Milestone Crusader

mikeyjay84 · May 30, 2013

Wort is now outside my kitchen cooling before the yeast goes in. :thumb:

After my can opener decided to stop working on me, :doh:

using a fork dipped in sterilizer and lacerated fingers - it will now be known as "The Bloody Crusader"

Off for a shower, then back to pitch yeast and bed!

namesjash · May 30, 2013

Made a batch of this on Tuesday - My first ever homebrew!

Followed the instructions to the letter but the fermentation seems quite slow to get going (however temps havent been great 17-18C) - Its now 48 hours later and it seems to be going nicely!

I managed to break my Hydrometer whilst steralising it, so didnt get a SG reading on day 1, but day 2 read 1.045, today 1.30 so its going in the right direction!

Fingers crossed this isgoing to be a good brew!

mikeyjay84 · May 30, 2013

Cool :)

My OG was 1.040 as per specs. Had a taste from the test jar, cant wait to see how this one comes out. Pitched yeast a little high at 26 degs as i need sleep! Speaking of which... :hat:

mikeyjay84 · May 31, 2013

Came home from work to find it frothing like a beast. Time to greet the weekend with some bottles of Pride... after all i'll need something to bottle my brew in right?! :drink:

namesjash · Jun 2, 2013

Mine's slowing down - today's gravity was 1.013, yesterday 1.015

Noticed a few white and brown lumps in the bottom of the sample tube - I assume these are lumps of Yeast and sediment that were falling to the bottom?

I'm looking to batch prime this, but don't know whether to add finings to hep it clear a little first? Using a calculator i found online i think i need about 160G of priming sugar - does this sound about right?

Went to Aldi today and grabbed hafd dozen bottles of Banks bitter - at 99P each they sure are cheap bottles!

mikeyjay84 · Jun 3, 2013

Took a reading tonight (4 days since pitching) and my gravity is 1.012 ish. This seems pretty quick to me. Tastes fine though and at 21 degrees.

Did you take a sample through a tap or did you dip in from the top? Sometime yeast etc settles in the tap, so you'll get a little floating in find.

Not sure what other people have found with this particular kit, not may reviews/experiences on here.

Monte Cristo · Jun 3, 2013

I recently made the Milestone Black pearl stout that kicked off on a Thursday and was all but done by Monday but left it longer to be sure, could be the same yeast?
Quite fancy doing this kit.

Msdean · Jun 3, 2013

I started this kit on Saturday but added 1kg brew enhancer and having pitched my yeast at around 21C it really got going and the foam had pushed up through the airlock. The air lock has been cleaned and refitted and is still bubbling a lot.

namesjash · Jun 3, 2013

Wow! I can imagine what that's like ! How do you think that will affect the final ABV?

I've had almost static readings for 3 days now - 1.014/ 1.013/ 1.012 tonight. If it keeps on like this I might not get to bottle before I go away at the weekend!!

Plan to batch prime this for bottling with brew sugar - does 160g sound about right?

mikeyjay84 · Jun 4, 2013

Monte Cristo said:
I recently made the Milestone Black pearl stout that kicked off on a Thursday and was all but done by Monday but left it longer to be sure, could be the same yeast?
Quite fancy doing this kit.

Reckon it is. The black pearl is on my list of brews to do. Interesting to see your signature. I have 2 brewferms lined up after the crusader is done. Ornje bock and the abdij. They will be my winter beers :) Especially the abdij.

mikeyjay84 · Jun 4, 2013

namesjash said:
Wow! I can imagine what that's like ! How do you think that will affect the final ABV?

I've had almost static readings for 3 days now - 1.014/ 1.013/ 1.012 tonight. If it keeps on like this I might not get to bottle before I go away at the weekend!!

Plan to batch prime this for bottling with brew sugar - does 160g sound about right?

I fly out for work on monday next week. Am thinking of leaving the bottling till i come back, so likely to do it on thursday night. Otherwise it means that it'll sit in the fv for 14 days. Guess i'll take a reading on saturday and make a call then - although i fancy just leaving it to see if there is any change.

I had some coopers carbonation drops that i was going to use, otherwise it would have been half tsp per 500ml. If you have 22 litres, thats 44x500ml (2-3ish gram per bottle) so i would say around 90-120 grams. Thats how i would work it?

Hopefully someone more experienced could advise you. Sounds like a lot to me if you'll use 160g.

namesjash · Jun 4, 2013

Im flying off sunday as it happens- not off to the US by chance?

My probkem is working out where this sits in terms of 'style' - the kit says a belgian style blonde but the calculator I found only offered suggestions for engljsh ale or belgian ales and they vary in terms of carbonation (english being flatter) as such I took a stab at a halfway mark!

Fingers crossed someone else will chip in with their suggestions/ experiences for batch priming!

Monte Cristo · Jun 4, 2013

Doesn't it tell you in the instructions how much to use?

mikeyjay84 · Jun 4, 2013

Instructions say 80 grams of brewers sugar dissolved in 250 ml of hot water or 2g (half tsp) per 500ml bottle :thumb:

mikeyjay84 · Jun 5, 2013

Gravity just shy of 1.010. Tastes bloody brilliant. Looks like i'll be bottling around the weekend :)

mikeyjay84 · Jun 7, 2013

Gravity now around 1.009 -1.008 mark. Might leave for a little bit longer now. 8 days in FV. Test jar sample still tastes great! It might not make it into the bottle at this rate. :drink:

mikeyjay84 · Jun 16, 2013

Bottled this bad boy on friday. Tastes awesome out of trial jar. Finished at around 1.007. Will add pics soon :)

namesjash · Jun 21, 2013

OK, so this was bottled last saturday and seems to have come out about 4.5% from what i can see. I got restless last night and cracked open one of my smaller bottles (I've re-used some old 330ml bottles to give away).

Wow! even with just a weeks bottle conditioning its cleared up amazingly, had great flavour and a little fizz when opening. Clearly its not carbonated enough yet, but I can rest easy now i know I've got 35+ bottle of this to enjoy :)

I've just started Brew #2 - a better brew Czech Pilsner, made with 1KG Brewenhancer and that seems to have gone off to a great start...

mikeyjay84 · Jun 21, 2013

namesjash said:
OK, so this was bottled last saturday and seems to have come out about 4.5% from what i can see. I got restless last night and cracked open one of my smaller bottles (I've re-used some old 330ml bottles to give away).

Wow! even with just a weeks bottle conditioning its cleared up amazingly, had great flavour and a little fizz when opening. Clearly its not carbonated enough yet, but I can rest easy now i know I've got 35+ bottle of this to enjoy :)

I've just started Brew #2 - a better brew Czech Pilsner, made with 1KG Brewenhancer and that seems to have gone off to a great start...

awesome - mine are all bottle in 500-568ml bottles, and were bottled a week ago yesterday. so i might wait till next thursday before i try one. Although my patience has been quenched with a previous batch that i am currently enjoying.

Msdean · Jun 21, 2013

I plan to bottle my enhanced crusader either tomorrow or Sunday I transferred it into a secondary last weekend and it was at 1.010

Milestone Crusader

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