Still good value for Joe public though!
Brupaks Brubox
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finklewinkle
I am just starting out homebrewing and have gone for a Brubox kit first.
I'm on my 2nd Yorkshire Bitter batch.
Just wondered - the instructions say bottle after 1 week...
With the 1st batch I did this but it was still cloudy and left quite a bit of sediment at the bottle of the bottles. How long can you leave the beer to clear before bottling?
One other problem is that I find the polypin gets pressurised while it is settling so that means letting air out and disturbing the settling - back to square one!
Any thoughts/tips?
I'm on my 2nd Yorkshire Bitter batch.
Just wondered - the instructions say bottle after 1 week...
With the 1st batch I did this but it was still cloudy and left quite a bit of sediment at the bottle of the bottles. How long can you leave the beer to clear before bottling?
One other problem is that I find the polypin gets pressurised while it is settling so that means letting air out and disturbing the settling - back to square one!
Any thoughts/tips?
Only just came across this one, know its an old thread but it is relevant...
I've got some of the BruBox Bavarian Pilsner bottled up at the moment. It was bottled about a month ago, primed (1/2 tspn granulated cane sugar) and left in warm (20C) for a week and has now been conditioning in a fidge at 5C for 3 weeks. Well I tried one last night, was nice and clear but had quite a sweet malty aroma and a fair bit of malty sweetness - more than I'd expect for a pilsner. The hops did come through as a good crisp aftertaste as expected.
So did yours have that sweetness Daab? Or is it likely that the primary didn't go all the way leaving that sweetness? Does that subside as it ages further?
Its due to go off on a lads boating weekend away in 10 days so should I just accept that its a bit sweet and enjoy for what it is or is there anything I can do to help it along in that time?
PS the BruBox got me into brewing and I think they are generally a great introduction with quality ingredients and pretty good tasting too.
I've got some of the BruBox Bavarian Pilsner bottled up at the moment. It was bottled about a month ago, primed (1/2 tspn granulated cane sugar) and left in warm (20C) for a week and has now been conditioning in a fidge at 5C for 3 weeks. Well I tried one last night, was nice and clear but had quite a sweet malty aroma and a fair bit of malty sweetness - more than I'd expect for a pilsner. The hops did come through as a good crisp aftertaste as expected.
So did yours have that sweetness Daab? Or is it likely that the primary didn't go all the way leaving that sweetness? Does that subside as it ages further?
Its due to go off on a lads boating weekend away in 10 days so should I just accept that its a bit sweet and enjoy for what it is or is there anything I can do to help it along in that time?
PS the BruBox got me into brewing and I think they are generally a great introduction with quality ingredients and pretty good tasting too.
Next Up : Something for the summer
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
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moco
I've got one of these on the go in the garage, sitting in a tray of water and covered with a damp towel, a device that has maintained it between 16 and 17 C (the room itself is a couple of degrees warmer than that). The instructions say 15 deg ideally, so I am happy with that. Would I expect fermentation to take longer than usual, being cool?
It took a day or so to start bubbling,and now after 2 and a half days has a pleasing white froth on top. I can't really see the bottom, but is that head to be expected with a bottom fermenting yeast? (Which I presume it is...)
It took a day or so to start bubbling,and now after 2 and a half days has a pleasing white froth on top. I can't really see the bottom, but is that head to be expected with a bottom fermenting yeast? (Which I presume it is...)
I definitely could see lots of bubbles rising from the bottom when using this kit and its larger yeast. The frothy head didn't really look any different to using an ale yeast though (it is just bubbles after all!).
The hardest part was getting the temperature down to pitch the yeast. As the BruBox is only 10L you have quite a lot of boiling water in proportion to the cold to start with. It took the best part of a day wrapped in wet towels and ice packs to get it down to about 15C.
I managed to keep the temperature down to a pretty constant 15C for 10 days in the garage with wet towels at which point the improvised tube/jar airlock was barely showing a bubble every 2 mins (instructions say when less than once a min then its done). I then left it for a week with the tap closed. Had to vent the pressure once a day for the fist 2 days then a couple of times after that. After that week it went into bottles. That was about 17 days after first pitching.
However, based on my experience in my previous post (sweetness) it might be an idea to give the yeast a bit of a rousing (gentle swirl of the cube) and let it carry on for at least 2 weeks before kegging/bottling. FYI, it took 3 weeks in the bottle before it started to look clear.
The hardest part was getting the temperature down to pitch the yeast. As the BruBox is only 10L you have quite a lot of boiling water in proportion to the cold to start with. It took the best part of a day wrapped in wet towels and ice packs to get it down to about 15C.
I managed to keep the temperature down to a pretty constant 15C for 10 days in the garage with wet towels at which point the improvised tube/jar airlock was barely showing a bubble every 2 mins (instructions say when less than once a min then its done). I then left it for a week with the tap closed. Had to vent the pressure once a day for the fist 2 days then a couple of times after that. After that week it went into bottles. That was about 17 days after first pitching.
However, based on my experience in my previous post (sweetness) it might be an idea to give the yeast a bit of a rousing (gentle swirl of the cube) and let it carry on for at least 2 weeks before kegging/bottling. FYI, it took 3 weeks in the bottle before it started to look clear.
Next Up : Something for the summer
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
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moco
Crown, are you suggesting rousing when it ceases to bubble,and then leave a further couple of weeks?
I was originally planning to serve it from the barrel, but it seems you guys are favouring bottling.
At the moment 16/17 C is as low as I can get, although I might be able to get some fridge space.
If I can, what temperature should I aim for, for conditioning?
I was originally planning to serve it from the barrel, but it seems you guys are favouring bottling.
At the moment 16/17 C is as low as I can get, although I might be able to get some fridge space.
If I can, what temperature should I aim for, for conditioning?
Moco, can't claim to be an expert, but based on my experience and what Daabs has said you may be better leaving it longer than the instructions recommend - perhaps 2 weeks in total.
It will be fine from the the box, but it will take a long time to clear. If you can get hold of some bottles (get drinking!) some caps and a capper then I think this brew would definitely appreciated it. Also makes it much easier to chill for serving.
Mine filled 18 500ml bottles but I think I had my cube a bit more full than yours looking at the photo. I have been conditioning most of mine at 5C in a camping fridge I have for 3 weeks now (can fit 15 bottles standing up). Lagers are generally conditioned for much longer than ales and at quite low temperatures.
That said, I don't think a higher temperature should be a major problem. You could always try a few in the fridge and a few outside then compare notes!
It will be fine from the the box, but it will take a long time to clear. If you can get hold of some bottles (get drinking!) some caps and a capper then I think this brew would definitely appreciated it. Also makes it much easier to chill for serving.
Mine filled 18 500ml bottles but I think I had my cube a bit more full than yours looking at the photo. I have been conditioning most of mine at 5C in a camping fridge I have for 3 weeks now (can fit 15 bottles standing up). Lagers are generally conditioned for much longer than ales and at quite low temperatures.
That said, I don't think a higher temperature should be a major problem. You could always try a few in the fridge and a few outside then compare notes!
Next Up : Something for the summer
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
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finklewinkle
Depends on whether it uses a bottom fermenting lager yeast. I suspect that with that temperature range it may. If thats the case the Bavarian Pilsner description may help...
"...Although it is acceptable to ferment this beer at room temperature, a cleaner taste will result from the genuine bottom fermenting yeast if the temperature can be held between 12°C and 16°C..."
"...Although it is acceptable to ferment this beer at room temperature, a cleaner taste will result from the genuine bottom fermenting yeast if the temperature can be held between 12°C and 16°C..."
Next Up : Something for the summer
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
I fermented my Bavarian Pilsner at about 15C (ranged from 14-17C at the extremes if I remember rightly). Its got a taste somewhere between a lager and a 'summer ale' (the sweetness problem aside).
Brewing at a higher temp will give more ale like flavours from what I can tell (caused by organic chemical compounds called esters - A level chemistry comes flooding back to me
). So your brew might not be as authentic to its type as it could be, but should still be alright and will probably taste pretty damn good too 
Brewing at a higher temp will give more ale like flavours from what I can tell (caused by organic chemical compounds called esters - A level chemistry comes flooding back to me
). So your brew might not be as authentic to its type as it could be, but should still be alright and will probably taste pretty damn good too Next Up : Something for the summer
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA
Primary : Nothing
Secondary / Conditioning : Nothing
Drinking : Mosaic IPA