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Thank you all for your advice. I think I'll just go back tomorrow and get some ale yeast instead. Any recommendation on an ale yeast that would give some fruity notes ? I was aiming for a beer with sweetness coming through from the malt using Crystal 60 and 120. Complemented by subtle spicy and...

Hi all, I went to my local brewstore today, telling them I wanted to brew a Christmas ale. I told them I wanted a crisp finish to let the spices I will add to the beer come through. I was recommended the following yeast : https://mangrovejacks.com/products/bavarian-lager-m76-yeast-10g...

Will it get back to normal once I have drawn a few glasses ?

Hi all, New beer brewed and barreled. Now had 11 days in the barrel and unable to get more than about 200 mL out of the barrel before the pressure runs out. The beer is carbonated all right though. Could this be because I didn't leave much head space ? (I was using a 10 L barrel). Only left a...

Hi again, I barrelled my second batch last weekend (in a new 10L barrel) and bottled about 14 pints. I noticed that the over-pressure release valve of the barrel has been releasing CO2 over the past few days. I assume this is normal as I only left about 1.5-2 cm (excluding the area formed by...

Thanks for the reply. What kind of thermal expansion ? I thought that the density of liquids was rather unaffected by temperatures (unless it freezes).

Hi all, I found a lot of information on having too much headspace in barrels but nothing on the minimum. I barrelled a 10 L barrel a couple of days ago and left about a half inch no more. The pressure release valve is releasing CO2 so I guess I have excess pressure in there. Did I leave enough...

Okay thanks. I do you know how safe the tesco bottle are. I do have a slight carbonation at the moment but nothing to intense due to the leak. Since I am currently cooling the beer down for it to dissolve more CO2 I suspect it might be enough to bump up the pressure in the bottle when they are...

Thanks a lot for all your advice. I will check the inside valve next time I run out of pressure. I might go for the Tesco bottling option as well. Is it still okay to transfer over after 3 weeks in the barrel ?

Terrym, tried that this weekend and no leak from the main cap seal that I could see. The only place where the soapy water bubbled was at the pressure release valve of the cap. I assume this is normal as I still don't have much headspace ? (see attachement image, red arrow shows where I could see...

Ok, I'll try that. One thing I noticed, I don't know if that's normal, when I screw a cartridge to the top on the barrel I get a bit of a spray coming out of the valve. Is that due to the overpressure because I don't have enough head space or is it most of the gas just leaking out.

Hi everyone. A little heads up on the barrel situation, after stopping the leak from the tap (not a single drop on beer spilt since I gave it another turn), my beer had 2 weeks to carbonate at about 17-18 degrees C. I had enough pressure for a couple of pints taken a couple of days appart, but...

I understand what you're saying. In my case the thread is short enough that I can easily get to and compress the rubber washer against the barrel, but just feels very loose when screwing the tap on (all the way to the washer).

Okay that's maybe what it is then. I was really surprised when I tested it with water the first time. The tap was really easy to screw, no resistance whatsoever. Adding a bit (a couple of turns) of tape made it a bit better but I could still screw up to the o-ring without forcing to much.

Thanks for your comments, I'll definitely get a set of spare !! In terms of re-priming, I assume that if I re-prime with half the initial amount, say 50 grams, I should be okay right ? any excess pressure will be removed by the valve ? I've tightened the tap this morning, gave it an extra...

Hi all, Just a quick question. I barreled my first batch yesterday. I used PTFE tape and Vaseline to try and make the barrel leak proof but I noticed tonight a slight leak at the barrel/tap thread. Only a few drops (probably 5 mL in 12 hours or so). I tried to open the top to see if I had any...

Thanks for the tip. I read the guide, very good. I used some vaseline as recommended but I think my barrel might still be leaking. How long does the carbonation take using CO2 cartridges ? After 24 hours for 23 L I still had not pressure whatsoever. Btw I am using water to test the barrel.

Hi all, The primary fermentation of my beer is over (gravity of 1.010 for a 1.014 or less target), I added dry hops 3 days ago and I am planning on barreling tomorrow. I just realised that I don't really know how much to fill the barrel. I couldn't see any signs on it. I imaging that the...

Thank you all for your advice. For now I think I'll do the whole fermentation in one fermenter though. Since this is my first brew and I don't have good siphoning equipment I'll probably make thinks worse if I try to transfer to a second container. I'm still puzzled by the fact that the kit...

Thank you for the explanation, its clearer what is essential and optional now. :)