First post guys after much lurking and reading! When I thought about getting into Home Brewing this forum gave me the confidence to splash out on a kit (from the good folk at BrewUK) and give it a try.
So I broke into the first bottles of my first kit last night! I've spent a long time reading on here, trying to understand how to get the most out of my kit, here's what I used and did - just curious as to why the results are a little varied.
Munton's Gold kit, Supermarket Spring Water (10% less than suggested ;-))
10 days in the FV at 19 degrees C
Syphoned into a second vessel with tap and little bottler
Sraymalt added at this stage
Bottled into ex-Magners bottles
Bottles stored for 10 days+ at 19 degrees C
Bottles moved to a cool, dark cellar for 3+ weeks
It's produced quite a dark, very clear brew, not unlike Tartan Special, starts off fizzy, then settles down later, most kept a head to the bottom of the glass. Slight home brew whiff on the nose, but the drink isn't yeasty itself.
The questions I now have, and would be grateful for anyone's opinion on, are:
There's a difference between how different beers we opened last night tasted. Some were fizzier, why?
How much on an air gap should I leave in the bottle? (Linked to the question above, perhaps?)
Will I always get sediment at the bottom of the bottle?
Will the brew improve if I leave it conditioning in the cellar?
Really motivated to do another one right away, possibly with a hop tea-bag...!
Cheers guys!
So I broke into the first bottles of my first kit last night! I've spent a long time reading on here, trying to understand how to get the most out of my kit, here's what I used and did - just curious as to why the results are a little varied.
Munton's Gold kit, Supermarket Spring Water (10% less than suggested ;-))
10 days in the FV at 19 degrees C
Syphoned into a second vessel with tap and little bottler
Sraymalt added at this stage
Bottled into ex-Magners bottles
Bottles stored for 10 days+ at 19 degrees C
Bottles moved to a cool, dark cellar for 3+ weeks
It's produced quite a dark, very clear brew, not unlike Tartan Special, starts off fizzy, then settles down later, most kept a head to the bottom of the glass. Slight home brew whiff on the nose, but the drink isn't yeasty itself.
The questions I now have, and would be grateful for anyone's opinion on, are:
There's a difference between how different beers we opened last night tasted. Some were fizzier, why?
How much on an air gap should I leave in the bottle? (Linked to the question above, perhaps?)
Will I always get sediment at the bottom of the bottle?
Will the brew improve if I leave it conditioning in the cellar?
Really motivated to do another one right away, possibly with a hop tea-bag...!
Cheers guys!
