Jay's First Time Micro Beer Brew

[MR2Jay77]

Morning Peeps :thumb:

Been doing loads of research and I think I've got my head around my first experimental 1 Gallon beer batch. I would like you guys to look over it though with all your experience.

I'm going for small batches as I don't have the room I used to. Plus, with this method I'll only end up with 9 bottles of muck rather than 40 if it all goes Pete Tong :lol:

So here is my first attempt. Any pointers on how I could tweak it or is it worth bashing on and seeing what comes out the end?

Ingredients
1. 60g Crystal Malt (30 min Steep)
2. 500g DME (Light Spraymalt)
3. 10g Cascade Hops (15 min boil)
4. 4g Cascade Hops (5 min boil)
5. 4g Cascade Hops (20 min steep)
6. 4g Cascade Hops (Dry Hop)
7. Muntons Premium Gold Ale Yeast
8. 36g Brewing sugar (for priming)

Method
1. Bring 4l bottled water up to 66 degrees C and steep the Crystal malt in a muslin bag for 30 minutes

2. Add the DME and stir until dissolved

3. Bring to the boil (Don’t let it boil over) and add the first 10g of hops

4. After 10 minutes, add another 4g of hops and boil for a further 5 mins
5. Turn off the heat and reduce the temp to 80 degrees C. Add a further 4g of hops
6. Allow to steep for a further 20 mins
7. Top up the wort to 5 litres with bottled water and stir through
8. Place pan in cold water and bring the temperature of the wort down to 22 degrees C
9. Transfer the wort to a Fermenting Bucket through a sieve to strain out the solids

10. Pitch the yeast and allow to ferment

11. When fermentation has died down to about 2 bubbles per minute, transfer off the lees to a demijohn, top up to the neck and dry hop with the last 4g of hops
12. Leave for 2 weeks to allow the secondary fermentation to complete.
13. Prepare the priming solution of 36g brewing sugar in 250ml boiling water in the fermenting bucket
14. Decant the beer from the lees into the fermenting bucket with the sugar solution.
15. Lightly stir the sugar solution into the beer taking care not to agitate too much
16. Bottle the beer and leave to prime for about 2 weeks
17. Chill and enjoy

 

[MyQul]

The 5 min steep is usually done at 0 mins (known as flameout). Cool your wort to 80C or just below and leave the hops to steep for 20mins then cool the wort down to pitching temps

Edit: I'm deffo not a dry hopping expert as I've never done it before but most people seem to dry hop for only 7 days before priming/bottling
Also, you can leave the beer in the demijohn for 4 weeks but unless there's a specific reason to do so, two weeks is usually enough. I usually only leave my beers for 10 days before I bottle

 

[MR2Jay77]

That's great, thanks.....

So if I understand that right.....Bring off the boil, reduce to 80 degrees C, add the hops and leave it for 20 minutes before chilling it off?

 

[Brew_DD2]

I would also be careful about cooling your wort right down and then adding your bottled water. You don't want the wort too cool.

Use your bottled water to help you get to pitching temperature.

Priming sugar sounds an awful lot for a batch that size.

Otherwise, very thorough.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Also, it's entirely your call but you don't need to transfer to a secondary for dry-hopping. Might save you a step to stay in your fv.

Everyone has their own preferred methods though.

 

[MR2Jay77]

I seem to remember from the kits that it does get a bit gloopy so your idea of using the water to help cool the wort is a good one :thumb:

I think I will transfer to a Demijohn for the secondary, simply to free up the FV ready to add the priming sugar. Rather than the "bit in each bottle method" I want to make a solution and blend it in.

How much sugar would you recommend for a batch this size then? I've never been too sure about the sugar level for priming

 

[MyQul]

I would also be careful about cooling your wort right down and then adding your bottled water. You don't want the wort too cool.

Use your bottled water to help you get to pitching temperature.

Priming sugar sounds an awful lot for a batch that size.

Otherwise, very thorough.

Good call about using the bottled water to acheive pitching temp,I'd forgotten about that :thumb:

I leave my wort to cool to pitching temp then just chuck in my dilution water without making my wort to cool. If the bottled water is at room temp (unless the OP lives in a fidge) it wont make the wort go much below pitching temp if at all

 

[Brew_DD2]

Re: cooling your wort, you just don't want to overshoot and have it too cool for the yeast.

www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/

has always served me well.

 

[MyQul]

That's great, thanks.....

So if I understand that right.....Bring off the boil, reduce to 80 degrees C, add the hops and leave it for 20 minutes before chilling it off?

Yes that's exactly right. Just dunk the pan in a sink of cold water for a short amount of time to get it down to 80C - doesn't take long at all

 

[MR2Jay77]

Awesome - yeah, looks like I was WAY out on the priming sugar :lol:

36g of brewing sugar looks adequate for the type of beer I'm brewing at that volume :lol:

 

[Brew_DD2]

Would have been lively, that's for sure

 

[MR2Jay77]

By the way, I'm adapting the first post as your tips come in.....

Brings it up to date so I have a good recipe and method to follow :thumb:

 

[chub1]

I have done a 'first' batch along the same lines as yourself with Cascade and Amarillo hops,Dry hopped for 5 days in the main FV then racked and bottled. Carbed and in the cooler at present. Smelt great both whilst brewing it up and in the FV:thumb::thumb:
Think mine could have been strained rather better than i actually did, so strain it well.

 

[MR2Jay77]

I have done a 'first' batch along the same lines as yourself with Cascade and Amarillo hops, carbed and in the cooler at present. Smelt great both whilst brewing it up and in the FV:thumb::thumb:

That gives me hope :thumb:

Smaller batches suit me better to be fair. That said, if a batch is good, there is no reason why I can't scale it up to a full 5 gallon batch (if the missus lets me take over part of the house :lol:)

 

[chub1]

That gives me hope :thumb:

Smaller batches suit me better to be fair. That said, if a batch is good, there is no reason why I can't scale it up to a full 5 gallon batch (if the missus lets me take over part of the house :lol:)

That is why i did a small batch, partly to experiment and also not to have 40 pints sitting around.
Just off to get some Choc malt, Roast Barley, Brown Malt and some more Crystal
Malt and do some more kit bashing and experimenting with small batches.:mrgreen:

 

[MR2Jay77]

Got this one on the go today so I have updated the first post with pics so far.

The smells emanating from the kitchen today were great :thumb:

 

[MR2Jay77]

I was starting to get concerned about this one. Whereas all 3 demijohns are bubbling away ferociously, this one had Nada.....

Peeked into the fv this morning to see a good head of foam starting to form so that's me a bit more relaxed.... Certainly smells good in there, unlike the cider which has now reached that "egg" stage

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[Brew_DD2]

I don't think I've ever had a cider that didn't smell eggy. I'll have to try it with S-04 at some stage. Seemingly makes a nice medium cider and it certainly doesn't give off any "interesting" aromas when fermenting beer.

 

[MR2Jay77]

Picture the scene....

Better half - "I can't get enough of the smell of that cider"
Me - "Wierdo"
Better half takes big sniff
Better half - "What the hell is wrong with THAT!"

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[Brew_DD2]

:lol:

I thought I'd done something seriously wrong with my first cider. It utterly reeked to high heaven.