Hi Guys
I'm new here and a born again brewer!!!
I made a few beers years ago but gave up as it was so cheap to buy and i was working all the time blah blah. But about a year ago a local shop started stocking beer kits and i got chatting and before i knew it i had a Wherry kit, a King keg top tap barrel and a few other bits on the assurance "beer kits had come a long way baby!"
Well....................... I'm now 10 kits and 3 barrels down the road and everyone has blown me and my mates away. Ive made several Wherry, Lions Pride, 2 Ruby, conkerwood, and IPA which i am now drinking and is almost identical to the 6x i had in the pub on Sunday. (and going down well as i speak/write/type....)
So what i thought i would do is offer some simple advice or recipe to anybody new or thinking of having a go.
This is exactly what i do:
1, Fill fermenter with sterilising solution with long handled spoon inside
2, Stand cans in a pot of hot water on the stove,
3, Fill kettle and switch on.
4, when water in the pot is hot, turn can over. then turn off heat.
5, By now the fermenter should be clean, so empty out and rinse well
6, rinse top of cans and can opener with boiling water from the kettle.
7, Open both cans and pour into fermenter.
8, Pour water from kettle into cans to soften any malt left.
9, refill kettle and boil again then rinse out cans again and add to fermenter and stir until dissolved.
10, Fill up to 5 gallon mark plus half an inch (assuming its a 5 gal kit) sprinkle on the yeast and put lid on.
11, Place in required position and insert airlock and fill,
12, Place heater belt about 2 inches from the bottom around fermenter.
13, If you dont have a belt GET ONE, This maintains the correct temp which is crucial for the fermentation process.
14, Ignore what the box says,
15, Leave to ferment for 14 days, do not disturb/ look in or anything that could allow air to get to the brew. This will allow complete fermentation reducing any yeast flavours.
16, After 14 days
17, Carefully place fermenter on a worktop ready for transferring. I also place a wedge of wood at the back underneath to get as much out as possible.
18, sterilise pressure barrel (and long spoon and syhpon tube) and rinse (bottling is a waste of time, get a barrel if you want proper draught beer)
19, pour 100gms of sugar into the barrel.
20, Place barrel on floor or chair that is lower than the fermenter.
21, Carefully syphon the beer into the barrel keeping the tube below the level in both, This stops the brew being oxidised or air entering the brew that could introduce off flavours.
22, When done, stir to dissolve the sugar and screw on the lid ensuring the seal is in place.
23, I tap tight with a rubber mallet and small stone chisel to ensure a good seal.
24, Place back where fermenter was and fit heater belt onto barrel and switch on.
25, leave on for 2 days then remove.
26, Conditioning stage.
27, the longer you leave it the better it gets 4 weeks minimum.
28, For instance the IPA i am drinking now was sweet last week @ 2 weeks old
29, Now 3 weeks old its improved and lost some of the sweetness hence the resemblance to 6x.
30, i do all of the above exactly the same every time and every beer has been amazing.
31, I have 3 barrels in rotation that gives me a regular supply of well conditioned beer. If you dont have at least 3 barrels then the temptation is to drink the beer too soon and never really appreciate what the conditioning process does
If you follow this recipe you will have some of the best beers that match any pub beer
I really cant believe how good this beer is. I have just barrelled a Sundew and have a Ruby fermenting followed by another Wherry.
I love it
Russ
