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

[Paddy Bubbles]

ahhh... I'm trying to exercise a bit of patience with the old brewing these days. My beers have all been peaking when I have about three left!! A common story, I know.

I might have a taste after 2 weeks cold conditioning.

Ditch, I'm guessing you wouldn't be so restrained!?

[barney]

Hi,

doing ditches stout with coopers, instead of the extract I am mashing 1.5 kg of grain. Question is will i need to boil the wort and if so for how long? The full 90 Mins?

[Ditch]

Damn. I was hoping someone would say 5 days or something. I'm dying to get stuck into this.

5 days or something.

There ye go! Someone just said it Now, get amongst it when ever ye feel like it.

If it doesn't taste great? Cest la vie. I never once suggested putting it in a bottle.

Truth to tell? I've never once 'Bottled' a HB Beer. So I honestly have no idea about the details of such.

[Ditch]

Doing ditches stout with coopers, instead of the extract I am mashing 1.5 kg of grain. Question is will i need to boil the wort and if so for how long? The full 90 Mins?

Barney; I honestly think ye'd be better off asking about this sort of thing in the AG section, mate.

Mashing and Boiling? We're simple Kit Makers. More Thrash and Spew types

[Kev888]

Hi Barney,

Yes, you should indeed boil after mashing, but anywhere between about 60mins to 90mins would be fine. Unlike the kit, the wort you make yourself isn't sterile and hasn't had DMS driven off yet and that kind of thing. In AG boiling also aids hop utilisation but that won't apply here unless you're adding extra hops as well.

Cheers,
Kev

[Simon7]

Damn. I was hoping someone would say 5 days or something. I'm dying to get stuck into this. It'll be 2 weeks carbonating this weekend so will put it out in my shed for another month. Sometimes life just isn't fair..........................

I normally start supping my bottled Coopers Stout as soon as it's done carbonating. I buy the kit if I'm running low on stock because it's so quick to be drinkable.

[davew]

Just enjoying my first pint of Ditch's Stout full on recipie, I was a bit worried about the brew bubbling over but it managed to contain itself just.

I must say it's delicious full of coffee and licorice tones. Very nice and I don't think this one is going to get time to condition.

[Ditch]

I'll be joining ye presently, Dave!

Having been tasting less than ideal " Ditch's ", due to the lower ambient temperatures, I've just finished racking off four lots. I'd switched the heaters off about 14:00 today, I think? Either way, each FV had cooled that little bit and ..... My god, yes! I feel like inviting friends round to sample this stuff again!

There's absolutely positively an optimum temperature for serving this stuff at. Freezing cold isn't it! It's 12 c. in this room. That stout must be well above that. One FV tasted like creamy coffee! Absolutely f**king gorgeous!

Of course, it'll actually decline again. As it slips down to ambient. But, with summer coming, it won't be long before it hits that perfect pitch again. And I'll be making a warm box for a couple of kegs too. Next winter, I want to be drinking my stuff at that optimum temperature

[Paddy Bubbles]

Damn. I was hoping someone would say 5 days or something. I'm dying to get stuck into this. It'll be 2 weeks carbonating this weekend so will put it out in my shed for another month. Sometimes life just isn't fair..........................

I normally start supping my bottled Coopers Stout as soon as it's done carbonating. I buy the kit if I'm running low on stock because it's so quick to be drinkable.

Cheers Simon. What rate do you prime your stout at? I used 80g dextrose, batch-primed. Hope I haven't overdone it - I want just a slight sparkle in it.

[Simon7]

Cheers Simon. What rate do you prime your stout at? I used 80g dextrose, batch-primed. Hope I haven't overdone it - I want just a slight sparkle in it.

I batch prime, 80g of whatever ordinary sugar we've got in at the time in a 20 litre brew. It's a funny one for priming because you want the nice head on it but not the fizz in it I believe that if you're kegging you can use nitrogen instead of co2, but all my brews are bottled.

[Shaun21]

After reading this thread I feel embarrassed to say that I brewed the Irish stout with normal tate & lyle sugar

but ditch has shown me the way forward in brewing. Hopefully I won't be such an idiot next time and brew something half decent haha.

Oh well, I suppose it's all learning and I am definitely going to follow this recipe next time.

[Marshbrewer]

Doing a batch of Ditch's this weekend. How much is a 'mug' of brown sugar, as I've got various sizes here that would range from about 100g to nearly 300g, or isn't it critical?

[Ditch]

JJSH; I just use what I'd consider a pretty standardised size / type of mug. I mean; A mug's never a cup. Though I've had a pretty immense cup at one time. Never bothered to measure the volume though.

I guess as long as ye follow common sense, then all will be fine. Worst that can happen, if ye choose an extraordinary mug, the size of a small bucket, just to be silly? Ye'd end up with a pretty strong but dubiously tasting brew.

I hate it myself when someone says " A Handful ". But a mug? Just grab the most 'normal' looking mug to hand. Or walk into a shop and grab one off the displays there. It'll be 'normal' sized

[Marshbrewer]

Got this brew on this morning, added about half a 500g bag of brown sugar, as that seamed like about a mug full. brewed it a bit short by mistake, about 18L, so it's come out at 1056. Ooops...

[Trunky]