Jim's Beer Kit

Yeast is also another important factor, the Wyeast would be my yeast of choice, although for best results a significant starter is required, or brew a smaller smoked beer to begin with and yeast cake it with a later one. I have used other "lager" yeast in the past but to date would recommend any oth...

Did you smoke the malt yourself? Yes, as far as I know you cannot buy Hickory Smoked Malt. Its also interesting that until a few months or so a go I didn't realise that there was a Schlenkerla Weichsel Rotbier on the market. A couple of years back I did a smoked Cherry wood and then later a Smoked ...

23l in the FV, should end up depending on the yeast action at around 6%

Brew day is here, everything is clean, the GFFV has also been steamed. Mash water is up to temp, just waiting for the sparge water to heat up. Grain all crushed, what very little water treatment is weighed and will be added to the liquor shortly. As I am using a combination of FB and spring to filte...

Give it a few months & I think a bottle exchange might be a very good idea

I'm back brewing again (tomorrow 04/01/2024), following my hiatus in 2023. This time a Hickory Smoked Beer, fairly simple recipe (except for smoking the malt ;) ) Hickory Smoked Malt Munich II CaraVienna Carafa Special 2 Hops, Tettnang flower and pellet 80% RO Water + 20% Tap Water for the Mash (My ...

Nice to hear from your again Chris

Bit late to the party on this one, can confirm no pump rest. The BM only uses one so that the grain which has been forced against the top plate has a chance to settle down. As for mashing over night, might be in principal be a good idea but if you get a blockage or stuck mash you might end up with a...

I have loads of accessories for my G30. Insulation jacket, quick disconnect & pipework, top filter basket, new plates and filters, false bottom, spring filter, mash paddle, wortometer, spare bucket for the malt tube.... I'm sure there is more. My best advice would be to use the system and see what y...

Just a reminder to those in the SE of the UK, the Margate beer festival is on this weekend

A few of JBK members are going tomorrow Friday 15/04/2022.

I'll be the one in the MM shirt

Yesterday, I made up a few loafs of bread, enough dough to make 3 loafs. 2 loafs were cooked in traditional tins in the oven. The 3rd loaf in cylindrical cake tin housed in Zebra Billy can cooked over an open fire. Forgot to take a picture of the end result, ate the bread yesterday evening. slightly...

It was certainly a Grand Day out, I still have the Graham Wheeler BYOBRA book which we all signed + even got Graham to sign it (something he vowed never to do) the date of the event was 01/07/2016. I'll raise a glass tonight to absent friends. Along with my other old bottles, I also have an Antwerpe...

Most if not all "old" beers will taste of wine/port/sherry notes, I cannot remember the ABV of the 1902 one, although a member of JBK might be able to see if there is any markings on the bottle. The trouble normally is and certainly with the Jubilee beers I have, they might not have been stored unde...

In my experience, most old beers will all taste very similar. I have a collection of 20 or 30 Jubilee beers, only tried a couple so far. I still have my 1977 Bass :) The biggest tasting experiment was the 100+ year old Kings 1902 beer which I shared with fellow brewers on a meet up some 4 or 5 years...

Well both me and the tent survived the night, just waiting to see what happens today.