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[johncrobinson]

Either a brewbelt or heated water bath is going to cost very and i mean very little to run.
I doubt you would notice any difference to your electricity bill.

 

[Smithywick]

Is

Hi foxbat
Oh thanks for that mate that's interesting and a great bit of advice I'll do that, fresh batch of yeast makes sense that thank you very much.

Can I just ask is it possible to add two packets of yeast to your brew like the one that comes with it and a second one of your own or is that not going to work? As in too much yeast? Thanks in advance

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi Smithywick I do it all the time with kits, normally gervin from wilko and the one with the kit, did a kit earlier and used hog norst and the pack with the kit, makes no difference to taste or smell for me

 

[Smithywick]

Hi Smithywick I do it all the time with kits, normally gervin from wilko and the one with the kit, did a kit earlier and used hog norst and the pack with the kit, makes no difference to taste or smell for me

Ah right I'm just thinking the last kit I tried failed there was just no life in it at all no bubbling in the airlock nothing, so it's been said I might have got a dodgy packet of yeast so was just thinking try adding two but wasn't really sure if it was a stupid question or not lol I'll give that a go then see what happens, I'm gonna try the one that failed again. The John bull old English ale thanks for the reply mate

 

[Banbeer]

I have done this the opposite way around as well in the Summer I added freezer blocks to cool it, before I went onto temperature control.

 

[Smithywick]

Yep the temperature is another thing I think I went wrong with, I think I pitched the yeast too cool after filling the fv right up.

 

[johncrobinson]

Temperature control can be a bit of a problem this time of year.

As far as mixed yeast is concerned you will find one strain will dominate the fermentation.
Using mixed yeast is normally done at different stages of the fermentation and is quite a complex thing.
Some yeasts are killers and will kill the other yeast to achive dominance.

In your case it looks like a dodgy pack of yeast so i would repitch with fresh to save your brew.
Pitching to much yeast is hard to do so i would not worry about that.

 

[Bingo]

Smithywick.
I have recently return to my homeland from Australia and have used kits for 25 years or so. I now class myself as a beginner as I must learn about temp control. A matter which did not matter over there. Ha ha. I would do as foxbat advises and throw the kit yeast and buy a class yeast as advised by your brew shop. I did that for years with vast improvement in quality and never had a rudder. Good luck keep at it. Now I'm back to reading up on heaters and all that jazz.

 

[Bingo]

Please read as dudder not rudder

 

[terrym]

I can never understand the logic behind swapping out an as-supplied beer kit yeast for a 'proper' yeast at the initial pitching stage, except where there is not enough provided (thankyou Muntons) or perhaps the kit is old stock. At the end of the day a beer kit produces kit beer which comes with limitations (unlike own recipe extract or grain beers), and you are unlikely to change the basic flavours very much by using a substitute (and possibly expensive) yeast. I mostly did Coopers kits and they are not all supplied with one generic yeast but several types and were perfectly adequate for the job, and I can only remember one 'failure' which may have been more down to me being a little impatient at the start of a brew.

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

I can never understand the logic behind swapping out an as-supplied beer kit yeast for a 'proper' yeast at the initial pitching stage, except where there is not enough provided (thankyou Muntons) or perhaps the kit is old stock. At the end of the day a beer kit produces kit beer which comes with limitations (unlike own recipe extract or grain beers), and you are unlikely to change the basic flavours very much by using a substitute (and possibly expensive) yeast. I mostly did Coopers kits and they are not all supplied with one generic yeast but several types and were perfectly adequate for the job, and I can only remember one 'failure' which may have been more down to me being a little impatient at the start of a brew.

I agree to a point but if I’m going to do a big abv beer then I get saf or MJ yeast packs depending on style so as not to stress the 1 pack of yeast provided. I then have a spare pack of coopers yeast to double up on a straight coopers kit

 

[Bingo]

I agree winter. I used the safe yeast. Not sure which one it was but it definitely improved the end product for sure. I started with coopers years ago then changed to mangrove Jack's and sometimes muntons. Good to learn you can "double up" on yeast too

 

[Smithywick]

Temperature control can be a bit of a problem this time of year.

As far as mixed yeast is concerned you will find one strain will dominate the fermentation.
Using mixed yeast is normally done at different stages of the fermentation and is quite a complex thing.
Some yeasts are killers and will kill the other yeast to achive dominance.

In your case it looks like a dodgy pack of yeast so i would repitch with fresh to save your brew.
Pitching to much yeast is hard to do so i would not worry about that.

Johncrobinson ok thanks for that mate so basically just use one packet of yeast and if it doesn't start fermenting just try a new packet thanks for that mate very much appreciated.

 

[Smithywick]

I agree to a point but if I’m going to do a big abv beer then I get saf or MJ yeast packs depending on style so as not to stress the 1 pack of yeast provided. I then have a spare pack of coopers yeast to double up on a straight coopers kit

Smithywick.
I have recently return to my homeland from Australia and have used kits for 25 years or so. I now class myself as a beginner as I must learn about temp control. A matter which did not matter over there. Ha ha. I would do as foxbat advises and throw the kit yeast and buy a class yeast as advised by your brew shop. I did that for years with vast improvement in quality and never had a rudder. Good luck keep at it. Now I'm back to reading up on heaters and all that jazz.

Ha ha definitely need some heat going now your back home some great tips I'm getting off here thanks for your post mate

 

[Smithywick]

I would have thought the yeast pack supplied with a John bull kit would be pretty good tbh? If I was to buy a better one to use in that kit what yeast would you recommend for it?

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

What kit is it? If it’s an English ale Mangrove Jacks M15 is good for a fruity full bodied ale.

 

[terrym]

I would have thought the yeast pack supplied with a John bull kit would be pretty good tbh? If I was to buy a better one to use in that kit what yeast would you recommend for it?

If you want to step wise improve a non premium kit beer, where everything you need is not supplied, you will get far more noticeable results compared to changing the yeast by a dry hop or a hop tea to put back some of the flavours and aroma lost in the manufacturing process or to introduce new flavours, with perhaps a grain steep to further improve the beer. You can also do a minimash with grain. If you do any of these things rather than just using an alternative yeast arguably with little or minimal impact, you will find out much more about the brewing process and how ingredients can affect a beer and that will help you make you own informed decisions about what you can achieve.
As for your John Bull kit I suggest a simple dry hop or hop tea with say EKG or Styrian Goldings compatible with the style, or perhaps a citrussy hop like Cascade if you like that sort of thing, backed up with a crystal malt grain steep.
More here
A Newbies Guide to Dry Hopping Your Beer - The HomeBrew Forum
Simple kit plus mini-mash method to improve a kit - The HomeBrew Forum

 

[Winterbournebrewery]

Yep Terry spot on l always have carapils on hand , chocolate malt , wheat , oats , etc... don’t underestimate yeast though. Always treat your water according to style you are after. Can’t beat a good hop tea & simple dry hopping.

 

[Smithywick]

What kit is it? If it’s an English ale Mangrove Jacks M15 is good for a fruity full bodied ale.

Yes mate John bull English ale

 

[Smithywick]

If you want to step wise improve a non premium kit beer, where everything you need is not supplied, you will get far more noticeable results compared to changing the yeast by a dry hop or a hop tea to put back some of the flavours and aroma lost in the manufacturing process or to introduce new flavours, with perhaps a grain steep to further improve the beer. You can also do a minimash with grain. If you do any of these things rather than just using an alternative yeast arguably with little or minimal impact, you will find out much more about the brewing process and how ingredients can affect a beer and that will help you make you own informed decisions about what you can achieve.
As for your John Bull kit I suggest a simple dry hop or hop tea with say EKG or Styrian Goldings compatible with the style, or perhaps a citrussy hop like Cascade if you like that sort of thing, backed up with a crystal malt grain steep.
More here
A Newbies Guide to Dry Hopping Your Beer - The HomeBrew Forum
Simple kit plus mini-mash method to improve a kit - The HomeBrew Forum

Great stuff thanks very much terrym yes I've been looking at dry hopping as it happens dry hop on the 4th day for 3 days I think it said I am definitely going to give that a go, thanks for all your tips mate.