Post
by Blackjack » Sun Jun 06, 2010 9:56 pm
KISS Keep It Simple Stupid,
Use a small stainless or plastic bucket to collect the runnings off the MT, don't bother with fancy gubbinses, pumps valves and pipework, and sparge arms, 2 or 3 batch sparges/remashes collected in the bucket to a volume mark. When you have what is required, say 28 or 30 lts for a 5 gal jobby, STOP, leave the hydrometer in the cupboard. Boil, add hops wait 85 mins add more hops wait 5mins STOP. Use a nice simple coil cooler, I made a fancy counterflow hosepipe microbore cooler and it really is brilliant except (sorry Jim) the outlet temp is difficult to control and how do you clean and sterilise it?. run off into the FV use one of those big fancy sieves to capture the hops which will strain the trub as well, don't make a fancy strainer in the bottom of the boiler. Put the beer from the FV into a cask, or a plain plastic barrel. You may now measure the OG, BUT if you are repeating the same recipe carefully more than twice forget the hydrometer, it will only read the same as the previous two times. Learn what temperature is what just by sticking a finger in a glass of lukewarm water, is it 25 or 35 deg?, it is easy to tell. Use a nice fast yeast like S-04, follow the instructions and sprinkle into FV and job will be done in 4 to 6 days. Make up a light batten board and use an old fridge or plywood cupboard lined with insulating sheets and a digital thermometer, if cold of an eveneing switch the lights on overnight. Buy a jar of fresh isinglass solution and use a small cupful and your beer will be drinkable in another couple of days and perfect in less than a week. Use nice hops like Fuggles and Goldings ( as per G Wheeler) nobody went wrong using them. Buy your malt in a 25kg sack and put it in a rat/mouse proof cupboard, keep a spare thermometer ( G wheeler again). Irish moss works great you will need a teaspoon full. While your wort is boiling throw all your apparatus (jars jugs thermometers hydrometers sieve etc.) into the FV add 5 to 10 litres of lukewarm water, add several big glugs of everyday cheap bleach swirl and leave, rinse with hosepipe. RECIPE 4Kg of Maris Otter 100gm of Crystal malt, hlt at 77deg into the MT at 66. 40 gms of Goldings to start with 20 gms of Fuggles at the end. Golden nectar all day long, want it stronger add a tin of Tate and Lyles Golden slurp, want it darker and maltier add another 100gms of crystal, want a better head add a big handful of torrified wheat. Buy your 1gm digital scales from Tesco at no more than 13 squid. If you use an old Baby Burco forget the tap and just use a small Youngs 10 lt. bucket to jug it out. TASTE the wort at ALL stages. TASTE the beer in the FV at the end of the ferment before you cask it, this will tell you more than a hydrometer.