John Bull Traditional English Ale Kit - Log

[student]

Newbie to the home brew world, during the first covid lockdown I was helping out my Dad clean through the shed to which all his old brewing kit caught my eye. Silly me used a 20 year old kit without even thinking about it. The brew was so so bad (awful taste, tasting of CO2, extremely gassy and stout colour for a larger kit!), I had made sure to keep everything sterile ect. This summer I emptied all the bottles and wanted to try with a clean slate. Looked around and picked this John Bull kit since I like ale and need to start somewhere.
I had found this forum during the search online and have used this guide as reference - Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit, thanks @terrym

This is the kit I have used - John Bulll Traditonal English Ale Home Brew Beer Kit
This is the sugar substitute I have used - Super Malt Beer Enhancer 1kg
I am lucky enough to have all the kit I need, 5.5 gallon fermenter, 40 pint bottles (bass), hydrometer, heating belt ect.

So this is my log so far (I am 2 weeks into the 6 weeks recommended by the beginners guide of 2-2-2).
The kit recommends a fermenting temperature of between 18-24C degrees, I have tried my best to have the vessel above 20C.
What I found useful was a fish tank temperature sticker which gave me a rough temperature (whilst also having a thermometer for the first part of brewing).

Brew days -

• 26th/06/21 - Brew day, starting with a OG value of 1.048
  • Taste is bitter, very cloudy and sweet. Made sure to wait for the vessel volume to cool to 22C before adding in my yeast.
• 03th/07/21 - 1 week later gravity value of 1.011
• 10th/07/21 - 2 weeks later with a FG value of 1.011
  • Taste is not so bitter, "smoothing up" and still cloudy but clearing up, kind of drinkable.
  • (Fermentation most likely finished somewhere after the 3rd but I think the week sitting in the vessel helped it). Also had a good amount of dead yeast at the bottom.

Working out the value seems to be currently sitting at ~4.85% ABV, happy with that.

Bottle day -

• 10th/07/21 - Managed to get 34 pints and 1 half pint out of the vessel before it got to no mans land at the bottom, I did not syphon into another vessel since I don't have another one large enough so went straight to bottling from the fermenter (I used a syphon bottling tube attached to tap).
  • Yellow capped is the first 3 poured
  • Green capped is the last 3 + 1/2 poured
  • Blue is the ones in between
  • 1 clear bottle to see how the brew is clearing/looking (kept wrapped up in darkness, blue capped)

I had noticed once I added in the priming 1tsp of sugar to each bottle, the first 3 poured were fizzing slightly more than the rest.
Now in the middle of 2-2-2 I have placed them wrapped in bin bags within these blue crates, these will live in a place at 20C for the next 2 weeks, then finally moved to the garage.

Loved the process so far, looking forward to what it is like in 4 weeks! I have also got a 1 gallon Youngs blackberry wine kit on the go now as I wanted to see how that is.
Seems it a little messy as the fermentation process is much stronger so have had it bubbling over through the air valve. (In a 5L demijohn vessel).

Let me know if you have any tips for next time or what you would recommend.

 

[Surfingobo]

Wilko oxi clean powder is a fantastic cleaner for all of your bottles, fermenter etc. Soak in hot water and a scoop of oxi for an hour or until bubbles stop and rinse well.

Try all grain, you won’t regret it. I do 8L batches in a Wilko stockpot on the job which is a great size for me.

 

[Flan]

It’s great to see other peoples process, never thought of using different colour caps for first and last few bottles i like that. Let us know how they clear and taste when ready.

 

[student]

Wilko oxi clean powder is a fantastic cleaner for all of your bottles, fermenter etc. Soak in hot water and a scoop of oxi for an hour or until bubbles stop and rinse well.

Try all grain, you won’t regret it. I do 8L batches in a Wilko stockpot on the job which is a great size for me.

Yes! Low on cleaning product at the moment. I know Wilko do some good kit and bits. All grain? Would you mind linking me to a kit to try?

It’s great to see other peoples process, never thought of using different colour caps for first and last few bottles i like that. Let us know how they clear and taste when ready.

Will do, I only capped them in different colours since the first time I used all the same colour and forgot which was which aha.

 

[Surfingobo]

All grain as in brewing with grains and hops rather than a kit

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/have-a-go-at-simple-ag.51779/

 

[student]

Update:
Nearing the end of the 2 week conditioning stage before they get moved to a cooler location to be stored.
I had a quick peek after the first week, the test bottle was clearing well with a lot of improvement.
However a lot of sediment at the bottom, I had discovered after bottling that I have another 5 gallon FV I could have used to syphon into before bottling oh well!
Do want to crack one open to try it but I will wait another 2 weeks before doing that (this is going to be a slow pour).

End of the first week photos -

End of the second week photos -

Did also pick up some new bits from Wilko, my wine is going very well at the moment.

 

[Surfingobo]

That’s about the amount of sediment I normally get

 

[user 41945]

Just finishing a batch of this, in a pressure barrel. Rather like it, find it moreish so I've just ordered another one! Haven't got round to looking at sediment yet, still a few more pints to go.