Jim's Beer Kit

I did give my word that I wouldn't disclose details, although I was not specifically told I had to stick to that. But roughly:- Low Colour Maris Otter for OG of 1041 (don't know if any other malts are used but I'm going with just MO for a first shot). IBU 24. Seems right to me as it's not overpoweri...

Has anyone had a bash at this? I sent a cheeky e-mail to the brewery and got an immediate reply with the grain & hops used, and the IBU's, plus timings and target OG. Enough info for a first trial brew which I'll be doing in a couple of weeks time once I get what I need from the Malt Miller. The onl...

I use the boiler to ferment purely for convenience as I don't have a fermenting vessel, except a plastic one with 4" screw cap and airlock. Normally, after letting it stand in a secondary for 24-48 hours before racking off to barrel I am left with a nice clean film of good yeast at the bottom of the...

Never had this problem before. Post boil I am using a copper coil wort cooler and leaving the wort in the boiler to ferment. Some brews are fully fermented within 48 hours, and none are taking more than 72 hours. The problem is there isn't any life left in the yeast for secondary. I recently switche...

The Draught Bass was particularly good as it was the original Bass taste, not the crap that Marston's brew. I am still using Beer Engine to calculate the hops. I feed in the quantities in the original recipe, which gives way too many IBU's, read the percentages that BE shows and then scale the hops...

The Draught Bass was particularly good as it was the original Bass taste, not the crap that Marston's brew. I am still using Beer Engine to calculate the hops. I feed in the quantities in the original recipe, which gives way too many IBU's, read the percentages that BE shows and then scale the hops ...

Next January, as well as turning 70, it will be 40 years since I first started doing AG using Dave's BBLTYB book. Yes, his recipes and methods are a bit primitive now but back then they were a revelation. I am going to do some of the old recipes again, including a dabble with some of those from the ...

All three of those are only available with pin valves. I use S30 and that's where the shortage is.

One thing that did occur and may have a bearing is the FG. It should have been 1009 but before I knew it , it had gone right down to 1004. Never had that happen before. This was an all grain kit using Safale 05. Last night I opened 2 bottles and popped another carb drop in each. On this occasion the...

I used drops for the first time 3 weeks ago on a Sorachi Ace AG kit. On trying one bottle to test the carbonation level it's almost flat, with very little carbonation. I have a feeling hardly any yeast was in solution when bottling as there was very little evidence of yeast in the secondary fermente...

When I first started AG in 1980 after buying Dave Line's book I left it to cool naturally overnight. Never had a problem. I have only ever lost one brew and that was a kit in 1971. I rarely use a wort chiller we are on a water meter. I am starting up again after a 2 year break, and for the first tim...

I once read that hops added post boil continue to add bitterness until the temp drops below 80c but I may stand corrected. Years ago some commercial brewers added hops into the cask but I doubt if that practice happens now. Again I could be wrong. I tend to dry hop in a secondary fermenter. I believ...

Not much concern apparently.

I know there's already a thread on malt stocks but I'm thinking more long term after things get back to normality, whatever that will look like. At some point in the not too distant future the brewers that don't fold will strike up again. There will inevitably be problems with raw materials somewher...