Adventures into Brewing Lager....

[Crappa T]

So here's goes. I've been meaning post and say hello to all the folk on here, not least of all to thank everyone for their helpful words of advise on what has proudly become my new hobby but also to show off the fruits of mine (and my willing and able friend's) labour.
:

So down to business: The first adventure into brewing was a batch of Brewmaker Pilsner Lager - 40 Pint Homebrew which came with it's own bag of brewing sugar.
I followed the instructions mixed in with a few choice tips from folks on here. For example going for 2Litres less than than it said on the instructions due to having a taste for a bolder premium strength lager.

The result was very good indeed if a little varied. Some were very carbonated indeed which may have had a much to do with the varying types of bottles myself and friends managed to amass and the amount of sugar used in each. This meant a slightly stiffer hangover the next day after a few bottles but no real complaints. My local pub was actually more than happy to furnish me with some spare crates and as many bottles as I was willing to dig out their recycle bin.

The odd thing was, this tasted better after the first week in the bottles (8 days in FV) than it did 3 weeks after bottling? The bubbles were bigger and the taste wasn't as nice and crisp after a time. Which was the opposite to most people's experience? Any way it's all gone now!

On to round 2!
This was Munton's Continental style lager – the 3KG kit which is one of those two can deals, no sugar required. This had been in the FV for 8 days we took to bottling last week.
This time I purchased a mini-keg as well as using mainly brown bottles of the same sort of type (these turned out to be nicest last time!)

Here's the snaps.

I left this alone for a week and went in for a taste test yesterday. The result was a lot more disappointing to the previous batch with the lager appearing darker than the last batch and tasting a bit stale for want of a better word and most worringly lacking in fizz :hmm: I've stowed all the bottles away hoping they'll come good given week or so longer. Does anyone know if a 2 can kit might take longer to 'ripen' than an add your own sugar kit? Suggestions very welcome.
Round 3
Ok so I've moved on to something I'm very keen to perfect. Which is an Abbey Beer style Grand Cru, what I'm after is really strong, intensely tasty tipple. This was a single can kit which for the Grand Cru asks for 500g of sugar to be added to 9L in total of water.
The brew looks particularly dark (as it should) at the moment but I understand that a beer of this sort needs time. So what I'm thinking is transferring the lot to this...

and saving till Christmas (or thereabouts) any input on getting this right would be greatly appreciated too.

That's all for now. Going to set my Wilko's Delicate Pilsner on to brew over the week so will document my efforts on that as I go.

Cheers all.

 

[calumscott]

Looks like you're having lots of fun!! :thumb:

A couple of pointers that will really boost the quality and consistency of your produce:

1) Buy a "little bottler". Not too clear from the pics but if you are siphoning straight into the bottles you are going to be introducing a lot of oxygen as it splashes into the bottle. That's likely the cause of "stale" flavours.
2) Leave your beer in FV a bit longer. Lager, being light of flavour to start with, shows up faults easily. Give the yeast time to clear up any partial fermentation product in the beer. I never bottle at less than 14 days.
3) Brown bottles - you've already clocked this one! Brown glass protects the flavour compounds from the hops from UV light which causes "skunking", a strange off-flavour.
4) Two can kits will take longer to come into condition but it's well worth the wait. In fact, for any one can or squidgy bag kits I do I always use liquid malt extract instead of sugar (except lagers where I use extra light dried malt extract) just for that extra quality.
5) If that's the Brewferm Grand Cru its a belter! It's worth brewing it with candi sugar if you do it again. The Malt Miller sell it and will do you a mix of clear and dark if you want. I got the ratio wrong and my grand cru is a lovely chestnut colour!!
6) I would bottle the Grand Cru. It should be great for Christmas... next year!!! Seriously, because of it's high ABV this stuff takes AGES to condition. I bottled mine in May and its perfect now.

You might want to try something like Muntons Midas Touch if you want something with a bit more flavour. As ales go its nice and light, and quite crisp and clean on the palette so shouldn't offend lager drinkers too much, you'd get that drinkable for Christmas no probs...

 

[pittsy]

hi well done and welcome to a great new hobby , i see by your pics that when you filled your bottles you allowed the beer to splash into the bottles which will of made air get into your beer ( ) you know when you have a beer and after an hour its tastes **** (assuming you still had beer in the glass) well thats what you've done to your beer . easiest way is to get a little bottler and a 2nd fv , transfer beer (put tube in bottom of fv ) onto your sugar water (already in fv) , gently mix (no splashing) and you have your little bottler to fill bottle with evenly primed beer . good luck on number 3 . it has taken so long to type another post has been written since i started lol.

 

[Crappa T]

I knew the righteous words of wisdom would come flowing in if I got round to posting! Thanks guys.

It is indeed the BrewFirm Grand Cru but I've gone and used standard brewing sugar plus a bit of Muscovado. It's actually all now in that mini keg :| would you recommend decanting it all into bottles from there if I've already set it off to prime? or will that do more harm than good bottling at this stage?

Will invest in a little bottler next too. :

 

[calumscott]

BrewFirm Grand Cru but I've gone and used standard brewing sugar plus a bit of Muscovado.

Oooh! That'll work! :thumb:

It's actually all now in that mini keg :| would you recommend decanting it all into bottles from there if I've already set it off to prime? or will that do more harm than good bottling at this stage?

Belgian yeasts are curious beasties... depending on conditions they can really get a pressure up! I guess it depends on how you like your belgians... If you like them fizzy and bubbly then bottles are best, if you are happy with less fizz you'll be fine in your wee keg.

If you do want to go to bottles you would be best to let the priming load ferment right out (stick an airlock in your keg if you can) then prime again and bottle.

Will invest in a little bottler next too. :

You will never look back, I promise! Best seven and a bit quid you'll ever spend!

 

[Dave1970]

I'd let the Grand Cru carb now, use up your priming sugar then let the pressure out of the keg, re-prime and bottle. As calumscott says it takes a loooooooong time to condition and I doubt you want to take up your keg for 8 or 9 months.
I wouldn't just bottle it now, you have no way of knowing how much of your priming sugar has already been used.