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I can recommend Hasbean coffee, www.hasbean.co.uk , good choice and good service. No connection with them other than as a customer :)

I'm guessing that you didn't make a starter with the lager yeast, just added it at 10C. At this temperature it would take the yeast a long time to multiply to the levels you need to ferment out, which would explain why things were so slow. A better approach might have been to kick off at 18C...

Is it because you are producing bottle-conditioned beers and most bought bottles are going to be pasteurised (or whatever they do to them?) and artificially carbonated? This certainly produces a different taste, perhaps a bit "cleaner" for want of a better description. Personally, I'm not sure...

Simplest and cheapest answer is not to use anything, just don't apply heat while the bag is in the boiler - bring to strike temperature, add bag, add grain, insulate and leave - you shouldn't lose too much heat over a typical mash timescale. This is what I do. If you're planning a more complex...

I think your maths is good, based on a linear scale y=101.75/99.85*x+0.75 101.75 comes from the 102.5 less the 0.75 error at zero y is the thermometer reading, x is the correct temperature, so: x=0, y=0.75 x=99.85, y=102.5 x=66, y=68.01 etc.

No, it's not correct, it's going to be much less. In very approximate terms, you are adding maybe 80g of sugar to prime a 20L brew, which probably had maybe 2.5kg of fermentable sugars at the start to give a 4% ABV brew. So, if 2500 gives 4%, then 80 gives about 0.13% I reckon. My figures are...

No worries, if it started at the right temp that's good. Almost certainly the crystal giving the sweet/malty taste, it'll probably mellow a little anyway once carbonated and conditioned. If it tasted ok when you bottled it, it'll be fine in a few weeks.

I'd say that proportionately the amount of crystal is quite high, not unreasonably so, I've made beers with higher, but certainly high enough to expect a sweet/malty flavour. Did you measure the mash temperature with a thermometer?

Hope you can fix it, I remember it being a very irritating day when it happened to me, I always take extra care cleaning the element now before each brew. Let us know how it goes

Definitely worth draining the boiler and giving the element a quick clean. I have had this problem once before and this fixed it.

+1 on the crystal being very high, I'd leave it out altogether or at least reduce to a similar level to the other grain additions

The bottom of the black band is 1.010. Then there are five lines (each adding 0.002) to 1.020 which is the black line under the 20 number.

No cause for concern I don't think. In my experience I would be surprised to see it come down to 1010, maybe 1012-1015 is more likely. You don't say what your mash temp was, a higher temp might lead to a higher FG. 1018 still seems a little high so wait a while longer to see if it drops a few...

Not specific to this kit of course but this may help: http://www.nationalhomebrewcompetition. ... tion=sugar

Just reading your original post again, I'm not sure how you will batch prime in the primary FV. You need to mix the sugar solution into your beer and it's difficult/impossible to do this in your primary FV without stirring up the sediment. Ideally you should transfer to a second FV and add the...

For batch priming I usually dissolve 80-90g of white sugar in a little boiling water and add to my bottling FV. I don't like my beer too fizzy so others maybe use more, perhaps 100g. As far as type is concerned, I don't think it makes any difference but feel free to experiment. I sometimes...

18 degrees should be fine. I'd say 18-20 C is best for most brews, certainly 27 C is way too high. Be patient and leave it in the FV for at least 10-14 days before bottling, then it will need at least three-four weeks in the bottle before it's ready to drink, although quality control testing...

Runwell-Steve's is REM - Radio Song? Brewbob's is Christy Moore - Go, Move, Shift! I think Here's one for the old hippies amongst us: "Standing on the runway, waiting to take off...."

Same as any other brew really, 1-2 weeks in the warm and a minimum 3-4 weeks in the cool. Probably at its best after two months. [EDIT] It's well worth making by the way! Very nice.

Hi To answer your questions: 1. Yes, it turned out a very pleasant beer that was not dissimilar to the real thing. 2. I've made a few variations on the theme but not really to try to get closer to the real thing, more as a base for experimenting with my own recipes. I've also seen a few...