Kit question

Discuss making up beer kits - the simplest way to brew.
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Curious Brew

Kit question

Post by Curious Brew » Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:22 pm

I haven't got a container large enough to condition the water prior to adding to the kit (usually you'd condition it in a keg/FV with 1/2 Campden tablet?), is there any other way I could do it?

I guess adding the Campden tablet to the made-up kit is A Bad Thing.

gareth90

Post by gareth90 » Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:57 pm

I have just set my 1st kit off and the instructions told me to add a water treatment tablet(1x provided in starter kit)presumably a campden just before adding/pitching the yeast.

Id be interested to see what other people do as my LHBS chap said he doesnt bother?? :shock:

tkerby

Post by tkerby » Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:02 pm

The campden should be added before the malt is added to the water. The phenols in the malt form Trichlorophenols (TCP) when they react with chlorine or chloramine in the water.

I tend to use a big stock pot full of water and a glass with premixed campden. I add a slug of campden water from the glass into each pot full, stir and pour in on top of the malt.

It depends on your water supply whether it is strictly necessary but I find it does improve the beer

frutbunn

Re: Kit question

Post by frutbunn » Sat Oct 13, 2007 9:04 pm

I don't know whether this works correctly or not, but I tend to mix one tablet with 500ml of (boiled/sanitised) water in a PET bottle. I then fill 5x 5ltr plastic water bottles with tap water and add 50ml from the PET bottle to each one. I then shake the 5ltr water bottles and leave them for about 10 minutes. I discard the remaining 250ml from the PET bottle once I've pitched.

If you do this don't forget to sanitise all the bottles of course!

Edit: Forgot to say, once I've pitched, I give a few of the clean 5ltr bottles a quick rinse in 5x tablets and then make some turbo cider! 8)

Keviebaby

Post by Keviebaby » Sun Oct 14, 2007 7:52 pm

Not meaning to hi-jack this thread but I've always wondered if you treat your water with a campden tablet to remove the chlorine, do you have to rack off the water before you add it to your brew or can you just add the tablet, leave it for a few minutes to do its thing and then pour into your FV?

Thanks,

Kev

Fermenting
Brewferm Oud Vlaams Bruin made with Belgian Candy Sugar
Brupaks India Pale Ale

Drinking - NOTHING!!!!!!!

StevieR

Post by StevieR » Mon Oct 15, 2007 11:30 am

I normally pre-treat my water with a Campden tablet and then add this from my spare fv into the main fv once the malt extract has been added. However, I once added all of the water to my fv, added the crushed campden tablet and let it for 10 min or so. Then added the malt extract to this and trashed it all bout for 10 min to aerate.

I found no difference in either method

Curious Brew

Post by Curious Brew » Mon Oct 15, 2007 11:45 am

StevieR wrote:However, I once added all of the water to my fv, added the crushed campden tablet and let it for 10 min or so. Then added the malt extract to this and trashed it all bout for 10 min to aerate.

I found no difference in either method
Sweet, I'll give that a go. 8)

Sheepy

Post by Sheepy » Mon Oct 15, 2007 4:30 pm

I have never bothered and have had no problems. Niether has Chris who lives near by (we are south of Leicester) so it may not always be required.

Curious Brew

Post by Curious Brew » Mon Oct 15, 2007 5:04 pm

Any other water treatment required for a kit, boiling etc?

sparky Paul

Post by sparky Paul » Mon Oct 15, 2007 5:19 pm

Sheepy wrote:I have never bothered and have had no problems. Niether has Chris who lives near by (we are south of Leicester) so it may not always be required.
I've never bothered either. However, having sampled some of the different tap waters when I've stayed around the country, I'm not surprised some people have difficulties - the tap water in some areas is horrible. :?

anomalous_result

Post by anomalous_result » Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:41 pm

Curious-brew wrote:
StevieR wrote:However, I once added all of the water to my fv, added the crushed campden tablet and let it for 10 min or so. Then added the malt extract to this and trashed it all bout for 10 min to aerate.

I found no difference in either method
Sweet, I'll give that a go. 8)
This is what I did, although when I was sanitising I put the tins of extract in with it. Thoroughly rinsed them off and then, after warming them, you can pick up some of your liquor in the cans to help extract the extract. Also I realised that you're having to stir it in but this is aerating it, which isn't bad. Start stirring on the bottom to lift the extract and move it round then the top more to aerate more.

The last brew I did is the least twangy but there's still something after 4-5 weeks in the bottle.

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