Jim's Beer Kit

I think it's the milky thing that indicates it's ok. I rehydrated old yeast once and it just sat on top of the water not mixing in. So I tried a newer packet and it rehydrated fine (went milky and fermented the beer properly).

When I drink whiskey, I usually mix it with water because otherwise it's too strong for me. About 75% water, 25% whiskey. With whiskey and water I can taste the whisky, with a much diminished burn. This is the thing I've never got to grips with with whisky. Like you I'm not much of a spirits man, b...

I've been ill since Christmas and have a nearly full sack of grain bought before then. It has been stored in a dry environment. Does anyone know if it would still be ok to use now i,m better? I recently used pre crushed malt that was 2.5 years old. Stored open to the elements in a dry garage, and I...

Do you need to keep it away from your usual brewing kit like you do with sours or is there no lacto in the scoby?

Turns out Google still works. They apparently use them as FVs. "Unlike makers of table wine, Sherry producers make strenuous efforts to avoid wood flavours in the wine. New barrels are no use for Sherry as they give off unwanted tannins and woody flavours. Once a new butt has been made it will be us...

How do they prepare casks for sherry? Distillers use old sherry barrels to age whisky and I imagine other spirits must be the same. I've heard of people charring them but I don't see how that would reduce flavour....

Hi, My current bag was custom made for me by a forum member but it is now coming to the end of its life. She doesn't do them any more because demand was too high (and I don't believe she wanted to put the prices up). Where can I get a really good quality BIAB nowadays? The ones I've seen on the stan...

I made an elderflower champagne once and it was really bitter. Elderflower syrup on the other hand has always been good. When you pick the elderflowers changes how much bitterness you get out of them, so just in case maybe it is better to extract the flavour into something first, then you can make s...

I live near Skipton and would be keen getting involved. I believe there is a club in Shipley, which I keep meaning to go to, but obviously a Skipton one would be good.

Do all hops change their AA% at a similar rate? I assume more sun one year than the last would result in different AA%. The volatility of this would worry me for a hop I was using for bittering, so I'd go for something that is consistent bitterness year on year.

SMASH3R wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:36 pm

I can't find any more where I got BB's Old Bernard recipe from.

Can anyone post the actual BB original recipe?

http://forum.craftbrewing.org.uk/viewto ... f=62&t=566

out of interest, can i still call it a pilsner? - i believe its stronger than most exports! I'm pretty sure I've heard of commercial brewers creating lagers with WLP001 or US05 as they both ferment down at cold temps and have a light flavour profile. I would expect a lager to ferment slower though....

Adding the bottling sugar before taking a hydrometer reading will increase the gravity of the beer. How much sugar did you add and how much beer is in the FV? I'd just wait a few more days until the yeast have finished eating the additional sugar, take another gravity reading and then if at 1.014 th...

Surely you'd just use US05 if you wanted to keep the WLP002 profile? It's dried, can tolerate high alcohol levels, finishes low and has a very low flavour profile. I'd say the risk with this game is pitching the second yeast too late. I'd probably chuck it in 24 hours after high krausen (maybe 48h i...

I've found WLP002 to give off very vinegary smells when making a starter (direct from the vial) so maybe it's an aspect of the yeast itself? The resulting beers have never tasted vinegary.