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  1. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    Well I’ve just cracked the first bottle. The yeast worked perfectly well, and the recipe turned out a 1050 beer which fermented down to about 1005, so not far off a 6% Ale. The big surprise is that the beer is a pretty reasonable dark bitter with a slightly sweet aftertaste and a late kick of a...
  2. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    So brewday is here. So far I’ve done a biab mash with 2.5 kg of pale malt at 66 degrees c for 60 minutes and chucked that in my boiler with some minimal sparging. The can of John Bull smelt pretty much as I remember them, so that went in and I made it all up to just over 5 1/2 gallons. When it...
  3. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    That’s pretty much my plan in a nutshell. I didn’t want to waste any extract on “dead” yeast, so looking to see some life in it first.
  4. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    There is some life in the yeast! I made a very rudimentary starter with some sugary water today and put the yeast in and within a couple of hours there are at least a few bubbles and some activity! The plan is to brew on Wednesday and see where we go...
  5. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    My expectations are spectacularly low, to be honest. I’ll be chuffed if I even get something drinkable! I remember many years ago making John Bull kits and remember them as a rather thin, below average, sweetish bitter.
  6. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    That’s pretty much what i’m expecting from reading other’s experiences of old kits. Hence the partial mash and “lob a few hop pellets in” plan.
  7. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    I suspect it hasn’t really been “kept” under any specific conditions. More likely “lobbed in the back of a cupboard or garage and forgotten about”. 🤔
  8. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    Good point. It often pays to have a small stock of “Don’t come back!” beer lying around...
  9. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    I haven’t brewed from a kit for many years and never boiled them when I did. But i’m guessing that any hop flavours will be pretty much lost after 10 years, so my thinking is to treat it as a can of extract and try it as a partial mash. Pretty much flying blind and hoping for the best here! 😆
  10. Fuzzbald

    Nothing ventured. The challenge is on!

    So, here’s the background: Guy at work says “You brew beer, don’t you? I’ve got an old beer kit from years ago lying around, Will it be any good?” I said I very much doubt the yeast will still be alive, and to just crack the kit open and if it looks and smells ok, give it a try with a sachet of...
  11. Fuzzbald

    Basil and lemon Saison

    I mashed with 6.5 litres then sparked up to about 11 litres for the boil. I did top up with around a pint from the kettle during the boil though, as it was looking a bit low! (I’m a bit old school with my methods and tend to guess things more than I probably should. My philosophy is that brewers...
  12. Fuzzbald

    Basil and lemon Saison

    Thai basil did cross my mind actually. Maybe an experiment for next year...
  13. Fuzzbald

    Basil and lemon Saison

    Just trying it on a nice sunny day here in the Midlands. It’s had a few weeks in the bottle and has come out reasonably well carbonated, with a good, tight head. Pretty clear, although the photo doesn’t do it justice. Lovely spicy saison flavours, refreshing but with a good pokey punch to it...
  14. Fuzzbald

    Basil and lemon Saison

    Might be worth a try. “Dry Basil-ing”... Yes, French saison yeast, can’t remember the exact make.
  15. Fuzzbald

    Basil and lemon Saison

    It came out pretty much as I intended, with just a light hint of basil coming through in the aftertaste. I just threw the whole leaves in, but may experiment with crushed next time to up the flavour and aroma. I’d leave the basil leaf count where it is for my taste, as I don’t want a pungent...
  16. Fuzzbald

    Basil and lemon Saison

    As stated above, it was the smell of brewing with cooking with basil that led me to the idea. Once I decided on the basil I thought “Lemon goes with basil.” And decided on the zest for the oils rather than the acid sharpness. I’ll leave the rest for a couple more weeks, but the early taste was...
  17. Fuzzbald

    Basil and lemon Saison

    According to Hopsteiner around the 80 mark. Heavy grain bill so not massively bitter.
  18. Fuzzbald

    Basil and lemon Saison

    Update: i’ve Just cracked one which has had only a week in the bottle (as I’m sure most of us do out of curiosity...). I’m very happy with this one! Nice malty, citrus hit drying out to a refreshing hoppiness with a herby, basil after taste. Almost exactly what I was aiming for. Still a slight...
  19. Fuzzbald

    Basil and lemon Saison

    That’s basically what led me to this experiment. I wanted a nice summery beer with an interesting hint of herb in there. With basil being so pungent I left it until the end of the boil, and it seems to be spot on! I’ve got a weaker version fermenting now made from 2kg lager malt and with the...
  20. Fuzzbald

    Forum Member Map.

    B77 4HL Tamworth. Cheers!
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