Jim's Beer Kit

After many years of buying crushed malt, to avoid this problem and have longer shelf life, For some years I have crushed my own to know in advance what extract should be achieved in advance, and while m 3V system will achieve over 90% extraction, it extends brewing time significantly more than a 20%...

Well, an hour and a half sparging should give substantially higher efficiency than you report. I can only suggest monitoring the rate of extraction with regular refractometer readings to verify there is nothing untoward happening. I'd ask Rob if he has had any complaints by others.

It will be interesting to hear what you think of the Sussex yeast. There have been attempts to match the flavor by pitching a Belgian and British yeast together that have had success but didn’t match it exactly. Me too. I've failed to replicate that beer despite trying various yeast, including one ...

Although possible, it is unlikely that crushing done by the Malt Miller would be the cause. Frequent handling of a large batch will enable grains to settle, with the top having fewer vital components. If this is so, you should find your efficiency to rise as those at the bottom come within reach. Hi...

Every BL slant I've used started quickly enough, but doubt 300ml of wort would provide a decent starter. With what you describe, I suspect you will see far more yeast by tomorrow, and suggest you swirl and pour what you have tomorrow, or maybe Friday would be better, into 1 litre of new wort. Once y...

You didn't name the yeast, each has their own characteristics. The first stage can be difficult for the reason you describe. I don't use a stirplate, not suggesting you shouldn't, but instead I make a smaller starter to visibly see the yeast grow to colour the wort and then progressively sediment. H...

https://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/le ... 77_78.html

is a choice, but agree with Guy for the Malt Miller.

Great stuff {info} Eric! What ppm of Sodium do you personally go for in a Porter? Thinking of trying the GW's 100ppm? Cheers, Dan. I've not explored sodium to any degree. It has been used extensively through the history of water treatment for dark beers because common salt is cheap, its virtues I h...

Looking back through the logbook, that Pennine Pale from Norm was brewed on 1st March 2017. I'd had beer to perfect and make for our youngest daughter's wedding in February, so didn't get around to it straight away. It was casked on March 7th but when tasted on 15th it was short of carbonation due t...

Sam Smith's brewery has been going since 1758. Their water comes from a large aquifer, high in calcium, magnesium, sulphate, chloride and alkalinity. They learned how to treat it for beers long before John Palmer was on this earth and Martin Brungard would probably advise installing an RO plant to m...

Thank you for that. I can't say that my darker beers attenuate much less than pales, but then I will mash those for longer to ensure full conversion takes place. I do acknowledge it will be full bodied. Very nice.

Rookie wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 16, 2024 2:53 pm

Final gravity: 1.019

How does that compare to your expectations? Not medium to high as advised. Wonder what your thoughts might be.

I would think the main drawback to any shortcut would be a reduced shelf-life. However, there are other causes of shorter life with neither necessarily problematic if the beer is drank within a short period. When I moved from extract to all grain, the difference was a revelation, but that was a long...

Rookie and Trefoyl are but two members here who can help you more than I. They live on your side of the pond and both have experience of the matters that presently concern you and American malts, which can have more enzymes and therefore can covert more adjunct more quickly than British equivalents....

Proteins (nitrogen) in beer is a wide ranging topic, for which I'm not competent to fully advise. Some are proteins essential, others advantageous and those that are unwanted if you wish for a clear beer. FAN, free amino nitrogen, is an essential for healthy yeast and good fermentation. They are in ...