The Craft Range

lee_baby_simms · 13-08-2014 8:49pm

Hmmm looks like you folks were right. They're only a few days bottled, I just opened one and it gushed a bit.

Are these guaranteed to explode? What should I do?

lee_baby_simms · 13-08-2014 9:30pm

adamski8 wrote: »

Id seriously consider opening and rebottling depending on how long they have been in bottle. Broken bottles arent fun.

Ok i've just done this.

They're crown capped. I just put them all standing up in the bath and pried open the caps a pinch to release the pressure. A bit of gushing from each one but its died down now and and i'm waiting for the head to recede in the bottles before i crimp the caps down again. I haven't lost much in each bottle.

On the plus side - I sampled one and it's very pleasant! I suppose that a month in the fermenter meant that they really only needed co2 to be quite drinkable.

adamski8 · 13-08-2014 9:59pm

Yeah i think they would have definitely exploded. Good job you caught them now. Hopefully it ends up well.

lee_baby_simms · 13-08-2014 10:06pm

adamski8 wrote: »

Yeah i think they would have definitely exploded. Good job you caught them now. Hopefully it ends up well.

I'll try one again at the weekend. If it gushes I think i'll just pour the lot out.

poitinstill · 14-08-2014 3:06pm

chill it well before opening ... to the point of freezeing. then open and hope for the best.

Khannie · 14-08-2014 4:06pm

poitinstill wrote: »

chill it well before opening ... to the point of freezeing. then open and hope for the best.

Sound advice. I like to carbonate to the point of *juuuuust* about fizzing over. Chilling to near freezing makes all the difference.

Tefral · 26-08-2014 11:31am

I just bottled another 23litres of Cider and 23 litres of the mixed berry, hopefully they turn out ok!

The cider before was delicious!

adamski8 · 26-08-2014 11:40am

lee_baby_simms wrote: »

I'll try one again at the weekend. If it gushes I think i'll just pour the lot out.

How is it now?

lee_baby_simms · 27-08-2014 8:00am

adamski8 wrote: »

How is it now?

Had a good few mates around and got through a lot of it.

It was drinkable - quite fizzy but no head retention whatsover. Better than throwing it out anyway.

Lesson learned.

poitinstill · 15-09-2014 9:37pm

update to my craft range wheat... didnt put enough priming sugar to carbonate it enough. taste is good but its carb'd like an ale or a stout ( i usually dont like too much fizz) big big mistake with a wheat ... the taste is there but it lacks the fizz to transport it back the gob. i'd also like to try it again but to add in a lemon like hop or even lemon rind....

dm09 · 29-09-2014 10:27pm

Ronan|Raven wrote: »

I made the IPA. Found it very enjoyable to sample after only a few weeks in the bottle. I am tempted to get the cider kit next.

I'm brewing the Craft Range IPA at the moment (First Homebrew attempt), currently on day 3 of fermentation.. Any tips or advice from your attempt?

How long did you wait to dry hop?

Ronan|Raven · 30-09-2014 11:54am

I added them at around the two week mark from what I remember. I left them in until I bottled after 3 weeks. It may have been a bit long but I hadn't time to remove them.

dj_ · 30-09-2014 2:08pm

I just added mine on Sunday, about 2 1/2 weeks after starting. Going to bottle on Friday or Saturday.

Muahahaha · 26-11-2014 9:35pm

hey all just got back to brewing after an absence so Im a bit rusty. Have a Craft range IPA now on 14 days in the fermenter. The instructions say the IPA takes 10-14 days but I know its more likely gonna be 21-23 or so. However I just did a hydrometer test tonight and it is reading 1018. Im not sure what the OG was as I never did a test at the beginning, does anyone know approx what the Craft Range IPA is when you follow the kit instructions to end up at 23 litres? Also does a current reading of 1018 sound like it is making progress after 2 weeks or has it stalled? My instructions say it is finished when it is 1.005 which it currently seems a long way off. I'm just worried its stalled, the temperature has been 18 degrees on the sticky theromometer on the fermentor, not sure how accurate they are. I cant be sure but if there was the odd cold night it might have dropped below that as I don't heat the spare room its in nor do I use a heating belt.

scorpio.045 · 26-11-2014 9:40pm

Hi all, I want to buy my hubby a home brewing kit for Christmas, any tips on where is best to buy everything that's required, Thanks

BeerNut · 26-11-2014 10:16pm

Any of the homebrew suppliers will have a starter set. I started with this one and am still using most of it six years later.

scorpio.045 · 26-11-2014 10:34pm

Thanks a million BeerNut, great starting point!

loyatemu · 26-11-2014 11:40pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

hey all just got back to brewing after an absence so Im a bit rusty. Have a Craft range IPA now on 14 days in the fermenter. The instructions say the IPA takes 10-14 days but I know its more likely gonna be 21-23 or so. However I just did a hydrometer test tonight and it is reading 1018. Im not sure what the OG was as I never did a test at the beginning, does anyone know approx what the Craft Range IPA is when you follow the kit instructions to end up at 23 litres? Also does a current reading of 1018 sound like it is making progress after 2 weeks or has it stalled? My instructions say it is finished when it is 1.005 which it currently seems a long way off. I'm just worried its stalled, the temperature has been 18 degrees on the sticky theromometer on the fermentor, not sure how accurate they are. I cant be sure but if there was the odd cold night it might have dropped below that as I don't heat the spare room its in nor do I use a heating belt.

measure it again in a couple of days and see if its the same gravity or if it's still going down. 1005 is quite low for a beer to finish - I would've thought it would finish somewhere around 1010.

Muahahaha · 26-11-2014 11:57pm

thanks, I was kind of thinking that 1.005 sounds pretty low. It might be a typo on the instructions or something, I'm not sure. Regardless I only added the hops this evening so I'll leave it till Sunday and then measure it again.
Don't suppose you know what the OG of the IPA should have been ?

loyatemu · 27-11-2014 12:40am

Muahahaha wrote: »

thanks, I was kind of thinking that 1.005 sounds pretty low. It might be a typo on the instructions or something, I'm not sure. Regardless I only added the hops this evening so I'll leave it till Sunday and then measure it again.
Don't suppose you know what the OG of the IPA should have been ?

no idea, I haven't done that particular kit. I've generally found kits ferment out in 2 weeks, but there's no harm in leaving it another week.

brian_m · 19-02-2016 8:23pm

Hey folks, I gave the craft wheat one a go (my first attempt at this) around Xmas there. Followed the instructions and fermented it at 24 degree solid for 14 days. Before I bottled it up I gave it a taste test... I have to say it tasted a lot better at that point (even though flat) than how it does coming out of the bottles. Anyone else had that experience or have I done something wrong in the last stage? I bottled it mostly with cooper's caps I got in the brew shop. It just tastes a bit weird, no problem with alcohol content and fizz but no head retention. I had a few swing top bottles also and they did taste marginally nicer with a better quality to it. I sterilized the empty bottles with milton. Really enjoyed my first attempt, looking forward to to more attempts

BeerNut · 19-02-2016 8:30pm

I've heard Milton can leave a taste behind.

brian_m · 19-02-2016 8:34pm

BeerNut wrote: »

I've heard Milton can leave a taste behind.

That was my fear.. Really thought I rinsed them out well.. disappointing because I was not expecting it to taste as good as when I tested it, like a flat schneidder weis

poitinstill · 19-02-2016 9:47pm

i made that last year and also found it tasted very very promising in the fv but seemed a bit watery from the bottle.. never had that problem with other kits and have made loads using the same gear / methods

Padraig Mor · 20-02-2016 10:06am

I thought the Craft Range wheat was excellent, very like Franziskaner (and I am intimately familiar with Franziskaner!). Bit darker and head didn't last but very close otherwise. Also a speedy brew - 9 days in the FV, and drinking well from 4 days in the bottle!

It's a little pricey though. I'm doing an extract hefeweiss at the moment - still in the bucket. 3kg wheat spraymalt, WB06 yeast and IBUs adjusted by isomerized hop extract. Early days yet but seems more at the clove end of the weiss taste scale, as opposed to the banana riot of the Craft wheat (maybe they used Munich yeast?). Will work out quite a bit cheaper as I'll reuse the yeast.

brian_m · 20-02-2016 11:52am

Padraig Mor wrote: »

I thought the Craft Range wheat was excellent, very like Franziskaner (and I am intimately familiar with Franziskaner!). Bit darker and head didn't last but very close otherwise. Also a speedy brew - 9 days in the FV, and drinking well from 4 days in the bottle!

It's a little pricey though. I'm doing an extract hefeweiss at the moment - still in the bucket. 3kg wheat spraymalt, WB06 yeast and IBUs adjusted by isomerized hop extract. Early days yet but seems more at the clove end of the weiss taste scale, as opposed to the banana riot of the Craft wheat (maybe they used Munich yeast?). Will work out quite a bit cheaper as I'll reuse the yeast.

Interesting Padraig, where did you get that kit from?

Carawaystick · 22-02-2016 12:28am

BeerNut wrote: »

I've heard Milton can leave a taste behind.

Milton is just watered down thin bleach. at watered up prices.

You can check, it's half the hypochlorite level of thin bleach.

Padraig Mor · 22-02-2016 11:20pm

brian_m wrote: »

Interesting Padraig, where did you get that kit from?

It's not a kit, just bought all the stuff separately! Now 8 days in the bucket and 1.009. Tasting good, will aim to bottle Thursday-ish. For the ultimate in lazy ass brewing, I reckon I'm going to fire the wort for the next brew straight onto the trub! Can't decide whether to go for witbier or dunkelweiss yet though.

Carawaystick · 23-02-2016 1:57pm

witbier and weissbier use different yeasts, I'd stick to a weissbier on existing weissbier trub.

Padraig Mor · 23-02-2016 2:12pm

Carawaystick wrote: »

witbier and weissbier use different yeasts, I'd stick to a weissbier on existing weissbier trub.

It'll be grand I'm sure! No harm done if it's slightly off style.

The Craft Range

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