Hello from NI!

[SteBeardface]

Hi guys, I'm Steve, born in Pontefract, reared in Chesterfield and now living in Northern Ireland.

I'm a chemist by trade, doing a lot of research, but also a keen cook and just starting on the homebrewing front. I attempted a Coopers kit back at uni, but it turned out so badly that I didn't bother with it anymore... but after speaking with an old uni buddy whose a keen brewer, I've been inspired once more!

Currently, I've only the 1 brew on - Young's American IPA kit. I got it along with a beginners kit at a shop just outside Belfast. So far, it's had almost a week in a pressure barrel, so it won't be much longer till I see how the carbonation is getting on. I've also got my hands on a load of AG kit I found on eBay last month, but I'm having to wait on that as it's currently in my parents' garage for bringing over on the ferry next month (I know, the wait is agonising!)

I'll be looking around the forum a lot for tips and tricks for a beginner like myself so I can avoid the usual traps as much as I can. As far as I can tell, I can't go much wrong provided I clean and sanitise profusely and take care with oxygenation after fermenting (my current fear for this AIPA) :P

Looking forward to many brewing endeavours!

 

[aj65]

Hi Steve
Good luck with your first brew :cheers7:

 

[andylynch9]

Welcome! Soon your house will be taken over with brewing equipment and fridges

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Welcome to the forum

 

[chthon]

As a chemist you should have a step up w.r.t. water, concentrations and the way acids, bases and salts behave in your brewing water!

 

[GerritT]

Good evening! As a beginner you should forget all w.r.t. water, the result is all that counts the first few times! And if you get hit by the brewbug, you'll know what you want to improve! :cheers7:

 

[Gerryjo]

Hi and welcome to the forum...
Just enjoy your first brews and don't be afraid to ask any questions as we've all been there....

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[SteBeardface]

Cheers for the warm welcome, guys!

Funnily enough, I have done a lot of research into the make-up of water and how that can affect homebrews, so my first brew did include half a campden tab, just to be safe :P that will definitely be a staple in the future. As for other aspects, I think I'll keep them in the "learn by doing" section. I'll have my "lab book" ready for my AG attempts when I finally get the equipment!

I had a wee nip of my brew last night to see how the carbing was getting on - it tastes amazing, surprisingly! It was a little (very) hazy, but flavour was so good. Now the question is... how will I manage to keep it for a couple more weeks to condition properly when it's already so good? Watch this space (and my inevitable drunken spelling mistakes!)

 

[Gerryjo]

Cheers for the warm welcome, guys!

Funnily enough, I have done a lot of research into the make-up of water and how that can affect homebrews, so my first brew did include half a campden tab, just to be safe [emoji14] that will definitely be a staple in the future. As for other aspects, I think I'll keep them in the "learn by doing" section. I'll have my "lab book" ready for my AG attempts when I finally get the equipment!

I had a wee nip of my brew last night to see how the carbing was getting on - it tastes amazing, surprisingly! It was a little (very) hazy, but flavour was so good. Now the question is... how will I manage to keep it for a couple more weeks to condition properly when it's already so good? Watch this space (and my inevitable drunken spelling mistakes!)

If you're going to check out the water NI Water have a listing for all their resevoirs but exclude a few details of which you can email them though best to test yourself for a.more accurate result.

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[Lawrence22]

Welcome to the forum. Been brewing about 18 months myself and have found this place an invaluable source of information and support.

 

[Wino Cat]

Hi Steve, I'm a NI brewer too, been churning out wine kits for a few months. If you're looking local suppliers to beat the exorbitant shipping fees from GB, I've used two so far, one in Randallstown and one in Galway and they have both been excellent. Good luck with those brews.

 

[strange-steve]

Another NI brewer here, welcome to the forum. After you've got a few AGs under your belt water treatment is definitely worth looking into a bit deeper, and it'd be great for us amateurs on the forum to have an actual chemist to advise us!