...by an abject and oddly nervous newbie...
So. First thing was to buy a Cooper's DIY brew kit, which from my extensive web crawling seemed like the simplest and most foolproof way to go.
Second was to open the big box with all the lovely kit like it was Christmas Day. OOH! New Toys!
Third was to sign up here and make a couple of posts.
Fourth was to discover that the fermentation vessel wouldn't fit into the larder/coat/general crap cupboard, the only place in the house with a reasonably constant ambient temperature, without moving a shelf.
Fifth - after the cursing and the tantrums and a couple weeks of sulking - was to get out the screwdriver and drill and move the stupid sodding shelf. I hate DIY. Should have suspected trouble when the lovely big box of kit arrived with 'DIY BEER' plastered all over it.
Sixth - was summer holidays and too many kids and chaos to think about beer in any way other than opening several bottles of cheap stuff the second the beloved rats were in bed.
Seventh - and a couple of months later - was to brew!!!
Finally.
I used Starsan to sanitise everything I could think that the beer might touch, along with all the kitchen worktops and a substantial proportion of the kitchen floor (first lesson in experience - hold the fermentation bin lid on VERY tight when swilling sanitiser about in it). Cleanest it's ever been. I could eat off that lino.
Still paranoid about bugs, I got on with the actual brew. In went 1kg of Coopers Brew Enhancer 1, the Cooper's English Bitter malt stuff, lots of stirring, then water to bring the volume up to 22.5 l and the temp down to 24 degrees, bang in the middle of the recommended range.
Our water is very limey and does occasionally have a chloriney smell when a bath is filled, but is perfectly palatable.
Pitched the yeast.
SG 1042. Bang on.
Cleared up, by far the longest part of the operation.
Gave the yeast a stir out of bug-paranoia with the still sanitised spoon.
Stuck the now full and heavy fermenting bin into its now perfectly customised slot in the larder, which is a solid 20 degrees ambient.
Went to bed.
Checked the bin. Froth!
Realised that the bin was so low that I wouldn't be able to fit the bottler pipe without lifting and moving the unwieldly bin. Realised that was a bad idea. Realised I'd have to raise it.
Tantrums and sulking.
Found an old flowerpot, cleaned it, put it under the bin. Perfect. Now I have a neat three foot space in which to cram my aged bones when it comes to bottling. Could be a long procedure, but hey, that's in the future, because for now....
...Done.
I plan to dry hop with some Goldings I got at the same time as the rest of the kit, because I do love a hoppy aroma. I haven't got a hop bag, but do a have a sieve I can sanitise and scoop with if necessary. I was thinking of chucking in 15 gm after a week, leaving it another week, and then bottle. Any thoughts on dry hopping with this kit or generally?
Can't wait. I'll keep you updated...
Thanks for all your posts - I've read far more than I need to, and they're all great. Hope the beer's as good.
So. First thing was to buy a Cooper's DIY brew kit, which from my extensive web crawling seemed like the simplest and most foolproof way to go.
Second was to open the big box with all the lovely kit like it was Christmas Day. OOH! New Toys!
Third was to sign up here and make a couple of posts.
Fourth was to discover that the fermentation vessel wouldn't fit into the larder/coat/general crap cupboard, the only place in the house with a reasonably constant ambient temperature, without moving a shelf.
Fifth - after the cursing and the tantrums and a couple weeks of sulking - was to get out the screwdriver and drill and move the stupid sodding shelf. I hate DIY. Should have suspected trouble when the lovely big box of kit arrived with 'DIY BEER' plastered all over it.
Sixth - was summer holidays and too many kids and chaos to think about beer in any way other than opening several bottles of cheap stuff the second the beloved rats were in bed.
Seventh - and a couple of months later - was to brew!!!
Finally.
I used Starsan to sanitise everything I could think that the beer might touch, along with all the kitchen worktops and a substantial proportion of the kitchen floor (first lesson in experience - hold the fermentation bin lid on VERY tight when swilling sanitiser about in it). Cleanest it's ever been. I could eat off that lino.
Still paranoid about bugs, I got on with the actual brew. In went 1kg of Coopers Brew Enhancer 1, the Cooper's English Bitter malt stuff, lots of stirring, then water to bring the volume up to 22.5 l and the temp down to 24 degrees, bang in the middle of the recommended range.
Our water is very limey and does occasionally have a chloriney smell when a bath is filled, but is perfectly palatable.
Pitched the yeast.
SG 1042. Bang on.
Cleared up, by far the longest part of the operation.
Gave the yeast a stir out of bug-paranoia with the still sanitised spoon.
Stuck the now full and heavy fermenting bin into its now perfectly customised slot in the larder, which is a solid 20 degrees ambient.
Went to bed.
Checked the bin. Froth!
Realised that the bin was so low that I wouldn't be able to fit the bottler pipe without lifting and moving the unwieldly bin. Realised that was a bad idea. Realised I'd have to raise it.
Tantrums and sulking.
Found an old flowerpot, cleaned it, put it under the bin. Perfect. Now I have a neat three foot space in which to cram my aged bones when it comes to bottling. Could be a long procedure, but hey, that's in the future, because for now....
...Done.
I plan to dry hop with some Goldings I got at the same time as the rest of the kit, because I do love a hoppy aroma. I haven't got a hop bag, but do a have a sieve I can sanitise and scoop with if necessary. I was thinking of chucking in 15 gm after a week, leaving it another week, and then bottle. Any thoughts on dry hopping with this kit or generally?
Can't wait. I'll keep you updated...
Thanks for all your posts - I've read far more than I need to, and they're all great. Hope the beer's as good.
