Brew Number Three: Smugglers Bramling Cross

[fivetide]

It's easier to leave 'em conditioning when you've got a drinker on. The first one made me realise the importance of waiting when the last pints were so good

I am very tempted by all grain though and it will happen one dau, but I will have to wait until Christmas. I love those three-tier American outfits on MoreBeer, but don't have the skills to make one. Plenty of time to practice mini-mashes in the Autumn though and get kitted out over winter I guess

[fivetide]

I'm starting to get a bad feeling about my Smugglers.

Took another half to sample today. Apart from the fact it hasn't cleared completely, it looks pretty good. It's clearish, bright with a nice tight white head. It smells fresh and like a nice ale, not too yeasty. The initial taste is good too - you can spot the extra maltiness over the lighter ales, the hopping is obvious and there's a decent sparkling mouth-feel...

BUT there's an after taste that isn't good. I can't really describe it... ...certainly not chemical, more of a sweet twang, maybe a hint of vinegariness but not obvious smelly vinegariness? Not sure. It's not wholly unpleasant but it's a bloody shame.

Could the cloudy suspension be giving this flavour? I'm not sure if it's a yeasty tang. I'm wondering if my vague account could lead anyone to believe that it could mature out or if there any steps I could take (other than cooling further, I have no means to do this).

[fivetide]

Cheers DaaB. Yeah, it's not all bad, not obviously awful, just dissapointing. I explained it to somebody by saying if I ordered it in a pub I'd drink it without fear of gutrot, but would move on to something else.

I'll test again weekly and hope for the best.

In slightly different news, I thought my remaining half keg of Great Eastern Cascade had turned, which I was gutted about, but when I fitted a new valve yesterday i found the top tap float had broken and was drawing fromt he bottom of the barrel Pressurised and sorted now.

[fivetide]

Ha!

Guess what? The clear part of the float system on THIS keg had also become detached and left the tap sucking from the bottom!

Well who'd a thunk it?

Any advice on a good adhesive to use when it comes to fixing these properly without screwing the beer?

Hopefully this will clear up now but I had to shake the keg around to get the cap off so will wait a while. Vented and gassed up again with sparklet (can't attach my pub CO2 to King Keg)

d.

[fivetide]

I'm chuffed and really hope so as I think it has potential and love those hops and the colour! Any experience or insight on fixing the things or will any plastic glue do?

One day Mr DaaB, I'm going to buy you a pint or six.

[fivetide]

Well it's not clear, but finally it's certainly beer!

[fivetide]

I messed it around so much with it earlier, smacking the lid fins with a chisel at one point, that it might still settle a bit. Notably though, it actually tastes allright now. Bit of a relief, mixed with stupidity, like with all simple solutions!

Now the GE is mended I can bide my time drinking that and getting my last brew before summer into secondary then into a Corni while I wait on the Smugglers. Cheers!

[fivetide]

Arg, if all goes to plan with the Cornis I'm looking at a shiny future I think, rather than a plastic one. But I WILL order a cap spinner one of these days, definitely.

[Wez]

Good looking brew 5T, nice!

[fivetide]

The second one? That's the Great Eastern. If this 'un gets that clear I'll be well chuffed! Cheers Wez, I know you like photies

[fivetide]

It has taken a further month - that's two months following three weeks in primary and secondary fermenting - to finally get this clear, although I have had about a dozen pints over the last fortnight just to make sure it's progressing...

So, a ridiculous amount of time conditioning, but it has finally stopped tasting and looking odd. I think I oxidised it a bit in transfer, who knows, but at least it tastes good, finally.

Anyway, patience once again seems to have saved the day. It's Cornies and Co2 for me from now on in I think

[StrangeBrew]

Do you think that this 'slow to clear haze' could of been caused by the dry hopping leaving fine particles in suspension?

I think I may have a similar issue with my Colne Valley Bitter that I dry hopped with Goldings and Challenger hops.

[fivetide]

Hi Strange Brew. I've been away from the forum but caught up with your post today.

I guess it could have been the Bramling dry hop - so many variables it's hard to know but the mesh in the hop bag is pretty open so it's definitely a possibility. Still, it was cleared by August.

One update is that I left a dozen pints under pressure in the KK until New Year! It came out crystal and sparkling and I drank the whole lot in a couple of days using one CO2 caplet.

It was dark copper / ruby in colour and tasted clean but more complex and robust than kits I have drunk in a more decent time frame! I'd liken it to Green King Olde Suffolk (http://www.ratebeer.com/Beer/greene-kin ... folk)/881/) so anyone able to wait six months or so for clearing in the cold of the shed will be well rewarded.

[StrangeBrew]

Hi fivetide, welcome back.

I still have a few pints of Colne Valley Bitter in the keg and still not 100% clear, it has a very slight haze to it but tastes ok so I'm not that bothered.
It's always nice to see a crystal clear beer though!

I think the only way for me to keep beer for 6 months plus is in bottles tucked away and forgotten about.
Trouble is they'll probably get drunk before I've forgotten about them!