" Ditch's Stout " Master Class .....

[Ditch]

Put some in today. Leave it till it gets up to pace and Must remember to check those temperatures!

I must admit; As I scrubbed and scratched at the dried on crud around my heater heads and flexes, trying desperately not to tap them on the belfast sink, I thought of the trug lads. Wish to f**k I could do that! My heaters just never got the water temp's anywhere near high enough

Buggered if I know.

[mattpocket]

I know Ditch will HATE this observation, but I made a batch today strictly according to Ditch's instructions apart from the fact I threw a hydrometer into the bucket. When I came to top it up to 20L I found the hydrometer read 1.024 - giving a final ABV of around 1.5-2%. What the monkeys!? Gave it a stir and I'm up to 4.5%. Obviously the malt/sugar sinks to the bottom. I shouldn't have been alarmed! i thought anyone really wanting to make Ditch's stout who doesnt mind reading through 77 pages of posts might find this useful. Actually, bollocks, do what Ditch says, it'll be fine. All that this post does is reaffirm that!

[Pinto]

I know Ditch will HATE this observation, but I made a batch today strictly according to Ditch's instructions apart from the fact I threw a hydrometer into the bucket. When I came to top it up to 20L I found the hydrometer read 1.024 - giving a final ABV of around 1.5-2%. What the monkeys!? Gave it a stir and I'm up to 4.5%. Obviously the malt/sugar sinks to the bottom. I shouldn't have been alarmed! i thought anyone really wanting to make Ditch's stout who doesnt mind reading through 77 pages of posts might find this useful. Actually, bollocks, do what Ditch says, it'll be fine. All that this post does is reaffirm that!

Yeast is a cunning and hungry little beastie - as long as the sugar is in there, it'll sniff it out and convert it the the magic nectar Ditch would whip you soundly for using such black magic as a Hydrometer and in this instance you can see why have faith in the black stuff !

[mattpocket]

Cant wait to 'get amongst it' been a while since I've brewed this one. A stout is definitely what I'm craving now the winter is on it's way. And in true ditch style I'll be drinking it fresh and young!

I was surprised that the stirring made a difference, you'd think once the malt and sugar are dissolved it wouldnt be able to 'sink'. Maybe I didnt thrash it enough, although I had a healthy looking spew yesterday morning

[crafty john]

Just had a look in my brew cupboard Ditch, I have a Coopers Stout so I think I will have to knock it up tomorrow, I promise I won't use an airlock or hydrometer

[Irish.Brew]

My first Ditch's Stout in a couple of years...OG was 1050 and after 10 days it's 1014-16....brewed at 20-21°C using Notingham yeast as the kit was out of date so didn't bother with the supplied one.Would this be ok to go ahead and bottle?

[Ditch]

I made a batch today strictly according to Ditch's instructions apart from the fact I threw a hydrometer into the bucket .....

Sorry, Matt. But; Ditch The Forgiving actually found what ye said there a little difficult to follow

Ye did it 'Strictly according to my instructions' ? So, ye whisked it up with an artex paddle? On a high speed drill, that alone should thrash the entire ingredients together. And aerate it to a bubbling head of madness that'll take twenty four hours to recede.

Digest what I'm saying, for a moment. Then, maybe, you'll better see where my confusion lies ..... It's this thing about you (At some, undefined, later point) " Gave it a stir ". See?

How could " A Stir " suddenly influence that which has been thoroughly thrashed to within an inch of its life previously?

No worries. This is the sort of confusion we need to iron out here. My thanks to Pinto for taking the trouble to step in with some words there.

I'm actually aware of all the activity on this thread. I'll be back to address more posts, presently. I'm just caught up in the distraction of preparing for Winter, in the (rural) real world just now

[Ditch]

OG was 1050 and after 10 days it's 1014-16 .....Would this be ok to go ahead and bottle?

Buggered if I'd know, Irish. I neither drop glass fishing floats in my beer. Nor do I bottle the stuff.

People on here that chat about such stuff though tend to use the thumb rule of 'Three Days Stable', don't they? No change over three consecutive days. It's done.


'Your first Ditch's Stout in a couple of years' ..... Your first post?! What have you been up to then, Irish ....?

Enquiring minds .....

[Irish.Brew]

[quote="Ditch"][quote="Irish.Brew"]OG was 1050 and after 10 days it's 1014-16 .....Would this be ok to go ahead and bottle?[/quote]

Buggered if I'd know, Irish. I neither drop glass fishing floats in my beer. Nor do I bottle the stuff.

People on here that chat about such stuff though tend to use the thumb rule of 'Three Days Stable', don't they? No change over three consecutive days. It's done.


'Your first Ditch's Stout in a couple of years' ..... Your first post?! What have you been up to then, Irish ....?

Enquiring minds .....[/quote]

Had another Username Ditch 'Fish'n'Chips' but it's not accepting it anymore or recognising my email address to reset the password so had to create a new account

Just haven't brewed in years.Your stout being the last one I done.Have another which must be near ready to bottle.Went ahead even though it's past it's best before date.Tastes alright at the minute.Think I'll start again after this as I have another Coopers Stout which is out of date

[Ditch]

..... even though it's past it's best before date.Tastes alright at the minute.

I heard a Chef explaining that to some trainees one time. He showed them some sort of salt. Said it had been formed millions of years ago. Yet it still came with a BBD!

The yeast might be knackered by now. Replace that. But, the malt will be fine.

[Pinto]

Clue is in the words.... "BEST" and "BEFORE"

In other words, the vendor isn't prepared to guarantee that what you've bought will meet your expectations after a certain date, and hence they eschew liability after said time - it certainly doesn't mean it wont work properly or make quality product after that date.

"USE BY xxxxx" however is one to watch, as the product is likely to have spoiled, become inedible or even risks toxicity/bacterial infection after the mentioned date

[tazzymutt]

Clue is in the words.... "BEST" and "BEFORE"

In other words, the vendor isn't prepared to guarantee that what you've bought will meet your expectations after a certain date, and hence they eschew liability after said time - it certainly doesn't mean it wont work properly or make quality product after that date.

"USE BY xxxxx" however is one to watch, as the product is likely to have spoiled, become inedible or even risks toxicity/bacterial infection after the mentioned date

However, for long shelf life products (and cans tend to fall into that category) the best before or use by date is usually simply long enough to keep purchasers happy because the cost of proving that the product can be stored much longer is so high that the manufacturers see no value in spending the time and money on the proving trials. Many products will be fine waaaaayyy beyond the printed expiry dates. (Use some sense though; perishables can be pretty unpleasant when left too long).

Ditches stout, however, has an unknown shelf life. No one ever keeps it long enough to find it's effective expiry date. (Thinks: barrel almost empty; time to get another one on).

Happy brewing,


Ian.

[goldenone]

Quick question guys....

I followed Ditch's recipe when I started my stout on Sunday afternoon except having no drill paddle I gave it a good thrashing with my brewers spoon which created an excellent foam. I rehydrated the yeast and added that but now it seems that there is no activity that I can see and no bubbling in the airlock (approx 40 hours after starting as I post).

It could be that the temperature in my under stairs cupboard isn't warm enough?? It was fine for my first 2 brews over the past 2 months but this one seems like nothing is happening. But at this stage I'm beginning to wonder if there is something that I can do to kick start it?

I don't have an aquarium heater and probably couldn't use one as my fermenter is one of those with the narrower top with screw top.... Any advice would be appreciated :)

EDIT:
Just had a quick peek inside the fermenter and I can't even see any evidence of krausen :( Is it worth trying sprinkling some more yeast and seeing how it goes? If so which is best as I've just picked up a sachet of Muntons Premium Gold? Would this be ok?

Getting worried now :(

[Ditch]

I followed Ditch's recipe .....

No, you didn't. And now you pay .....

Rehydrating the yeast? Where do I say to do that? Coopers yeast is perfectly fine, slung out of the packet onto the foamy head any worthwhile thrashing should have created.

There's every chance you damaged the yeast by putting it in hot water. Not suggesting you're an inept idiot. Only that there's a greater chance of scalding the stuff, while trying to rehydrate, than there is any danger in just slinging it in.

This is why " Ditch's recipe " says sling the stuff straight from the packet.

Temperature in your cupboard under the stairs? What that temperature was doing over the last two months probably has absolutely no bearing on the here and now.

Ditch doesn't have a cupboard under the stairs. Because Ditch has no stairs. But, Ditch has eighteen inch thick walls. You don't.

Doesn't make a f**k of difference though. We both live in the same hemisphere. And it's a bloody site cooler now than two months ago. Ditch has a thermometer in his room and is quite obsessive about keeping an eye on it.

In the past few weeks it's dropped from 70 to 64. Ditch now wears his fleece in here. Those half a dozen degrees count!

Hot air rises, etc. That cupboard under the stairs is now the coldest place in your house. Possibly rivalling ye fridge. That yeast is probably freezing its bits off. If ye haven't killed it with hot water? Ye've sent it into suspended animation with the f**king cold!

Go to the local pet shop and buy a 50 watt fish tank heater / stat. Set it to 22 C. Feed it (sanitised) into that over grown bottle there. Chuck a wetted dish cloth over the top of the uncapped neck. (FFS, throw that f**king air lock away!!!)

If it's not all over the floor inside 48 hours? Buy some Safale what ever it is from ye local HBS and sling that straight in there.

Christ all f**king mighty. Must be the most detailed instructional thread on the entire site. And Still people are saying, ' I did as told and it's not working. ' No, you f**king Haven't! Deviate and crash, FFS!

What next? I embark on Ditch's Tour Of Instruction? Show you people how to do what I've written ....?!

I could make the f**king DVD!

[Ditch]

Here we are, look: This one I added the dry yeast to exactly twenty four hours ago. I followed my own method to the letter. Look what I get .....

It works.