How to brew your own beer - The All Grain method

Looks good. We've got a stout fermenting at the moment which I think we'll barrel tomorrow. Probably do another brew tomorrow too. Just got to decide what it will be. I think something hoppy to give us a nice variety.
 
New Toy!

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New Brew! Using a 300ml yeast starter which I guess is a bad decision for porters and stouts, check my head below OG 1086 - 1036 in 48 hours!

Mash bill and hops 19L final brew

6kg MO
500g Roasted Barley
500g Chocolate Malt
500g Rauch Malt
250g Carapilis
250g Lactose
93g Challenger 7.12AA start of boil


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seabiscuit said:
How smokey a flavor does the rauchmalt actually add? And how does it compare to peat smoked malt?
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I've made 100% Rauchmalt beer and it's an acquired taste, good for a pint or two but I find it over powering after that. I recently tried Schlenkerla Smoked Wheat Beer which was more to my taste, the wheat malt is not smoked and is much more balanced.

Decided to try a little in this stout as I think it will go well with the style but time will tell.

Never used peated malt.
 
Brewed a Ringwood Fortyniner clone on Sunday. Was starting to get concerned as nothing had been happening but I got back from work last night and there was a lovely aroma and the airlock has been bubbling away every 5 seconds or so since :D

I've learnt from my mistakes this time. Gonna keep if in the bucket for 3 weeks, rather than trying to rush it. Shouldn't be a problem as I've still got 3/4 of a keg of Coopers stout and about 10 bottles of bitter left from December:)
 
I've been brewing kits for almost a year now, and I've just started drinking my second all grain batch. Most definately a money saving hobby.
I'm also enjoying mead-making which seems to be a bit less common so thought you might be interested! It's pretty simple. All you need for a basic one is honey, water, nutrient, and yeast.

My test batches (1gal) - my own recipes
Braggot (Mead brewed with malt and honey - less than 50% malt or it's a honey beer)
Amber and pale malts to the tune of approx 300g with about 1kg of honey.
Mashed normally, boiled for 30 mins with the zest of 2 limes, 1 lemon, 1 orange, and the pulp of 1 lime, 1 lemon, 2 oranges. Also a good couple of pinches of east kent goldings hops.
Fermented with the zest of 1 orange and a handful of juniper berries.

I tasted it as I bottled (was a golden colour with hints of brown) and it had semi-sweet balanced mead flavour with citrus and gin aroma, but an aftertaste of beer with a kentish finish.
Currently sat conditioning in bottles to add some fizz. I'll photograph it when I crack it open.

Raspberry Melomel (Mead brewed with fruit)
1300g of honey, racked onto 300g raspberries with nutrient, yeast, and a touch of citric acid.
Racked it off that after 2 weeks onto another 300g of raspberries
Currently waiting for fermentation to finish - honey ferments slooooowly!

And my planned label.... (took ages to make, and not looking forward to cutting out 9 of them!)
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Bottled my porter/stout yesterday, used two hydrometers as I noticed my old one was not reading 1000 in water.

Old hydrometer = 9% new hydrometer 9.4%.

Going to let it carb for 3 weeks then stash it way till next winter.
 
Yeah, it is. It's a stirplate for making yeast starters. So say you harvest the yeast from a bottle conditioned ale, you can put it in there with some malt extract and the yeast will multiply rapidly. Then you can pitch it into your wort instead of a dried or liquid pack you've bought for £2-6. Gives you the chance to use a wider range of yeasts.
I keep thinking about making one, but if only there was some convenient place to easily get computer parts (can anyone think of anywhere?). I've got 4 bottles of Bengal Lancer that I want to harvest from to use Fullers yeast for a London Pride recipe, but for now will go for something much lower tech.
 
Yes I got my first lager yeast so at 6 quid pop I hope to reuse or freeze it at least 3 times. With a yeast starter should be ready to get going quicker. You don't need stir plate you can pre make it in any jar just shake to get some air in.
 
Has anyone been brewing all grain lately?
Im thinking about doing a brew on sunday as its been a while. I didn't brew at all over winter due to the cold.

Got myself a hand pull which im in the process of replacing the line on so this might be a good excuse to use the pins that I have :D
 
seabiscuit said:
Yeah, it is. It's a stirplate for making yeast starters. So say you harvest the yeast from a bottle conditioned ale, you can put it in there with some malt extract and the yeast will multiply rapidly. Then you can pitch it into your wort instead of a dried or liquid pack you've bought for £2-6. Gives you the chance to use a wider range of yeasts.
I keep thinking about making one, but if only there was some convenient place to easily get computer parts (can anyone think of anywhere?). I've got 4 bottles of Bengal Lancer that I want to harvest from to use Fullers yeast for a London Pride recipe, but for now will go for something much lower tech.
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Maybe you could try and get some computer parts from that OcUK website I've heard is all the rage around here.

I'm sure the above works for yeast proliferation. Rather over-engineered but then again that's what being an enthusiast is all about I guess.

metbandit1 said:
Has anyone been brewing all grain lately?
Im thinking about doing a brew on sunday as its been a while. I didn't brew at all over winter due to the cold.

Got myself a hand pull which im in the process of replacing the line on so this might be a good excuse to use the pins that I have :D
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I'm still hoping to do a brew soon. Just requires some time, money (for equipment) and a lack of laziness. All of those are in short supply right now.
 
FrenchTart said:
I'm still hoping to do a brew soon. Just requires some time, money (for equipment) and a lack of laziness. All of those are in short supply right now.
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Haha that was pretty much my winter!

Im only going to do a simple brew. Marris otter malt 4.5% single hopped with challenger.
Blissfully simple and should make a nice beer.

(I hope :eek:)
 
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