anyone reccommend a good kit from muntons or woodefords?

[BIGTRACTOR]

nice one

[BIGTRACTOR]

started the smugglers kiy, yesterday morning. I did use the muntons yeast because i forgot to buy any safale from the HB shop

I rehydrated the yeast first in pre boiled water at 25oc then i added this to some of the wort that was at 25oc and put the mix in a small pop bottle (as per daabs instructions). After an hour the yeast was working away bubbling well and i added it to the wort.

Although 12 hours later before i went to bed, nothing was happening at all, and after reading the topic 'wherry worries' i began to get a little worried, but luckily this morning everything seems fine

[BIGTRACTOR]

yeah i'll get a few sachets to keep in stock.

fingers crossed then! :roll

i'll probably give it 10 days or at least i'll wait until i get two same readings after 24 hours, but what FG would be ideal for this kit?

my coopers ipa and scotish heavy were barrelled around the 1.012 - 1.014 mark

[BIGTRACTOR]

unfortunately the instructions were on the box and it got thrown in the bin !!

but i took a reading today after 3 days and its at 1.024 and loads of bubbles are still rising to the surface.

[GTATTY]

I started my smugglers kit today.

All was going well untill I looked at my rehydrated (bundled)yeast in the bottle. It had been left for 20 mins and nothing! I added it to 30C cooled boiling water with a teasoon of Glucose aswell just like all the ones I've done before.

I pitched it in anyway and gave a stir.

I also sprinkled over the wort a pack of Muntons Premium Gold yeast I had in store. That started to expand straight away on top of the wort and then eventually sink.

The Fermenting bin now has lid on and is in a room at 21C.

I will recheck in the morning.

What should the initial SG be as I read 1.048/1.050 from my wort?

Regards

A confused Graham


Regards

Graham

[BIGTRACTOR]

mine was 1.048'ish mate so your spot on.

i've always wondered,:
if you were to make a wine and the reading was 1.048 and it fermented down to 1.000 then if you look on the table it says the alcohol content would be around 6 percent. ( i know you wouldn't make a wine this weak)

So if a beer has a SG of 1.048 and it ferments down to say 1.015
can you go: 1.048 - 1.015 = 1.033, look on the table at 1.033 and read off a potential alcohol content of your beer as around 4%

is this about right or am i being thick,

also while i'm on the subject do many people give their brew a small alcohol boost by adding extra brewing sugar or malt? or is it really best to stick to the kits chosen end percentage. (just thinking it would make it taste too unlike what the manufacturers intended). Then again 5% seems like a nice, round alcohol content

[Russ]

Hi BT

Drinking a glass of Smugglers as we speak.....
Mine stuck at 1024 and needed Dry beer enzyme to get it to 1012.
Mine started at 1052 and finished at 1012 and I reckon thats 5.2 a.b.v. The calc I use for a.b.v is OG (in your case 1048)- FG (in your case 1015) divided by 7.45. Which should give you 4.4 % so your table looks to about tally to me.

Cheers

[StrangeBrew]

Instead of adding more sugar just add less water!
Not sure what the 'pints left out' to 'alcohol volume gained' ratio is though? Maybe someone else could explain this better than me!

[BIGTRACTOR]

Russ, how long did yours take to ferment? did you give it ten days?

also how long in the barrel?

i'm looking forward to eventually tasting mine, already planning the next kit. would like to do a brupaks but HB shop don't stock them, only muntons and woodefords in the premium range. think i might do another wherry, but with safale and poss.a few hops. or maybe a great eastern.

anyone reccommend a good, irish stout?

[StrangeBrew]

DaaB, I think I understand now...it's as clear as mud

If less water is added would it also add greatly to the body of the finished beer?

[Russ]

HI BT

Well mine didn't go smoothly I'm afraid but here's the story..................... I started on 9.11.06 using the yeast that came with the kit (0G 1051) I moved to secondary on 14.11.06. (I was going away for a week but with hindsight I'd have left it in Primary.......) Checked Garavity 10 days later on my return and was displeased to find it was 1024, ferm stopped. I added more Safale 04 on 24.11.06, -nothing. So added Dry beer Enzyme (27.1106) and off she went (slowly). I barreled to King Keg on 12.12.06 at 1012 and primed.
I'm drinking it now, it's OK but never cleared well. I'd make this again, don't let me put you off, as I said mine didn't go well but I'd the following method.
I now use a Cornie and a Converted KK for conditioning so allow fermentation to finish and beer to drop bright in the primary (3-4 weeks in my limited experience) before Kegging and force carbonating (1 week). I't easier and seems to work for me.

Personally I'm giving Muntons kits a rest for a while and trying Brupack's to see if my look changes.

Hope this helps.

[bettyswallocks]

I don't blame you for sticking with Brupaks. I do Brupaks or Coopers with spray malt. Never had any problems with coopers yeast.
cheers

[GTATTY]

Those of you who do Brupaks, do you boil for the recommended 10 mins or do you just chuck everything into the fermenter unboiled?

Just wondered as I was looking at some kits today at the Flagon and Cask.
I bought some Safale 04, light spraymalt and a Sherwood Best bitter kit.

I couldn't resist buying anything!!

Hopefully brewing the Sherwood kit in a couple of weeks

Regards

Graham

[GTATTY]

I take it that they need to be boiled then!

Anyone tried them without boiling then and if so how were they?


Graham

[GTATTY]

Think I might buy a kit next week then and give it a try!

Thanks DaaB

Regards

Graham