Brubox kits

[Robdog]

Ah ok thanks. Looks like my spare room is only 16 which i think is to cold is it worth putting the heating on low to raise it a bit or i have one of those cheap halogen heater which i think will take it up a little bit.

Also the tubing i ordered is to think to fit on the tap of the FV so im lucky they sent me some tubing as part of my kit. Thing is though it seems very thick and goes over the black tap of the young FV i was wondering if this would make the beer come out to fast when transfering to a bottling bucket and ruin the beer? Im probably just being fussy as i would imagine its a standard tap and tube.

[sparky Paul]

General rule of thumb is if it feels comfortable for you, it will be good for brewing, 18-22°C is perfect.

When transferring beer, make sure the pipe goes to the bottom of the receiving vessel. That way, it will be quickly covered and this will minimise any splashing... don't worry, it hasn't got to be perfect. I use the big 13mm pipe to transfer stuff without any problems.

[Robdog]

Ok thanks thats great.

I just poured some tap water into a jar and it smells of chlorine ie a sort of swimming bath/faint bleach smell so i think im going to use a camden tablet. Im gonna put half a crushed tab in 5 gallon of water and leave for 24 hours as ive been told if i dont do this it can kill off the yeast.

Found a little homebrew market stall on our local indoor market also and they are cheap. Milestone kits 16.99 so thats good. King geg top taps are only 39.99.

[sparky Paul]

I just poured some tap water into a jar and it smells of chlorine ie a sort of swimming bath/faint bleach smell so i think im going to use a camden tablet. Im gonna put half a crushed tab in 5 gallon of water and leave for 24 hours as ive been told if i dont do this it can kill off the yeast.

If you can smell it from a glass then you are probably wise to pop half a crushed tablet in. Take care not to breath any campden dust in, it can be quite nasty - particularly if you suffer from asthma.

I don't use them for water treatment, but the general concensus on here is that it does the job pretty quickly... a good stir in to dissolve, and the water should be ready to use after a few minutes. You could leave it for an hour or so to make sure.

[Robdog]

Ah right this is what someone else advised me

"DO NOT PUT ONE IN NOW!

It'll kill off your yeast and even after fermentation is done the TCP taste comes from the achlorine molecules bonding with the other molecules in the beer so adding one after the fact will do virtually nothing.

Use them to treat your water PRIOR to making up your brew, 1/2 a crushed tablet to 5 gallons of tap water is the agreed benchmark (use a whole one if your tap water is heavily chlorinated but leave the water 24 hours so the camden tablet doesn't inhibit your yeast)."

Not sure what to do now lol.

I just rang the water board and this is what they said

"The levels are took on a daily basis and they aim for an average of 0.1-0.5 mg per ltr.

My waters lowest reading was 0.02 and the highest 0.38 with an average of 0.18 which doesnt seem that high to me so i may just risk trying my first brew without and see what happens.

If it is TCP tasting i know what to do next time but ill still drink it

[sparky Paul]

Ah right this is what someone else advised me

"DO NOT PUT ONE IN NOW!

It'll kill off your yeast and even after fermentation is done the TCP taste comes from the achlorine molecules bonding with the other molecules in the beer so adding one after the fact will do virtually nothing.

Use them to treat your water PRIOR to making up your brew, 1/2 a crushed tablet to 5 gallons of tap water is the agreed benchmark (use a whole one if your tap water is heavily chlorinated but leave the water 24 hours so the camden tablet doesn't inhibit your yeast)."

That's correct, but the 24hrs is open to debate.

You MUST only add it to the water, before you add the water to the stuff in the can - if you have already made the kit up with the water, it is too late.

Have you actually mixed it all up yet? If you have, I wouldn't worry too much about it now.

[Robdog]

Ah right this is what someone else advised me

"DO NOT PUT ONE IN NOW!

It'll kill off your yeast and even after fermentation is done the TCP taste comes from the achlorine molecules bonding with the other molecules in the beer so adding one after the fact will do virtually nothing.

Use them to treat your water PRIOR to making up your brew, 1/2 a crushed tablet to 5 gallons of tap water is the agreed benchmark (use a whole one if your tap water is heavily chlorinated but leave the water 24 hours so the camden tablet doesn't inhibit your yeast)."

That's correct, but the 24hrs is open to debate.

You MUST only add it to the water, before you add the water to the stuff in the can - if you have already made the kit up with the water, it is too late.

Have you actually mixed it all up yet? If you have, I wouldn't worry too much about it now.

I havent made it yet no, do you think just half a tab then give it an hour wil be ok?

[sparky Paul]

I havent made it yet no, do you think just half a tab then give it an hour wil be ok?

Well, as far as I'm aware, an hour will be fine. I'm sure this has been discussed at great length before, I'll have a look back through the forum and see if I can find any references.

Bear with me for a few minutes...

[sparky Paul]

Here's a couple of threads...

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16187

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7195

...the general view is that the action of the campden is almost instant.

Make sure the half tablet is well crushed before adding, and give it a good stir.

[Robdog]

Thanks so much mate thats all done ive got 5 gallon in a steralised bucket with a 1/2 a tablet mixed in. Ill give it 20-30 mins then get cracking on hydrating my yeast for half hour then i can start the brew.

[sparky Paul]

Thanks so much mate thats all done ive got 5 gallon in a steralised bucket with a 1/2 a tablet mixed in. Ill give it 20-30 mins then get cracking on hydrating my yeast for half hour then i can start the brew.

No problem.

Hope it all goes well!

[Robdog]

Just steralized everything, had to do it twice because i forgot to put the powder in hot water haha.

Just added the yeast to so warm water. Its not foaming though like in Jims pics but its only been there 5-10 mins so another 20 to go. Some stuck to the sides of the jug so i swirled it a little i hope i havent ruined it its just sitting at the bottom of the water,.

[Robdog]

All done. The stuff in the cans smelt nice

Yeast did foam up a bit so fingers crossed.

OG 1040, well approx i could see the 1030 pop up over the foam so it was in the red.

Ill test gravity in between 3-5 days. Is it then best left for a total of 10 days?

[sparky Paul]

All done. The stuff in the cans smelt nice

Yeast did foam up a bit so fingers crossed.

OG 1040, well approx i could see the 1030 pop up over the foam so it was in the red.

Ill test gravity in between 3-5 days. Is it then best left for a total of 10 days?

Sounds like it all went perfectly.

Lots of folk swear by 10 days in the fermenter, but I make sure the gravity is steady for 2-3 days, that way you can be sure it's finished. Then, if the beer looks particularly cloudy, I might leave it another few days, otherwise in the bottles it goes... I will also work it round so that I bottle on days I'm not so busy.

If you feel happier leaving it for 10 days, by all means do that.

[Robdog]

Ill see how it goes.

I think it will be easier now ive done one and also i now have a homebrew place local so i may even get another FV and get another batch on the go

Id love to eventually have a go at all grain brewing because i have to say the picture of Jims Bitter in the Technique section has to be one of the best looking pints ive ever seen. Perfect white creamy head and the beer is a lovely colour.

I think a lager next though to keep my friends happy as this Stout is for me