Happy Homebrew Wednesday!

Today I tried a small bottle of Red Panda, a week on from bottling day to see how things are developing.

It's still not fully carbed and still alittle 'green' where you have a slightly rough bitterness from the hops.


It's still pleasant to drink and still reminds me of certain aspects of commercial beers I've tried in the past. The malt flavours have become more pronounced now which melds well with the fruity hops, the strawberry like flavour of Belma hops appears at the moment the more prominent hop characteristic coming through.

I have two bottles left along with the 1/2 filled keg. I usually give away a bottle of two to Coworkers and my dad but as I ended up with less beer in the bottling bucket than I thought I may end up keeping both. I'll certainly want to try one next week again, if things improve I'll give the last bottle away.

At the moment however, much like my last brew (Punk IPA Clone) it doesn't wow me.

Red Panda however still has sometime to develop.

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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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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BrewDog have now released all 215 of their recipes online for free in one handy PDF. 

Titled DIY Dog, the free download includes a manual on equipment and ingredients needed for each beer - and suggests food pairings for each one.  

BrewDog have made all of their 215 recipes available for download on their website, via www.brewdog.com/diydog. 

With each recipe being scaled down to home-brew volumes of five gallons or 20 litres.

This is amazing news, as a fan of their Punk IPA Im really excited to give that one a go first off and trying to recreate some more of their beers now I have an actual recipe from the brewery themselves. Will this inspire other breweries to follow suite? I probably don't think so (I hold my breath) as BrewDog do like straying away from the norm. 

Regardless the PDF is immense! Especially as they could charge for a full book format, considering the only other official recipe came with the pre-packed beer kits that are on the higher priced side. 

I'll save this document just encase this is a timed free exclusive, the works printer best not run out of ink come Tuesday when Im back in.

Time to get punked! 

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

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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 with me.  

Now I have enough bottles to probably do a complete batch in bottles if I wish (or do 3/4 bottles and 1 TAD, so I have some leftover bottles for a batch sooner than waiting another month. 

I've basically found that there's certain types of bottles that wont cap well due to the neck being a bit more dumpy, so my hand capper can't fully grip on the bottle. These I've found are Kopparberg, Wychwood and Badger bottles, some bottles like the Proper Job or 660ML Punk IPA bottles have either the label on a piece of plastic then glued onto the bottle (which stinks and leaves the bottle very sticky if you do try to remove it). Which I then have had to recycle for real. 

Really easy bottles to reuse I've found Budweiser, Rekorderlig or the standard ale bottles that you usually get in the 3 for £5 deals at the supermarket. These labels generally just soak of after some time in hot soapy water, you'll then just have to lightly scrub off any label stickiness that is left.

It's nice to have a mix of swing/flip top, standard capped bottles (that look good if you are giving them away for presents) and a larger dispensing system.

Until next time........Happy Brewing. 

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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 choice and variety of what I can do. Maybe this year I'll do a Rhubarb Saison or a Pumpkin Ale?? 

I've never really been a Stout or Porter drinker; I have the odd bottle/pint of Guinness/Chocolate porter/Double IPA/Innis & Gunn that would warrant being seasonal but I'd much prefer something refreshing & flavourful anytime of the year like a Proper Job or Punk IPA.

With the seasons seemingly shifting right, the coldest weather still hasn't hit, I may have to retract my statement and want a darker heavier beer by then, but by the time its fully brewed the first of Spring flowers probably will be appearing. If I have any of these urges, then that is what these commercial supermarket beers are for - the odd one or two to satisfy - it’s always good to boost the bottle tally for my next home brew too. 

Until next time...........Happy Brewing!

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