starting a tom caxton beer

[artyb]

ive got a tom caxton kit to start, :party:
its the best bitter kit, with an additive called the hop enhancment system, an extract of brewers hops,
has anyone done one of these..?
how much of the additive should i add ...?
should i do 40 pints or 36 pints.....the kit suggests either... :wha:

 

[artyb]

should i also treat the water with camden tablets...?

 

[corby_brewer]

treat the water with 1/2 a CT. also i would suggest going for 36 pints instead of 40, that way it will be a higher ABV.

 

[artyb]

cheers fella,
to treat the water should i have the water in the fv 1st,....[approx4 galls] before i put in the extract,sugar and yeast

 

[corby_brewer]

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4022&start=0

 

[rickthebrew]

I brewed one of these last year - like dave said brew it to 36pints as i did a full 40 and found it a bit thin. Chuck all the powder in and if you have any mediuem spraymalt i`d chuck some of that in
It was an OK pint if i remember :whistle:

 

[Growler]

I'm currently drinking the Tom Caxton Dark Real Ale as I type

I did it to 40 pints but didn't use the enhancer but if I do it again I would use the enhancer and dark spray malt as it is nice but a little thin

 

[artyb]

right a whole pack of enhancer it is then...... :thumb:

IS.. this the right way to go about this brew,

sterilise the fv,
fill with around 32 pints of water with 1/2 a camden tablet,
warm the extract in the can,
add to water in the fv,mix
heat around a liter of water, dissolve sugar,
add to fv,
allow to cool, pitch yeast,and hop extract,

keep in a warm place

 

[rickthebrew]

sounds fine - around 18 degrees is fine but a little either way won`t matter :

 

[artyb]

started this beer last nite [ 10th may]
i treated 4 gallons of water with a camden tablet,and left for a couple of hours.
then boiled 2 litres of water and added 1.3kg of sugar,[a tad more than the recipe]
added the extract to a fv,
added the warm sugar laden water,
mixed well and added the hop extract and a couple of tsp of yeast nutrient
topped up to 36 pints and pitched the yeast, :pray:

had a peek this morning and there is 4 inches of brown head on it..... :party:
it was stuck all over the lid,and sides, so i scraped it off with a sterile spoon and gave it all a little stir....

i might top it up with boiled water when it has calmed down... :hmm:

 

[rickthebrew]

Sounds like its of to a great start - up to you if you want to top it up, will be interesting to see how it turns out :clap:

 

[artyb]

constant bubbling to nite thru the airlock, :party: :party:
ive changed the lid twice ,as they were getting covered in brown foam,[and are a pain to clean, if left for the duration]
seems to have settled now its at around 14 deg,
smells ok too....

its my 1st ever bitter, :clap:
i was mainly a lager drinker up until a few months ago, [all changed since ive been brewing]
now when im in the pubs i try something different each time,

the days of eurofizz are more or less over for me.... :rofl:

 

[rickthebrew]

now when im in the pubs i try something different each time

:clap: thats great news - there are loads of great smaller breweries every where and it`s still good to go out and support your local areas pubs that serve real quality ale - wish I could afford to go out sampling more

 

[artyb]

7 days into the brew and its still bubbling .....smells quite good too... :thumb:

 

[tom3310]

Hi, I have just bought this brew kit and there were no instructions aswell as being the last can. I tried to look in the internet on their webpage and they have very little about there product.

I was wondering if anyone can give me a step by step guide?
Is it like the Wherry brew but add 1kg of sugar at the start of the first fermentation?

Please help
Thank you
Tom

 

[artyb]

pretty straight forward,
contents of can into fv,
add around 3 pints of boiling water,add 1kg sugar,dissolve [i did mine in the boiling water in a saucepan]
top up with water to 5 gals
pitch yeast,
ferment at around 18 deg, for 5-7 days

or do a 32 pint brew with less water

 

[artyb]

this brew has just about stopped fermenting,after 18 days in a room around 18-20 deg,
im leaving it to settle for a few days b4 bottling ....into a selection of 1,1.5 and 2 litre pet bottles

had a sample of it last nite and its not bad, :drink:
a sweet taste then a more bitter after taste..... :party:
im impressed so far... :thumb:

 

[wildbrew]

HI artyb
i've made tom caxton bitter and real ale,with the extract of brewers hops.
ONLY USE 1/2 of the hops at the most.and 1/2 a camden tablet.
it's a good :drink: and even better if you only make 36 pints that will get you :drunk:.


I have just finish off 4 gal's of san miguel, by David line,it was great.
And now have 5 gal's of EDME lager ready for barreling, :
As well as 5 gal's of EDME lager to start :drink: ing on friday.
there are lot's of good recipes that you can use to change the out come of your beer kit.
your H/B shop will point you in the right direction,hope this helps. :thumb:

 

[artyb]

hi w/b
ive done the caxton and its waiting to bottle...tastes quite good... :
ive done the edme lager,
and im impressed.... :party: mine tastes like hoeggarden ,a bit fruity......will certainly do another,
i did add some golden syrup and honey although not much a few spoonfulls...

good to hear you views and experiances.. :clap:

 

[artyb]

bottled the tom caxton best bitter tonight ,
its stood in the fv for 25 days and had cleared well,

tried a tipple, :drink:
its smooth with a bitter bite that stays in the mouth for a long while,
i could have drunk a couple of pints.... :

ive bottled it into 1,1.5 and 2 litre pets,,and stuck em in the airing cupboard for a week..
although they are clear botles so i will have to keep em in the dark......

may well start another soon..... :clap: