Recent content by ncmcdonald

I wrote a review and guide on using an inkbird a little while back. It give a little bit more detail on setting up a temperature controlled fridge so may be helpful to you.

Hey, not to sure if this is the correct place to put this? The Home Brew Answers online shop is currently running a giveaway for a home brew starter set with all the equipment you need to brew small batch (8 litre) beers. The equipment includes a 12 Litre Fermenter & Airlock, 12 Litre...

To be honest I wouldn't bother rehydrating the yeast and pitch the whole amount. If you pitch the whole sachet there will be more than enough healthy yeast to ferment out the beer. The only reason you may want to split the sachet of yeast is if you were brewing another beer otherwise I would...

I pitched this Saison at 18C and let the temperature slowly rise throughout fermentation so your setup would be fine I would have thought. I opened the first bottle around three weeks after bottling but it got better and better around 6-8 weeks. Only got one or two of these left now.

I rehydrated about 20 - 30 minutes before pitching

Yeah, I used one sachet rehydrated in 30°C water. Fermentation took off the following day.

I brewed this Saison a few months back and it is one of the best tasting I think I have ever made. The grist for my Saison recipe is primarily Pilsner malt and a touch of Vienna malt to add a touch of maltiness. That’s it, so it’s super simple. The hops are just East Kent...

Thanks, I have used muslin socks before but just find it simple enough using a sieve as well. As long as the sieve is clean and you sanitise it then there should be no problems.

Continuing on from the brewday, I managed to film the bottling of this Milk Stout too. I thought some people might be interested so here it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-BjiZx1PoU

Thanks, the camera I used was a GoPro which has a waterproof housing. I was thinking of trying with wort but though it was too risky :)

Last weekend I put together a really simple and quick milk stout, using malt extract. I made a video of the whole process which is up on my website here. I'm not sure how to embed the youtube video, so here is the url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rWRyH3MjZ8 I usually brew all grain...

If it has been too cold then the yeast won't be able to work properly. The yeast will still be able to ferment up to around 16-17C though so you might want to take the temperature before you invest in heating belts. There is a guide here which covers the issue of slow starting fermentation here...

I've used it quite a lot as a late hop (not dry hop though), the primary character was piney. I have heard it being described as oniony and garlicy but not experienced it myself using it. It has fairly similar characteristics to Simcoe and is often referenced as a possible substitute for it.

I always had to take the element out of my Peco boiler, literally every time I used it. The thermostat would cut out if the element wasn't really clean. If you clean the element with every use though you won't get any limescale build up. It's not too much hassle to remove the element just...

When I bottle I sit at the worktop with the bottling bucket on. Once you fill the bottle hold it between your legs and cap it. This is my method. If not the bench top capper is a lot easier. We rattle through hundreds of bottles an hour at work with just one bench top capper.