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Dutto's Brew Day
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Dutto
Landlord.
Many thanks for the "Welcome Back" messages. I'm glad to say that I'm still going strong and still brewing despite advancing years! 
I'm afraid that the Wilko Hoppy Copper Bitter is being finished off as I speak and the Wilko Light Golden Lager with Grapefruit has taken quite a battering as well. My excuse is that we had visitors!
The good news is that I now have a new brew conditioning as follows:
WILKO SWEET NEWKY BROWN
30th December 2019
Started with Wilko Sweet Newkie Brown Kit and 1.5kg of Coopers LME
Made as per instructions to 20 litres.
Added yeast nutrient.
Cooled to 20*C, took OG and pitched kit yeast .
Fermenting at 18*C in Brew Fridge.
6th January 2020
Started cold-crash to 10*C.
9th January 2020
Transferred to PB “A” and Growler C.
Added 10g of sugar to PB & Growler.
Carbonating & Conditioning at ambient. (+/- 10*C).
DETAILS
OG = 1.038
FG = 1.010
ABV = 3.15%
Kcal per Litre = 329 Kcal
Plus an IPA in the fridge!
Here's a photo of a corner of the new Log Cabin (aka Dutto's Brewery). Enjoy!
I'm afraid that the Wilko Hoppy Copper Bitter is being finished off as I speak and the Wilko Light Golden Lager with Grapefruit has taken quite a battering as well. My excuse is that we had visitors!
The good news is that I now have a new brew conditioning as follows:
WILKO SWEET NEWKY BROWN
30th December 2019
Started with Wilko Sweet Newkie Brown Kit and 1.5kg of Coopers LME
Made as per instructions to 20 litres.
Added yeast nutrient.
Cooled to 20*C, took OG and pitched kit yeast .
Fermenting at 18*C in Brew Fridge.
6th January 2020
Started cold-crash to 10*C.
9th January 2020
Transferred to PB “A” and Growler C.
Added 10g of sugar to PB & Growler.
Carbonating & Conditioning at ambient. (+/- 10*C).
DETAILS
OG = 1.038
FG = 1.010
ABV = 3.15%
Kcal per Litre = 329 Kcal
Plus an IPA in the fridge!
Here's a photo of a corner of the new Log Cabin (aka Dutto's Brewery). Enjoy!
Dutto
Landlord.
My latest brew is a WILKO IPA WITH GRAPEFRUIT JUICE
9th January 2020
Started with Wilko IPA Kit, 0.5kg of Muntons DME and 1 litre of Tesco Graefruit Juice.
Made as per instructions to 20 litres.
Cooled to 20*C, took OG and pitched kit yeast plus Crossmaloof USA Pale Ale yeast.
Fermenting at 18.5*C in Brew Fridge.
18th January 2020
Started cold-crash to 10*C.
20th January 2020
Transferred to PB “B” and Growler D.
Added 10g of sugar to PB and carbonating in fridge for 2 days then ambient. (+/- 11*C).
Growler D carbonating with CO2 at 5psi
DETAILS
OG = 1.037
FG = 1.008
ABV = 3.81%
Kcal per Litre = 354 Kcal
I pulled a small glass today; way before it's had time to mellow or condition! It was extremely bitter and the grapefruit taste predominated. I live in hope that over the next few weeks it will smooth out and mellow.
Today I started a Wilko Hoppy Copper Bitter with 0.5kg of Muntons Beer Enhancer.
I am now getting over the move and building up stocks to a suitable level. With 60 litres in PB's and Growlers (Lager, Stout, IPA and Newkie Brown) and 20+ litres (Bitter) in the fridge I am nearly at "Critical Mass"; so the next brew should follow the 2+2+2 system and after that I should be able to sit back and take a bit of time to enjoy the fruits of my endeavours!
Here's hoping!
9th January 2020
Started with Wilko IPA Kit, 0.5kg of Muntons DME and 1 litre of Tesco Graefruit Juice.
Made as per instructions to 20 litres.
Cooled to 20*C, took OG and pitched kit yeast plus Crossmaloof USA Pale Ale yeast.
Fermenting at 18.5*C in Brew Fridge.
18th January 2020
Started cold-crash to 10*C.
20th January 2020
Transferred to PB “B” and Growler D.
Added 10g of sugar to PB and carbonating in fridge for 2 days then ambient. (+/- 11*C).
Growler D carbonating with CO2 at 5psi
DETAILS
OG = 1.037
FG = 1.008
ABV = 3.81%
Kcal per Litre = 354 Kcal
I pulled a small glass today; way before it's had time to mellow or condition! It was extremely bitter and the grapefruit taste predominated. I live in hope that over the next few weeks it will smooth out and mellow.
Today I started a Wilko Hoppy Copper Bitter with 0.5kg of Muntons Beer Enhancer.
I am now getting over the move and building up stocks to a suitable level. With 60 litres in PB's and Growlers (Lager, Stout, IPA and Newkie Brown) and 20+ litres (Bitter) in the fridge I am nearly at "Critical Mass"; so the next brew should follow the 2+2+2 system and after that I should be able to sit back and take a bit of time to enjoy the fruits of my endeavours!
Here's hoping!
An Ankoù
Landlord.
Glad to see you're back in the beer at last. There's nothing more disruptive than moving.
Here's hopping!
Happy daze, I say.
"Critical Mass" is when you're down to your last 100 or so litres and you can see bare wall where the stacked crates should be! This triggers a frenzy of activity of pressing every available vessel including the dog's bowl into brewing more, wild and panicked ordering of sacks of grain and obscure hops and a general suspending of all non-essential activities such as gardening and decorating. Bring in on.
Here's hopping!
Happy daze, I say.
Dutto
Landlord.
I've been a bit remiss in keeping this up to date over the last few months so it's time to catch up. Still all Kits I'm afraid but with a few variations!
For a start, the Wilko IPA with Tesco Grapefruit Juice still hasn't cleared after nearly two months in the Growler. It's getting slightly clearer and mellowing nicely; but not nice enough to repeat the experiment!
Over the last two months I've knocked up this little lot:
WILKO HOPPY COPPER BITTER
22nd January 2020
Started with Wilko HC Bitter Kit with 0.5kg of Muntons Beer Enhancer.
Made as per instructions to 22 litres.
Cooled to 18.5*C, took OG and pitched kit yeast plus Wilko Ale Yeast.
Fermenting at 18.5*C in Brew Fridge.
31st January 2020
Started cold-crash to +/-10*C (Heater switched off and fridge door opened as really cold in the shed!)
3rd February 2020
Transferred to KK.
Added 60g of sugar plus Hop Tea from 10g of EKG Carbonating in fridge @ 20*C
5th February 2020
Conditioning at ambient. (+/- 10*C).
DETAILS
OG = 1.032
FG = 1.010
ABV = 2.89%
Kcal per Litre = 310 Kcal
This has been a superb pint. It cleared quickly and conditioned so well that I was drinking it within a couple of weeks.
COOPERS ENGLISH BITTER
23rd February 2020
Started with Coopers English Bitter Kit with 0.5kg of Muntons Beer Enhancer.
Made as per instructions to 21 litres.
Cooled to 18.5*C, took OG and pitched kit yeast plus Wilko Ale Yeast.
Fermenting at 18.5*C in Brew Fridge.
10th March 2020
Started cold-crash to +/-10*C
17th March 2020
Transferred to Growlers E & F with 1g/litre of sugar.
Carbonating in fridge @ 19*C.
DETAILS
OG = 1.036
FG = 1.008
ABV = 3.68%
Kcal per Litre = 344 Kcal
Between the start and finish of this brew, I had a new left hip installed and the Coronavirus Pandemic kicked off big time; hence the long brewing period.
The Coopers has started off much darker than the Wilko Hoppy Copper and the sample tastes a bit more bitter; but still tasted nice!
Next up is probably a Lager for the summer (please Lord let it come soon) as I'm starting to look forward to those long summer afternoons prodding a variety of meat on the BBQ and sipping something cool. Here's hoping!
For a start, the Wilko IPA with Tesco Grapefruit Juice still hasn't cleared after nearly two months in the Growler. It's getting slightly clearer and mellowing nicely; but not nice enough to repeat the experiment!
Over the last two months I've knocked up this little lot:
WILKO HOPPY COPPER BITTER
22nd January 2020
Started with Wilko HC Bitter Kit with 0.5kg of Muntons Beer Enhancer.
Made as per instructions to 22 litres.
Cooled to 18.5*C, took OG and pitched kit yeast plus Wilko Ale Yeast.
Fermenting at 18.5*C in Brew Fridge.
31st January 2020
Started cold-crash to +/-10*C (Heater switched off and fridge door opened as really cold in the shed!)
3rd February 2020
Transferred to KK.
Added 60g of sugar plus Hop Tea from 10g of EKG Carbonating in fridge @ 20*C
5th February 2020
Conditioning at ambient. (+/- 10*C).
DETAILS
OG = 1.032
FG = 1.010
ABV = 2.89%
Kcal per Litre = 310 Kcal
This has been a superb pint. It cleared quickly and conditioned so well that I was drinking it within a couple of weeks.
COOPERS ENGLISH BITTER
23rd February 2020
Started with Coopers English Bitter Kit with 0.5kg of Muntons Beer Enhancer.
Made as per instructions to 21 litres.
Cooled to 18.5*C, took OG and pitched kit yeast plus Wilko Ale Yeast.
Fermenting at 18.5*C in Brew Fridge.
10th March 2020
Started cold-crash to +/-10*C
17th March 2020
Transferred to Growlers E & F with 1g/litre of sugar.
Carbonating in fridge @ 19*C.
DETAILS
OG = 1.036
FG = 1.008
ABV = 3.68%
Kcal per Litre = 344 Kcal
Between the start and finish of this brew, I had a new left hip installed and the Coronavirus Pandemic kicked off big time; hence the long brewing period.
The Coopers has started off much darker than the Wilko Hoppy Copper and the sample tastes a bit more bitter; but still tasted nice!
Next up is probably a Lager for the summer (please Lord let it come soon) as I'm starting to look forward to those long summer afternoons prodding a variety of meat on the BBQ and sipping something cool. Here's hoping!
An Ankoù
Landlord.
28 degrees in the sun this afty, Dutto. Did a bit of gardening and had to strip down to the vest. Struggling in jeans, but knew too well that the temp would drop 10 degrees as soon as a cloud passed over.. Morning started off at minus 3 on the terrace, though. Glorious sunshine and magnificent sunset. It's a joy to be alive. terribly worried it may be too late to brew the last couple of pilsners I wanted to get done, though. Ordered two bags of malt on the strength of the fact that all pubs and cafes are closed. Money. Use it or lose it, I say.
![BREWING THERMOMETER STICKERS ACCURATELY MONITOR FERMENTING BEER & WINE LIQUID TEMPERATURES 5PCS HOME BREW SPIRITS WINE LCD ADHESIVE [US]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/311DDjo2X3L._SL500_.jpg)
You sound like a happy bunny. Nice to read of someone enjoying life. Good for you.
Yeah...agreed.
Dutto
Landlord.
Well, that wasn't a very happy afternoon!
I checked the two Growlers of English Bitter carbonating in the fridge and they both gave off only the smallest of "Phtts!" when I briefly lifted the PSV on the top. Further investigation revealed that I had plugged the small Heater into the Cooler side of the Inkbird and the temperature in the Brew Fridge had only managed to get up to 13*C (from 10*C) in about three days! Bugger!
By this time, I had already started today's brew so leaving them in there for another couple of days wasn't an option; so Plan "A" is to stop drinking the Bitter, move over to the IPA with Grapefruit and start carbonating the two Growlers of English Bitter with CO2 when the IPA is finished.
Looking to the future, I also had a taste of the Robust Porter that I made way back in February, 2018 for a mate who was ill. It tasted foul. Flat, sour and musty all in one!
I don't particularly like a Porter so I originally bottled the brew and transported the bottles over to my mate's home as and when I visited. Unfortunately, he died in December 2018 (not from the Porter I might add) so the Porter never got used and the bottles sat there on the shelf for a few months. Using the "waste not want not" principle and needing to get rid of the bottles, I transferred most to the brew to a PB and re-carbonated it.
Over the last year or so, I've had the odd pint when the whimsy took me and it tasted just fine but today it tasted absolutely foul. I discovered that the PB was depressurised and taking the cap off discovered that a pellicle had grown on the top of the brew. The PB has now been cleaned, bleached for a couple of hours, rinsed and dried ready for further sanitisation and cleaning before use. As summer is coming, I think I will use the PB for the European Lager below.
COOPERS EUROPEAN LAGER
20th March 2020
Started with Coopers European Lager Kit and 0.5kg of Muntons Beer Enhancer.
Made as per instructions to 20 litres.
Cooled to 20.5*C, forgot to take OG and pitched kit yeast.
Fermenting at 19.0*C in Brew Fridge.
Please Note the "forgot to take OG". As I said, it wasn't a very happy afternoon, apart from the fact that I now have +/-50 litres of beer and lager ready to drink as we "Self Isolate" for a few weeks.
In retrospect, I suppose that it has turned out to be not too bad a day really!
I checked the two Growlers of English Bitter carbonating in the fridge and they both gave off only the smallest of "Phtts!" when I briefly lifted the PSV on the top. Further investigation revealed that I had plugged the small Heater into the Cooler side of the Inkbird and the temperature in the Brew Fridge had only managed to get up to 13*C (from 10*C) in about three days! Bugger!
By this time, I had already started today's brew so leaving them in there for another couple of days wasn't an option; so Plan "A" is to stop drinking the Bitter, move over to the IPA with Grapefruit and start carbonating the two Growlers of English Bitter with CO2 when the IPA is finished.
Looking to the future, I also had a taste of the Robust Porter that I made way back in February, 2018 for a mate who was ill. It tasted foul. Flat, sour and musty all in one!
I don't particularly like a Porter so I originally bottled the brew and transported the bottles over to my mate's home as and when I visited. Unfortunately, he died in December 2018 (not from the Porter I might add) so the Porter never got used and the bottles sat there on the shelf for a few months. Using the "waste not want not" principle and needing to get rid of the bottles, I transferred most to the brew to a PB and re-carbonated it.
Over the last year or so, I've had the odd pint when the whimsy took me and it tasted just fine but today it tasted absolutely foul. I discovered that the PB was depressurised and taking the cap off discovered that a pellicle had grown on the top of the brew. The PB has now been cleaned, bleached for a couple of hours, rinsed and dried ready for further sanitisation and cleaning before use. As summer is coming, I think I will use the PB for the European Lager below.
COOPERS EUROPEAN LAGER
20th March 2020
Started with Coopers European Lager Kit and 0.5kg of Muntons Beer Enhancer.
Made as per instructions to 20 litres.
Cooled to 20.5*C, forgot to take OG and pitched kit yeast.
Fermenting at 19.0*C in Brew Fridge.
Please Note the "forgot to take OG". As I said, it wasn't a very happy afternoon, apart from the fact that I now have +/-50 litres of beer and lager ready to drink as we "Self Isolate" for a few weeks.
In retrospect, I suppose that it has turned out to be not too bad a day really!
Dutto
Landlord.
Today:
I also laid down some Ant Powder outside on the ants nest that has suddenly become active at the back of the shed and opened up a couple of Ant Traps inside the shed. Now I'm "waiting on weather" before I get SWMBO to lay down a barrier of Dethlac on the outside of the shed.
BTW, for anyone who has trouble with ants, or other insects that crawl along the floor, I can recommend Dethlac. It lasts for months and is very effective as both a deterrent and an insect killer!
- Started Cold Crash to 10*C on the Coopers European Lager.
- Washed out the two Growlers that had contained the Sweet Newky Brown and the IPA with Grapefruit Juice.
- Washed, cleaned and re-installed the two taps that I have.
- Installed the two taps on the Growlers containing the Coopers English Bitter.
I also laid down some Ant Powder outside on the ants nest that has suddenly become active at the back of the shed and opened up a couple of Ant Traps inside the shed. Now I'm "waiting on weather" before I get SWMBO to lay down a barrier of Dethlac on the outside of the shed.
BTW, for anyone who has trouble with ants, or other insects that crawl along the floor, I can recommend Dethlac. It lasts for months and is very effective as both a deterrent and an insect killer!
johncrobinson
Landlord.
What a life you have Dutto.
Green with envy
Green with envy
Dutto
Landlord.
Ironic that I have missed all of April and May before adding to this Thread having smashed up my left femur due to rank stupidity! (I tripped over my own feet and fell.)
Not to worry, today I made it into the Brew Shed to find out what I could salvage from the depredations of SWMBO (who "helped" me to sort out a potential loss of CO2) and came out thanking the Lord for StarSan and my almost OCD attitude towards sanitisation!
The two Growlers ("E" and "F") of Coopers European Bitter were flat, tasted terrible and were dumped. These were the ones that SWMBO managed to depressurise in early April, but amazingly:
After more than eight weeks sat on the trub it will very much be a "here's hoping" situation so no change there then for my brewing methods!
PS
Thanks for everyone's concern, it's good to be back!
Not to worry, today I made it into the Brew Shed to find out what I could salvage from the depredations of SWMBO (who "helped" me to sort out a potential loss of CO2) and came out thanking the Lord for StarSan and my almost OCD attitude towards sanitisation!
The two Growlers ("E" and "F") of Coopers European Bitter were flat, tasted terrible and were dumped. These were the ones that SWMBO managed to depressurise in early April, but amazingly:
- The +/-5 litres of Wilco Hoppy Copper Bitter in the KK Top Tap was still under pressure and still tasted fine!
- The 10 litres of Sweet Newkie Brown in PB "A" was still under pressure and tasted better that ever.
- The 10 litres of Wilko IPA with Grapefruit Juice in PB "B" had very little pressure but still tasted okay, with a fairly harsh grapefruit taste to it. (I temporarily increased the CO2 pressure a bit and will sort it out tomorrow.)
After more than eight weeks sat on the trub it will very much be a "here's hoping" situation so no change there then for my brewing methods!
PS
Thanks for everyone's concern, it's good to be back!
I hope that hip's ok...
How they fixed your leg?
Nice to see you back!
How they fixed your leg?
Nice to see you back!
Welcome back to the beery stuff.
Welcome back Dutto and take it easy
Dutto
Landlord.
Thanks everyone.
The break was dramatic! It's called a "periprosthetic fracture" because it happened between a 2015 new Knee Replacement and the recent Hip Replacement.
The new fracture is a long slanting break that starts on the inside of the femur (just below the stainless steel insert where the hip joint goes down inside the femur) and travels all the way to the outside of the femur just above the callus (bone growth) from an accident I had in 1967!
The repair is so "Heath Robinson" that it looks like something that a mate of mine might have knocked up from his Meccano set to badly repair a walking stick! (Actually, this is blasphemy! The photo is of Mike and one of his creations. Mike would never have put his name anything like this repair!)
The repair comprises a strap (shaped 0=0=0=0) on the outside of the femur that covers almost the whole length of the femur. The strap is held in place against the bone with seven screws (one of which is so long that it comes out of the far side of the bone) and with four wire "tie-wraps".
Beautiful it ain't - but then again, neither was the original break!
Anyhow, the second photograph should explain today's state of play! It is a Wilco Hoppy Copper Bitter (started back in January) and it tastes superb!
It's in a small glass because I am on a strict diet to lose weight! I am proud to say that I am already down from "Obese Class III" to "Obese Class I" and only have to lose about 10kg more and I will just be "Overweight"! YAY!
I then have to lose another +/-7kg to be "Normal"! At this stage it will probably be a double edged sword where:
The break was dramatic! It's called a "periprosthetic fracture" because it happened between a 2015 new Knee Replacement and the recent Hip Replacement.
The new fracture is a long slanting break that starts on the inside of the femur (just below the stainless steel insert where the hip joint goes down inside the femur) and travels all the way to the outside of the femur just above the callus (bone growth) from an accident I had in 1967!
The repair is so "Heath Robinson" that it looks like something that a mate of mine might have knocked up from his Meccano set to badly repair a walking stick! (Actually, this is blasphemy! The photo is of Mike and one of his creations. Mike would never have put his name anything like this repair!)
The repair comprises a strap (shaped 0=0=0=0) on the outside of the femur that covers almost the whole length of the femur. The strap is held in place against the bone with seven screws (one of which is so long that it comes out of the far side of the bone) and with four wire "tie-wraps".
Beautiful it ain't - but then again, neither was the original break!
Anyhow, the second photograph should explain today's state of play! It is a Wilco Hoppy Copper Bitter (started back in January) and it tastes superb!
It's in a small glass because I am on a strict diet to lose weight! I am proud to say that I am already down from "Obese Class III" to "Obese Class I" and only have to lose about 10kg more and I will just be "Overweight"! YAY!
I then have to lose another +/-7kg to be "Normal"! At this stage it will probably be a double edged sword where:
- I may have to run around under the shower to get wet! but
- I should be able to fall gracefully without breaking any major bones!
Don't do stuff by halves do you..!!
Except your beer now..
Except your beer now..
Dutto
Landlord.
YAY! On March 31st I started the Cold Crash to 10*C on a batch of European Lager and on 2nd April I fell and managed to break my left femur!
In June, I managed to overdo things so much that I set myself back a month or two and more or less finished up going chair > commode > chair for the best part of two months; and slowly lost the will to do almost anything!
A month ago, having been diagnosed as being anaemic, I started a course of Iron Tablets and haven't looked back; so today I decided to keg the European Lager. The programme should have been:
Amazingly, after nearly five and a half months sat on the trub at 10*C, the Lager seems to have remained “sound”! with only a slight metallic aftertaste which may or may not disappear when it has been carbonated. (Experts amongst us please advise.)
BTW
I saw a comment on my Hospital Notes where the Surgeon had written "Risk taker."
As I have accumulated the marks from 135 "stitches" and 96 "clips" (I've had an adventurous life), I think he should have at least written "Unsuccessful Risk Taker"!
In June, I managed to overdo things so much that I set myself back a month or two and more or less finished up going chair > commode > chair for the best part of two months; and slowly lost the will to do almost anything!
A month ago, having been diagnosed as being anaemic, I started a course of Iron Tablets and haven't looked back; so today I decided to keg the European Lager. The programme should have been:
- 31st March 2020 - Start cold-crash to +/-10*C
- 5th April 2020 - Transfer to Growlers E & F with 1g/litre of sugar
Amazingly, after nearly five and a half months sat on the trub at 10*C, the Lager seems to have remained “sound”! with only a slight metallic aftertaste which may or may not disappear when it has been carbonated. (Experts amongst us please advise.)
BTW
I saw a comment on my Hospital Notes where the Surgeon had written "Risk taker."
As I have accumulated the marks from 135 "stitches" and 96 "clips" (I've had an adventurous life), I think he should have at least written "Unsuccessful Risk Taker"!
Nice to see you Dutto!
Thought you were list in France or sumit...
Risk taker...risk a few extra pints tonight..
Thought you were list in France or sumit...
Risk taker...risk a few extra pints tonight..
