Jim's Beer Kit

Thanks for all the information. It seems as though there are two schools of thought - to dry hop in the FV or, alternatively, in the keg. I think I'll try the former with my next brew and see how it goes. WakesAles - thanks for the tip about the marbles; I'm going to try the stainless steel rice bal...

Guys,

Thanks very much for the advice. I've got a much clearer idea of the process now. I'll give it a go with my next brew.

Peter

Thanks for the replies. BrannigansLove - Do you mean adding the dry hops into the keg and leaving them there until the keg is finished, or dry hopping just after the primary fermentation has completed, as Gobuchul mentioned. Gobuchul - How long do you leave the dry hops in the fermentation vessel af...

Hi Guys, I've done quite a number of brews over the last few years but something I have never done is to dry hop. So here's the question, how and when is it done? Do you add the hops at the same time as pitching the yeast, part way through the fermentation or when you keg the beer? Also, is it neces...

Jubby - thanks a lot for the recipe. I'll give it (or something very similar) a try next time I do a brew. Sorry to say my list of brews is a bit out of date but, you're right, I certainly like a good hoppy brew. I'm currently enjoying Barley Bottom's Bitter & Twisted, which I can really recommend, ...

Guys, many thanks for the advice and suggestions.

Jubby - thanks for the info. Would you be happy to share the recipe for your version, if it's not too much to ask?

I experienced my first pint of Oakham's Inferno at my local last night and was blown away by it. It's amazingly dry, wonderfully hoppy and completely more-ish! I'd love to be able to brew a clone of it myself and, having searched on JBK, I've seen that there has been some discussion about it before....

Thanks for the information. I don't normally use finings although I have to agree that in my (limited) experience US-05 does take some time to clear - I may well try some finings with my latest brew.

Do you have any pictures or diagrams of the better bottle/blow off tube set up, please?

Thanks for that, Whorst. It's interesting to learn about the origins of these yeasts. Only one of the beers that I've brewed with US-05 is ready for drinking at present (the other is fermenting at the moment) but I'm very pleased with the flavour profile. I used it to make an APA using Northern Brew...

I've used Safale US-05 on a couple of occasions recently and both times, when the primary fermentation is starting to slow down, the head of the fermentation has expanded and hit the lid on my fermentation bin (this is with a 25L batch in a 33L bin.) This also happened when I used another top fermen...

Thanks Chris. What residual alkalinity would be good for a lager. When I brew a bitter I aim for about 27 mg/l; would it be close to that?

I'm planning on making a Leffe Blonde clone in the next few days and wondered what sort of water profile I should be aiming at, specifically what alkalinity level (in mg/L) would be best. Any advice much appreciated. Thanks

May & Bretts on the High St. in Great Dunmow, Essex (about 10 mins east of Stansted, not too far from Bury St.Edmunds) have a pretty good range of kits, AG ingredients and equipment, although they are not a dedicated HB shop. They also have an online shop at http://www.brewingshop.co.uk/ if you want...

I used to use Irish Moss until a few months ago and then changed to Whirlfloc through reading posts on JBK. IMO the Whirlfloc tablets are far superior and I get great hot and cold breaks, ending up with crystal clear beer. Also, if you haven't already got one, I'd recommend an immersion wort cooler ...

It seems as though a lot of people are voting for forced cooling - easy enough with an immersion chiller - and fermentation temperature control. This may well have been covered here before, but what is the easiest way of controlling fermentation temperature?