Search results

Up until recently I was using Asda Eden falls (soft) water as a basis for my pale beers but now they've switched over to another source with quite high carbonate levels. I've tried Tesco Ashbeck which is similar to Eden Falls but it's a bit more expensive and a lot less convenient for me to...

I buy my grains in DIY pre-crushed kits from GEB, 3 or 4 at a time. I've just done brewing an AIPA. When I mashed into my Grainfather, I found the grain was a lot harder to mix in with the water than usual. No biggie, they've obviously changed the crush a bit. After sparging, I was a...

So, a little while back I was having an issue with a metallic taste in some of my brews. It turns out I have lots of mini kegs which have rust on the inside. Big patches of it. On one of them, which I cut open to inspect, a big part of the plastic lining had actually come away. These...

I'm ready to keg my witbier but it has what looks like a pellicle on the top. A milky white surface with a few large bubbles connected by white lines. The beer tastes quite nice, actually just as I wanted it to, so I am tempted to package it in some mini kegs anyway. I have a threefold...

Hi all, For the last few months I have been noticing a definite metallic taste in my darker beers. That is ambers, reds and stouts. My paler beers taste absolutely fine using the same equipment and processes. I buy pre-crushed grain kits from GEB. Grainfather to mash and boil. Combination...

I mistakenly left some damp things in a plastic FV with the lid on (after cleaning) for a few weeks and now it smells a bit dank. I've tried re-cleaning with hot Oxy, boiling water, flushing with cold water and sanitising with Star San but the smell persists. Is it OK to use? Is there...

I have a mini keg which is slowly leaking around the internal tap and another one which looks like it has leaked a little bit and then stopped (bit of foamy residue by the tap). Is it common for the kegs to develop leaks after a while or could this be the result of some kind of misuse on my...

So I brewed an AG AIPA. 55 IBU's, 5.5% ABV, a bit of orange peel in the boil and 60g dry hop pellets and then packaged in to 4 mini kegs. The first two kegs were outstanding, nice smooth bitterness, huge hit of citrus moving to passion fruit and a nice lime zest aftertaste. 5 days after...

I'm nearly through my current batch of brews (brewing, not drinking) and am contemplating what to go for next. I normally order ingredients for 3-4 different AG brews at a time (saving on postage) and then try to do one a week. I'm curious as to how you guys decide on what to brew. My...

Hi there folks. My last two AG brews seem to have a weird yeasty type flavour. I normally do 4 5L Mini kegs and a few bottles from a 23L batch. The bottles taste absolutely fine but the MKs have a yeasty flavour. Anyone have any idea as to what might be going on here? I normally stick...

I recently purchased a Klarstein beer dispenser for my mini kegs. As there doesn't seem to be much info about them around I thought I would share my thoughts here. For those that don't know, the Klarstein is a kegerator for mini kegs. You put your MK inside the unit and it chills it with a...

I was doing a kit brew a few weeks back and I accidentally made too much wort, about 3L worth. Rather than chuck it, I poured it into a 5l plastic mineral water bottle which I had used for rehydrating the yeast and still had traces of the yeast solution in. Covered that with cling film and...

If I wanted to lower the ABV of an AG recipe, what's the best way to achieve that? Is it simply a case of reducing the grain bill? Are there other things to consider? Different mash temp maybe? What about the hops?

Hi guys, I was just wondering how one maintains sparge water at the correct temperature? I'll be using a Grainfather so the sparging process involves pouring jugs of heated water over the grains. I was thinking of getting one of those catering urns with a temperature control on it. (I'm...

I've been drinking the Razorback IPA kit I brewed recently and although it's a really nice beer it has a slight bitter aftertaste which I'm not sure should be there. Is that normal? I boiled some orange peel in water for 30 mins and added that water to the mix. Used Morrisons water for the...

Hi, newbie here. Just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on the preferred method for bottling/kegging from the bucket. What are the pros and cons of siphoning vs. using a tap with a wand? What are you guys doing and why?

Hi there, After moving to the suburbs from the city I thought I'd turn my hand to a bit of brewing. With thanks to a bit of John Palmer and many of the excellent postings on here I now have my first kit brew conditioning and testing my patience. Thank you guys and I am looking forward to...