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

[spliffy]

Ok started my version of the world famous Ditch's stout. Made a few changes due to my own stupidity and other factors. Instead of medium I added 500g dark and 500g light spray malt. My reason for this was once I got the whole thing going (mixed malt and hot water) I realised after going to fetch my dark spray malt I onloy had 500g. So I had a few 500g light and just chucked a bag in.. Then my next mistake.. I never bother with temp readings before adding yeast as pretty much if you add a couple of hot kettles and top up with cold water it normally comes out about right. For the first time in my short history of brewmaking I left the fv on the floor instead of at a height easier to see levels.. And duely added cold water ,.. then pitched a packet of SO4 (rehaydrated as per fermentis instructions), mixed it all up with my trusty plasterers paddle. Bunged in a cup of sugar when bam. I realised I was about 10 liters short..(getting eyes checked on Monday) So my water temp was probaly closer to 35 -40 C. So nothing for it but to top up to 23 liter mark and give it a good stir . So the cane sugar was mixed in good and proper. Stuck the fv in my 'brewing' room at about 21c and left it overnight. No signs of fermenting. So chucked in the coopers yeast straight out the packet. Hey presto.. Bubbling away merrily a few hours later. Maybe the high water temp at pitching the SO4 killed it. Anyway smells bloody fantastic.. Will let you know how it turns out.. Fingers and everything else crossed

[Ditch]

left it overnight. No signs of fermenting. So chucked in the coopers yeast straight out the packet. Hey presto.. Bubbling away merrily a few hours later.

Spliffy; My reckoning is that the first yeast was fine. See; I don't expect any visible activity for 48 hours after pitching the yeast. Even the Coopers yeast couldn't have set it off in just a few hours.

[Andris]

Update on my experiment - mixing Coopers Stout with can of Liquid Dark Malt Extract.
Its been about 3 weeks in bottles now.

Its odd, but mine ended up with a dry finish, has really nice burnt bread taste and aroma that I can smack on my lips for a very long time, but it lacks a bit of malty taste (just my opinion), so for next batch I will go with can of amber malt (in hope to get a bit more malty taste to even out burnt taste just tad) + some half kilo of DME - making it heavier on the body and ABV. Its surprisingly drinkable at 14-15C and gets worse when chilled more.

All and all, hands down, probably easiest brew to make, fermented like a blast, was fully done in 10 days (tho I left for more) and is drinkable after 2 weeks in bottles.

crap, while writing this stuff, pint is gone.

[Ditch]

Strange report, Andris. I'm using Dark dry malt right now, because that's all I can get. Many people here suggests the 'shade' only effects the colour, not the flavour. I find no compelling argument against that in my results ~ though, I'd like a pint of each, side by side, to try and be certain.

" Burnt Bread " ? Interesting. I can see coffee and perhaps chocolate in my stuff. But, there's always other things I can't put my finger on. Wonder if there's burnt bread in there too? See, I said somewhere here, recently; I wouldn't know " Hoppy ". Well, nor would I know " Malty ". I don't know how to ascribe those distinctions. I just know what I like the taste of

But, of course; Fact that ye using bottles and drinking what I take to be cold beer? All completely comes apart there. Seems ye experiencing something about as far removed from what I make as it gets; And possibly striving to get even further away from " Ditch's Stout ".

What ever; Coopers kits are the Dogs. Damn fine base for what ever one particularly looks for in a beer

[Andris]

Rye bread, thats what I had in mind - we have it here, its dark, very heavy, stays fresh for month and has nice blackish/burnt crust with very strong taste (thats the thing I can taste strongly in Guiness as well, which is only commercial stout available here) - that's probably the taste you cant put your hands on, it lingers there and probably by adding another can of DLME, I got it really upfront.

Hmm... you drink it warm? room temp? 20-22C?
mine is not exactly cold, more like cellar temp - 14-15C

Too bad we cant put them side by side I'm always curious how the other brews taste. I bet, every brewer, like every cook, has its own "beer signature taste" same way like cooks have their favorite spice mix that lingers in every dish.

[spliffy]

The reason I chucked the coopers yeast in as well was normally once i rehydrate the yeast it kicks off in less than four hours.. I had nothing happening about 18 hours later and was a bit concerned the so4 might have been killed or damaged due to high temp. anyway its bubbled nicely and started slowing.. so will be having a taste in next week or two.. i'm curious to see how it turns out

[Ditch]

Yeah; I had a brief fling with wetting my yeast first. Again, typically for my approach; Just too much bother!

I'm really out to strip this whole show down to its basics, see? Lazy bastard. I just want great beer with the absolute minimum of effort. If a corner can be cut? I'll find out and tell ye about it here, some way or another.

Now? I just sling my yeast in as soon as the messing's all done and the FV reads round about the 20Litr mark. I take an eye judgement on the foam and top up later in the night, once it's dropped. Leave the heater to bring it up to optimum temp' in it's own time.

Thus mine go ballistic inside 48 hours. I just try to make enough, often enough, to keep level with my intake requirements

[shazza]

[quote][/quote] See; I don't expect any visible activity for 48 hours after pitching the yeast. Even the Coopers yeast couldn't have set it off in just a few hours.

Beg to differ but I put on a Coopers stout brew on 28/10 ;2c cans + 1.5kg Dark Spraymalt+1kg glucose.OG was about 1044 and temp 26C.Fermentation commenced within 40 minutes...I was amazed!BTW this was for a 46L batch and I only noticed because I was doing a Coopers English Bitter at the same time as I was doing a Kendridge Amarone(drink making night at chez shazza). MY stout FV is rigid so no questions of expansion/contaction. Just great bloody yeast without a hint of Bentonite(unlike the wine).Cheers darlings.

[spliffy]

Beg to differ but I put on a Coopers stout brew on 28/10 ;2c cans + 1.5kg Dark Spraymalt+1kg glucose.OG was about 1044 and temp 26C.Fermentation commenced within 40 minutes...I was amazed!BTW this was for a 46L batch and I only noticed because I was doing a Coopers English Bitter at the same time as I was doing a Kendridge Amarone(drink making night at chez shazza). MY stout FV is rigid so no questions of expansion/contaction. Just great bloody yeast without a hint of Bentonite(unlike the wine).Cheers darlings.

That was my reasoning behind adding the Coopers yeast to mine after 18 hours or so because mine normally kicks off in less than 4 hours after mixing with plasterers paddle and pitching rehydrated yeast. But going to bottle this weekend and will see what happens. Just had a taste of a Muntons imperial stout that I did a couple of months ago and quite dissaponted with it. Lacks any body.. Tastes flat even though it has a reasonable head although it doesnt last long. Hoping it will improve but it is drinkable. A question for those who know better than me. For the first time I bottled in PET 500ml bottles. Could that be the difference?

[Ditch]

temp 26C.

[bungle666]

Well i have finally started a ditches!! true to the whole "spirit of ditch" I was a lazy bugger.. i sanitised EVERYTHING (FV included) with a few squirts of starsan and chucked it all together in my mango chutney fermenter.. DISASTER!!! it was too small for the thrashing head space so i tipped the whole thing into my bottling bucket that i had sanitised and used to campdenise my water!! i just hope its OK as I didn't re-sanitise it!! oh well the yeast is in now so its too late......

i think the only thing i did different was add my tate and lyle with the contents of the tin, pre thrash!!

now to go rest my arm......... i think i need a paint mixer!!

Cheers ditch!!

B..

[Ditch]

it was too small for the thrashing head space so i tipped the whole thing into my bottling bucket that i had sanitised and used to campdenise my water!! i just hope its OK as I didn't re-sanitise it!! oh well the yeast is in now so its too late......

i think the only thing i did different was add my tate and lyle with the contents of the tin, pre thrash!!

Bungle; I'm quite sure it'll be fine, mate. There's really too much latent hysteria floating about over 'nasties' floating around. The air is not a pulsating soup of tangible beer ruination agents. Hell, if it was That bad, why don't commercial brewers wear paper overalls and sealed supply respirators?

Here's a secret; Most times, having bleached and rinsed out my FV's, as I reattach the nut at the back of the tap ....? My shirt sleeve touches the inside of the FV! Never made a brew bad yet

I put three brews in yesterday. Slung the dried malt in. Poured the tin in. Chucked a mug of sugar on top. Added a load of water. Then I started the drill up! Effortless! In fact, now I'm down to bitching and moaning to myself that I have to rinse FV's and carry water! I've removed any other 'effort' from the whole process.

Get a 'mixer ~ Easy Life!

[boingy]

My shirt sleeve touches the inside of the FV!

You, my friend, are flirting with disaster. Next you'll be telling us you don't hold your breath when you are near the FV.

[bungle666]

Haha some fine words of encouragement from ditch! Thanks mate!

Stop wrinsing your gear and invest in some starsan saves loads of time and faffing about!

B..

[Ditch]

Stop wrinsing your gear and invest in some starsan saves loads of time and faffing about!

Ye know; I might actually just try that. It seems popular. I've never been completely happy with Iodaphor ~ though I've never come unstuck with it either, must be said. Bleach I trust implicitly. But, it's a pain in the arse squeezing myself round the shower door, with a 5 gallon container in my hands. Lot of (metered) water too .....

Always on the look out for shaving a bit more labour off the process. That's me!