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Hi Had a John Bull Bitter kit on the go for 12 days. Its finished fermenting -down to 1010 but... There is still a large yeast head on top, with not much sediment on the bottom. It also smells a bit cidery and is much cloudier than recent brews- could this have gone wrong? It was a standard...

Hi I have ordered a couple of IPA kits, ready for summer. Whats the best yeast to use? Cheers SHB

I love Hobgoblin, however, I will no longer buy it as a "bottle store replenish purchase" as it is a bugger to get crown caps on them. Does anyone else have this problem? Is it my capping machine?

Hi I was looking forward to cracking into the 40 bottles of EDME with molasses but... Tried batch priming for the first time and it cant have mixed properly so... Some bottles are ultra fizzy and very sweet. Some bottles are flat and others are just right. Makes it a more interesting drinking...

Hi Looking to get two brews on this weekend. I took delivery of a Coopers European Lager and a Brewpak Brew-in-the-bag Bitter. But, I forgot to order any additional LME/Brewing sugar etc. Whats the best type of sugar that I can get in a supermarket? (I dont have easy access to a LHBS or...

Hi I have a stuck Tom Caxton at 1020. Originally pitched a Safale-04 and after reading previous postings I'm thinking of pitching the sachet of yeast that came with the kit. Should I just pitch it in as normal or should I "start" it with some warm water and sugar mix? I've never done this...

Hi Just sanitised 48 bottles...Its strange what occurs to you when you are standing over the sink performing a mindless task... I love brewing my own beer but, would I put it on my CV as a hobby? Golf, football, no problems, but home-brew? not sure....

Hi Just been sampling a Design a brew kit that I brewed about a month ago- Its really good and its just dawned on me that its a bit like Harveys Old Ale! One of my favourite drinks from my local brewery. This was a complete fluke, but I'm going to repeat it for next year- perfect timing and...

Started a Wherry today with a twist. Brewed up some water with some hops (from a neighbours garden) that I found earlier in the year that I took home and put in the freezer. It smelled fantastic. Also replaced the yeast with some Safale S04. High hopes for this one :party: Cheers Dave

Hi I've just cracked open a taster of my first design-a-brew kit- taste is really good and there is a light carbonation but no head. I moved it to cold condition last week after 7 days of conditioning at approx 20-22'c. If I move it back into the warm will it get fizzier? Cheers Dave

Hi Planning a Wherry for next kit but would like to hop it up a bit. I have a small bag (25g or so) frozen green hops, scrumped from a neighbours hop bush. Smell great. Couple of questions. 1. When do I put the hops in? 2. Will the unknown variety of the hops ruin the brew? 3. Any ideas for...

Hi I have a brew secondary fermenting- been bottled for approx 5 days at 20-22C. It is reasonably clear except that some of the bottles have a thin horizontal line of floaters suspended approx 2" from bottom of bottle. This is really weird. Can anyone explain? Dave

My conditioning environment (shed) has been taken over by the Guinea Pigs for the winter. I am now conditioning beer outside! Is this OK? Will it cope with the sub-zero temperatures?

Hi I took Alemans advice an have had a Design a Brew delivered. But- I've made a mistake and I've only ordered 1 base kit instead of 2. Does anyone have any suggestions? Extra sugar? Brew short? Cheers Dave

Hi I am thinking about moving my cider from the FV to a secondary to clear in a cold place, then priming and bottling in a few weeks time. Will this work? Will there still be yeasties about? Cheers Dave

Hi How long should I leave cider in primary FV? Fermentation just about finished (down to 1008 for 3 days running) I tend to leave beer for another week, should I do the same with cider, or should I rack into a secondary? Cheers D

Hi I forgot to put any campden in at the start of pressing my apples, as a result the juice has oxidised and gone a dark brown colour. I realised my mistake later and added the campden. Will this matter in the final product? Also- Its got a great yeast head and is fizzing like a good-un but...

Hi This is my second year of making cider- made a few basic mistakes last year but came out with drinkable stuff and enjoyed it. I have lost the bag that I bought to put the apple pulp into whilst pressing. Does anyone have any suggestions what I can use instead? I have a couple of ideas...

Surprisingly good..... :thumb: I've added a fair amount of carbonation ; great head, clear and mellowing with every days its conditioning. Great value

Hi I have some hops growing nearby, they smell great and they are currently green. Q1. Can I use them? Q2. If I post a picture will someone be able to identify them? Q3. How do I "process" them and use them to improve a kit brew? Cheers Dave