nervous brewer

[Chiltern Brewer]

Another tip - pick up a cheap pocket book and keep a log of your brews: the recipe, the yeast you used, OG, FG, dates for your brew day, when you racked/casked/bottled, note any problems/successes. Then 10 years from now you'll be able to go back and repeat a favorite recipe etc...

[Andy]

Yes, taking detailed notes is a must.

[Scooby]

The size of your boiler is the ultimate limiting factor, and IMHO I think this issue of over-sparing is somewhat over played. More likely you'll run out of sparge water or fill your boiler before this happens.

First thing to learn is plan ahead

[SteveD]

Another tip - pick up a cheap pocket book and keep a log of your brews: the recipe, the yeast you used, OG, FG, dates for your brew day, when you racked/casked/bottled, note any problems/successes. Then 10 years from now you'll be able to go back and repeat a favorite recipe etc...

Yes, taking detailed notes is a must.

Agree 100% Apart from repeating a recipe you can use it to help iron out problems. And old ones make a nice nostalgic read - pure comedy sometimes!

here's a page from my brewlog for the beer I took to tuesday's North Hampshire Beer Club meeting. It's in traditional brewlog illegible script and unfathomable code.

[AT]

what does irish moss do?

[Chiltern Brewer]

On Irish moss - I normally double or triple the amount specified on the packet and re-constitute it first in about half a pint of recently boiled water. Then stir the "gel" into the boiler for the last 15 minutes or so. I think I picked this up from an old Gillian Grafton article?

[SteveD]

There is little difference in their effectiveness and some homebrewers don't even bother (or often forget) and still get good clear beer. My advice for a clearer beer (if you have a boiler with two elements) is to turn on the second element for the last 5-10 mins of the boil, this seems to make a big improvement with or without copper finings.

I think many people underpitch with Irish moss. The 1 tsp/1 lidfull usual dosage doesn't take into account that if the flakes are big, there's a lot of air. I used protofloc according to the instructions for the first time last brew and the diffference in the ammount of break material was huge.

I'm usually running on two elements anyway - one element only manages a rolling simmer outdoors two elements is a pretty hard boil. It's one or the other 14gal boiler 7-8gal preboil volume down 5.5 gals by the end.

[Scooby]

Just to confuse even more, a hard fast boil can drive off desirable sugars as well as lose water through evaporation, so a steady rolling boil is desirable

In a way I'm glad there was no forum when I started mashing, just one DL book and he made it sound so easy I started with confidence

Don't get me wrong there is so much knowledge available and good advice abounds, but as this thread shows there is also conflicting views that are confusing to new brewers, but do stimulate discussion, so in DaaB's words GO GO GO Then come back and tell US how you think it should be done

[maxashton]

Eventually, i imagine, i will move to the US. T'wife misses her fambly.
Fortunately, brew gear is dirt cheap over there, even fancy stuff.

I will fall on their over technicality and give it a good beating with the pointy stick known as British practicality. Perhaps i will make them all join the British CBA.

[SteveD]

Just to confuse even more, a hard fast boil can drive off desirable sugars as well as lose water through evaporation, so a steady rolling boil is desirable

Yeah, my boil is too vigorous. I'm losing nearer 20% per hour, but it's either that or not much boil at all, so I went for the lesser of the two evils. The result of that is the other annoyance in that my preboil volumes have to be quite large to avoid (a) losing a lot of concentrated extract to the hops (b) topping up pre or post cooling before the run off to avoid this or (c) sparging the hops and topping up substantially in the fermenter.

I'm toying with the idea of a power regulator if such a device exists so I can control the current to the elements...no, not a simmerstat or thermostat.

In a way I'm glad there was no forum when I started mashing, just one DL book and he made it sound so easy I started with confidence

I know what you mean. Ask 10 brewers, get 26 opinions, never mind 11! Ignorance was bliss. Just follow the one course of action in the book.

[Scooby]

Is your boiler insulated SteveD when I insulated my other boiler not only did it come to the boil quicker but maintained a better rolling boil with one 2.2Kw element

I have found the forum so informative and helpful since I have come back to brewing, but I had already developed my own process and with some experience felt I was better equipped to consider others ideas and incorporate them into my brewing.

If I was just starting I think I would restrict myself to doing a few brews following the instructions in Jim's or DaaB's web sites before I delved to deeply into the forum, and then be a little more experimental

[SteveD]

Is your boiler insulated SteveD when I insulated my other boiler not only did it come to the boil quicker but maintained a better rolling boil with one 2.2Kw element

I have found the forum so informative and helpful since I have come back to brewing, but I had already developed my own process and with some experience felt I was better equipped to consider others ideas and incorporate them into my brewing.

If I was just starting I think I would restrict myself to doing a few brews following the instructions in Jim's or DaaB's web sites before I delved to deeply into the forum, and then be a little more experimental

I boil outside and did insulate the boiler once to see. It made a difference but not drastic enough to be able to boil on one element - or maybe I'm imagining the boil has to be more vigourous than it does. Seveneer's is far more gentle than mine. Maybe now the weather is warming up it might work better on one element.

Regarding the wealth of info on the forum, it can be hard to pick your way through all the opinions and decide which way to go. I'm also the type who is forever tweaking the brew method and gear to try out ideas as they come up, rather than "eee lad, I've done it like this for thirty year and I'll not change now for nowt"

[kt88man]

I'm toying with the idea of a power regulator if such a device exists so I can control the current to the elements...no, not a simmerstat or thermostat.

Take a look at the United Automation CSR2-15E, available from RS Components (stock code 655-644). Rated at 15A so suitable for only one element.

[AT]

I'm a lot more comfortable with the idea now and once all my gear is delivered i hope to start Friday (good friday) just one more stupid question. Can somebody explain efficiency and how to improve and measure it please

[AT]

yea you're right i had a quick look but i think it's for another day