Newbie questions

[Exiled Bradfordian]

Cerveza all bottled up; got myself:

40 x 275ml bottles
3 x 330ml bottles
14 x 500ml bottles

So 19 litres in all. Getting better! Tasted lovely coming down the siphon too.

My new capper (it's only a two handle job from Wilko's sale for £7.50) is an absolute pleasure to use compared with my hammer capper.

Bit tired to start me next brew now so will probably get my Light Golden Lager on tomorrow or Monday.

[WalesAles]

Cerveza all bottled up; got myself:

40 x 275ml bottles
3 x 330ml bottles
14 x 500ml bottles

So 19 litres in all. Getting better! Tasted lovely coming down the siphon too.

My new capper (it's only a two handle job from Wilko's sale for £7.50) is an absolute pleasure to use compared with my hammer capper.

Bit tired to start me next brew now so will probably get my Light Golden Lager on tomorrow or Monday.

EB,
Glad to see that you are up and running with this Brewing Malarkey!
Have you joined the ELC yet? ( You probably have but just don`t know it)!
WA

[Exiled Bradfordian]

I didn't realise I needed to register...I thought I was already in!

[WalesAles]

I didn't realise I needed to register...I thought I was already in!

EB,
Yes! I think you are a Bona Fide Member.
Don`t tell Mrs EB! It`s only something else for her to moan about!
WA

[Exiled Bradfordian]

I put my Wilko Light Golden Lager in tonight, brewed up with 1kg of dextrose and a jar of Tesco's El Cheapo honey. Brewed short to 20L with an OG of 1.042. I very much doubt it'll be the best brew of my career, but should be a refreshing "cooler" for the summer.

[WalesAles]

EB,
Here`s the Strawberry IPA.
Bottled 11/4/14 but a `Taste Test` was beckoning!


Great Smell, Great Taste, It`s Bloody Lovely Mun!
WA

[Exiled Bradfordian]

Looks it too, Wales! Glad it worked out well. I don't think I'd ever have forgiven myself if you'd have been disappointed with what you brewed following my whim!

[ShetlandBrewer]

That looks amazing Wales!
McEwans have launched a new "draught-flow" style beer called RED up here. They should take a leaf from your book when it comes to making the beer do what it literally says on the tin.

Sorry for my absence the last few weeks. Another hobby has been my main focus (fishing boat needs re-launching soon), but I did manage to get my cervezza on the go. Here's what I went with.

20 litre volume.
500g light spray malt + 500g Dextrose brewing sugar
Saflager-23 rehydrated in 70ml of water and pitched at 20 degrees.
FV is in the garage (with a blanket round it at night) and is fermenting at 12 degrees.
Some good activity over the first three days and continuing to produce gas thereafter (7 days in now)
I'll leave this one around three weeks as 12 degrees is on the lower side of the lager range I believe.
Need to start looking into the next step which is the bit I get confused about with a lager.
Advice welcomed.

[Exiled Bradfordian]

Dropped my hydrometer in - looks like my Light Golden Lager has fermented just fine as it's now down to 1.010, so I'll keep an eye on it over the next few days and might be ready for bottling this weekend at a nice enough 4.2%! Not bad for the recommended amount of sugar plus a jar of honey. Then it's got to be time to shove another Wherry in, since I've as good as depleted my stocks of it

[Exiled Bradfordian]

My honey lager got down to 1.005 — a nice respectable 4.9%! Bottled it up this afternoon.

Bottling really is a PITA; started it at abou 10 this morning and finished at 1:30 as that didn't even include taking the labels off as I did that yesterday. I really need to get me a keg - just one thing to wash out and sterilise rather than 40! Got 39 500ml bottles out of it though which I'm very pleased with which is a total of 40 litres of lager to get me through summer.

Was in Tesco yesterday and saw they've knocked beer prices right down for summer—Bud is £12 for 24 300ml bottles (50p each) and Carlsberg £13 for 24 440ml cans (just over 50p each) if you can bring yourself to drink the stuff. Reasonable selection of ales on at 4 for £6 too. Didn't bother getting any as I have plenty of strawbs beer and stout to keep my thirst slaked.

Took the opportunity to get another wherry in. OG 1.042.

[Exiled Bradfordian]

Supping a pint of my Mexican Cerveza...just because I can.

Got to tell the truth...tastes lovely! I brewed up one can of Wilko Cerveza with 1kg dextrose and 350g Tate & Lyle "Golden Granulated", came out at 5%.

Apparently it's not a 'true lager'. At this stage in my brewing career, with all due respect to those with more experience to me, I don't care! It's a very nice pint and one I'd happily pay for in a pub.

I'm not a huge lager head but on summer nights sometimes nothing quite refreshes like a lager (or lager-style beverage, if you prefer). I have to give some of it away but hopefully the weather will improve and I'll be able to sit out a few nights over the next few months and crack open a cold one, on those nights I don't fancy an ale.

[WalesAles]

It's a Brew Off!!!!!!
We need a panel of judges for the taste off.

EB,
A Brew Off Indeed!
EB sent me a bottle last week and it was Bloody Lovely Mun!
Good Hisssssss on opening, small head (which stayed to the bottom of the glass), Nice Strawberry Smell, Lovely Strawberry Taste!
This is a really nice pint! Try to keep some for those long balmy evenings in the garden!
WA

[WalesAles]

It's a Brew Off!!!!!!
We need a panel of judges for the taste off.

SB,
A Brew Off Indeed!
EB sent me a bottle last week and it was Bloody Lovely Mun!
Good Hisssssss on opening, small head (which stayed to the bottom of the glass), Nice Strawberry Smell, Lovely Strawberry Taste!
This is a really nice pint! Try to keep some for those long balmy evenings in the garden!
WA

[WalesAles]

What the Hell have I done!
One reply to EB, One reply to SB, Note to Self, Stop drinking My Homebrew so early in the day!
WA

[Exiled Bradfordian]

Finally bottled up my second wherry...what a palaver that was! Got all my gear ready for bottling; b0llix - not enough videne. After I've cleaned all me bottles there's no way I'm not going to bottle up so bombed in the car up to Stratford to pick up some more. None in Boots, none in the other chemists though they tried to fob me off with Videne surgical scrub - not on your nelly matey. Over to Wilco's; only got that Bruclens stuff which is a bit of a mare in terms of waiting and rinsing so ended up walking out with Milton and keeping my fingers crossed...

Anyway it finished up at 1.010 - so a respectable 4.2% plus whatever the 100g Tate & Lyle Golden Granulated I used for priming adds. Got to 40 bottles for the first time ever. Woop.

Took the opportunity to get my next brew in and given the positive reception my stout got decided to give that another go. Not sure whether I've over-egged this one - think it's going to be a strong one!

[*]1 x Wilkinson Dark Velvet Stout
[*]1kg Muntons Beer Kit Enhancer
[*]500g Sainsbury's Demarara Cane Sugar
[*]Half a tin Lyle's Black Treacle

Brewed up to 20 litres - OG 1.052. Will have to watch myself drinking this one I think hopefully it will come out ok.

Currently supping my Mexican Cerveza and while I was pleased with it at first I am beginning to appreciate the comments about it being a light ale rather than a lager. Still, it's filling a gap.

Will need to get some Videne ordered from Boots tomorrow. Reckon that's the best place?