molehill wrote:1. in G.W's book he includes sugar in a lot of the recipes.... should the sugar be included as part of the total grain bill when using the recipe calculator?
Yes, simple sugar should definitely be included in your calculator, because it is fermentable and offsets the hops bitterness just like the malt sugars. But in the brewing process, don't put it in the mash tun with your grains. Wait and add it directly to the boil kettle.
molehill wrote:2. Just bottled my 1st brew this afternoon and wondered what the best temperature was for storing bottled bitter ..... I bottled 41 bottles of Gale's Butser Bitter?
Opinions vary, but the most common answer is "cellar temperature," whatever that means. After bottling, I recommend keeping them at "room temperature" or the same temperature it fermented at for a week and then moving them to the coolest temps possible for a couple more weeks. That keeps the yeast active long enough to provide carbonation, then provides some lengthier cold-conditioning/"lagering" time to clean-up any flaws. That'll seem excessive to many traditional English brewers who "get amonst it" straight from the primary fermentor. Each to his own!
