" Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Want to experiment with additions and tweaks to beer kits? This is the place to post.
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Ditch
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" Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by Ditch » Fri Mar 26, 2010 6:32 pm

Ok. Once and for all, here's how I do it. I'm going to write this off the cuff. I hope it works out and doesn't become a drag for reader or writer.

(Ok. After 22 pages of god knows what, " Anthony UK " has, recently asked me if I could up date This single post. Save people reading twenty plus pages to just get up to speed on 'Developments'. Extremely valid point! I'll mark anything 'new' with a " * ", below) .....

My equipment consists of:

Youngs' 5 Gallon FV with grommeted hole in the lid.
Plastic, 5 Gallon Jerry Can.
Washing up bowl.
Tin Opener.
Scissors.
Pill Crusher (Optional).
Pair of industrial rubber gauntlets.
Spray bottle of Iodine solution.
50 Watt fish tank heater.
Basic Keg (5 Gallon) ~ * Ah, yes. Those were the days. When I even bothered with kegs!
Stirring Paddle ~ * Long since replaced by a plaster / paint stirrer and electric drill.
Syphon tube, stick and tap.


Ingredients;

One can of Coopers Stout.
*1 Kilo of Dark, dried malt. I used to use Medium. Ran out of source. Dark seems Ok.
Half a campden tablet.
Extremely soft tap water.
*One mug full of organic, raw cane sugar (This has become a later addition. Seems agreeable).


Here's what I do:

Crush half a campden tablet and pop that into the Jerry Can. Shove a hose in there and fill the jerry can.

As that fills, I spray my work top and can opener with Iodine. Take my paddle out of its weakened bleach solution. (*Now, I simply mist spray the drill twister with iodene. Don't bother with the rinse ....) Rinse it off and put it on the work surface, along with my ingredients.

I also put the kettle on. Filled with tap water.

Kettle boiled, I strip the paper off the kit tin. Put the tin in the washing up bowl and empty the kettle over it. This, obviously, is to soften the extract inside. I remove the paper so it doesn't fall off into my FV later. Part refill the kettle and put it back on to boil.

Now I use the scissors to cut the entire top off the bag of dried malt. I always shake them first, ensuring it's all well down inside the bags. Hold that bag low in the FV. Invert. Dump a kilo of dry powder in there.

Gauntlets on. I take the hot tin out of the bowl and open it. I then pour the extract into my FV. Bulk of it out, I rinse the tin with the freshly boiled water. (No. It isn't treated with a campden tab. Never seemed to bother me though).

Gauntlets off and I pour a gallon or two from the jerry can into the FV. I don't measure it. Just enough so's I've something to stir. Which I do. I just stir until I feel it's dissolving in there. Then I may add a bit more water. I play it by eye and I'm sure nothing about this is crucial.

OR

These days? I just stick the drill stirrer into the FV. Touch bottom. Come up an inch or two. Brace against my knee and hit that trigger.

Loads of swirling, beige coloured mess. Give it ten, fifteen seconds. Then use the stirrer to probe the bottom for any stuff. If ye find any? Quick extra spin'll soon liquidise that too.

Lug the FV into my other room. Fetch the jerry can in there. Top up the FV water level to four gallons ~ that's up to the bottom of the foam / head level. Power drill stirring creates a Lot of head!

Chuck the fish tank heater in and switch that on. Leave it alone for some hours. Till last thing or next day. Depends on your schedule. Just wait till the foam's died down and ye can top it up to 20 Ltrs. Then I chuck in the mug of sugar and the yeast, straight out of the packet it comes in.

Pop the lid on, pushing it down as far as it'll go down. Obviously, the flex from the heater keeps it open at one side.

Come back in here and get on with my life.


Ten days later; Syphon the beer into a Keg. Get amongst it any point there after.


* Ten F***ing Days?!? :shock: Where the f***ing hell was I getting That from? Some f***ing book?!

Sorry, people. Obviously, I missed this small point in the last edit :roll:

Look; At a ferment of 22c, this gear is out of the box in a 'minimum' of three, good days. Four or five just about guarantee's ye a decent drink.

Rest of this thread will probably teach ye shit loads more. But, there's the barest bones. Updated. 14/May/2014.
Last edited by Ditch on Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:28 pm, edited 6 times in total.

shazza

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by shazza » Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:05 am

Ditch,ya pussy!!!!!!............Gloves for a hot can,jayzuz,we did'nt need to hear that;its like wearing a condom with Gill.

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trucker5774
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Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by trucker5774 » Sat Mar 27, 2010 10:03 am

Nice one Ditch. Maybe people will read your words of wisdom and stop asking the same questions over again (I know this has started to prickle you just a little :lol: )
Just get ready for people asking why you chuck in the sugar at the end and don't stir it in with the rest of the stuff :?
John

Drinking/Already drunk........ Trucker's Anti-Freeze (Turbo Cider), Truckers Delight, Night Trucker, Rose wine, Truckers Hitch, Truckers Revenge, Trucker's Lay-by, Trucker's Trailer, Flower Truck, Trucker's Gearshift, Trucker's Horn, Truck Crash, Fixby Gold!

Conditioning... Doing what? Get it down your neck! ........

FV 1............
FV 2............
FV 3............
Next Brews..... Trucker's Jack Knife

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Ditch
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Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by Ditch » Sat Mar 27, 2010 4:11 pm

trucker5774 wrote: Just get ready for people asking why you chuck in the sugar at the end and don't stir it in with the rest of the stuff :?

That's dead easy, mate. It'd because I've done this process so many times. But, I've only lately started using that sugar. Thus, quite simply, I tend to forget it as I sleep walk through a brew. Then, as I walk out of the room, I spot the bag of sugar sat there and remember I need to bung some in! :D So, I wrote it up exactly as I do it. Just not bothering to mention my forgetfulness.

Rubber gauntlets? That or second degree burns. And I feel they allow a better grip than fabric oven cloves or a cloth.

Oh; Forgot to mention: I set my heater at 22.

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Andy
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Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by Andy » Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:29 pm

I've made this a "sticky" :)
Dan!

thedeckking

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by thedeckking » Sun Mar 28, 2010 2:17 pm

Andy wrote:I've made this a "sticky" :)
In retrospect I'm surprised the recipe wasn't made a sticky thread a long time ago.

All hail Ditch's stout. I'm drinking my way through my first batch now :beer:

L2wis

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by L2wis » Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:06 pm

Thanks Ditch, also thanks for PM'ing me the recipe the other day! I think lots of people will find this sticky really useful!

bevvy_merchant

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by bevvy_merchant » Tue Apr 06, 2010 7:48 pm

just done my second stout. i never 'smashed' it like the first one and i only got a little 'spew'.

after finishing the mix the head died down to nowt then built up again to spew.

will try a full smashing on the next brew just to see.

L2wis

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by L2wis » Tue Apr 06, 2010 7:59 pm

What is smashing and spewing? On youtube I seen some videos of coopers stout going mad! Is that spewing?

L2wis

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by L2wis » Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:06 pm

Scrap that question haha, I just read thru the guide again and noticed the thrashing bit :).

pokerswazi

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by pokerswazi » Tue Apr 06, 2010 8:30 pm

I haven't made a kit in a while. SWMBO's birthday is coming up and coincides with Big Brew day so I have a plans to make "Ditch's Stout" next weekend along with another brew so that my stash of Belgian ales remains safe from the crowd we are expecting. They will all be keen on some homebrew and I think it will be a winner. Cheers Ditch =P~

bevvy_merchant

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by bevvy_merchant » Tue Apr 06, 2010 9:09 pm

pokerswazi wrote:I haven't made a kit in a while. SWMBO's birthday is coming up and coincides with Big Brew day so I have a plans to make "Ditch's Stout" next weekend along with another brew so that my stash of Belgian ales remains safe from the crowd we are expecting. They will all be keen on some homebrew and I think it will be a winner. Cheers Ditch =P~
mine was more than ready after a week in the bottle. to tell the truth it was as far as i'm concerned ready the next night. i shit you not m8 it was i swear. you could drink this stuff out of the fv tiz that good. ooohhh btw i'm a fussy git about beer, no i really am.

Minimasher

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by Minimasher » Fri Apr 30, 2010 12:15 pm

Nice one Ditch, =D> =D> =D> I was just about to post a request for the recipe which I imagined might not be the first request you'd had. :roll:

It's the price of celebrity though mate. Youv'e got the fame so you take the pain!

Think this will be a good one for summer becuase I have no fish tank heater... Then again... :idea:

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Ditch
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Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by Ditch » Fri Apr 30, 2010 3:52 pm

Mini; I only use heaters because I live in a primarily unheated cottage and brew in a back store room. However, I suspect most 'normal' people, by now, have a regulated temperature in their homes. Wives and kids tend to demand that stuff these days, I imagine?

The important thing is to keep the brew at a steady temp', rather than a high one. At my temp's, it's probably really ready in seven days. I just give it the ten to be sure. (To be sure #-o )

bevvy_merchant

Re: " Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

Post by bevvy_merchant » Thu May 06, 2010 2:15 pm

bevvy_merchant wrote:
will try a full smashing on the next brew just to see.
well i have done my third and done the opposite to above, there was no Krause when i added the (dry) yeast. 12 hours later the yeast was sitting on the top like a 'scum'. the brew started to get going and has only touched the lid a little (no spew) and had died down to a nice fluffy Krause sitting on the top. the smell is different too, its a lot stronger than the other two i done a lot more 'yeasty' if you get what i mean.

next time i think i will hydrate the yeast before adding.

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