Double Dog Brewing 1st brewday! - London Porter WITH PICS

[leedsbrew]

Hi LB!

Nice set up and a fun looking brewday!

After getting on the beer during the mash, I wonder how much 'help' your brothers were...

Cheers!

Guy

Cheers Guy! Yeah they became very helpfull..............at making my kegs lighter! Although Liam was a good torch holder!

[WishboneBrewery]

Cheers chaps! Aye I'm made up it went so smoothly! Even after we started to crack into a couple when the mash was on!

Brilliant I'll look forward to seeing some more brewdays on your new kit

your more than welcome to come over for a brewday Ade if you ever fancy! that goes for anyone round here!

Where were you again, Guiseley?

[leedsbrew]

Aye! good old G town! We'll have to sort something out man!

[leedsbrew]

Well, I'm sat with a pint of this an it is bloody delicious! Nearly 9 weeks old and it has mellowed out to be a velvety pint of roasty, smokey, bitter chocolate and a hint of coal tar! The best bit is I've got two cornies worth of this! Woo hoo! For a first brew on the new system I am well happy! I promised my brothers a crate each but I'm having second thoughts now! lol

Might just have to invite them over for a mega session on it! If there is any left by July I'll be bringing some along to the Huddersfield NCB meeting!

[Kev888]

Really glad it worked out so well! Thats quite an achievement for a first brew with a new MT - my first one was okay but not great (as i'd missed the mash temperatures a bit).

BTW, I got a bit tired of using torches and struggling to reach into the boiler so finally bit the bullet and cut the top off it last weekend (or most of it anyway, left a small bit of the shoulder to fit an aluminium lid I got from ebay). I've not used it as yet but certainly the access to it is 'considerably' nicer, though I may regret it for steam extraction when we get cold brewdays again..

Cheers
kev

[leedsbrew]

Really glad it worked out so well! Thats quite an achievement for a first brew with a new MT - my first one was okay but not great (as i'd missed the mash temperatures a bit).

BTW, I got a bit tired of using torches and struggling to reach into the boiler so finally bit the bullet and cut the top off it last weekend (or most of it anyway, left a small bit of the shoulder to fit an aluminium lid I got from ebay). I've not used it as yet but certainly the access to it is 'considerably' nicer, though I may regret it for steam extraction when we get cold brewdays again..

Cheers
kev

You know what Kev, I was cleaning out the kettle the other week and I was cursing is to high heaven! I was thinking of maybe cutting the back of it to create a flap, kind of like aleman's brew kettle. having it on hinges would enable access, while at the same time enabling it to be closed and have the circular vent for steam extraction! Just need to get hold of my brother as he is infinitely better with an angle grinder than me!

how is the wheat beer plans coming on BTW?

[WishboneBrewery]

I'd better get my ass to the meet!!!

[Kev888]

I was thinking of maybe cutting the back of it to create a flap, kind of like aleman's brew kettle. having it on hinges would enable access, while at the same time enabling it to be closed and have the circular vent for steam extraction! Just need to get hold of my brother as he is infinitely better with an angle grinder than me!
how is the wheat beer plans coming on BTW?

Sounds like a cunning plan! I found that the welded lid was obviously pulling the tank to its shape - as i cut it the walls relaxed into more of an oval, so I had to lay the tank on the side and bounce on it a bit to get it more cylindrical again. My lid is circular though, so perhaps you could get a flap of the original top to meet up again reasonably well.

The wheat beer is definately on the cards, just need to place an order, though probably next week now. I'll be going for the wlp300 that you and a couple of others recomended, and have also decided to get some wheat malt and (whilst I'm at it) some more authentic pale/pils type malt. It'll be fairly standard as its my first one, but I'll probably post a recipe for comments at some point.

Cheers
kev

[WishboneBrewery]

Are you guys cutting the top off, if you can cut a hole in the top rather than removing the top corner Radius your vessels will be much less likely to deform.

[Kev888]

yeah i'm sure you're right there, but having decided to do it i didn't really want any particular lip left, and then i found a lid almost the exact size (though sadly only alu) so it all seemed to come together. I wasn't expecting things to be under such tension to be honest, but I guess they are thick tanks with firm ideas about what shape they want to be; thankfully I'm quite a forceful bouncer

Cheers
kev

[lancsSteve]

Wicked brewday. SOme of that extra loss/liquid could have been in the hops. I regularly drain till dry and then when I go back find more liquid bottom of kettle which i always put down to hops.

I've now started to squeeze the hops out and keep this last little bit - leave it to settle, pour off the clear beer from trub then freeze it and use it for starters by defrosting and boiling to pasteurise.

Emptying plate chiller into FV should be easy enough but any leftovers nedn't be wasted and saves a fortune on DME