Jim's Beer Kit

UPDATE: I thought members would be interested to know that I have solved this problem. Despite the firm advice from IPA stating that it "is because it is over carbonated", that was not the cause. It was not about the line length either. The foaming beer in question was quite low in "fizz": 12psi at ...

I have historically had good results with my all grain IPAs dispensed from a corny with CO2 at 12psi and 8 deg C - via 2m of 3/16" Valpar and a party tap. No foaming issues (apart from my very firsts attempt - I found out the hard way when my first corny was dispensed via 20cm of 3/8" and a bar tap ...

Update for anyone that is interested. I froze plump green but papery, highly aromatic, allotment grown Chinook hops in mid Sept 2021. My initial quality test was a quick chew and then a tea made with boiling water - no off flavours noted and they were very pleasant. I assumed 80% water and used them...

Having spent a lot of money on S30 stuff (despite being advised on here not to go down that route), I have learnt the hard way that the S30 concept is unreliable and expensive in so many ways. It might have a bit more or an initial outlay but a Corny keg with a proper regulator and a pub style CO2 c...

I have used it but as mentioned above it is vital to disolve it in cold water - even then, it can be difficult to disperse and there is a risk of ending up with Brewbrite clots that don't then dissolve in the hot wort. My advice us is to start dessolving it in cold water a good 15 to 20 mins before ...

Hi all, I have just harvested my first home grown crop of Chinook hops (Somerset, UK). I'm drying most of them but I'm intrigued as to what happens if you freeze the fresh, undried cones. I'm aware that for many vegetables, enzyme action is a problem (peroxidase etc causes rancidity) - that is why I...

I have some experience of this by way of a pump failure on a HERMS that gave me the need to add about twice the target mash liquor and cut the mash time wise from the target 1hr to about 20 mins. Brew was a OG 1054 pilsner To cut a long story short, my mash tun domed filter was not seated properly a...

Has anyone successfully used a pumped/recirculated hop rocket with pellets?
I'm thinking of going this route but I'm concerned about potential blockages.
TIA for any advice.

Years ago I used to make some great soft fruit wines with Rohament P - which I understood was a mixture of pectinases and cellulase. It was very effective in turning firm fruit tissue from fruit like strawberries and peaches into fermentable "gloop" and yielded excellent aroma from the fruit in the ...

I have made the Greg Hughes Saaz single hop (p120, 1st edition) using pilsner malt instead of pale and fermented with US 05 at 18 deg C. This is quite lagerish without all that cold storage faff.

Your boil-off is about the same as mine and I think is normal - a good rolling boil (with no lid) is good because it also blows off the DMS with the steam. My approach is to recognise that I'm going to loose about 5 litres via the boil. I add 3 litres as extra water (not thin or aged runnings) at th...

I thought I'd give you and update on this. I fitted a ball valve on the mash recirculating pump outlet. Holding the flow back did reduce the problem slightly but it was not the full solution. After some further investigation, I realised that the nut that holds the 1/2 inch BSP outlet elbow in the ce...

I'm keen to try a Caskwidge. I have looked on their website and there are 3 different sizes ranging from 11 gallon to 4.5 gallon. Does anyone know if the difference is only in the hose length - or are the floats different? If the floats are different, which is best for a Cornie? Thanks for any advic...

Are there any home hop growers on here?

I'd like to get some growing on my Somerset allotment - any advice on suitable varieties, timing and cultivation tips?

Thanks

BB

A slight twist on the previous bread recipes. Put 3 tablespoons of plain yoghurt in a jug (you could replace the yoghurt with milk or water if you don't have yoghurt) . Then make up to 300g total with the yeasty/truby mix that you get left with when you run off your fresh beer from the fermenter (I ...