Well, last night, finally got around to making my first kit...Done a TC and ginger beer last week. TC is just finishing fermenting, and Ginger Beer is currently in bottles condtitioning...
So, get all the kit out. Sanitise it all. SWMBO moans about me using the bath to get the hot water to fill the FV, lol... Anyway, leave that sanitising whilst I get the kit (Youngs lager ... got nothing else at the mo, as waiting for the company to deliver :p). Put that in hot water. Get everything else ready, mix the FV with steriliser in a few times. Go up to bath again, empty it and rinse it with cold water (to more moans from SWMBO)...
Go back downstairs, pour the kit in to the FV. Empty the tin out with the boiling water. Then, get the next kettle full in the tin to mix the sugar in with it, empty that in, and then pour rest of boiling water in. Fully mixed it around giving it loads of air/bubble head. Then, added the bottled water I had (seemed easier at the time to use bottled, but see questions later
). Finished mixing it around. Took a sample in to test jar, and left it whilst I add the yeast. Gave that a good stir, and then put lid and air lock on, and carried it out to the garage to put in my water bath. Reading in water bath was 18'c. Had a look this morning before going work, and it currently reads 20.5'c.
Anyway, next part was the clearing up! Went up to ask missus if she wanted a cuppa (try and sweeten her up a bit), and said I'd do it then tidy up. She then picked up, and had to come downstairs! There was hardly any mess! A little bit of the mixture on the floor, where I was a little fast at stirring while was full, a few bits around the kitchen and in sink, and a little water on surfaces, but nothing else. The missus was then completely moaning! "Hope you enjoy that one, as it's the last you'll be making!" When do I tell her that I got about 4 kits on order?! :whistle:
Anyway, I brewed a little short by about 2 litres. Hoping to add a little extra to the abv... SG was 1.040, so hopefully that'll be a good starting...
So, my questions...
So, get all the kit out. Sanitise it all. SWMBO moans about me using the bath to get the hot water to fill the FV, lol... Anyway, leave that sanitising whilst I get the kit (Youngs lager ... got nothing else at the mo, as waiting for the company to deliver :p). Put that in hot water. Get everything else ready, mix the FV with steriliser in a few times. Go up to bath again, empty it and rinse it with cold water (to more moans from SWMBO)...
Go back downstairs, pour the kit in to the FV. Empty the tin out with the boiling water. Then, get the next kettle full in the tin to mix the sugar in with it, empty that in, and then pour rest of boiling water in. Fully mixed it around giving it loads of air/bubble head. Then, added the bottled water I had (seemed easier at the time to use bottled, but see questions later
). Finished mixing it around. Took a sample in to test jar, and left it whilst I add the yeast. Gave that a good stir, and then put lid and air lock on, and carried it out to the garage to put in my water bath. Reading in water bath was 18'c. Had a look this morning before going work, and it currently reads 20.5'c. Anyway, next part was the clearing up! Went up to ask missus if she wanted a cuppa (try and sweeten her up a bit
), and said I'd do it then tidy up. She then picked up, and had to come downstairs! There was hardly any mess! A little bit of the mixture on the floor, where I was a little fast at stirring while was full, a few bits around the kitchen and in sink, and a little water on surfaces, but nothing else. The missus was then completely moaning! "Hope you enjoy that one, as it's the last you'll be making!" When do I tell her that I got about 4 kits on order?! :whistle:Anyway, I brewed a little short by about 2 litres. Hoping to add a little extra to the abv... SG was 1.040, so hopefully that'll be a good starting...
So, my questions...
- Should I turn the water down a little, or should that be ok? Kit says to brew between 18-21'c, so I assume should be ok?![/*:m:2wekkebp]
- Instead of getting bottled water, I was thinking of just using campden tablets to clear out the chlorine in water (0.3mg/l apparantly on average). Water is quite hard, but that shouldn't make a difference from what I read?! Anyway, using these tablets, is it best to fill an FV with the 19l of water (dependant on the kit using), crush the tablet (amount dependant on water using), and mix it around in the 2nd FV. Then, use this water in the first FV... Or, can you crush the tablet directly in the mixture after it's all added together, and then further mix it?[/*:m:2wekkebp]
- Anyone else who has a missus who moaned at them for doing the kits Altho I suppose that everyone has that :p :drunk: [/*:m:2wekkebp]
