tom caxton dark real ale

[rhodian]

wow, made this practically in my sleep. no worries at all. nothin fancy - just glucose and the yeast supplied, oh and about half their "hop enhancer" sachet. dunno spec gravity, let it stay in primary for about a week, kegged and kept inside for a couple more days. really expecting just an average brew, but anyway couldn't wait more than another couple days for it to condition and it's BRILLIANT. i mean, i was heading out to the pub, but now i'm stayin in!

hooray tom caxton!

[DRB]

Sounding like a satisfied customer .

[mctoon]

Bet its all gone by the weekend

[Petrovitch]

Well done that brewer

My brewing buddy tried a Tom Caxton Real Ale kit and it turned out like poo, was drinkable for the first few weeks after bottling but then rapidly went downhill.

[rhodian]

i'm really upset.

in the space of 24 hours, my keg has lost all pressure. my 2nd pint today was completely flat - there'll hardly be enough pressure to get the rest out probably, since it's a top-tap. still tastes fine, i guess, but really, i'd like a bit of a head on it.

i'm gutted.

the highs are high, but the lows are oh so low...

only 2nd time i've used the bloody keg, too. lid seems fine and i put vaseline on the seals; must be a tiny leak or something.

so, assuming i get new seals, and that the beer will stay fine for a while in the keg - any ideas for how i get some carbonation back into it. just prime again and bring back into the warm for a couple days? or should i add more yeast?

[rhodian]

aaaahhh, right. silly me - am't i the innocent one!

temperature it is! cheers, daab. basically, the keg's in the shed and it's colder than a well-digger's ass out there. i'll bring it in and see what happens.

seems so obvious now...

[rhodian]

hey, bringing it inside has worked a treat.

mmmmm good beer

thanks again!

[FlourPower]

I made a Tom Caxton's Dark Real Ale in the snows at the begining of the year. After a long fermentation, struggling to keep it warm it got bottled. I hadn't liked the real ale at all so was dubious.

Tried a few bottles:

2 weeks: Green and yeasty. Became drain cleaner
4 weeks: Nice!
6 weeks: Eugh!
8 weeks: Nice again!
Now at about 3 and a half months of conditioning it is one of the best kits I've brewed. Fantastically malty on the palate with a mild hint of bitterness. Made with 1kg of Spraymalt this is sooooo drinkable.

Just a shame it takes at least 2 months to condition. I wish I had some in glass so I could age it longer.