Festival Beer Kits - New

[neillf]

Great post, thanks for all the hints and info. Couldn't resist and have the golden stag on the way, can't wait! BTW, 22.00 from 'HopShop'.

[Barloch]

Can i ask how you used the bag, did you put into another FV to bottle as i usually just bottle straight from the original FV with a wee half spoon of sugar in the bottle?

I have a tube I use to siphon from one bucket to another, leaves most of the trub behind and bottle from the second bucket. I put the muslin from the kit over the end of the hose and it caught a bit of gunk. Think it's there to catch any hop bits that float about in the FV.
You certainly get less sediment using a second bucket for bottling

I know i really should be doing this as i have a spare FV, but i thought that you shouldn't really expose the fermented beer to the oxygen, so i just bottle straight to the bottle with the stick, you get one or 2 with a lot of sediment and the others not so bad, i leave for at least 8 weeks to settle so when pouring you don't get a lot if any in the glass. each to their own i suppose, but seems a bit more work for little benefit

[pedrosa]

[quote="chigman"]Just this minute put on a Father hooks - anyone done this and how did it taste ?
Steve[/quote]

I am just tasting my first pint now. It's only been in the bottles about 10 days but i couldn't resist it! This is going to be another winner, tastes exactly as it says on the box, malty, with hints of marmalade & orange flavour. This will be great after another 3 weeks maturing.

[chigman]

Just this minute put on a Father hooks - anyone done this and how did it taste ?
Steve

I am just tasting my first pint now. It's only been in the bottles about 10 days but i couldn't resist it! This is going to be another winner, tastes exactly as it says on the box, malty, with hints of marmalade & orange flavour. This will be great after another 3 weeks maturing.

Good to hear that - now cant wait for this one too. All this waiting for conditioning does me head in. One in the barrel (wherry), one in bottles (golden stag) and now the FH's in the fv and nothing to drink.

Cheers-Steve

[Monkeybrew]

Finally buckled and bought the Pilgrims Hope this morning

Just had a peak inside the Pilgrims Hope box and really can't believe how much stuff is inside it

Bargaintastic and it will be even more of a bonus if the brew tastes half as good as people are saying!

[lee1]

hi monkey tell ya what the pilgrims hope should have a bitterness warning on the box what a pint but its not for girls

[Spooneys regular]

hi monkey tell ya what the pilgrims hope should have a bitterness warning on the box what a pint but its not for girls

Just bottled mine, smells bloody good already

[Monkeybrew]

hi monkey tell ya what the pilgrims hope should have a bitterness warning on the box what a pint but its not for girls

Cool, I do like a robust ale

[sunny_jimbob]

I'll add my two penn'orth to this thread soon, because I've just had an email from home-brew-online.com telling me that I've won a Pride of London Porter, which is pretty nifty! I'm liking what I read so far in this thread, hopefully it should be a cracker, and ready just in time for Christmas! Happy days!

[MartinC]

Hi all,
I've just bottled the Festival Landlord's Finest Bitter. It's tastes pretty good but it's very, very hoppy. I followed the instructions exactly and put the hops in (in one lump, not broken up or weighed down with marbles) after 5 days of fermentation and fermented for another 5 days.
I work in a home brew shop and, after this experience, am now advising customers to put the hops in after 7 or 8 days, but that's a bit of guesswork.
Has anyone else found this and other of these kits very (almost too) hoppy?
Martin

[Mr Fuggles]

Hi all,
I've just bottled the Festival Landlord's Finest Bitter. It's tastes pretty good but it's very, very hoppy. I followed the instructions exactly and put the hops in (in one lump, not broken up or weighed down with marbles) after 5 days of fermentation and fermented for another 5 days.
I work in a home brew shop and, after this experience, am now advising customers to put the hops in after 7 or 8 days, but that's a bit of guesswork.
Has anyone else found this and other of these kits very (almost too) hoppy?
Martin

I did find the landlords quite hoppy, but after being in the bottle for about 2-3 weeks this has mellowed compared to how it was first and is a cracking brew not sure why you would tell your customers to add the hops on day 7 or 8 unless all your customers have the exact same taste as you maybe best if you actually tried it out yourself adding them at 7-8 days and let us know if it makes much difference, I personally wont be changing how I make them as I like me hops!

[Stomach]

Can i ask how you used the bag, did you put into another FV to bottle as i usually just bottle straight from the original FV with a wee half spoon of sugar in the bottle?

I have a tube I use to siphon from one bucket to another, leaves most of the trub behind and bottle from the second bucket. I put the muslin from the kit over the end of the hose and it caught a bit of gunk. Think it's there to catch any hop bits that float about in the FV.
You certainly get less sediment using a second bucket for bottling

I know i really should be doing this as i have a spare FV, but i thought that you shouldn't really expose the fermented beer to the oxygen, so i just bottle straight to the bottle with the stick, you get one or 2 with a lot of sediment and the others not so bad, i leave for at least 8 weeks to settle so when pouring you don't get a lot if any in the glass. each to their own i suppose, but seems a bit more work for little benefit

Presumably though, you are having to prime each and every bottle with sugar? Whereas when using a bottleing bucket, you chuck all your priming sugar in and it mixes nicely as you syphon the wort into it from the promary FV. So its a bit more work for a lot of benefit!

[Chardf]

I've just kegged some Pilgrims Hope. Good taste looking forward to a little slurp or two in December.



I must say the little bag thingy that you attach to the syphon was more trouble than it was worth stopping the flow!!

[Spooneys regular]

I must say the little bag thingy that you attach to the syphon was more trouble than it was worth stopping the flow!!

Yeah and did you find it foamed up early on in siphoning. I was worried about getting too much oxygen in

[Chardf]

I must say the little bag thingy that you attach to the syphon was more trouble than it was worth stopping the flow!!

Yeah and did you find it foamed up early on in siphoning. I was worried about getting too much oxygen in

No not much foaming. No flow only a dribble with a few bubbles in. Binned it and much better.