First Brew in a while...

• Simply Brown Ale 1.8 litre brew kit
• Whatever Yeast comes in the brew kit
• 1 KG Light Spray Malt
• 50g East Kent Goldings Hop Pellets
• 1 Sachet of S-04 English Ale Yeast.

1. Clean everything (one 5 litre pan, two 2 litre pans, stirring spoon, hydrometer, thermometer, airlock, two teaspoons, measuring jug, scales and fermentation vat) in VWP steriliser.
2. Fill all three pans with water and boil.
3. Once boiling pour the water from one of the 2 litre pans into the measuring jug. Cover (with clingfilm) add the thermometer and put in the fridge.
4. Weigh the hops into two piles of 25g and put in muslin bags.
5. Put one bag into the other 2 litre pan and let it boil for an hour.
6. Wait for an hour or for the water in the measuring jug to cool to about 30 degrees
7. While waiting boil another litre or so of water in the now empty pan.
8. Add some granulated table sugar to the cooled water and then add the S-o4 Yeast (Would it be worth adding the yeast with the kit too, or should i just bin that?)
9. Put the brew kit in warm water to loosen the mixture.
10. After a few minutes tip the contents of the brew kit into the fermentation vat.
11. If necessary add hot water to the kit to dilute the remaining malt extract, then add to the vat.
12. Add the contents of the boiling pan of Hop water (including the hops in the bag) to the fermentation vat, refill this pan and boil again.
13. Add the water from the 5 litre pan to the fermentation vat.
14. Stir vigorously
15. When the water is boiling add the remaining bag of hops to it and let it stew.
16. Add the spray malt to the mix and stir some more.
17. Fill up the fermentation vat to 20 L with cold water.
18. Stir some more to around 5 minutes.
19. Add the hops and hot water.
20. Add the yeast starter.
21. Cover. Leave alone.

• I've bought a new airlock which has come with a bigger bung, do i just expand the hole in the lid of the my fermentation vat with scissors or a Stanley knife or what?
• When taking a gravity reading, how do people avoid dunking their fingers in the mixture? Also, is this taken before or after adding yeast?

keat64 said:

I'm not sure scissors or knife would give you a clean hole, you may end up with a jagged edge allowing the gas to escape around the base of the bung. If gas can escape that way, bacteria can potentially get in via the same route.
However, I dare say the monks 2000 years ago didn't use airlocks. :-)

If you've any fear of getting your hands in the wort, then just ensure they are clean.
Take your gavity reading before adding the yeast, as the yeast will float on the top and obscure your reading.

Seems like a lot of work and waiting about for a 1.8 litre brew, are you sure about that ??

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Clint said:

For taking gravity readings get yourself a turkey baster from Wilko and a hydrometer jar if you haven't got one. Sanitise it before dipping in your beer. Do not return the sample to the fv...drink it!

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