Jim's Beer Kit

I did a bit of an experimental brew yesterday: 250g Crystal 180, steeped for most of the afternoon 20g Target 20g Challenger 750g LME Boil for 50mins 10g EKG 200g cocoa 454g Treacle (small tin) Boil for 10mins 1.5kg DME Into fermenter, about 19.5l, OG 1.054 Safale S04 yeast (already made a starter) ...

Yeast is Safale S04 Had a bit of a moment once it was in the fermenter and into the brewfridge, and I drew a bit off to check the OG. It was about 1.000, which had me puzzled for a minute or so. Then I noticed the unopened bag of DME sitting on the worktop... What an eejit. So, dissolved the DME it ...

I found an online recipe for a London Pride clone, and I had most of the bits, so I thought I'd us it as a basis for a nice session bitter: 250g Crystal 180 steeped in 8l for about three quarters of an hour In with 20g each of Target and Challenger for an hour’s boil 10g of EKG in for the last ten m...

Ah, great, I'll give it a go then.

We got a 20l bag in a box from a local brewery for a camping trip, very nice it was too. I'm wondering if I can reuse for holding and dispensing my homebrews. I can get the tap out, so washing and sterilising shouldn't be an issue. I'm thinking I wait until primary fermentation is done, then transfe...

Smashing, thanks

I suppose that depends how quickly it gets drunk

Would it keep a month (with the addition of CO2)?

This feels like such a basic question, but I'm buggered if I can find an answer (and happily accept that I may be being thick). So, if I put a 40 pint brew in a standard plastic barrel, and then let it condition for an appropriate amount of time, how long have I got after drawing off the first pint ...

Ah, okay.

And yes, I probably should buy a bigger pan. And more buckets. And another brewfridge...

And another update. I bottled it at 1.014 in the end and after a couple of weeks in bottles, I couldn't resist a try last night. Really happy with it, needs more time conditioning but it's a nice, fresh, session bitter. Result!

Whaaat? Oh FFS

No way around it I assume? Other than buy a newer book to go with my bigger pan?

... actually, you still haven't read ALL the instructions, IIRC Graham recommends first dissolving the malt extract in 18lts, then topping up to "full volume" Nah, it's definitely an 18l boil in the edition I've got (from 1995) The topping up is in the FB to get to the right OG. But, anyway, okay, ...

Thanks.

However, I've just double checked and the method calls for an 18l boil, so I'd need to use just over double the amount (18/8) of hops specified. Maybe I should just get a bigger pan...

On the advice of folks on here, I've picked up an old copy of the classic Graham Wheeler 'Brew Your Own Real Ale' book, arrived yesterday, it's great. I'm looking forward to reliving my youth with a Boddingtons, the first beer I ever bought in a pub (I was eighteen, honest Officer ;-) ) However, his...

Result!