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

[Ditch]

Brewed it a bit short by mistake, about 18L, so it's come out at 1056. Ooops...

Ooh, f**k me! I'm on my way ....!

[Ditch]

Trunky; Why on earth do ye deliberately chill ye stuff, mate? Don't ye find in crushes the flavour?

Got a pint in front of me as I type. As I expected; It's fell back to ambient temperature since I took it from the 'cooling' FV and stuck it in the keg. And, where as that first evenings 'warm' beer was absolutely fantastic ~ this is, sadly, just 'cold' again

In fact, about all I get, from this stuff so cold, is a bitterness at the back at the throat. There's essentially nothing on the tongue. Just a sensation of coldness

I'm up to my neck in building nest boxes for birds right now. Then the weather should warm up. But, come Autumn, I really Must build myself a Warm Box for a couple of BK's.

[Trunky]

[Ditch]

F**k that, Trunks. I have no heating on now. What it is is what it stays. And that's as above.

Tell ye what? I've half a mind to start experimenting with what my ex used to do, when she made " Sake ". Bung it in the micro wave!

Seriously! We'd just pour a bottle into a plastic jug and bang it in the micro for a bit. Fantastic!

Now; If I could just get the balls up to try 'heating' a pint of my stuff like that? Get it right and it could be good

[Marshbrewer]

Well, mine went mental and I was shatting my pants that my FV would explode on Monday night, as I was working away, and it would be sods law that it would explode leaving black gunk everywhere while I wasn't around to keep an eye on it, especially as I brew in sealed FV's with an airlock,. But it looks like it reached the top and gave up. Nice one.

It did fill the room with an eggy smell, though, and appears to have stopped fermenting (or slowed down considerably). So I couldn't resist getting it out of the water bath and drawing off a sample tubes worth.

Good news, it hasn't stopped, there was lots of activity on the sample. More good news, it's dropped to about 1020 from 105ty something in only 5 days. Tastes quite nice already, but there is still an eggy smell, although it has dissipated somewhat. What concerns me a little is that it had a bit of a Marmite twang to it, and I am really, really hoping this goes away and it isn't that I didn't wash the sanitizer off enough and that is causing it ~ i.e. a chlorine taste mixing with the other complex flavous.

I'm just going to leave it the full two weeks now then keg it. Meanwhile....

[Ditch]

JJSH; As I'm always stating ..... This stuff has the power to change character completely, virtually in a space of hours.

I'd just ignore what ever it smells like, looks like or does. I tend to liken all this to a bloke looking at a baby and reckoning she's not really his type. Like, jesus; Give the bugger time to develop and grow!

Thankfully; This gear doesn't take about eighteen years to be as good as it gets! But, ye see my point? Babies look and smell weird. But, that's no indication of what they'll become in due course. Ignore them and let them get on with it till they're ready

[Beer O'Clock]

I tend to liken all this to a bloke looking at a baby and reckoning she's not really his type. Like, jesus; Give the bugger time to develop and grow!

FFS Ditch !!!! That's an image I don't want in my head, thanks !!!!

[Ditch]

I have no problems with my analogy, B O'. A baby and an eighteen year old are about as far removed from eachother as it gets, to me. Simply no correlation.

That's why the two so perfectly illustrate the point I'm trying to make here: Coopers Stout ~ at least handled my way ~ goes through a world of change. Very rapidly too. But, just how young do people want to worry about gauging the potential of the finished result? It gets ridiculous.

I sample the fermented product, as I syphon it into the keg. That tells me it's not 'Infected'. That it has the fullest potential to become something greater.

Want the total truth? I find people tasting half fermented beer and drawing a conclusion about it from That rather f**ked up, myself. No matter how they phrase the concept

[sofa-matt]

Ditch, a question:

There is no doubt that you seem to be the authority in these ere parts with regards to stout, but how would you describe your stout? Chocolatey, liquoricey, roasty, coffee?

i have just brewed the coopers irish stout with 500g extra dark spraymalt and 400g brewing sugar with 450g light brown sugar, the result.......very drinkable. Although I have to admit it has rather more liquorice than roasty overtones for my ideal taste. How do you like yours and are you satisfied or are you still seeking perfection.

I know that this may go against your 'get amongst it' style of drinking, but would be fascinated for your input.

Apart from adding chocolate, liquorice, coffee or errmm roasty things what suggestions does anyone have to increase any one of these unique stout qualities to bring any one particular taste to the fore?

[Marshbrewer]

Yeah, you're right, Ditch. I wasn't too concerned about the eggy smell ~ I've done a Coopers Euro at low temps that filled the room with the vague smell of babies nappies for the best part of a week, and was only tempted to take a gravity reading this time because I went away 5 a.m. Monday with a fermenting like mental brew and returned to something that didn't appear to be doing owt 48 hours later. I'm pretty happy with it, but I have another demon on my shoulder saying 'this is the first time you've used unscented value bleach instead of VWP to sanitise' and was worried I hadn't rinsed enough.

I'm fairly happy now, just let it ferment out for another 9 days then see.

It's a Coopers kit, it'lll be all reet!

[Ditch]

Sorry, guys. I was eating my dinner as I watched ye posts come in. I've learned to wait. Otherwise my knife drips gravy onto my keyboard .....

Sofa - Matt: I'm possibly one of the most knowledgeable guys on this forum, with regard to vertebrate pest control. But, as far as stout's concerned? What the hell do I know?

Seriously. I just bought a kit on 'superstitious' level based reasons. Then I made it up according to the ground rule the vast majority of kit makers on here follow. I tasted the result and went ballistic. The rest is history.

Yes, it's true; I could sell sand to the Arabs. It's in my genes. But, I don't Bullsh!t. I don't intend to start here, despite the " " stuff .....


Man; I couldn't tell " Malty " from " Hoppy ". So, who am I to start banging on about the subtler tastes / flavours of the stuff I make? Seriously. I just like it. Seems others do too.

Coffee / Liquorice / Roasty? In my own humble opinion, based on limited experience of the comparatives? I'd suggest that Coopers " Irish " tends to produce a more 'Liquorice' tone than 'Coffee'. (This, it should be pointed out, again experienced when it's made up 'my way').

For Coffee in the ascendant? If ye like ye Coffee tones? I'd say 'Coopers Stout', which I use and prefer, is the way to go.

If ye like " Roasty "? What the hell is " Roasty "? I'm sure I use the term. Dunno how I'd explain or describe it. Maybe it's just like ..... I dunno. Just something one instinctively Knows will be good?

Anyway; " Ditch's Stout " ? Yeah! Buckets full of " Roasty " about it. Under pinned by " Coffee ". But, I swear to god: Serve it too cold and all ye'll taste is that cold. Roasty cold, granted. But, it's not right without that hint of Coffee too.

That's what I go ballistic about

[Ditch]

JSSH ~ Cheap, thin bleach is really all I've ever used on my plastic. Simply don't have a problem with it.

I actually keep my 'solution' in a BK. I pour some into the bottom of the BK I'm about to use. Then I turn and shake that BK a bit, ensuring it's sloshed all over, inside. Then I wander off.

Ten minutes or so later? I come back and shake the keg again. Disappear to Jim's. Read or answer a post or two .....

Then, I empty the bleachy water back into my 'Bleach BK'. That gets the odd dash of bleach added, if ever a sniff of the contents doesn't make my irises go red.

Then I Hose out the BK I'm about to use. I have a permanently fitted tap to a length of hose pipe which reaches my shower stall. It has an adjustable nozzle. So, I 'power hose' the inside of the keg. Do that a few times. Shake and empty between hosings? Good to go. Never let me down

[Shaun21]

That's my ditch's stout done. Had to get extra dark malt extract because that's all the hb shop had left. he said it would be fine as it's a stout. Can't wait for this to be done now.

[Ditch]

Shaun; Ye won't have to wait long And now's a good time to be making it too. Temperatures are rising and it's tasting better as it's serving warmer. Had my mate round the other evening. He had a pint and said it was tasting good again

I certainly wouldn't say it's peaking yet. Not by a long chalk. But, the warmer, the better. Within reason, of course. Close to body heat's fine though. Cold stout just tastes of cold

[Shaun21]

I agree, I had a couple of my last stout cold just to see the difference and it is...just cold. Had the rest at room temp, that's about 14 or 15 degrees usually, tasted so much better.