foxbat's brewdays

[soupdragon]

Got an all grain kit from an online source, don't want to name them just in case. That'll be first up even though I've still got about 20kg of Crisp pale malt in a sack upstairs in my computer/brew storage room. It needs using as it's pushing 12 months old...........
Like you, as soon as the weather picks up the Ace, or the Brew Baby as Mrs Soupdragon calls it, will be dusted off

Cheers Tom

 

[Rodcx500z]

I have some grain yeast citra challenger and target just need a good day to brew

 

[soupdragon]

I'm actually getting excited about brewing with it again. It's been ages

Cheers Tom

 

[foxbat]

I thought the Klarstein was an electric system? Can't you guys brew inside with it?

 

[soupdragon]

Steam? it was bad enough when I brewed in a stock pot on the stove top. Even with the extraction on full tilt it was just about capable but no chance with the Brew Baby, can't comment about the Karlstein but it looks from the same family

Cheers. Tom

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Steam? it was bad enough when I brewed in a stock pot on the stove top. Even with the extraction on full tilt it was just about capable but no chance with the Brew Baby, can't comment about the Karlstein but it looks from the same family

Cheers. Tom

I just about manage in the utility room with the back door open and the other door to the rest of the house, the mrs isn't exactly delighted but I get away with it.

 

[foxbat]

I do it by brewing a foot from the kitchen patio doors and have a floor standing fan blowing over the kettle and out the doors. In winter like today I shut the inside door to the house and turn off the kitchen radiator. I think the fan blowing helps to keep unwanted stuff landing in the kettle.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I too brew in the utility room with the door open in summer and window open now.

 

[An Ankoù]

There's so many variables, it's hard to pinpoint the cause I suppose.
Once I get the Ace up and running again I'll have to try your mainline bitter. Superb looking pint, some other tasty looking formulations in this thread too.

Query......... Do you keep a stock of base malt then buy the smaller weighments and hops as a "kit" from the likes of the malt miller?
I've had a 25kg sack of Bairds pale opened for over 12 months, I hope it's still usable. Been kept dry and sealed so fingers crossed

Cheers. Tom

I've got malt older than that and keep it sealed and dry. It works fine.
It's a way of cutting down conditioning time- condition before brewing. (only joking).

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi Foxbat, yes you could brew indoors with an electric system if you have good ventilation I just prefare doing it outside no aggro that way

 

[Rodcx500z]

Miss read your post Foxbat, yes the Klarstein is electric

 

[foxbat]

I've just pitched the WYeast 2308 starter into the lager. Temperature was 11.5C which is fine. It'll be down to 10C by late tonight. Lagers are slow to start when cold so I'm not expecting activity until tomorrow morning. The decanted starter 'beer' tasted fine, quite drinkable in fact, so the yeast within must have been in good health.

 

[foxbat]

An update on the lager progress. After 18 hours there was evidence of activity through the blow-off tube. Now it's been about 1.5 days and it's off at a steady rate. Slow and steady does it for cold-fermented lagers so I'm not expecting a riot to break out in the fermenter. I'll monitor the activity and get ready to raise the temperature when activity is past the peak. This Wyeast 2308 yeast strain is the most flocculant I've ever seen including all ale yeasts so it's important to keep it up and awake long enough to complete the diacetyl rest.

 

[foxbat]

It's New Year's Eve and I'm sampling a pint or two of my Flagstaff IPA.

It's turned out really good, well balanced and dangerously drinkable for a 5.0% ale. The sweet malt flavours are prominent and are nicely balanced by the earthy Fuggle and floral/herbal Endeavour hops. The latter of which delivers a sort of lingering soft gooseberry bitterness. I've had some very good feedback from friends for this ale and I may well brew it again in the new year.

 

[Brewnaldo]

It's New Year's Eve and I'm sampling a pint or two of my Flagstaff IPA.

It's turned out really good, well balanced and dangerously drinkable for a 5.0% ale. The sweet malt flavours are prominent and are nicely balanced by the earthy Fuggle and floral/herbal Endeavour hops. The latter of which delivers a sort of lingering soft gooseberry bitterness. I've had some very good feedback from friends for this ale and I may well brew it again in the new year.

How did you fine it to get it that clear? Looks fantastic.

 

[foxbat]

How did you fine it to get it that clear? Looks fantastic.

They do all come out that clear so it must be parts of my overall process that are coming together to get the overall clarity. Of the stuff I do that I think might be helping, there is:

• Protafloc tablet in the kettle at 7 mins.
• Chill to the mid 20's quickly - takes about 30 mins for me.
• Healthy and thorough temperature controlled fermentation with a flocculant yeast made up with a starter.
  
• Kwik-Clear two-part finings in the corny keg at kegging time.

 

[Brewnaldo]

They do all come out that clear so it must be parts of my overall process that are coming together to get the overall clarity. Of the stuff I do that I think might be helping, there is:

• Protafloc tablet in the kettle at 7 mins.
• Chill to the mid 20's quickly - takes about 30 mins for me.
• Healthy and thorough temperature controlled fermentation with a flocculant yeast made up with a starter.
  
• Kwik-Clear two-part finings in the corny keg at kegging time.

Cheers pal. I am looking at no chill for at least my first couple of brews so will use protofloc and some sort of fining. Had considered gelatine in the fv just before bottling having read a bit about that recently. Can only hope to have results like yours. Well played.

 

[foxbat]

I kegged my Kristall Pilsner lager today after 3 weeks in the fermenter. I did 6 days at 10C before it became obvious that fermentation had passed its peak. I then gently raised the temperature to 16 for the remainder of the 3 weeks for an extended diacetyl rest. I got a full corny and 3 bottles out of this one, the extra volume coming from the litre of starter wort that I pitched.

FG was, as I predicted, an entirely unsurprising 1.006 giving an ABV of 4.9%. The keg was fined with Kwik Clear, purged with CO2, set at 15 psi-ish and I'll now leave it to carbonate and condition for a couple of weeks before trying it.

 

[An Ankoù]

You Kristell Pilsner looks amazing, and so pale. Do you get your Ireks malt from?

 

[foxbat]

You Kristell Pilsner looks amazing, and so pale. Do you get your Ireks malt from?

I used to get it from Geterbrewed but it's now vanished from their site so I've switched to Weyermann Bohemian Pilsner which seems to be well liked by all those that have tried it.