first brew

[bevvy_merchant]

well with the help of this forum i have just done my first brew.

its a blackrock - nut brown ale.

poured from the local supply 25-27ltr of liquor in an FV with a tap and added 1/2 a campden tab. waited about 1hr, then set to work.

took 5-6ltr of liquor from FV and added to a large SS pot then started the heat under it. whiles heating i added 500g of dark spray malt (i got no clumping doing it like this) and 500g of brewing sugar. as the temperature rose i added the tin of gooey stuff then took it up to about 100c and turned the heat down and let it sit there for about 10 mins. i then poured the hot brew into the FV and topped up with cold water to about 22-23ltr from the FV with the added campden tab. the temperature worked out at about 24-26c at which point i added the yeast, mixed the yeast in and put the lid on.

happy days, just got to wait and see how it works out.

next up is turbo cider.

[barl_fire]

sounds good bevvy, good luck!
Just put one of these Black Rock Nut Brown Ales in the FV on thursday evening with a 1kg BKE and a 15 min 25g Fuggles hop tea. It was bubbling away gradually all day Friday then when I went to bed in the early hours of this morning she was just starting to blow. Nice crust on it this morning, and what a beautiful toffee/caramel colour the wort is too. Really excited about this I plan to bottle mine.

[micromaniac]

well with the help of this forum i have just done my first brew.

its a blackrock - nut brown ale.

poured from the local supply 25-27ltr of liquor in an FV with a tap and added 1/2 a campden tab. waited about 1hr, then set to work.

took 5-6ltr of liquor from FV and added to a large SS pot then started the heat under it. whiles heating i added 500g of dark spray malt (i got no clumping doing it like this) and 500g of brewing sugar. as the temperature rose i added the tin of gooey stuff then took it up to about 100c and turned the heat down and let it sit there for about 10 mins. i then poured the hot brew into the FV and topped up with cold water to about 22-23ltr from the FV with the added campden tab. the temperature worked out at about 24-26c at which point i added the yeast, mixed the yeast in and put the lid on.

happy days, just got to wait and see how it works out.
you only need to use 1/4 -1/2 of camden a tablet for 25 ltr be carefull camden tablets can kill yuor yeast
next up is turbo cider.

[bevvy_merchant]

i'm getting a bit worried about it.

the foamy stuff that sits on the top was only about 1/2" thick and lasted about 1-1 1/2 days then disappeared. temps have been between 18-22c. its bubbling every 2-3 minuets and its never been what you might call 'lively'.

is this normal?

[scottmoss]

Hi,

Most beers only produce a foamy head for around 1-2 days, this is perfectly normal. Always go by what the hydrometer says

[bevvy_merchant]

hydro says 1016.

[barl_fire]

i'm getting a bit worried about it.

the foamy stuff that sits on the top was only about 1/2" thick and lasted about 1-1 1/2 days then disappeared. temps have been between 18-22c. its bubbling every 2-3 minuets and its never been what you might call 'lively'.

is this normal?

Don't worry bevvy, this is exactly what happened with mine, looks to me like this is how this kit goes. Although it was very quick to start fermenting bubbling steadily the day after pitching, it was the most layed back brew I've ever done with the crust coming nowhere near the top of the FV. It died back quickly which worried me into taking an early hydrometer reading on Sunday bearing in mind it only went in the FV Thursday! Anyway it had got to 1.023 from 1.040 on Sunday, yesterday it was at 1.018 and today 1.015, so bear with it, it's probably fermenting away quietly like mine. I plan to leave mine till it gets down to 1.010ish, before I rack it into a bottling bucket, so it'll probably will have had no less than 7 days in primary.

[scottmoss]

Hi,

What did it start at?? so it is fermenting nicely to get to 1016.

[barl_fire]

hydro says 1016.

that seems to be following a similar course to mine then, probably ready toward end of the week/weekend at least

[bevvy_merchant]

phew, thought i was going to have to toss it down the big white telephone there.

thanks fellow brewers.

ooohhhh and i dont know what the original SG was as i forgot to take it (was to exited about actually doing the brew. )

[barl_fire]

phew, thought i was going to have to toss it down the big white telephone there.

thanks fellow brewers.

ooohhhh and i dont know what the original SG was as i forgot to take it (was to exited about actually doing the brew. )

heh beginners excitement has never left me

In the absence of the original SG, and assuming it was around the 1.040 mark, with it looking to be at a similar stage to mine I'd suggest leaving it till Friday/Saturdayish. Take another reading then one the following day then if it doesn't change then it's hot to trot.

Also to set your mind to rest the next time you take a sample for a reading have a big old mouthful of it and if it tastes like beer then it's going well, works everytime, I've not wasted a drop from my trial jar from all those gravity readings this week and very nicely tasting this Nut Brown is too

[bevvy_merchant]

i asked the bloke in the HBS for something along the lines of 'old peculier' and 'mcewans no1' he gave me the nut brown ale. i'll take another reading on friday and have a taster at the same time.

[barl_fire]

i asked the bloke in the HBS for something along the lines of 'old peculier' and 'mcewans no1' he gave me the nut brown ale. i'll take another reading on friday and have a taster at the same time.

From what I've gleaned from here, it's more like Newcastle Brown Ale (that's what I'm hoping for ) . Closest I've come to OP with a home brew kit is my modified John Bull London Porter in my signature, a bit of a faff, but if that's the sort of thing you like then well worth the effort. Drank a bottle with my Sunday dinner last weekend and I could count every mouthful I'd had from the head rings clinging to the glass, dry, fruity,full-bodied with an oily head, very nice indeed

[potatoes]

I did the nut brown twice in NZ about 6 years back. First time it was an absolute cracker, people who tasted it couldnt believe it was home brew . Second time was a shocker and I couldnt give it away. However, the seond time i think it went wrong as I cleaned the bottles, dryed them out, left em outside for 2 days and then bottled . My lazy approach probably ruined the beer....

Be interesting to see how yours tastes! Let us know.

[kay-jay]

hi all,

hey barl

Just put one of these Black Rock Nut Brown Ales in the FV on thursday evening with a 1kg BKE

did you know that brewing kit enhancer is a 50/50 mix of spraymalt and brewing sugar. at my lhbs it works out considerably cheaper to buy 1 500g bag of spray malt and 1kg bag of brew sugar (enough for 2 brews) in fact i can buy enough malt and sugar for 2 brews for the same price as 1kg of bke.

KJ