Top 10 kit brewing tweaks?

[barneey]

[Monkeybrew]

No, just type brewing in the search bar and it brings up 3 pages of items. Wherry, along with some of their own brand single can kits are on offer. You can load up your basket and then click and collect!

Cheers

MB

[timbo41]

could have done with them this morning...had that pick up stainless steel pot go to brew shed realise nowhere to put it down moments...still blowing fingertips.....self proclaiming myself a pratt to save you lot!

[Norik]

And the perferred glove is?

Ive often fancied a pair of those overn gloves that actually have the fingers to them but from memory they are rather expensive, or should one not be such a tart and just clasp the hot tin with a bare hand?

I like your mitten myself, preferably cloth based, pattern to suit I've tried the macho approach and can now commit crimes without gloves

I vote leather welding gauntlets; reasonable hygienic as long as you haven’t been welding in them.

[Ribbit]

Must admit the best 'try it and see' I did recently, was buy the cheap fish tank heater I spotted on Ebay (I think it was under £4 including delivery from Hong Kong, but thanks to being on Statins for way too long, my memory now officially sucks).

If it lasts I'll get another, if it doesn't I'll get one locally.

Though for a fish tank it should be reliable year in and year out (a bit pointless otherwise).

On tap water, I've saved enough empty 2 ltr plastic milk bottles to at least do 25ltrs, and when I boil a kettle, I always fill it, and next cuppa there's a cool or warm kettle full. It doesn't take long to fill the empties with water that's been boiled then. Not ever had a problem with this (though I do have the advantage of otherwise superb West Wales soft water supplies).

I have had problems with sugar beet sugar. There's something not right about it these days (the crystal size is very noticeably smaller than cane sugar crystals now, and they shouldn't be) and yeast seems to die in disgust at it (or it's just ruddy toxic - with bakers putting unfermented soya flour in almost all bread {which killed a friend of mine that owned a soya factory}, I think the sods are trying to kill us all anyway). Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't trying to get you. *grins*

I have had no problems at all with Tate & Lyle cane sugars (white, Demerara, and soft brown).

If you want to encourage people to start brewing, the best thing I have found recently is Fruit Teabag Wine, and in addition, encourage people to use KISS principles - don't bottle, just rack demijohn to demijohn, and serve from demijohns, cuts down on a lot of beginner grief. The other ideal KISS product I have found, are the 5ltr Easy Kegs.

[widdersbel]

[quote="tricky_dicky"]After brewing numerous kits over the years, I have now got my tweaking process sorted. IMHO all beer kits brewed with no hop additions lack the hop aroma that you get from a good pint in the pub. So this is what i now do with almost every kit I brew. [/quote]

I'm only on my first go at brewing a kit, and it's going well so far, but I've already decided that I'm going to add some real hops next time. The maltodextrin + hop oil powder that came with the kit just doesn't cut the mustard.

This is a useful/interesting thread for a novice - I've taken notes for future reference.

[WalesAles]

Hello Orlando,
When is this Brew Off taking place?
My addition to the list would be to have 3 or 4 large ice blocks to hand when filling the FV (takeaway plastic containers 25mm deep), when FV is at 15 lts, check temp, if too high throw a block of ice in, stir till it melts, check temp again, carry on filling FV to req level with tap water and ice and keep checking the temp. I find this works much quicker than putting the FV outside to cool down.
WA

[orlando]

Hello Orlando,
When is this Brew Off taking place?
My addition to the list would be to have 3 or 4 large ice blocks to hand when filling the FV (takeaway plastic containers 25mm deep), when FV is at 15 lts, check temp, if too high throw a block of ice in, stir till it melts, check temp again, carry on filling FV to req level with tap water and ice and keep checking the temp. I find this works much quicker than putting the FV outside to cool down.
WA

Hi WA, the kits are all under way and I have received reports of bottling. The grand opening is the 19th Nov and it is at that meeting I intend to reveal the Top Tips, so keep 'em coming.

[WalesAles]

Hello Orlando,
It would be a good idea if you post all the tips on here, not just the top 10 because we might pick up on something that we haven`t seen before!
Good Luck with the Brew Off!
WA

[orlando]

Hello Orlando,
It would be a good idea if you post all the tips on here, not just the top 10 because we might pick up on something that we haven`t seen before!
Good Luck with the Brew Off!
WA

TBH I think they are all here (above), if there are some that aren't I will.

[bluezephyr]

Orlando, I've bottled 3 wherry going by the rules, after that I refermented for another week after adding a hop tea then bottled the rest.

[orlando]

Orlando, I've bottled 3 wherry going by the rules, after that I refermented for another week after adding a hop tea then bottled the rest.

Well I guess I have to let you off, just make sure you bring the 3 "ordinary" ones but definitely a couple of the tweaked versions.

[WalesAles]

Hello Orlando,
How was the Brew-Off? Are your students enjoying it? Any pics?
WA

[orlando]

Hello Orlando,
How was the Brew-Off? Are your students enjoying it? Any pics?
WA

Funnily enough it was only last night so I can give you a blow by blow. Unfortunately a few no shows, bluezephyr being one so a small number. Given the restrictions i.e. brew it exactly as it says on the tin, the predicted variation was still quite remarkable. All were more than drinkable and it was a huge lesson for me in how good kits have become. As you know I cheated and split the brew, used 2 different yeast and dry hopped with Citra in one and Amarillo in the other. The surprise for me was how much the beer improved in bottle. When I first tried 2 a couple of weeks ago I was a little disappointed with it but when they were reviewed last night the changes were marked.

One of the guys brought along a Stout made from a single tin Wilkinsons kit that had a kilo (IIRC) of brewing sugar added and it was remarkable for an £8 kit. I reckon if you steeped some roast barley, rowed back on the sugar and brewed it short, possibly a hop tea to improve the bittering you would have a brew that would fool a few .

A really good night that went over the usual 9:00 pm finish .

[bluezephyr]

A no show with advance apologies. Got a Wilkinsons stout on the go myself, I will experiment with a bottle or two for a Christmas brew for next time, beers with weird flavours aren't really something I enjoy but it's worth a go to see if it will be drinkable .