Jim's Beer Kit

Sorry to revive this old thread, but I've dug out my old barrels and injectors and I'm going to try t pass the back into service. I used to use a different kind of valve which took a blast of gas fro a Hambleton bard cylinder and these use to last for ages. Unfortunately I can't find these anywhere ...

I did a "Two Archers Bitter" with Plumage Archer and Archer hops.
It was OK, but nothing Special. I'll keep the rest of the Archer for bittering.
Haven't used Pilgrim for years and I remember they were very nice. I think they become unavailable for a while.

The lengths some people will go to to to avoid sharing!

Never tried Minstrel hops either. How did you use them? All in at once or some early, some late?
What other hops have you tried in this series?
My weirdest result was in a similar experiment when I used Godiva hops. The beer came out tasting like mushy peas; not unpleasant, but unexpected.

So it's not just my experience and it's not just Brittany. I registered with a French forum some while ago, mainly because I can get 5% off with a supplier I rarely use. I'll have to tackle the threads and see if I can figure out what's going on. The informal French used in these forums and in Newsp...

Easter year before last I was in Brittany and I was given some kind of American style bottled craft beer. Not terrible, but a long way from good and I wouldn't buy it. Not sure if it was a local producer. Such a shame the world seems to be contaminated by this stuff! American Palle Ale seems to hav...

Here in the rainsoaked wetlands if sunny Brittany, and possibly all of France for all I know, there seems to be something of a move towards "craft" beers. They sit on supermarket shelves at around €3 for 33cl, which the genuine Trappistes are around €2 and the Mort Subite kriek is €1.45. They are in...

Exactly my thinking. I've been ferreting around the Gladfield Malts recipe book and was taken by their Extra Stout. It's rated at 5.7% abv- mine FGs are always a bit lower than target so I reckon I'll get 6%, which is perfect for a winter stout. I might even add some lactose to part of the beer befo...

I still listen to Rolf.

It's not that cheap as the sachet contains only 5g. Other brands are 10-11g.

I came across an article on "Pellicle" about making New England IPAs with English hops. [an aside: do hops grow in Wales or Scotland? I've often wondered about the term "British" hops.] I must confess NEIPA doesn't float my boat at all, but I was fascinated by the claim that they'd been successful. ...

Hi everyone, What are your favourite British hops? Or perhaps just British hops you like that don’t get talked about much. The range available seems to have risen a lot in recent years, and I’ve not tried the newer ones. Aside from Fuggles and Goldings, I have used Challenger quite a bit over the y...

That's pretty good going, Mashbag, I can barely get mine to carbonate within 7 days in the bottle, but you've given me a thought: If you're bottling on day 7, then, even though it's clear, much less of the yeast will have fallen out than my beer, which I bottle at day 14-20 so that would speed up th...

Yeah, my very first AG was his recipe for Newcastle Brown Ale. I recall what a faff it was trying to mash in (I think it was) an Electrim boiler and them dig the mash out and sparge it through a canvas bag. I soon adapted to more reliable methods and I hated that electrrim boiler. Made Carlsberg Spe...

Would love to know how it turns out. It depends on whose dark crystal you were using: Crisp's dark is around 400 ebc, while Simpsons is much lighter- around 260 ebc. The latter shouldn't present too much of a problem- you might even prefer it. I think you're pushing it a bit in planning to have it r...