A.P.A. supposed to be like this?

Tried the first 2 bottles of mine after just a week in the bottles and alcoholic fruit juice about sums up the taste. Not nasty but also not what I had expected. Didn't have enough carbonation at that point either so left it another week in the warm and have now left it in the shed to cool. Admittedly this is my first brew so Ive probably made all sorts of errors along the line. OG was 1048 and after 2 weeks in in FV it had settled at 1003. The hops went in for last two days and I bottled straight from FV which probably explains the bit of sediment in each bottle. Going to (try) to leave the rest for a good bit and hope it improves.

 

[el gringo]

I've stuck another one in the fridge for Sundays test so i'll update when I've tried it

So I didn't wait, had it about an hour ago. Its bittered up quite nicely, still quite fruity, much more drinkable.

Will now try and wait at least another 2/3 weeks

I'm hoping it transforms into a winner

 

[davecullen86]

Sounds promising Dave :thumb:

I've stuck another one in the fridge for Sundays test so i'll update when I've tried it

PB'd my Simply Pale on Wednesday and woke up this morning to find it had leaked all over the kitchen floor - i was not popular.

Lol, the same thing happened to me mate! Posed about it under another thread. I had to replace both the tap and the gasket ring in the lid... Not impressed! Saving as many bottles as I can and I have bought a capper too. Bottling takes me longer but I think there are a lot of pros vs the cons of the cheap PBs!

 

[Rilers]

I thought this was lovely - didn't get the fruity taste that a few have mentioned, maybe a very slight floral hint at the finish but I put that down to the dry hopping.

Gave it to SWMBO for a taste and she thought it was the best kit I've done yet. I'd definitely put it in the top five

 

[rickbert]

Hi all. I am about to embark on brewing the Four Finger Jack Kit and thought i'd ask for your tips before getting started. It sounds like most people in this thread bottled their beer after primary fermentation but I will be using a keg.

I'm a bit concerned by the fruity taste you're all describing. I like a little fruit to my ales but not too much. I was thinking of putting in the hops one bag at the start to increase the bitterness and one at the end of primary just before transferring to the keg. What do you reckon?

 

[davecullen86]

Hi all. I am about to embark on brewing the Four Finger Jack Kit and thought i'd ask for your tips before getting started. It sounds like most people in this thread bottled their beer after primary fermentation but I will be using a keg.

I'm a bit concerned by the fruity taste you're all describing. I like a little fruit to my ales but not too much. I was thinking of putting in the hops one bag at the start to increase the bitterness and one at the end of primary just before transferring to the keg. What do you reckon?

I put mine in to a pressure barrel.

After leaving the beer for around a month and a half, it's actually quote nice now! It's lost that alchohol ester and the fruity taste has died down. My brother and his wife came over today so we tasted it and they liked it. It's quite light and has an elderflour taste from the hops I guess. It's still very strong at 6.4% but it does not give that impression from the taste anymore.

Well I'm shocked at how it can transform in a few weeks... Lesson learnt here!

About the hopping, I can't advise but I always thought that dry hopping won't help with bittering unless u boil the hops with ur extract before the yeast is pitched... I used both hop teabags at the same time a few days before bottling and it turned out fine if u can wait a month or likely two...
Good luck!!

 

[el gringo]

Now been bottled for 6 weeks, so i thought i'd try another one.

Had been the in fridge for a couple of days, was quite hazy when i poured it, minimal head this time which didn't last more than a couple of minutes.

Not really sure what to make of it now, very sharp bitter, not really citrusy, seems to have gone quite grassy like my previous Razorback IPA did and to be honest i'm not really sure whether i like it or not.

I shall try a not quite so cold one as a comparison.

The simply pale i've got in the keg seems a better bet at the moment and, although it could do with dry hopping, to me is a nicer pint

Very odd, i like really hoppy pale ales and the last few brews i've done have been to try and capture this but none of them has really hit the mark.

 

[Monte Cristo]

Evening Chaps, i have had this bubbling away in the brew fridge for the last 9 days - smells great when you open the door. I thought i would check to see were it was at, the hydrometer was reading 1006 down from 1054 which by my calculation makes it 6.4%!!!
I was surprised when i made the kit that the gravity was 1054 when it says on the box 1046, i gave it a jolly good stir to and checked again and got the same reading.
i am a little put out it is going to be over 6% as i am not so keen on them being too strong but i suppose its not the end of the world.:hat:

 

[davecullen86]

Hey Monte

Its all about what the end result tastes like..

Some have described it as alchololic fruit juice and I agree that by brew matched that description.

I still have this in a PB over 2 months on and I have no urge to drink it..

I've got a brew nearing bottling time and I'm thinking that I either need to empty my PB in to as many 2l pop bottles a required and just pour the stuff down the drain...

To be honest, considering the amount this kit cost, I would be sad to pour it away, but is it worth me keeping it when I don't like the taste?

So far, my best kit brew is a Festival Golden Stag so I will resrve my keg space for that over this bad tasting stuff!!

 

[Monte Cristo]

I agree Dave it is all about taste, I bought it because i tried a sample at my LHBS while at a BIAB demo and thought it tasted really good I also have recently done the Bulldog Rajas reward which is superb.
The chap who made the sample suggested it would be even better if the yeast was swapped for Safale 05 so i bought some of that as well, although i forgot to use it.
By the way Dave can you PM me your method for dry hopping a Wherry with Citra as I think that's up next:hat:

 

[FC101]

Well this was my first ever attempt at making beer. I don't think I made any glaring errors but still sure I got bits wrong. It had 15days in FV and ended up pretty strong at 5.8, two weeks in the warm after bottle priming and now 5 weeks cold conditioning. Its now drinkable. Cant say Im enjoying it much but Im determined to drink it. Its my first effort after all. It doesn't have much of a hop taste and is still a bit thin. Not as fruity as it was when first bottled. Cant say Im very impressed overall but I suppose I should take the fact that Ive made a non-toxic alcoholic drink as a win. This evening I tried my first bottle of my second brew (Festival Razorback IPA) and even before its finished carbonating its much much better than this one. My faith in homebrew is restored.

 

[davecullen86]

Alright mate. My dry hop of the wherry was very simple. Takes 10 days at around 20 to 22 degrees. Make the kit as per the instructions, after day 5 when the foam has died down, add 50g of citra pellets in a tied up muslin bag, put in a couple of marbles so it does not float. Every day I usually move the bag around the wort a little to get some flavour out of the hops. I got a nylon bag with a festival kit that you put over the end of the siphon tube, it's great! I recommend using it when bottling all ur brews, especially when dry hopping as u do get a slight haze of hops in the brew from it. Here is a quick vid I did of it: http://youtu.be/1qWTPJnhKH0 Hope it goes ok for ya! Got a whole pressure barren full of the stuff and another wherry kit waiting for my coopers eng bitter to be bottled :-) cheers