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dan3d86

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Hi All,

I've been browsing for a few days and have picked up so many pointers i thought I'd take the plunge and say hello!

I've bored my girlfriend with anything Home Brew related so at least i can talk about it here.

My first brew is ongoing at the moment, I've been panicking about the temperature of my brew (its been sitting at 18 degrees) but after a bit of trial and error last night I've got it sat at a steady 20 degrees now.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=8302&stc=1&d=1489053843

:cheers:

Homebrew.jpg
 
Welcome.
Assuming its not a high ABV beer and/or a Youngs kit, you should leave it to for at least two full weeks to ferment out and mostly clear, and then for a couple of days put the FV in the coldest place you have to help it finish clearing. Then you can bottle it.:thumb:
 
Thanks guys.

As It's my first attempt i kept it cheap and grabbed one of the Ale's from Wilko in the hope i wouldn't become too attached if it went belly up.

Interestingly the instructions with it (which i know wont be bang on) said to leave it in the FV for 4-6 days and the bottle it for 2 weeks! I assume this is mostly rubbish?
 
Thanks guys.

As It's my first attempt i kept it cheap and grabbed one of the Ale's from Wilko in the hope i wouldn't become too attached if it went belly up.

Interestingly the instructions with it (which i know wont be bang on) said to leave it in the FV for 4-6 days and the bottle it for 2 weeks! I assume this is mostly rubbish?
Leave it in the FV for 2 weeks plus as I suggested.
Then one to two weeks to carb up at 18-20*C.
Then put your beer in a cold place. You can try one at about two weeks on. It should be just about drinkable.
A sort of rule of thumb is that the darker the beer the longer it usually takes to get to its best, which could be at about 6-8 weeks on from when you bottle.
Up until then you could try opening one a week say to see how the flavours change with time. Doing it that way is helpful because you may find it get to its best earlier than I have suggested, and so you can get stuck in.
And yes the instructions are way too optimistic, to get you to believe you will be drinking a top class beer in days rather than weeks.
 
Welcome aboard Dan, what ale did you get out of Wilko's? I've worked my way through most of their kits, the only one I'd suggest you really steer clear of is their stout. All the rest can be pimped to make a very nice beer with a fair bit of patience thrown in.
 
Thanks Larry!

I went for the Golden Ale from Wilko, it's nice to know that it's a goer if my patience can hold off
 
Thanks Larry!

I went for the Golden Ale from Wilko, it's nice to know that it's a goer if my patience can hold off

I did their Golden Ale when it was a two can (toucan)kit last last summer, I got one of the last ones for a tenner and couldn't resist it. I added 50g of honey to bump up the ABV to 5.7% as well as a Ella hop tea and it was indeed a very nice beer. I brewed it in July and as I don't have a brew fridge I used Mangrove Jacks Workhorse yeast a it has a high temperature tolerance so it's one of the yeasts I use over the summer. I think you're going to enjoy yours when it comes in, any problems or worries no matter trivial just ask and everyone will pitch in.
 
Welcome Dan,
Brings back memories...golding Ale! By I was over the moon with it...then I leaped into AG...never looked back.
Starting kits in the early 80's and done 100's since 2013.
Still go to wilki's and smile what's for offer...there getting better by the year.
Enjoy the buzz m8!
Bri
 
So I've taken a hydrometer reading today just to check how it's doing and I'm a little confused! Hoping somebody can help shed some light on my findings (excuse the quality of pic)....

I'm leaving it for another week before even entertaining introducing it to bottles.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=8333&stc=1&d=1489346179

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=8334&stc=1&d=1489346179

IMG_0614.jpg


IMG_0612.jpg
 
So I've taken a hydrometer reading today just to check how it's doing and I'm a little confused! Hoping somebody can help shed some light on my findings (excuse the quality of pic)....

I'm leaving it for another week before even entertaining introducing it to bottles.

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=8333&stc=1&d=1489346179

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=8334&stc=1&d=1489346179
That's 1.006 in my eyes and done.How long has it been in the fermenter and what was your original gravity?

Sent from my ALE-L21
 
OG would help but 1.006 is a dry beer. Still leave it in the fermentor for at least another week. The yeast will have no food to eat so they'll start absorbing their own biproducts. These give off flavors you don't want.
 
I've bored my girlfriend with anything Home Brew related so at least i can talk about it here.

Hope she likes drinking your creations! My first wife did not, so boring her to death was doubly bad. Her replacement loves beer, and humors me WRT my constant obsessive conversations about brewing. Every once in a while she'll even say something that proves she actually listens!
 
Thanks for the answers guys, I took a couple more readings late last week and they were the same so after 2 weeks of being like a kid on Christmas Day I bottled yesterday afternoon.

It took me 4 hours in the bathroom which beats my previous record of being in there. Managed to get 41 pints out of it and I'm really happy with how it's come out so far. Managed to test a little bit and it smells and tastes nice although I'm sure it'll be better in another couple of weeks.

Thinking I'll do some wine next!

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=8411&stc=1&d=1489997209

IMG_0642.jpg
 
Be careful with those clear bottles. Now that the beer is conditioning any sunlight will skunk the beer.
 
Hi Dan, and welcome. I love see all my beer lined up like you have there. This is my dinning room and the beer that is currently conditioning there. Behind those crates are two fermenters with two more beers getting ready to replace these one in a few weeks time.


ggggggggggggg.jpg
 

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