To introduce myself, I'm Matt I live in Guildford Surrey and have been brew for about 2 months.
This is something I have always wanted to do ever since my I help my dad sterilize 2l 'pop' bottles in the bath when I was younger.
My first brew was a John Bull Larger kit that I brew at 18l instead of 23l giving me a higher ABV. This went very well and got 8 x 2l out of it, some of the bottles did not carbonate as well as I liked but the overall taste was not really affected by this.
Now being a bitter and ale man I decided new brew would have to be summer ale of sorts, being in the (so called) summer. So this brew will consist of 3 x Brewferm Amber, the official blurb on it is:
"
"An amber summer beer with a red copper tint, that has a slightly acidic palate at first and a sweet after taste.
This kit contains 1.5kg malt extract.
Approx ABV - 6.5%
This kit makes 15 litres.
Sugar required - 1.075kg during fermentation + 3oz for priming. For best results use Brewferm candi sugar for the fermentation and Body Bru for priming, as this aids head retention"
I will be using the ME from this however I have bought in addition
2 x Young’s Ale yeast
5Kg x Dextrose (Not going to use all of it but cheaper to buy this amount)
100g x Goldings Hops. (Going to try dry hopping the brew)
This will all be done in my newly converted airing cupboard that I now call the Brewery-Biltong box (Also have the Bilton drying in a box in there)
I have made my own Fermenting bucket using a Clinical waste 70l container 15mm tank connecter and a 15mm qt. turn valve.
This is the container, nice and bright so you can miss it.
On the inside I have 'jiggery pokery' a street elbow into the back of the tank connector so not to disturb the sediment when bottling.
Then on the outside is the qt. turn valve.
This set up allows for easy cleaning as all the parts are compression and can be taken apart. The 15mm copper can have a hose tale put on the end or have a hose wedged over then end for bottling. Also the qt. turn vale allows for very fine adjustment for bottling.
All this is now in place and I'm just now waiting on the beer kits to arrive and then I'm ready.
There will be updates with lots of pictures to come.
Matt.
