Recent content by Ben Matthews

Hey peeps. Planted a bare root cascade in mod maybthis year. Took a while to get going but very impressed for a first year. Going to be crazy in year three. I'm struggling to know when to harvest they're a papery to feel but not really sticky resinous or highly aromatic. I've tried a hop...

Thanks Steve. My wife's gone into Barnstaple today so if she doesn't manage to get any that would be awesome thanks.

I did look into this as I thought it would be an easy way but all my malt is crushed and I think you need uncrushed to do this.

Hi Steve. Off to top of my head I think it went to 1.019 and then stopped. I bottled it. It didnt taste overly sweet to be honest. It is a low attenuating yeast although I did get 80% out of it on a Belgian Blonde but that did have some simple sugar in. I've kept the yeast but I did find an...

I did reply to this but can't see it. Websites playing up? Thanks guys. I have a Belgian blonde ready and an American wheat that's 1 week into carbonation so that's a possibility? I hear the homebrew shop in Barnstaple maybe open now to go in which is a 40 min drive. I could try and do a...

Random request if anyone has some chocolate malt and is going near a post office. I could do with 100g Chocolate Malt. Want to try and make a small batch of Evil Twin and have the other malts in stock bar this one. Seems silly paying postage for a big bag when I don't have anything else to...

Hi peeps. Wondered what peoples opinions on this are? I bought a fresh pouch of wyeast Belgian Ardennes about 6 weeks ago. Put it into a couple stepped starters with 1.040 wort with yeast nutrient in. Pitched most of that into my Belgian Blonde (The post on the forum where I thought it...

Or post it to me.... I'll use it. :D

Use it. It should be fine. It's a bit of a myth I think grain goes stale. Should be fine if its unopened and been kept cool and dry.

I got a stainless one the other day as although my plastic one functions great i cant take it apart to clean all the little bits where as the stainless one you can take it apart. It's definately fatter so wondered about the headspace. Funny enough I had an absolute pain in the **** trying to...

Good shout. What dilution ratio would you recommend.

Mystery solved. I had a thought the other day perhaps when some of the krausen seeped out of the lid in a spot or two some of it had run underneath the fermenting bucket and missed being mopped up. Turns out that theory was right. When I moved the bucket out of the chamber this morning to...

New sample shows she's at 1.013 (4 days since last test). Looks to be clearing out. There was some krausen still when I pulled my last sample. Fermentation chamber smells a little more like rotting shellfish now. Lovely. The sample looked great. Couldnt smell ammonia or dead lobster and the...

Just read urea doesn't smell so perhaps its Ammonia I'm getting? Basically whatever the smell is in urine like if you don't flush the bog for a few pees.

Yea there's no harm in hanging on while i decide. Still a little airlock activity so I'll check it again at the weekend and maybe pull another sample.