Beer Elzibub
Active Member
My 4th kit batch was started just after Christmas. Two cans of rich dark gloop gave a starting gravity of 1044 (seems a touch low, maybe I didn't stir very well). No hop additions and it plateaued out a touch high at 1016 (only 6g yeast I think?) to give a notional 3.68% ABV before carbonation which is fine but Catherine the Great wouldn't have recognised it as "Imperial". Samples taken during fermentation and at bottling tasted very promising though. Followed the instructions which suggested 0.5tsp per bottle (or 83g in total) of light spray malt for carbonation.
Anyway after conditioning and cooling this has come out very nicely in terms of taste and drinkability. Smooth but with a nice roasty/coffee taste to it. Taste is improving every week I try some (so far has been in cool storage 6 weeks).
Carbonation is a touch low though. I can create a head by pouring it rapidly, and it looks the business for a while but I'd like just a bit more carbonation on the tongue. If I did it again, I'd up the carbonation sugar a bit. All in all a very good (non Imperial) kit though.
Anyway after conditioning and cooling this has come out very nicely in terms of taste and drinkability. Smooth but with a nice roasty/coffee taste to it. Taste is improving every week I try some (so far has been in cool storage 6 weeks).
Carbonation is a touch low though. I can create a head by pouring it rapidly, and it looks the business for a while but I'd like just a bit more carbonation on the tongue. If I did it again, I'd up the carbonation sugar a bit. All in all a very good (non Imperial) kit though.
