The Red Barron (American Red IPA) had mixed fortune, from the keg it was a great success. Took it to a friends house warming (but not party!!) and it all went within a few hours. No joke! all what I had left was some slurry at the bottom of the keg. No only it seems everyone finds it remarkably cool to see a keg on the kitchen top, people also like free beer.

From the bottle it was more of a traditional english ale as I gave a 6 pack to my dad. it certainly wasn't designed to be relatively still, I had thought that it could be the case in the bottles as my sample ones were the same. So all in all I am not completely happy with the results.

There wasn't as much hop flavour as with my other batches in the past.




When I came to build and order my next recipe (Fimbulwinter Black IPA) I noticed that the hop quantities for the Barron were around the same as I have done with my 12l batches, however the Red Barron was in the region of 19l so all I can think of was that is was slightly diluted and I amended the recipe volume after I purchased the hops and forgot about it.

A shame and it didn't help also that I was adjusting to using a new brew setup (my Ace Boiler) and had a real ball ache to cool and transfer to the fermenter.  I will redo this batch in the future, I owe it to myself to do it again to make 12l to see how it turns out. I really do like the 'Seasonal' takes on IPAs so I will ear mark it for next year.

I must remember I am a 12l batch brewer!!!
I must remember I am a 12l batch brewer!!!
I must remember I am a 12l batch brewer!!!

What I have taken from this though, my keg setup works very, very well. I will utilise this going forward and will carb it in the keg and transfer enough when fully carbonated to bottles to give away.

To do this I have recently bought a growler/bottle filler to fill the bottles straight from my tap. I will also buy in the next few days a mini regulator adaptor so I can use larger co2 bottles (same as the soda stream machines) to connect a direct supply to my small keg. The mini 16g cartridges are good to transport with to parties but are not great and consistent enough to carb the keg.  I will also purchase a smaller 6l keg for kind of an overflow/bottling/testing keg before I tap my 9l keg.

If this all works out well with my Fimbulwinter Black IPA. I will get rid of my massive 30l bottling bucket.

Until next time.....Happy Brewing

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I've been abit slow on my write up with the last brew day and the first go with the Ace Boiler.

It was a good bit of kit and worth while purchase to get off the stove that if you wanted a dedicated system but didn't want all the extra parts like a induction hob and kettle or fork out on a more expensive system like the Grainfather.






The boil/heating of especially my powerful 2500W model made the biggest initial impact as it cut down so much compared to heating on the stove, something like 20 minutes and with the double wall insulation it maintained the temperature for the duration of the mash.




I did sparge this time and the colour of the first runnings looked good, it was a bit of a heavy load to then fit to put the wort back in the boiler. I might have to put the kettle lower to the ground rather than on my kitchen top. Trying to lift 19L of warm wort head high (given the height of the boiler on the counter) was a struggle. So that was my first personal note.


 The boil went well and got pretty vigorous a few times, my next personal issue came when I tried to cool the thing.....It took ages, I use a immersion chiller which got the temp to around 35-40 from near boiling in about 15-20 minutes but getting it from that temperature to pitching got me really twitched,

I have since picked up the trick (from a forum member of the HomebrewForum) of stirring it constantly for the chilling time which should get it down to pitching in a under 30 minutes with a chiller.

 The last personal issue was when I was ready to transfer to my fermentor, this was a real pain as the hop filter got surrounded by crud and just couldn't pass anything through the tap.

I have since bought a different filter (well some heavy grade tubing that goes directly from the boiler tap to my false bottom which should do the job better. As after having such clear wort I kicked up all the Trub by having to manly using a measuring jug to strain into the filter.

These were my only issues, just 3, which I have/will hopefully rectify come the next brew so they aren't brew day killers.

I look forward to using this again,

Until Next time........Happy Brewing

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Its starting to become an exciting time in the BrannBrew Kitchen, my last two proper brews (not counting the Proper Job Extract Kit) were a great success, both of which were original recipes.

My next brew will  be Red Baron - a Red IPA - hopped like a west coast American IPA but with a malty backbone that should balance the hoppyness well.  I was going use Brewdogs DIY Dog and their Punk IPA recipe but there is something quite satisfying when your own recipe comes out well, chuffed to bits!

Red Baron will also christen my latest brew purchase of a Ace Boiler. Ive been looking into this for awhile as an alternative to brewing on the stove (as the boiler is all self contained with a 2500w concealed heating element!)

I really think this will aid my brew days by speeding things up when heating the water and transferring the wort, which currently are the most clunky parts of my brewday.

The Ace Boiler is a great starting point to improvements, as over time I will make this into an all in one brewing system, essentially my own Grainfather.

For now though I'll still be sticking with using my grain bag (BIAB) in the Ace, but there is so much scope to enhance the boiler it will be a good project to work on over time.....adding bits to it slowly.

I'll post the Red Baron recipe up after brewday next week and will give my impressions of the Ace too.

Until Next Time.......Happy Brewing

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This weekend I tapped my keg, full of a new brew for me. A Saison (Saison of Love).

I have tried a few Saisons from a bottle in the past, but it is usually a style I wouldn't pick if given the choice.

However I thought I try to brew my own, based off what I read in a recent BYO Magazine article and also the idea of not worrying too much on fermentation control, as at the time, around brew day, we were having some very hot days & evenings.

I'm very pleased now this has come out, I'm still fine tuning my keg setup but the outcome was very successful. The recipe was modeled off the Firestone Walker Opal and was additionally dry hopped.

 I gave wifey a taste tester and she then asked for a full glass of it, after which I went to cook tea (a 5 of your 5 a day Thai green curry - was yummy too!) during cooking all I kept hearing squeaks over Gilmore Girls of how nice the beer was.

That was enough approval of the beer I needed, even though wifey has small tastes of my brewed beer she has never had a full glass (or even two) before. So certainly has proven to be a drink for non beer drinkers.

My detailed report: A yellow color with 2 & 1/2 fingers of white head that leaves some good lacing. The spicy funky yeast of the saison was the prominent smell, with some malty wheat notes. The taste matches the smell, with light citrus coming through at the end but doesn't overwhelm. Compared the bottles I've had in the past I my brew certainly compares to the commercial equivalent I purchased from Tesco.

It was stronger than the other recent brews I've done but actually tasted the lightest, I had 3 glasses before I knew it.. Would I do this again.....Yes......Yes......Yes! (4/5)

It is difficult to compare it to if its better than my G.E.B pale ale because of the different styles, however they are both my best brews to date - given how clunky my all grain brew days I'm pleasantly surprised.

It would be interesting to see how it ages in the keg, as I'll probably wont have any this weekend due to the Victorious Festival. So it could be a few weeks until I get another real taste of it.
The last beer I had in the keg didn't last the one night (I did take it to a party people!!).

Until Next Time.....Happy Brewing

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A year has now past and have just celebrated my 1st Brewversary, over the last year I have developed my skills from a complete beginner, however I am still learning the ropes of all-grain after just brewing my first proper for a Fathers Day Brew (G.E.B Pale Ale). 

Although that did turn out the most successful to date the brew day itself didn't quite go according to plan.

Reflecting and looking back on the past brews there will certainty be brews I would do again, like pro breweries having a regular 'core' range of beers along with seasonal specials.

 I think I will do the same, using this repetitiveness to improve on a recipe and hone the brew days.

As the next year goes on I'm sure there would be beers to replicate from my BYO subscription or ideas to adapt - brews that you may not be entirely sure on or test batches like a SMaSH beer to discover if you like the flavour profile of certain hops, but may not brew again.

So what have I got in store for the next year? 

Well I've recently brewed and now drinking a Proper Job Clone I got for my birthday.

This week be brewing a dry hopped Saison (The Saison of Love) - perfect beer to brew during summer.

I will also be developing/improving existing recipes:

Golden Flower - English Ale (brewed a partial mash in May, which I'm in the process of converting & improving into an All Grain version)
Fimbulwinter - Black IPA (brewed a partial mash back in February, another brew that I will tweek slightly and improve)

There will be atleast two new brews I'll try my hand at:
Brann's Own - American IPA based off Brewdog's Original Punk IPA Recipe 2007-2010
The Dark Pint Ryeses - Red Rye IPA

For my Fathers day brew (G.E.B Pale Ale) I designed a professional style label.

Now these will include my 'mascot' Kuàilè (happy) the Panda. It was an illustrated drawing my wife did for me on a birthday card, it will make the labels classic clean look a bit more fun.

Who cannot love the cuteness of a Panda!?

Until Next time.......Happy Brewing

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So my latest brew, a Fathers Day brew- American Pale Ale using Galaxy, El Dorado and Bravo hops (that share the same initials as my Dad) turned out to be a great success, my best brew so far.

At the time on brew day I got myself all in a state as I had already wrote my own step instructions but 1/2 way through the mash some part of me decided to follow Brewers Friend session.

After a few other little hiccups/problems faced I thought it wouldn't come out anything like I had planned and researched.

I bottled 18 bottles (as I specifically made it a small batch) I had 12 bottles for my Dad and 4 for myself, come Fathers day on Sunday, there was only my Dads left, how it turned out was incredible, deep layers tropical flavours. This would go into the core range of my home brewery, definitely going to brew this again and part of me wants to as soon as, just to correct my wrongs on in the first place.  

I was luckly enough to get a Proper Job Clone recipe kit for my recent birthday, which went like clockwork. I've being toying with the idea of purchasing a Braumeister but after settling myself back down with this Clone recipe kit I don't think I really need or can justify it. This is still brewing, so I cant comment on how close it tastes to the real thing however going by reviews prior to adding it to my birthday list it should turn out very close.

What makes me really happy and relieved at same time that my Dad liked it so much. So much  so after trying a bottle earlier in the day Dad was singing its praises all day long (it wasn't even that strong!). If only he really knew how much sweat & tears went into producing it. If I remember right my wife came home to a very emotional husband that day.

I ultimately put too much pressure on myself to get it right. Thanks to my brew journal I wont be making the same mistakes again. 

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Its being a while since my last blog post, so I thought Id write on a hot topic with homebrewers that is a long disputed and much asked question...to keg or bottle? 

Some like to bottle so they can keep track on how much they have drunk and like to just chuck a bottle or two in the fridge. Its cost effective to bottle, the equipment you need is very minimal. You will only need a capper, caps and of course the bottles which many I expect you could have from empties collected. 

When I first majorly bottled I 'minesweeper-ed' a lot of empties from a friends BBQ party. However there always is a constant rinse and clean cycle, which when it comes to sanitising and filling come bottle day some find it quite tedious which you also may run out of space in the kitchen surrounded by bottles. Bottling however is a great way to share the fruits of your labor. 

Kegging is very convenient, after a long day you get home and fancy a beer but only 1/2 having a keg is very handy for this. It also reduces alot of time come bottling day and cleaning. For carbonation and clarity kegging is the way to go. 

There are many entry levels to kegging you can get a 5l mini keg or Tap a Draft (TAD) that are seemed as a good stepping stone into the world of kegged beer.  

I have used a TAD when I first started out, I really liked using it, however after 4 kits (one which was a stove top extract kit) I quickly went into 12l BIAB batches as I didn't see the need of using these as I could easily just bottle 18 or so bottles and let them naturally carbonate over a few weeks. So I have lined this up to give to a friend who has very recently started home brewing, catching the bug very quickly however he has had problems with a leaky pressure barrel.

For me I would dearly love to do a DIY Kegerator however I know the powers that be (aka Mrs B) will not have that until I have a man shed or such area she can lock me away in.  So if I can push it to just a 9L corny keg (tucked away in a corner) with a regulated Co2 charger and chrome tap will cost in the region of £130. That's not including a cool jacket or Co2 capsules. 

You never know I might try my luck placing it on my upcoming birthday list. 




There is so many pros and cons for the two so I'll leave it here....How do you do yours? do you bottle, keg or a mix of the two? What do you prefer?

Are there any Home Brew Suppliers/companies willing for me to test/review keg products? 

Until next time......Happy Brewing

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