General chit chat

BeerNut · 11-01-2014 12:17pm

Paz-CCFC wrote: »

wouldn't having no extra malt and then adding less water just increase the effects of the hops on the beer?

It would, so you risk it ending up as a harshly acidic mess.

Paz-CCFC · 12-01-2014 3:16pm

BeerNut wrote: »

It would, so you risk it ending up as a harshly acidic mess.

I didn't think it would go that bad. I might just meet halfway and put in 500g of spraymalt (maybe a bit of dextrose, too), and put in some extra water to dilute it all. It'll give a lighter beer, but one of the kits is a Mexican Cerveza (other is a Blonde), so it'd be light enough anyway. Might turn out to be a decent summer beer.

Thanks for the advice, BeerNut.

BeerNut · 12-01-2014 10:57pm

Paz-CCFC wrote: »

I didn't think it would go that bad.

It might not, I'm just guessing. Your kit, your decision.

baron von something · 18-01-2014 3:46pm

anybody here use the iBrew Tap-A-Draft minikegs.it claims no secondary fermentation is required because of the CO2 gas that goes in it

matrim · 18-01-2014 3:57pm

baron von something wrote: »

anybody here use the iBrew Tap-A-Draft minikegs.it claims no secondary fermentation is required because of the CO2 gas that goes in it

That reminds me, I remember talk before about reusing Heineken mini-kegs for home brew. Would the blacks mini kegs be any good for that?

I'm unlikely to use mine but if anyone wants an empty one let me know and we can arrange something

ian_m · 02-09-2014 9:54pm

dasdog · 08-09-2014 8:23pm

Friend of mine in Spain can't get liquid yeast so I thought of bringing some over. Taking a diversion to the continent for a week en route so using an ice pack is probably out of the question, two flights involved. Anyone done this or have recommendations?

oblivious · 09-09-2014 8:08am

dasdog wrote: »

Friend of mine in Spain can't get liquid yeast so I thought of bringing some over. Taking a diversion to the continent for a week en route so using an ice pack is probably out of the question, two flights involved. Anyone done this or have recommendations?

I would put it in the checked bag, security may have an issue with taking on a biologic sample with you on the plane.

Either that they can mail order the yeast browland and other will do it

dasdog · 09-09-2014 10:02am

Yeah I was thinking security may have a fit. I'm concerned about varying temperatures and what effect that might have. Might just try and keep it cool (mini bar fridges) and see if I can pick up something along the way also as a backup.

Khannie · 10-09-2014 7:52pm

I am in India right now. There is no IPA here. No India pale ale in India, people! What is this world we live in?

Buona Fortuna · 10-09-2014 8:04pm

Khannie wrote: »

I am in India right now. There is no IPA here. No India pale ale in India, people! What is this world we live in?

So it was all just a marketing myth

oblivious · 11-09-2014 10:03am

Khannie wrote: »

I am in India right now. There is no IPA here. No India pale ale in India, people! What is this world we live in?

*Cough* IPA was only for the Gentry and Officer class................runs away

ladhrann · 16-09-2014 12:56am

oblivious wrote: »

*Cough* IPA was only for the Gentry and Officer class................runs away

The gentry and officers drank claret!! No small beer for them!

oblivious · 16-09-2014 10:02am

ladhrann wrote: »

The gentry and officers drank claret!! No small beer for them!

No doubt they drink wine, but British wine drinking did not come popular late into the 19th century. India pale ale, was no small beer and it was always for the gentleman class class, porter and cider was the drink of the common soldier and labour.

From Martyn Cornell zythophile blog

http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/four-ipa-myths-that-need-to-be-stamped-out-for-ipaday/

Myth 2: “IPAs started life as a British export to their troops stationed out in India back in the 1800s.”

"The pale ales exported by Hodgson, Bass, Allsopp and others were drunk by the middle and upper classes among the Europeans in India, the military officers and the “civil servants”, the civilians who worked for the East India Company, trading, administrating and collecting taxes."

baron von something · 18-09-2014 10:18am

anybody here ever use summit hops to dry hop.i was talking to a chap recently and he said it gives off a spring onion/garlic smell but i was under the impression it gave off notes of tangerine.the reason i ask is that i'm using summit as a bittering hop in my next brew and was considering dry hopping with it too

oblivious · 18-09-2014 11:17am

baron von something wrote: »

anybody here ever use summit hops to dry hop.i was talking to a chap recently and he said it gives off a spring onion/garlic smell but i was under the impression it gave off notes of tangerine.the reason i ask is that i'm using summit as a bittering hop in my next brew and was considering dry hopping with it too

I used them loads, keep them to late addations and dry hooping. Great tangerine aroma with a little somthing else

baron von something · 29-09-2014 2:20pm

i'll be dry hopping my brew today but i only have pellets.should i just add these straight into my carboy or put them in a muslin bag.i hear pellets don't do so good in muslin bags

oblivious · 29-09-2014 2:51pm

baron von something wrote: »

i'll be dry hopping my brew today but i only have pellets.should i just add these straight into my carboy or put them in a muslin bag.i hear pellets don't do so good in muslin bags

I loosely pack them in a muslin cloth, just give them a bit a room as they will expand

OMM 0000 · 17-09-2019 2:51pm

Hi lads

Not sure if this is against the rules. I will delete if it is. But I thought some of you might be interested in this.

A brewer in Wicklow is looking for part-time staff.

The Wicklow Hops Company in Ballinree House, Prospect, Wicklow are looking for a Part-time Assistant / Office Manager (very flexible hours).

The spec:

WHClab is growing...
We are looking for a part-time assistant/office manager. We are looking for a committed and enthusiastic individual that has an interest in working in a fun environment/start up. The hours would be flexible so can accommodate your schedule. The position can potentially grow into a full-time position.

What you should have:
* A driver's license
* Good computational skills
* Good attention to detail
* Previous office experience would be a great asset.
* Interest in the brewing & distilling industry is a bonus but not essential

The role is broad, you will be asked to help in all areas of the business, like any growing start-up. Come meet us and see what you think of this new project!! Its very different.

To apply please visit https://wicklowjobs.ie/job/14062057/part-time-assistant-office-manager-very-flexible-hours

BeerNut · 17-09-2019 3:57pm

WHC isn't a brewer as such. They do all the interesting stuff like yeast farming and lab tests for brewers. I'd say it's a fun place to work for anyone into home brewing.

02-11-2019 6:57pm

Are there any b&m homebrew shops still going in Dublin? All set to bottle the latest brew this week and realised I was gonna be short of new caps. Ordered caps off amazon on Tues but just got notified of a cancellation. Need about 50 caps for Monday ASAP, brew has been going two weeks at this stage.

Tried 'the range' in Northside, but they only sell swingtops.

BeerNut · 02-11-2019 7:48pm

I don't think there are any shops any more. Another week or two won't do your beer any harm.

02-11-2019 7:59pm

Cheers, that was my next question answered.

SoupyNorman · 07-11-2019 3:06pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Cheers, that was my next question answered.

http://oldmcdonald.ie/ in Carlow do brewing supplies although last time I was in there they hadn’t a lot of stock left so maybe give them a call if you would travel that far.

On the other hand, Amazon is life. I get practically all of my supplies from Amazon, I have a PRIME account so stuff usually delivered within 2 days.

hatrickpatrick · 07-11-2019 6:53pm

So like an eejit I've only just realised that the reason Citra hops are sold out in all the major home brew suppliers isn't lazy re-stocking, but waiting for the next harvest to be available

What time of year do the Irish stores tend to get their new hops in? I've become totally addicted to dry hopping with citra this year, wondering how long a wait it'll be before they'll be back on the shelves

sharingan · 13-11-2019 10:21pm

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

So like an eejit I've only just realised that the reason Citra hops are sold out in all the major home brew suppliers isn't lazy re-stocking, but waiting for the next harvest to be available What time of year do the Irish stores tend to get their new hops in? I've become totally addicted to dry hopping with citra this year, wondering how long a wait it'll be before they'll be back on the shelves

I don’t know how they restock, but I would not be dependent on a single store for a source of a popular hop like Citra or mosaic.

Crossmyloof is an English trader that sells home brew quantities of lots of hops. They are actually a contract brewer who sell off surplus inventory.

Prices are good but availability is more important.

Another option is group buys or hop sell offs on English forums. I have a friend who maintains hop contracts with Charles Faram, so he is always packaging these up into 500g vac packs and selling them on at cost

rubadub · 03-10-2020 10:31pm

1kg of sugar showing as 50cent in dealz
https://www.dealz.ie/129259-whitworths-sugar-1kg/

Tig98 · 15-11-2020 1:02pm

How high can you pitch a lager yeast?

Was reading a mix of how to's online when I was setting up, and the wort is currently at 32C. The yeast is rehydrated with about an hour on its own in a mug. The water was probably 20-30 degrees.

What should I do? Got the info a bit late that lagers should be brewed much cooler, so not sure if I should just chance it and throw in the yeast. Its at about 23L and I've 2L of water in the freezer which might do some good

RasTa · 15-11-2020 1:08pm

Do not pitch at 32c, you'll kill the yeast.

You need to ferment at 7-10c. If you can't, throw out the wort and brew something else.

Tig98 · 15-11-2020 1:14pm

Thats exactly what I didn't want to hear! How about leaving the wort over night and chilling the yeast in the fridge?

BeerNut · 15-11-2020 3:25pm

You're still going to need a way to keep the wort at 7-10 degrees as it ferments. If you don't have a fermenting fridge you can't make lager at home.

RasTa · 15-11-2020 5:04pm

You could get a Kölsch yeast and throw that in.

Is this a kit or grain?

Tig98 · 15-11-2020 5:39pm

Its a kit, and my first attempt at anything! If it all goes south Ill buy an ale kit instead

BeerNut · 15-11-2020 5:47pm

Oh if it's a kit it's probably fine. Most of the ones branded as "lager" come with an ale yeast because they're intended to be fermented at room temperature. Which kit is it? Still don't pitch at 32C, but just leave it until it's down to about 27.

Tig98 · 15-11-2020 5:59pm

One of your own recommendations from a different thread

Its all a learning curve anyways, and a good lesson in knowing what you're doing before you do it! https://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/fathers-day-special-beer-starter-kit-makes-40-pints-p-2284.html

BeerNut · 15-11-2020 6:05pm

So it's the Munton's Premium Lager Kit? That's an ale and will be fine pitching at 27 or below and fermenting at room temperature.

Tig98 · 15-11-2020 6:39pm

Im glad, hopefully everything else was done right and I'll see some bubbles soon

Tig98 · 20-11-2020 10:49am

No air lock activity since this morning, when for the last few days it was a bubble every three seconds or so. Any thoughts? Its only fermenting 5 days

BeerNut · 20-11-2020 12:20pm

Ignore the airlock, it doesn't tell you anything useful. Give it a couple more days then see where the gravity is at. It all sounds on course to me.

rubadub · 13-04-2021 1:06pm

Tescos cheap growers harvest apple juice seems out of stock in the 1L cartons. The big 2L ones are on offer, 2x2L for €3.50

Strangely it has a different nutritional content, thought the packing is the same.

the 79c online shows
1L is Carbohydrate 11.7g
Sugars 9.6g

my actual carton says
Carbohydrate 9.5g
Sugars 9.5g

the 2L
online & carton is
Carbohydrate 10.8g
Sugars 10.4g

The 2L is in the chilled section

dylbert · 14-04-2021 4:38pm

rubadub wrote: »

Tescos cheap growers harvest apple juice seems out of stock in the 1L cartons. The big 2L ones are on offer, 2x2L for €3.50

Strangely it has a different nutritional content, thought the packing is the same.

the 79c online shows
1L is Carbohydrate 11.7g
Sugars 9.6g

my actual carton says
Carbohydrate 9.5g
Sugars 9.5g

the 2L
online & carton is
Carbohydrate 10.8g
Sugars 10.4g

The 2L is in the chilled section

Is this good for turbo cider?

Roald Dahl · 06-05-2021 1:36pm

I'm in the process of trying out a few "proof of concept" brews at the minute.

I had a bottle of Lidl's Patronus wheat beer last week and noticed that it had some (yeast?) sediment in it and I tried to cultivate it by pouring it in with some sugary water, but I had no luck with it. No activity. Would the yeast have run out of steam and died off, or is there another reason why it is no longer alive?

I also have a demijohn of lemon and ginger beer on the go right now and as an experiment I used normal bread yeast. it is bubbling away nicely and I would say the fermentation will be over in a couple of days. Most advice says not to use baking yeast, however. Does anyone have any experience with this or know a good source of reasonably-priced brewing yeast?

Supercell · 06-05-2021 1:45pm

rubadub wrote: »

Tescos cheap growers harvest apple juice seems out of stock in the 1L cartons. The big 2L ones are on offer, 2x2L for €3.50

Strangely it has a different nutritional content, thought the packing is the same.

the 79c online shows
1L is Carbohydrate 11.7g
Sugars 9.6g

my actual carton says
Carbohydrate 9.5g
Sugars 9.5g

the 2L
online & carton is
Carbohydrate 10.8g
Sugars 10.4g

The 2L is in the chilled section

Ohh, I'm about to start cider brewing and was going to test a few different apple juices, is this one a good one?

BeerNut · 06-05-2021 3:03pm

Roald Dahl wrote: »

No activity. Would the yeast have run out of steam and died off, or is there another reason why it is no longer alive?

Pasteurisation, I'd say. RIP, yeasties.

Roald Dahl wrote: »

a good source of reasonably-priced brewing yeast?

Any of the online homebrew shops. It might be worth asking if they'll post to you, to save paying full-whack delivery.

Roald Dahl · 08-05-2021 12:06pm

Thanks, BeerNut. I was thinking pasteurization too, but was not sure if German beer is pasteurized.

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