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    #92
    Herb Powell
    Registered Users Posts: 3,097 ✭✭✭Herb Powell


    Experienced brewers, is the procedure for using spraymalt any different to using sugar? I wanna use spraymalt for my next brew instead of sugar (very soon), so I'm just wondering do you add it in the same way as sugar, or does it require more care?


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    #93
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,778 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    Herb Powell wrote: »
    do you add it in the same way as sugar, or does it require more care?
    In kits? Exactly the same way: get the can contents and the spraymalt dissolved in about 5L of very hot water and once it's all dissolved top it up with cold, stirring all the way.

    My beer blog | The Twitter | My other beer blog



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    #94
    Herb Powell
    Registered Users Posts: 3,097 ✭✭✭Herb Powell


    Oh, I didn't disolve my sugar at all last time, haha, I just added it gradually. Thanks for the correction!


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    #95
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,778 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    It won't make any difference to the finished beer but your OG reading is less likely to be accurate if you don't mix it all in evenly.

    My beer blog | The Twitter | My other beer blog



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    #96
    Edwardius
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 3,234 Mod ✭✭✭✭Edwardius


    Picked up a pair of these today, tenner each, they were from the jameson distillery apparently http://www.adverts.ie/plants-pots/oak-whiskey-barrel-planters/2668097
    Gonna make a cider press and also use some as a source of oak chips for various projects!


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    #97
    Khannie
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    Edwardius wrote: »
    Gonna make a cider press

    Nice! Interested to hear how you get on. I would love to build a press. Unfortunately I have no woodworking skills.


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    #98
    Piercemeear
    Registered Users Posts: 200 ✭✭Piercemeear


    Khannie wrote: »
    Nice! Interested to hear how you get on. I would love to build a press. Unfortunately I have no woodworking skills.

    Neither do I, really, but I built one 18 months ago to these plans and it wasn't too onerous. You'd need access to a few tools, though.

    tumblr_lrdnmybacn1qz6j65o4_500.jpg
    tumblr_lrdnmybacn1qz6j65o6_500.jpg
    tumblr_lrdnmybacn1qz6j65o7_500.jpg


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    #99
    Khannie
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    Fair play! Do you get good extraction rates from the pulp? How long does it take you to press, say, 25L of juice?

    I bought a cider making book there a while back and it has plans for a basket type one which I'd guess would result in slightly faster extraction but a lot more effort to build.


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    #100
    Piercemeear
    Registered Users Posts: 200 ✭✭Piercemeear


    Extractions rates are surprisingly decent, but nothing like you'd get from a big press. I never put a percentage on it, but it was dry enough pulp at the end. Eh, I could do some maths, but it was, say, three 5 litre buckets of apple quarters (then pulped) was filling my gallon demijohn, in three goes.

    I was only doing 1 gallon demijohns, but I managed to fill four in a short few hours once I got used to its quirks. Helps to have someone there quartering the apples, pressing while you pulp, etc.

    We had so many apples that year I wasn't too stressed about getting everything out of them. We'd more than we could possibly use. Then last year (2012) we got zero. All my sources were in Leinster orchards. Complete washout.

    By the end of the process I was beginning to think of how to improve it though. This year, unless I build something entirely new, I'll need to put on a heavier, sturdier support metal (where the jack meets the top of the frame) and maybe buy a stronger jack.

    Getting too technical:
    I like the idea of building a barrel one a lot, but getting the jack (or winch) mechanism is the tough part. A bottle jack (like my picture) won't fit so well into that system.

    Edwardius' barrels above look like a good starting point, but I'm a bit concerned about the barreled sides. If the sides aren't an even cylinder then I'm not how your pressing disc would contain the pulp. At the middle where it's wider there'd be space for the pulp to push up around the disc.


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    #101
    Edwardius
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 3,234 Mod ✭✭✭✭Edwardius


    Piercemeear wrote: »
    ]I like the idea of building a barrel one a lot, but getting the jack (or winch) mechanism is the tough part. A bottle jack (like my picture) won't fit so well into that system.

    Edwardius' barrels above look like a good starting point, but I'm a bit concerned about the barreled sides. If the sides aren't an even cylinder then I'm not how your pressing disc would contain the pulp. At the middle where it's wider there'd be space for the pulp to push up around the disc.

    Good point, I may have to go back to the drawing board. I had thought about disassembling it, cutting the wooden pieces in half and weighing them down to flatten them and the plan was to end up with something like this.

    241757.JPG

    If I keep it fairly short the curvature of the wood might not be a probem but I'll have to see

    The bottle-jack method looks a lot more reasonable though!

    I also have zero woodworking skills but I reckon something like this is not massively difficult (famous last words!)


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    #102
    stuchyg
    Registered Users Posts: 1,491 ✭✭✭stuchyg


    Have a ginger beer fermenting at the min, 10 days in its coming along nicely but not sure if its strong enough in ginger taste. Could I add more fresh finger in a muslin bag do ye think


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    #103
    Piercemeear
    Registered Users Posts: 200 ✭✭Piercemeear


    Edwardius wrote: »

    I also have zero woodworking skills but I reckon something like this is not massively difficult (famous last words!)

    Building something like this is my ideal. Where would you source the screw mechanism, do you think? That's my main stumbling block, I think.

    Not too sure about the feasibility of flattening the barrel timbers. They've been curved for a long time. Even if it works you'd need new metal bands anyway. But the oak will be lovely, hard (cheap!) wood so if it works it's worth it.

    Build big! My main frustration is how little pulp I can fit in my press.


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    #104
    Edwardius
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 3,234 Mod ✭✭✭✭Edwardius


    Piercemeear wrote: »
    Building something like this is my ideal. Where would you source the screw mechanism, do you think? That's my main stumbling block, I think.

    Not too sure about the feasibility of flattening the barrel timbers. They've been curved for a long time. Even if it works you'd need new metal bands anyway. But the oak will be lovely, hard (cheap!) wood so if it works it's worth it.

    Build big! My main frustration is how little pulp I can fit in my press.

    I was thinking of a vice screw, you can get them on ebay but I'll try to source one offline, I've thought about using the screw assembly from one of those older swivel chairs but that might be for a smaller one. I was thinking about reusing the bands that are on the barrels and rebending them with "something". I had thought about cutting them and binding a couple of planks at a time but that'd probably break.

    The base will be interesting because that will need to be very strong!

    I think it should be possible and if I can't use the oak then it's no biggie. I may need to raid the shed at home and see what comes up!

    One thing I was wondering about wooden presses... are they not terrible for harbouring bacteria and general nasties?


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    #105
    Piercemeear
    Registered Users Posts: 200 ✭✭Piercemeear


    Edwardius wrote: »
    One thing I was wondering about wooden presses... are they not terrible for harbouring bacteria and general nasties?

    I'm not an expert on this, but from what I've read most woods are quite naturally bacteria-resistant. This is why wooden chopping boards are still so popular. They always recommend beech as the best wood to make butcher's blocks from because of its bacteria resistance, but oak and maple are also well-regarded.

    A lot of the presses for sale online have beech or oak buckets.

    You'd scrub them well before and after using, of course. Hasn't been a problem for me, yet, anyway, and mine's only plywood and pine.


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    #106
    irish_goat
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 5,760 Mod ✭✭✭✭irish_goat


    stuchyg wrote: »
    Have a ginger beer fermenting at the min, 10 days in its coming along nicely but not sure if its strong enough in ginger taste. Could I add more fresh finger in a muslin bag do ye think

    You could yeah. Could also add a small amount of powdered ginger. I'd boil up either for about 10 mins to sterilise.


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    #107
    stuchyg
    Registered Users Posts: 1,491 ✭✭✭stuchyg


    I assume if you are following a recipe based on a 25 litre brew you can just scale down accordingly for a 10 ltr batch


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    #108
    Edwardius
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 3,234 Mod ✭✭✭✭Edwardius


    I don't really want to start another thread for this...

    I'm making an elderflower cider, do I need to sterilise the flowers by boiling/scalding them? The cider is going into secondary so there's a good 6.5% alcohol in there, will this kill any bugs?


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    #109
    Khannie
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    Edwardius wrote: »
    I'm making an elderflower cider, do I need to sterilise the flowers by boiling/scalding them?

    No, you'll destroy them if you do.

    Tell me more about this elderflower cider though. Cider in primary, elderflower in secondary? I presume they're dried elderflower at this time of year?


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    #110
    Edwardius
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 3,234 Mod ✭✭✭✭Edwardius


    Khannie wrote: »
    No, you'll destroy them if you do.
    Ah, thanks man, other places on the interweb seemed unclear on this.
    Khannie wrote: »
    Tell me more about this elderflower cider though. Cider in primary, elderflower in secondary? I presume they're dried elderflower at this time of year?

    Yeah basically I put 24 litres of Lidl's magic apple juice in primary with teabags and raisins and added some sweetner tabs towards the end of primary. Split the lot into 5 1 gallon demijohns, I put 10g of dried elderflowers in two of them, I'm leaving one of them as regular cider, adding a load of strawberry syrup to the fourth and I'm not sure what to do with the last one, so if anyone has any ideas I'll gladly steal them!

    I used dried elderflowers that I got from thehomebrewcompany.ie, I think it was a three quid for 50g.


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    #111
    kevc2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 500 ✭✭✭kevc2


    Would anyone know where to get another tap for the coopers beer fermenter? The rubber seal on mine is letting fluid through it. I have tried 2 of the main suppliers and they can't get the parts separately.

    Also I tried one of these kits and it came out really well:
    http://www.homebrewwest.ie/prohibition-high-alcohol-liqueur-coconut-rum-407-p.asp


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    #112
    howamidifferent
    Registered Users Posts: 1,817 ✭✭✭howamidifferent


    I bottled 46 x 500ml bottles of Cooper Irish Stout last night along with 43 x 500ml bottles of Coopers Traditional Draft. I have a 23L Brew Your Own Beer Pilsner on the go as well since Sunday to be bottled around March 24th.

    With 3 empty fermentation vessels to hand I plan to put on another turbo cider, a Muntons IPA and a BrewMaster IPA at the weekend. Stock up for the summer. :D I also have an Australian 7 day wine kit to go on when I have enough empty wine bottles for it.


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    #113
    BeerNut
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 11,778 Mod ✭✭✭✭BeerNut


    kevc2 wrote: »
    Would anyone know where to get another tap for the coopers beer fermenter?
    Tough one. If the seal is any way standard you might be able to get a replacement from a plumbing supplier, but tbh you may as well get yourself a new drilled bucket and tap: they're not that dear.

    My beer blog | The Twitter | My other beer blog



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    #114
    kevc2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 500 ✭✭✭kevc2


    BeerNut wrote: »
    Tough one. If the seal is any way standard you might be able to get a replacement from a plumbing supplier, but tbh you may as well get yourself a new drilled bucket and tap: they're not that dear.

    Cheers, was thinking I'd have to do that. It just seems like a waste but will probably have to be done.


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    #115
    Herb Powell
    Registered Users Posts: 3,097 ✭✭✭Herb Powell


    Just put in an order for a Better Brew Pale Ale kit there, along with a can of light malt extract rather than sugar. What's the procedure with the extract, boil it up or just fire it in? Looking forward to this brew.


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    #116
    joctcl
    Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭joctcl


    Herb Powell wrote: »
    Just put in an order for a Better Brew Pale Ale kit there, along with a can of light malt extract rather than sugar. What's the procedure with the extract, boil it up or just fire it in? Looking forward to this brew.

    You should get a can with your kit also, so just do as you normally would by heating both up and rinsing them into your bucket.
    You will notice a much "maltier brew" with a better flavour profile than just the sugar
    For you next stage consider the 2 can 3 kg kits, they are more expensive but are much better finished and will be your launching pad into extract or all grain if thats ultimately where you want to go.


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    #117
    Herb Powell
    Registered Users Posts: 3,097 ✭✭✭Herb Powell


    joctcl wrote: »
    You should get a can with your kit also, so just do as you normally would by heating both up and rinsing them into your bucket.
    You will notice a much "maltier brew" with a better flavour profile than just the sugar
    For you next stage consider the 2 can 3 kg kits, they are more expensive but are much better finished and will be your launching pad into extract or all grain if thats ultimately where you want to go.

    Thanks

    I'd say all grain is a good while off for me yet, but I'll get there eventually. Can't really afford it atm, but as soon as I get a well-paying job........


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    #118
    Piercemeear
    Registered Users Posts: 200 ✭✭Piercemeear


    Hi all,

    Looking to begin my second batch of beer. First time out I got a full boil IPA recipe from Homebrew Beers. So I'm not really up on searching for recipes online. I'd like to try an Irish Red next, perhaps something with a slightly hoppy edge to it (8 Degrees Sunburnt Irish Red might be a good reference point).

    Anyone have a nice extract recipe for an Irish Red in their pockets? Or point me towards the best places to search? I've only done full boil so far (13L) but could probably do a partial boil instead. Either or.


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    #119
    joctcl
    Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭joctcl


    Herb Powell wrote: »
    Thanks

    I'd say all grain is a good while off for me yet, but I'll get there eventually. Can't really afford it atm, but as soon as I get a well-paying job........


    The thing about AG is collect the bits as you go, like copper for a chiller 30 bucks
    Good quality big picnic cooler 40-50 etc etc


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    #120
    kevc2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 500 ✭✭✭kevc2


    I'm going to be making wine soon, any ideas on a cheap degasser or a mock-up one?

    Thanks


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    #121
    Herb Powell
    Registered Users Posts: 3,097 ✭✭✭Herb Powell


    joctcl wrote: »
    The thing about AG is collect the bits as you go, like copper for a chiller 30 bucks
    Good quality big picnic cooler 40-50 etc etc

    Yeah, is it easy enough to make a mash tun out of one of those, or would it be better to just buy one?


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