Recent content by TartanSpecial

I've got one of these. Only downside is its only 27ltrs so I need to boil 2-3ltrs in a pot on the stove until evaporation makes enough room in the boiler. Otherwise it performes well as HLT/Boiler and is on offer at Homebrew shop. https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/cgi-bin/ca000001.pl...

Get yourself a salifert alkalinity testing kit (aquarium shops sell them). Follow the instructions and you'll find out the alkalinity of your water (ppm alkalinity as CaCO3). Then treat the water you are going to use for the mash and sparge with acid solution (AMS/CRS) from homebrew shops (per...

Yes, did my first brew a few weeks back first gold pale ale using hops from the garden, then got my second brew on today..minstrel pale ale. Fishing is finished for me for the season so back to brewing and thought I'd check out the forum. :thumb:

snap !... was on the phone and writing when you replied.

I'd go back and switch it for M54 which is OK at 18-20 C. I have yet to try it but have lager malt and a pack of M54 in the fridge ready for my next brew.

VWP for heavier cleaning of plastic and glass, then starsan...spray bottle always to hand on brewday. For my stainless fermenter I use pure sodium percarbonate from the Malt Miller to clean it after a brew, then use starsan on brewday. I VWP then thoroughly rinse bottles the day before bottling...

The reason it took me so long to finish the post was due to me checking the molecular weight of Calcium. I always remember carbon and oxygen (used to do a lot of organic chemistry) but always forget calcium.

Welcome. :thumb: Hopefully we can be more helpful than your friend.

I think the Murphy's Calcium is too low...the total hardness will have contributions form Calcium (mainly) plus other divalent cations (eg magnesium). If the total hardness is in the Murphys report is 308, the calcium should be approaching 120ish. The affinity Calcium in relation to total...

That looks quite good...and a good price given it has a decent tap fitted... you could always phone the shop re heat loss. The lid is normally the weak point (fill with vermiculite or perlite)

Go for the 35ltr. I've got a 33ltr and I can manage grain bills up to 8.7kg...for my 8-8.5% abv Scotch ale. If you want to brew stronger you can always do a 4 or 4.5 gallon batch.

I think I planted mine out in April last year, and covered them with fleece when there was any risk of frost.. Dig over your 2foot by X foot bed and incorporate some compost/organic matter. That size bed should be fine. Might be useful to put some trellis or wire mesh (wilko do a good green...

Sorry I'm a bit late to this one, but last year I experimented with several single hop pale ale recipes where I changed the mash temp and added different quantitees of crystal/cara (200-600grm in a 6kg grainbill)and used different yeasts. If you want to keep the beer light coloured, with some...

I boil outside and tend to lose a little more so need to top up in the fermenter (which is fine), I do 22.7ltr batches and tend to have ~6kg grain bills, 2*15-17ltrs strike plus sparge liquor volume, start of boil volume 28ltrs, so for for a 19ltr batch size your figures look about right to me...

I used Murphys at first before getting a salifert kit. They said my alkalinity was 235ppm...and I wasn't getting great efficiencies. Then I got the kit and found it is consistently 270-280ppm (Epsom one of the hardest water areas of the country)....added more CRS and hey presto the efficiencies...