Ok.
ive been a beers brewer for a number of years. What i usually do is buy a tin of that sticky mixture, add the yeast and sweetener and leave until formented. then i transfer to barrel and leave for a number of months until i think its ready to be drunk.
I still would only consider myself as a newbie, as i do not know anything else about beer brewing.
What im looking for in this thread is for more experianced brewers to add comments on what they do from a A yo Z point of view. For example when you add the tin of sticky malt and yeast and sugar what else do you add that is available from the homebrewers shop. Then once formented do you add anything else before barreling or bottling. how long do you leave it for before drinking.
I hope you get the gist of this thread. At the end of the day i want to use these tips to help me make better beer.
Thanks folks
Kit brewing info from experianced brewers
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anomalous_result
DaaB's site covers almost everything, but if you have any follow-up questions don't hesitate to ask.
I'll give you a brief answer to your specific questions.
What else do you add?
For my part I've just started adding a single campden table to the water before adding the extract. This helps to remove chlorine compunds from the water which can react with other things in the brew to produce a medicinal taste. The hope is that adding a tablet will make the beer taste more like the real thing.
Do you add anything else before barreling/bottling?
I bottle my beer and in order to prime it I mix 60-80g of ordinary granulated sugar into some boiled water and add this to the fermenting vessel, give the green beer a light stir (you don't want to introduce oxygen to the brew at this point) and leave it for half an hour to make sure the sugar's fully dissolved and the mix is fairly homogenous. Then I use a bottling stick to ease the process of bottling.
There are other ways of brewing, including boiling the contents of the kit, but from what I've read, beyond the basics appears to be either overkill or personal preference.
I'll give you a brief answer to your specific questions.
What else do you add?
For my part I've just started adding a single campden table to the water before adding the extract. This helps to remove chlorine compunds from the water which can react with other things in the brew to produce a medicinal taste. The hope is that adding a tablet will make the beer taste more like the real thing.
Do you add anything else before barreling/bottling?
I bottle my beer and in order to prime it I mix 60-80g of ordinary granulated sugar into some boiled water and add this to the fermenting vessel, give the green beer a light stir (you don't want to introduce oxygen to the brew at this point) and leave it for half an hour to make sure the sugar's fully dissolved and the mix is fairly homogenous. Then I use a bottling stick to ease the process of bottling.
There are other ways of brewing, including boiling the contents of the kit, but from what I've read, beyond the basics appears to be either overkill or personal preference.
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StevieR
I also have both dry hopped some kits (namely the Woodfordes Wherry) for 5 days )once primary fermentation was complete), with approx 25g East Kent Goldings - this adds aroma/flavour to the beer.
I've also boiled the can rinsings with 25g Hallertau hops when I made my Muntons Pilsner in order to improved flavour and crispness/bite.
There are a range of other hops available which can all help to enhance the flavour/aroma of your beer and make it more like the commerical ales.
Hope this helps
Stephen
I've also boiled the can rinsings with 25g Hallertau hops when I made my Muntons Pilsner in order to improved flavour and crispness/bite.
There are a range of other hops available which can all help to enhance the flavour/aroma of your beer and make it more like the commerical ales.
Hope this helps
Stephen