What are you drinking ?

[jt]

Ok, so What Are You Brewing was a hotty, as topics go.

Now I'm 15 pints into a keg I only filled on Tuesday and wondering if anyone else has a favourite at the moment ?

It's my second brown with US-Oh05 and it's better than the forst, maybe Ikept the temps down a bit during the scorcher we had in januray

[Stu McKinlay]

Bloody hell. I just read this and then looked at the photos. Bloody Ed Siddle's nostrils again. At least it wasn't me with my little cheese sausage!

I'm well overdue catching those nostrils in person, and will be at Kieran's tomorrow night if you're reading Ed. Haven't got any lagers for you but I'll a bottle of my Belgian Pale Ale... and a special surprise from down south, if I can.

[jt]

I wouldn't worry about airlock activty db, it's what's happening inside that counts most.
What sort of lid does the fermenter have, tupperware snap on (usually a good seal) or screw on (usually never seal)
Most fermenters are opaque to a good degree and you can see if there's some activity

A lot of people are suspiscious of the yeast that comes with kits - it's badly stored.
the saflager yeast should probably have been fermented cool - didyou manage that ?

Coopers ? Ahh .. two of my favourite kits. I must have litterally brewed hundreds of Coopers and the yeast never failed me. favourite were the lager and the real ale. Aged the lager for months but drank the real ale after only 1, 2 or 3 weeks depending on what stock I had.

I'd drop the brew enhancers, add liquid malt and hops instead, better value and real flavour !

good luck, cheers jt

[James P]

Jt, for a lager what would you suggest in the way of liquid malt and hops given I am an imported Heineken / Amstel fan, and I am using kit brews?

The "heineclone" recipe is in the fridge at the moment, however there have been too many differing views on the net. I want to try a partial but alas not sure how to calculate IBU's from ingredients.

[jt]

Hmmm .. I'm not sure I can match hops to your commercial examples .. but I'm sure that someone will be able to.

I only did one extract & grains 'lager' and that was a kg of grains. 700gm lager grain and 300gm munich. The only hops I've used for 'lagers' have been B Saaz.

If you don't want to mash or steep grains, just go for a straight light malt extract brew. Read www.howtobrew.com for for the gravity and hop calculations. If you can put the formula together in a spreadsheet or use Promash it'll save you some grey matter.

Even consider the zatec pils recipe in chapter 19 so the work is done for you.
Disclaimer: I've never tried this.

Any amount of grains you can mash is going to be be good.

The biggy is to use a lager yeast and ferment at recommended temps. If you don't get the temp right you may as well have used an ale yeast and then what's the point

[jt]

Still drinking and enjoying the ale with the last of my Styrian Goldings and the first of the new bag of Marris Otter. By my tally there's about 5 pints left in the keg so I'd better get the Blonde in a keg and ready to go.

I'm beginning to regret buying Pacific hallertau instead of more Styrians .. still, nothing like a bit of variety

[Martin Bridges]

I've been glugging my way through too much of my Yankiwi Pale recently. It came out weaker than I'd hoped (3.4%) but it's very drinkable all the same. I also had one of the last few bottles of my IPA last night and that seems to have finally settled down after about 3 months. Shame it's almost run out.

And tonight I plan to commit infanticide by sampling a bottle of the Altbier I bottled last weekend. I was planning to be a good boy and hold off for another couple of weeks but I've had a tough weekend (both wife and son ill) so I deserve a reward.

Martin

[Martin Bridges]

Well, last week was too early for the Altbier but this week certainly wasn't. It's coming on form very quickly indeed and is bloody gorgeous. Why oh why didn't I make a double batch??

Martin

[jt]

This weekends 'Go to' kegs have been the twins - the two Blondes. Must admit they started a little Blande, but I'm very pleased with them after some conditioning (well a day or two in the latter ones case but I think the carahell is a blessing there) patience is a virtue. Here's Mk II looking a bit cloudy in a proper glass, no namby pamby handles here 70% pale, 20% Munich and 10% wheat for the first, the second is 70% pale, 20% Munich, 5% Carahell and 5 % wheat. Both pacific hallertau.

[James P]

Currently hitting the first of my kit brews after 2 months in the bottle. The initial "fruityness" has passed and the beer is drinkable, something similar to a summer ale??

One concern is that there is feck all carbonation! Head is a little thin too. (But not bad for a kit beer I guess, bring on the extract brew!).

[Stu McKinlay]

Last night, I popped into Shed 22 to try Brewjolais 2008.
Three "pints" later... It's very very good. Quite raw, fruity, earthy, great malt balance. The closest mainstream beer I've tried to a good homebrew in a long time. Probably my favourite new local release since Three Boys Golden Ale (which I loved the first year but was so-so on this summer just been).

Get on down and try it.

[jt]

"this summer just been"

Do we finally have to admit that summer is finally over ?

[Barry]

I'm with you Stu, it's a splendid drop. Why can't all the macs beers be this good.