Jim's Beer Kit

I thought you hated hydrometers?.

What about you pycnometer?

Or are you seeing the light! Enter the real wolrd. Nothing is perfect.Better start calulating the error bars

This might help

Substitution chart

https://www.brew.is/files/malt.html

I would only use RO water as a blendstock. I have an RO unit but the water wastage is huge in spite of my high watr pressure (5 bar). I see littel point inremoving all of the minerals only to add them back later It very much depends on your beer preference. For English ales on my water all that is r...

To an extent it depends on what you are brewing. If it is extract or all grain itsprobably not an issue. A beer kit might be a little different. In reality if the container is sealed and there is litle breathing then the chances of contaimination is small. Moreover the lack of minerasl would make it...

It is probably a little firm but otherwise fine if it is in the original packaging . Sugar is very stable and should last years if properly stored. I would open one and try it. It is unlikely to harm you. Sugar is used as a preservative - think of jams. Honey, which is a mixture of fructose and gluc...

I very much doubt if you aresmelling chrlorine. More likely you water is being treated with chloramine which is has a much lower odour threshold. It stinks.Have a look at this link. https://dnr.wi.gov/regulations/labcert/documents/training/CL2Chemistry.pdf Some of the UK water companies are now usin...

Pee Bee do not blow a gasket. Sure, the bigger the sample the less the error will be on a basic scale. You could use a volumetic flask of 1 ltr and your 1035 SG will weigh 1035 g. Now take your pycnometer, which looks like it is 25 ml and that means 1/40 of the size of a 1 ltr sample. Are your two d...

Sorry to be a bit tardy but the bese take precedence and this year is like no other. Reaaly challenging. I am pretty lazy with my startesr. I just use the tap water warmed to about 30 deg C - no campden tablets. It goes into an erlemeyer flask of 1 litre with about 200 -250 g of honey. I usually use...

Wallybrew, You are 100% spot on. You are the exception not the rule and you have a 0.1 mg scale, and I guess a whole host of other analytical kit incuding atomic adsorption. Not exactly a home brewers inventory. I have 25 ml and 50 my pycnometers. My weakness is the scales. 0.1 mg accuracy gets to b...

Guys, Do you really believe a pycnomter is accurate?. I have a a distillation unit and a scale that is supposedley good to 0.001 g but I doubt it. Then I have a 25 and 50 ml pycnometer to add to the tale. I do not have a high regard for this methodology because the room for error is huge. A high end...

Well I have more than a little toe in the water. We are bee farmers and produce high end honey, some of which goes into mead. Every beer brew that I have done, kits and all grain, have a honey starter which has never failed and gives a unique twist. Never , ever go above 50 deg c with honey as you w...

If your water stinks of chlorine then it is probably chloramine. This substance really stinks. I doubt if you could detect residual chlorine in your water supply.I cannot. If your water is chloramine treate d then you will smell it. As for my Fairy Liquid phsophoric acid suggestions consider this. F...

Wilko DI water will not be an issue. They are being absolutely correct in recommending it is not fit for human consumption . Nor is distilled water. The lack of minerals , especially calcium, could be harmful over time. Measuring pH of demin water is a fools game. Unless you know what you are doing,...

I am 100% with McM on this. I kept all my equipment on the small size so I can lift it and clean it - the latter is most important. Nothing beats elbow grease. You can dribble water to your hearts content but is will not shift the crud on the wall of a fermenter. You would need really high pressure ...

I am afraid i like hydrometers; as long as they are the real deal, They do not lie. Use refractomer if you wish but whne you get to the FG then do not be surprised if you have an issue. Why does HMRCE insist on hydrometers?