Regrets of 2017?

[Gunge]

Wow! They do black ones, too. That'll fit in perfectly with my goth brewery.

But you won't be able to see them in your unlit basement!

 

[Slid]

I regret using a batch of grains twice. Second time to make a mild/whatever. It didn't turn out too good. I've kept it more in hope than expectation, telling my inner self "it'll improve with age". ..

I also made a Parti-gyle last year. Just over 7kg of MO and Crystal, with 12L nicked out of the GF after a low temp mash for a stove top Barleywine.

The Barleywine was to be my Xmas beer and there may be a couple of bottles left still. SWMBO was offered a taste during the festive period and opined only that "it tastes like beer". She is right. A 10% ABV beer that has over primed and gushes like "Old Faithful".

Oddly, the second runnings beer was very good, I only had to re-mash for 30m and add a Coopers kit (Last and final Tesco sale) and 100g of Cascade and it was really good.

Makes me wonder only why I made the Barleywine at al. The Old Ale recipe in the GH book is very serviceable and can be adapted a bit and is ready in half the time at not much less ABV, if that is your Gig. Other good recipes made this year of a great strength include the Exmoor Beast and Old Tom recipes from the GW book and a Belgian Dubbel that one of a small number of Belgian beers I made over the summer.l

 

[marlon]

I also made a Parti-gyle last year. Just over 7kg of MO and Crystal, with 12L nicked out of the GF after a low temp mash for a stove top Barleywine.

The Barleywine was to be my Xmas beer and there may be a couple of bottles left still. SWMBO was offered a taste during the festive period and opined only that "it tastes like beer". She is right. A 10% ABV beer that has over primed and gushes like "Old Faithful".

Oddly, the second runnings beer was very good, I only had to re-mash for 30m and add a Coopers kit (Last and final Tesco sale) and 100g of Cascade and it was really good.

Makes me wonder only why I made the Barleywine at al. The Old Ale recipe in the GH book is very serviceable and can be adapted a bit and is ready in half the time at not much less ABV, if that is your Gig. Other good recipes made this year of a great strength include the Exmoor Beast and Old Tom recipes from the GW book and a Belgian Dubbel that one of a small number of Belgian beers I made over the summer.l

The original I made was a London Pride clone from GW 3rd ed. That turned out good, but next time I'll chuck the grains after.
I do like stronger brews, but I've discovered my liver doesn't. It can't cope any more now I'm 65 yrs young. So I stick to 5 - 6% max and usually 1/2 pints. That was why I tried my hand at a mild. It came in at 3.8% ........and tasted like $#! T....

 

[foxbat]

So 2018 gets off to an inauspicious start for me. It's bottling day today, I'd batch primed the brew and while it's percolating I disassembled my bottling stick and dropped all the parts into a bowl of VWP solution. A few minutes later I came back and tipped the VWP down the sink only to watch in horror as the little plastic bit from the end of the bottling stick disappeared down the plughole. Cue a very worried drive over to Colchester Homebrew which is just 15 minutes away from me. Thankfully he had a replacement in stock and bottling day continued as planned. I swore I wouldn't be at home to Mr Cockup in 2018 as well.

 

[BeerCat]

Well something went wrong with my temp controller and i managed to boil the grains. More than slightly pissed off i decided to ferment it in any case as a barley wine. All good until i accidentally bottled the wrong FV 2 weeks later. So that and the other horribles i managed to produce.

 

[marshbrewer]

Boxing day 2017, I decided to curry favor with my better half by knocking up a Rose Wine kit, thus proving that home brewing is fun for all the family. The Wilko's kit said it would ferment out in 7 days , so the brew fridge would be free after that, because we all know that the brew times on kit instructions are totally not over optimistic at all.

Its still bubbling away, meaning I cant do any brewing this weekend as I have no fermentation space, so can't play with my new Cygnet boiler.

Grrrrrr.......

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Until recently I had no heat source and i have found wine will ferment at temperatures as low as 15c it does take a little longer but I have never had one fail.

 

[BarnBrian]

Until recently I had no heat source and i have found wine will ferment at temperatures as low as 15c it does take a little longer but I have never had one fail.

You'll be able to pay for heating once you get your govt. heating allowance:whistle::whistle::whistle:

 

[Chippy_Tea]

You'll be able to pay for heating once you get your govt. heating allowance:whistle::whistle::whistle:

Its gets down to 15c in my kitchen when the heating has been off for a while (early hours of the morning etc) but it has never effected any of my wines i bought a heat pad this year because it does take quite a bit longer to ferment.

 

[marshbrewer]

Until recently I had no heat source and i have found wine will ferment at temperatures as low as 15c it does take a little longer but I have never had one fail.

I'll give it till next weekend then it will get evicted as I'm brewing next weekend come what may. 😃