Brewing Success!!

[Carpking]

After reading all your posts and asking a few questions i am really into AG brewing now.
I decided to make a Ruby Ale (red for xmas):
4.5kg MO
300g Crystal
100g Chocolate
40g Goldings (60)
20g Goldings (15)
s-04 (made a starter with cooled wort)
Using the knowledge from this site and my new mash tun and boiler it went well hitting volume and SG pretty well. Fermented 10 days and kegged it (bottled a few). I tried a bottle yesterday and i honestly cant beleive how good it is. So fresh, crystal clear, malty, nicely bittered and hopped (for my tastes anyway).
My point is, thanks for all the information you have posted.

[MightyMouth]

Well done, What is your next brew going to be, better get it on quick or you will find yourself without beer.

[Carpking]

I am finishing my 1st AG which is a chocolate stout, pretty nice and about 10 pints left in the keg. Got my ruby ale conditioning for xmas. A nut brown ale is ready to keg/bottle this weekend and i am making another chocolate stout to replenish my keg. You see how the brewing bug has bitten me? I have been keeping notes on all the things i make so i am tweaking the choc stout recipe a little. Also i made it without a mash tun and would like to see if thats whats made the big difference with my ruby ale. Did i say how tasty it was?

[delboy]

Glad to hear it came out well for you

[hoppingMad]

I am finishing my 1st AG which is a chocolate stout, pretty nice and about 10 pints left in the keg. Got my ruby ale conditioning for xmas. A nut brown ale is ready to keg/bottle this weekend and i am making another chocolate stout to replenish my keg. You see how the brewing bug has bitten me? I have been keeping notes on all the things i make so i am tweaking the choc stout recipe a little. Also i made it without a mash tun and would like to see if thats whats made the big difference with my ruby ale. Did i say how tasty it was?

Always like reading posts like that. Well done.

[Boo Boo]

I'm glad everything worked out for your brew.
A point for future consideration. Dry yeast really don't benifit from being made into a starter.
It actually reduces the amount of viable cells by forcing the yeast to expend its reserves of
nutrients trying to grow more cells in a reduced enviroment. The pack of yeast was intended
to be pitched into 23 liters, not 1 or 2 liters.

If you need more yeast, then simply pitch more dry yeast.

Cheers

[ECR]

Top brewing activity

[Carpking]

Thanks guys. To keep the momentum rolling i brewed again on saturday. Nothing but Maris Otter and Goldings, using the slurry from my just kegged ale. I MUST stop now. I have about 150+ pints for xmas, but i'm sure my dad and bro will help me demolish those!
Boo Boo, i thought that starting the yeast in cooled wort multiplied the cells for a quicker start to the ferment, reducing the time it took to start then reducing risk of infection. Is it liquid yeasts that you 'start''? I have been reading 'designing your own beers' which claims a sachet of yeast is 'under pitching' (if i remember correctly). Any thoughts anyone?

Its all still pretty new to me but the beers good.

Cheers.