P.D's Brewery.

[PD]

just opened a bottle of the tea bag wine. Lemon and Ginger made a few weeks ago...
Its a nice clear straw colour...but I wouldn't class it as a wine. Its certainly strong and warming, no doubt helped by the ginger, but its more like a Ginger Ale, without the fizz. Its pleasant enough and I don't dislike it, a glass full soon disappeared....however its not a white wine....

 

[PD]

well did my last brew of 2012 today, another Timothy Taylor landlord

I think I've run over a box of frogs tho because 20 mins into the brew my brand spanking temp controller failed ! not happy chappie
anyway reverted to the boiler thermostat and completed the brew
Ended up with 19 litres at 1.045 so happy with that.

Also received the first pictures of my new bench that nephew is making for me out of box section, tis looking good....

bit of a rush now as we have friends arriving soon for a meal...and I need a bath...very hoppy ! ha haa

 

[Vossy1]

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: nice I had one priced up at +£420...I'd like a nephew like yours :lol:
What happened to the TC :hmm:

 

[PD]

don't know yet got friends coming for a meal will look tomorrow.. but it heated hlt to strike temp no prob the when raising temp to the sparge temp the boiler just went off no power at all.
I swapped to the auto thermostat on my boiler and it was ok, so that is working.
I've checked the main fuse in TC and it seems ok but you never know with fuses....and I havent a spare to fit at this time.
The unit has a switch on side that allows unit to be switched off from controlling the heater but allows the temp probe to read the temps..that is working. Seems to be a problem on the " output" side that goes to elements.... Strange.

anyway the bench is looking fine, he only started cutting the box section this morning. and he's also got a large tin of Hammerite paint spare...in blue... :shock:

 

[PD]

leaving my mash tun filled with hot water o/night worked. Mash temp required 68C and I hit 68.5 and held it for 1 hour. :thumb: after that I was struggling with the boiler..

 

[Vossy1]

That may be a way forward for me though I'm thinking of using the HERMS to get it to temp prior to rising out of my pit :grin: Brewing software is of no use to me when the grain comes out of the house at about 12 deg c but then steadily falls to ambient very quickly, can mean missing target by a few degrees and I've given up on using the phone to get MrsV to check on Beersmith for me

 

[PD]

I don't believe it !, putting empties away in the garage last night after an impromptu N.Y party I tried my temp controller...... it worked ...FFS what's going on..

after many cups of coffee this morning I'll have to delve into the units instructions and have a look for any clues, like temp cut outs etc ...

will have to wait tho I can't read the small print today of all days..........Oh my head.

 

[PD]

Well Timothy Taylor has bubbled and glooped in the primary since brew day Monday. The Krausen has nearly all gone and the beer looks well. That's an initial ferment of only 2 and a half days.
It will still get its week there to do what it wants to do, I will then rack it off into a secondary and see how clean it is.
My bench is coming along nicely, ( nephew is working quicker than I thought ) and he has now got the complete main bench finished and adjustable feet fitted.
Just the tower assembly to build now for the HLT.
It looks like it might end up as being painted blue as he's just bought a load of out of date Hammerite paint ( 12 litres ) in that colour !
I wonder can...could I get it Chromed !...he hee.
I've purchased a nice 80 litre thermo pot off a forum member, for use as a mash tun, this needs a false bottom fitting to it, which has been added to my order from the Malt Miller, and due to the bigger sized mash tun I've upgraded to 100 litre pots ( the price difference between 70 litres and 100 litres is minimal )

Next thing on the agenda is the purchase of kettle elements (3), 2 for the boiler and 1 for the hlt, and some kind of hop strainer will be required. I like the bazooka screen type filter but will have to see if that will fit onto the rear of the 3 piece tap. It would easily fit onto Vossey's ss tank connector if I'd got one.
Hopefully then that will be it for the time being and I can look forward to nice uneventful stress free brew days........ha haa I wish.

 

[PD]

Well my order has been confirmed with Rob The Malt Miller and should be done and converted next week...sometime...

now kettle elements !...

 

[PD]

Exmoor Gold brewed earlier has turned into a very nice beer, almost Lager like in its looks and taste. slight haze in glass but a very good tight creamy head that lasts the whole drink.
Has a pronounced bitterness in the after taste but not unpleasant at all. Better than some Lagers I've drunk...very nice, and manages to clear any trapped wind you have... :grin:

 

[PD]

Been and had a quick look at my bench today, very impressed. He's incorporated an improvement. The tower assembly was going to be clamped in place originally, he's now altered it so that it runs and is locked in some angle iron on the top frame...and it can be slid along the whole length one end to the other, in the middle or lifted off completely. Great.

 

[fbsf]

That bench is great PD... Can't have one in my setup as it's all done in the kitchen, so has to be dismantleable and "sheddable" - is that a phrase?

 

[PD]

although I brew in the garage I have had my boiler and tun stood on BD workbenches and put away with when finished. This bench will enable it to be more permanent...and its not as wide as the work benches

 

[PD]

Brew day.

19 ltr. Arkells 3B Bitter beer from Graham Wheelers book.

Simple recipe of Maris Otter Crystal Malt and a bit o black. flavoured with Fuggle and Golding hops.
Wheeler likes to add a quantity of plain sugar to his recipes which I don't so I've upped the Otter a little to compensate.
Aiming for a brew of around 4.1% abv with a nice medium brown sweetish malt/caramel flavour, or so it says....
I've set my gear out in the garage and my mash tun has been warming filled with hot water since last evening.
The HLT is ready to be switched on its water already treated with half a campden tablet. I'll be starting around 0900 this morning as my daughter sleeps in the room above the garage and don't want to wake her too early.I can't stand one of her moods today if I wake her ! All the grains have been weighed and stood in the house overnight to get the grain temperature up around 15C.

Brew Mate soft wear updated and printed out to keep handy, as I've only a desk top PC. A lap top would be very handy.
So..its breakfast time...

 

[PD]

well I ended up with 20 litres at 1.042. and that was with being interrupted with a 45 min phone call I couldn't get away from !
Its in the fermenter with a packet of 2-04 sprinkled on top.

Kettle elements and leads plus a 12 inch bazooka screen arrived from the Homebrew Company, I'm glad I got some stainless steel locknuts for them, the plastic ones provided look rather inadequate to say the least.

 

[Buster]

Blimey....... Arkells 3B's.... I live next to the Brewery in Kingsdown. Love to know how this turns out as I never seem to brew local beer, mainly Scottish Heavy and Stouts. Strangely though, in my youth, I sampled Arkells to the point of gaining several callouses on the back of the head and sleeping in many a hedgerows after visiting my local next door to the Brewery, The Kingsdown Arms. OH !!!! the joys of youth.

 

[PD]

:thumb:

 

[LeedsBrewer]

, I'm glad I got some stainless steel locknuts for them, the plastic ones provided look rather inadequate to say the least.

where did you get your locknuts from?

 

[PD]

http://www.bearingboys.co.uk

and my apologise they are not stainless steel, just good and chunky solid metal....

 

[PD]

Well I collected my bench today. Installed it in the garage where its sat awaiting its pots. Looks the business and is a good solid affair, but easily portable and moveable. Self adjusting feet and a slideable tower for the hlt, which can be moved to any position along its 6 foot length, makes it a very practical unit.
It will keep all my brewing neat and tidy and takes up less floor space than my old set up with work benches.

I'll post a photograph when the pots are in place.