I reckon I'd like that. I know you're not a fan, but I liked Hop House when I was over there. It was odd having a creamy lager. (I think it was hop house, something I had over there was like that anyway)
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Hop house was a weird one when it came out first, really seemed like two different recipes because you could get it in different places and it would really be completely different. It’s sort of morphed into a generic lager these days.
This is a good spot to visit. They do some experimental stuff and some makes it to market based on ratings. The actual stout is class in it too.
https://www.guinnessopengate.com/
Just been watching this as bottling tonight, he reckons to mix the sugar with water and put straight in the fermenting bucket? Presumably I then have to stir it? Does the sediment need time to settle back down?
Also, the link to calculate the sugar says about 68g of table sugar (I presume brewing sugar is close enough?) for 15 litres of British ale at 20c. Does that sound about right to you?
And I don't have a bottling bucket. I can siphon straight to bottle, right?
Brewing sugar is corn sugar or dextrose. If I was siphoning straight to bottle I'd work out how much sugar and how many bottles and put the sugar directly into them instead of stirring it in. Even if you did it gently enough not to add too much oxygen, you could disturb the trub cake at the bottom.
Great. Cheers. I'll do it that way. Is it still best to mix with water? Or just shove the desired number of tsp in the bottle?
Probably a silly question, but does the shit at the bottom have any future use? (Obviously not with this brew) or am I just binning it?
You can harvest yeast and store it in some way for reuse. Some breweries would have a ‘house yeast’ for all their brews and you can buy conical home fermenters with collection bowls on the bottom to make it easier.
I’ve never done it myself, haven’t even bothered with liquid yeast or starters.
Aaaaaand done. That was hard work.
Nice one. Stick them somewhere around 20 for two weeks and then somewhere cooler for another 2, or sooner if you can’t wait. The longer the better.
Bottling never becomes any less of a pain in the hole no matter how many brews.
I will defo want a couple on Christmas day and another couple on New Years Eve (I will have other stuff aswell for other days, obviously) but I'm happy to put the rest away for a fair while. They're sitting in the box the bottles came in at the moment. They're exactly where the Fermenter went so should be around 20-22 most of the time.
When you say move somewhere cooler after 2 weeks, how cool are we talking? Out in the shed? Or just the coolest room in the house?
And last question (probably, possibly, maybe) for the ones I want on Xmas day, do I still do the 20c for 2 weeks, then cooler but for less time?
Yeah shed is perfect. I should have said actually because it used to bug the shit out of me when I started how much ‘warm’ and ‘cool’ were thrown about with no figures. Warm would be fermentation temp, around the 20, this is to carbonate. Cool is not as important but mid to high single digits, for conditioning.
Do the 2 warm weeks for sure to carbonate and then whatever length you need to condition. It’ll be drinkable straight after carbonating but the longer the better.
Even if you want to check and fancy an early one, open one after the 2 weeks at 20 to make sure it’s carbonated before leaving the rest to condition.
I’m doing a chocolate coffee oatmeal stout on Saturday myself. Meant to do it last weekend to have for Christmas but never got round to it.
Swish. Cheers Giggles you've been amazing. Had I followed the leaflet instead of your instructions I would have bottled about 5 days ago and have a batch of 2% piss ready to go on Christmas day. As it happens it tasted pretty good (even if warm and flat (I had a bit out the siphon)) and definitely kicks above 5%.
Not a bother at all. Just don’t get into it too much if you like having money. You’ll convince yourself you’ll save in the long run :D Hope it turns out well, if you like the taste when bottling then it’s a great sign.
One of the lads in the club does a good bit of wine, not sure what’s involved but he says they turn out really well.
With what you have now it’s relatively cheap to pimp up a few kits and improve them. Look up partial extract brewing, only really need a big saucepan to soak some speciality grains and then add the water to the kit in place of some of the normal water.
There’s some mangrove jacks IPA kits with dry hops that are very good too.
I'll definitely look to up the difficulty as I go along. It's interesting stuff, even if it is a massive faff.
Have you called it anything?
Drinking red wine for the first time in what seems like years. Pity i always get really annoying headachey delayed reaction hangovers the next day at about 2pm cos i bloody love it.
My dad, when he was a white van man, used to get home at 8pm in the xmas rush period, bosh through 3 fucking bottles, then be back on the road at 5.30 the next morning. Every day including Saturdays and Sundays from roughly now until early Jan. Having a stroke 5 years ago probably saved his life.
Downer cunt.
I'm sure that post said something else an hour ago
Yeah, it was a list of beers.
Who's cunt are you going down Giggs?
Got some weird Figgy Pudding Porter given by work and a Goose Fool Sour called Goose Willis, not a fan of sours but it was alright. Haven't tried the porter though as I am going to have a few bourbons on the rocks. Got some nice bottles under wraps for christmas, Eagle Rare and Hudson Bay Baby Bourbon, but tonight thinking Buffalo Trace or Woodford Reserve.
Leann Follain and 8 Degrees Citra on the 4 for €10 in Tesco :drool:
I think I've well and truly ditched whisky. I barely drink as it is but the customary bottle of Aberlour for Christmas isn't getting bought this year. I can't be arsed. I like the process of getting drunk on the stuff but hate the morning after.
I had a dose of it last night after a customer gave me a bottle. Haven’t had as bad a hangover since I gave up the fags.
Yeah, the whole day's usually a write-off.
Just went a bit mad and ordered two mixed cases off that tremblingmadness site Ian mentioned a good few pages back, Imperials and IPAs. Christmas sorted.
After signing up to Beer52 for that trial box, I've discovered you have to actually ring them up to cancel. Ffs.
Just email support@beer52.com and tell them you want to cancel. Worked for me.
Also to be fair theirs is the least pain-in-the-arse call centre to get a cancellation from. They'll ask why but they didn't try and talk me out of it.
Though if they'll do it by email too that's obviously better.
Did a big order from Lowlander that should take me up to Xmas. Also got myself a pint glass, because I'm classy that way.
16th day of the calendar. 16th pale. I've given up hope of variety.
Gonna try and sneak in one more Trembling Madness order before Christmas which along with a few I still have plus my Crew Republic stouts/barley wines from Black Friday should see me through until my family inevitably give me some for Christmas.
After picking up Ballykilcavan’s and Treaty City’s barrel aged red ales this morning on my travels and that’s my buying complete for the Christmas.
Brewdog aficionados - tell me a nice American west coast style IPA they make.
It's been 8 days and the Mrs is goving me grief about the beer taking up her Christmas buffet space. Is it alright to go in the shed yet @Giggles?
I’d crack one and see. If it’s fizzed then happy days to move on to conditioning.
There's bubbles on top if I lightly shake one so I think we're ok. Not that I'm sure why space needs to be free for the Christmas Eve Buffet (for 4 people, 2 of which are under 5) on the 18th of December but here we are.
In her head the bottles just aren’t meant to be there, even if it was the middle of July and you were all off to Spain for a fortnight in the morning. That’s how their brains work.
Not sure if the collabs are in the DIYDog recipe book but I’ll have a look.
It's been like Chinese fucking Water Torture for the last few days.
"How long did you say it had to stay there"
"A week?"
"10 DAYS!?"
"Surely it would be warm enough under the stairs?"
Either the beer goes in the shed or I do at this point.
I did a cursory Google as my memory is terrible. If you find any you like the sound of let me know and I'll tell you if I've had them.
That DIYDog is quite a thing though.
https://www.brewdog.com/uk/equityfor...-raise/welcome
G'wan @Ian and @Giggles, you could be the Warren Buffets of the posh beer world.