With my current brew 'Way to Amarillo' bottled and having 12 or so bottles left my thought is now going to my next batch.
The weathers dark, dank and miserably....Spring has no sign of coming around soon (even in Home Brew terms), my idea of brewing a Spring ale has been put on hold until a few months time.
I then got thinking/a craving for Hobgoblin, one of my favourite beers. Its perfect for this time of year. After a few afternoons & quieter periods at [.....]
For Christmas I was lucky to receive a Strainer and Stand, from The Home Brew Shop.
Hop Strainer clipped on top of bucket I have a standard 25L fermenter bucket and also a 30L bottling bucket, both of which the stand clips on it very securly.
The bag has 4 slits that go through the top of the stands arms, was a bit fiddly to find if it was inside out or not, so I made sure the seam was on the inside, although some hop [.....]
I maybe still new to Home Brew in the grand scheme of things, but I find researching into certain aspects very interesting so probably my overall knowledge is quite high for someone who has only really brewed for 6 months. It helps with the all the established home brew forums out there.
The best one I repeatedly go back to is The Home Brew Forum, it has certainly been usefully diving into the forum & the established members are usually very swift and knowledgeable to help with any issues or the like.
As I [.....]
When I first started brewing I bought 2 boxes of swing top bottles from the The Range they were £9 for 12 500ml bottles, good value! Although they wont last forever they are a great style of bottle that allows the beer to carbonate very well. I love the sound they make when they open.
Over time I've boasted my individual bottles from either the odd supermarket bought bottle or from a BBQ or house party and helped with the 'recycling' by taking a few empties home [.....]
Brew Diaries/Journals//Notes I keep one, I expect you keep one but they are a great means to keep track of how the brew has gone and any unexpected outcomes during the course of the brew.
I have kept one since I first started brewing up kits, even the simplest form of brewing your can come up with noteworthy points, especially points on how well its conditioning over time and flavour development.
I also keep a track of the music I am listening to [.....]
Ever had any bottle bombs due to over carbonation?
Ever had a flat beer from under carbonation? Branching out on creating different styles in 2016?
I have recently come across a few Priming Sugar Calculators that will help, it certainly opened my eyes to the different beers styles and amount of sugar & CO2 that is recommended.
When I first starting brewing I came across a quick and fast rule of the sugar amount, which with the beers I was brewing probably made them off [.....]
With 2015 finally over and the New Year goals fresh on our to do lists, what are your brewing goals for this year? Are you a seasonal brewer or do you brew what you feel like?
I would say I fall under the spur of the moment brewer, to a point, although until now I haven't had much flexibility in brews so it really just has been picking what kit I liked the sound of at the time of ordering.
Now though I have much more [.....]
Ok, so I wont say that I know everything by a long way, but I can say I know enough to get by currently and certainly enough to hold a conversation or enlighten someone on the facts.
Since taking this seemly "different" hobby up 7 months ago, (Yes a friend classified home brewing as different hobby - a very endearing way of putting it, which I would have to agree to a certain point of view as it is different to the usual video gaming, football, sports [.....]
So 2015 had its ups & downs, both in and out of Home Brew, mostly highs thankfully.
Since June last year I've brewed 4 batches (excluding the one thats currently on the go).
Three of those kits were kit based (Wilko's Golden Ale, Young's Raspberry & Mango Cider & Better Brews IPA), the other was a Black IPA that was an experimental beer, which did teach me a few things but ultimately I didn't have all the equipment necessary to produce something that I was completely [.....]
In my other most recent post ( A gift that has kept on giving ) I mentioned that the recent beers I've brewed have been somewhere over ...
