Process

[Slid]

I have been brewing beer kits for about 6 months but I quite fancy doing it how the big breweries do, john smiths etc (one of my favorite beers).

Can anyone explain the process to me?

If you are after good head retention, what you need to aim for is not so much more CO2 in the beer itself, as a liquid that will carry bubbles better.

Suggestions, in ascending order of cost might be:

A brew with more malt extract and less sugar will hold bubbles better.

Wheat extract to replace Malt or sugar is an approach too for bubble integrity.

There are said to be additives that improve head retention - I have no ideas on this other than that they are said to exist.

North of England style "heads" on pints were always really a product of a delivery aid called a "sparkler" that forced the beer through a narrow aperture, which forced out in turn the dissolved CO2, leading to a heady beer and a less astringent (acidic) taste. This presumably involves having a form of delivery more sophisticated than opening the top of a bottle.

Some bloke on here suggested recently that forcing beer with Nitrogen (essentially non reactive) perhaps with some CO2 was the way to get a really "creamy head".

As an aside, I don't really understand why John Smiths might be aspirational for a homebrewer, but they will have a website and no doubt would be sympathetic to any specific requests for information that did not undermine their commercial situation.

 

[allegrotosser]

Just been reading back a few of Alemans other posts. He really seems to know his stuff but the all the posts seem old posts is he not around any more.

 

[Monkeybeer]

I still don't understand the process.???

As I see it you put malt into hotvwater then boil it to make beer? I think the hops go in the bottle or keg, whatever you do?

These sparkler things, we don't use them down south. They look pretty ****? Will they make an icecream out of your beer???

 

[Monkeybeer]

If you are after good head retention, what you need to aim for is not so much more CO2 in the beer itself, as a liquid that will carry bubbles better.

Suggestions, in ascending order of cost might be:

A brew with more malt extract and less sugar will hold bubbles better.

Wheat extract to replace Malt or sugar is an approach too for bubble integrity.

There are said to be additives that improve head retention - I have no ideas on this other than that they are said to exist.

North of England style "heads" on pints were always really a product of a delivery aid called a "sparkler" that forced the beer through a narrow aperture, which forced out in turn the dissolved CO2, leading to a heady beer and a less astringent (acidic) taste. This presumably involves having a form of delivery more sophisticated than opening the top of a bottle.

Some bloke on here suggested recently that forcing beer with Nitrogen (essentially non reactive) perhaps with some CO2 was the way to get a really "creamy head".

As an aside, I don't really understand why John Smiths might be aspirational for a homebrewer, but they will have a website and no doubt would be sympathetic to any specific requests for information that did not undermine their commercial situation.

Thks for your help but I'm still after the beer making process if anyone can help. I don't know about head retention, I just want to make beer fron the start I.e. Hops with grains (I think). Do I just add hops & grain to water and boil? I think that's what a local brewery does, unless I have misunderstood