Guest Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Why do you want to make things more difficult than necessary by including a fish tank heater? Yes it will work but it is not the best and easiest thing to use and for the price of one of them you could pick up an old fridge. Regarding your cider, even though I have not brewed a cider, the lower the temp the longer to ferment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damien E1 Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 As far as I understamd POR is more of a bittering hop, not aromatic, let us know how you get on with that, though I have read that fresh POR flowers are the exception. If I wanted flavour or aroma, I'd nor be looking toward POR, that said I do have fresh flowers of POR in the backyard and WILL try a glass or two of flowers just for my own experience, will get back to you on it Yob That's what I've heard too. Personally I've never used it when going Full Extract brewing either. Not something against it, just that all the full extracts I've made so far have been american pale ales or bitters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted February 25, 2012 Author Share Posted February 25, 2012 Its a fair call Billk, Had one of them money saving moments and a fishtank heater seems a viable option. Will probably get a belt heater down the track. Currently its more of an issue keeping cooler temps. Got a hot run today of 40degrees, so been a run or two for bags of ice, but kept all brews at a constant 22'c. This wont tantalise the beer brewers but for shits and giggles made a somewhat hobo cider. Hopefully to a degree of quality. Raes Dodgy Bottle Cider 3 Litres Pear and Apple Juice (no preservatives) 150-200 gram LDM 50 gram Honey 150 gram Lactose Brewed in the 3 litre container (just loose lid enough for cO2 to escape) SN9 Wine Yeast, With Yeast Nutrient as well Pitched yeast around 26ish. OG 1.062 So am probably looking high ABV 8-9ish. Pear Essence to be added at end of fermentation. This is more a curiosity trial if I'm honest, if it comes out ok, SWMBO may like it, and it frees up my FV's for beer brewing. Anyway, Cheers for the reading time. Rae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted February 25, 2012 Author Share Posted February 25, 2012 And Jim, Simpler is easier for now, Until I get a fridge at least and then ill probably get a stc1000. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Simpler is easier for now, Until I get a fridge at least and then ill probably get a stc1000. :P Mmmhmm I envy you brother. My search for an alternative came out of struggling to justify the space for another fridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 Update. Ok so today, Bottled my Coopers Pale Ale, lovely Aroma and Taste, now a waiting game. Going to rack my cider to add some Pear Essence tomorrow. And possibly put down a creative ginger beer which I read some where. Something with Coopers Cerveza Kit to make a Ginger beer, add something like Coopers Cerveza Kit 500 LDM 1000 Raw Sugar - Maybe 250 dex - Maybe 250 honey - Maybe 250 lactose - Maybe a stick of cinamin 2 lemons squeezed -Maybe Amarillo steeped -Maybe Cascade steeped Muntons gold Yeast If I can find some preservative free Ginger Beer Cordial I will add also. Looking for a higher ABV drinker. Any thoughts or suggestions to that? Just put down today Honey Canadian Blonde Coopers Canadian Blonde Kit 500 Med Crystal boiled for 20 min -12g Cascade boiled in 10 mins -12g Amarillo boiled in 10 mins 500 LDM 250 Dextrose 650 Archibalds Honey - (533.6g Sugar) Half an orange zest added at end of boil and added to fermenter 12g Cascade to be dry hopped Made to 23litres OG - 1.040 Muntons gold yeast - Pitched 24'c Give me some opinions on what you think, good or bad? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I wouldn't be boiling the Crystal... bring your water to 65C-70C, add cracked grain and let it sit for 30 minutes. I also wouldn't be adding 1kg raw sugar AND 250 dex to the Cerveza. If you feel you want one of them then leave the raw sugar out and just use the 250g dextrose. The honey would make a nice inclusion without the lactose. Leave out the lemon and just add it to the glass as and when you want it. Forget about the GB cordial imo too. 500g of crystal in the Honey Blonde wouldn't hurt but 300g would have been fine. I reckon the honey blonde should come out a nice drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 There's no ginger in his Ginger Beer now Bill [lol] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Hey Rae, Try this Ginger beer recipe. It is really good![cool] 1.7Kg Mex. Cervesa 500g LDM 566g Amber malt (liquid) 500g Honey 500g fresh ginger root (pounded and simmered 20mins) 2 lemons, halved & squeezed (simmered for 20mins) 25L water 7g cooper's ale yeast 8g Chinook (20 mins) 22g Cascade (20mins) 200g Dex (bulk prime) Try this for the Honey Blonde. 3.4Kg (2 cans) Can. Blonde 300g Honey 250g Crystal (steeped 30mins) Then hit it hard with shed loads of late hops! Like say... 20g Cascade (5mins) 20g Amarillo (F-out) 20g Cascade (dry hop) 20g Amarillo (dry hop) 14g Cooper's ale yeast 23L water I have recently started drinking a Honey Blonde to the tune of: 1.7 Kg Can. Blonde 1 Kg LDM 500g Honey 23L water 7g cooper's ale 156g dex (bulk prime) This one was shite until 3 month in the bottle. It's easy drinking now![cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 This one was shite until 3 month in the bottle. It's easy drinking now! Did it actually improve or did you just learn to like the taste of shite? [biggrin] Your toucan honey blonde looks pretty good. How did that one turn out? Did 300g honey give a subtle honey taste? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishingdogs Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Well this is becoming a very interesting read and interesting recipes, RamenZ you are getting some brews down quick. Keep the updates coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 AdamH - Forgot to add that 500g ginger [tongue] BillK - Got told to boil but wont again as you lose volume as it boils down, probably steep it next time as you said. Also Im hoping the Blonde comes out good - forgot to say that I also added yeast nutrient. Canadian Eh!L - I actually got the Cerveza idea from that recipe I think - found somewhere in this forum - Just looking to fiddle and see how it comes out lol. Fishdogs - Thanks , Just busy with now 4 fermenters running ontop of a Stillspirits for lets say 'oils' [tongue]. Cheers guys Rae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kearnage Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 Rae, the problem with boiling grain is not volume loss, it's tannin extraction. Do as Bill suggests and steep or you may end up looking like this: [sick] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 Shall do. Its all a learning process isnt it. And hey!? guess what?! Its working Haha. Cheers Rae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 Ok Im wondering if anyone has the time to post say for instance a direct clear and concise guide Dry Hops To The Boil Steeped Hops Steeped Grains Most of us have the basics but things are never clear no matter where you look. Cheers Rae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 There's no ginger in his Ginger Beer now Bill [lol] But a Ginger Beer in the Cerveza recipe mentioned?????..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Eh!L Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 [Did it actually improve or did you just learn to like the taste of shite? [biggrin] Your toucan honey blonde looks pretty good. How did that one turn out? Did 300g honey give a subtle honey taste? I think it must have improved. This is a beer I had to tip out when I first tasted it.[sick] I recently started passing them out to the boys after work [innocent] and have found they go down easy after a hard day.[joyful] The Toucan recipe that I mentioned is something I thought up on the spot. It is a variation on a recipe that I made a while back. The original recipe didn't have the crytal malt and the amount honey was 500g the reason I backed off on the honey is this makes for a high ABV brew (7.2%). 500g of honey definitely gives the subtle taste of honey but I can't says about 300g.[unsure] I used the hops var. that Rae mentioed because I thought they sounded good. I originally used 2 big blasts of Cascade of 40g @ F-out and dry hop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 More Updates Black Rock Cider bottled Friday (racked for 72hours with Pear essence) Lovely aroma and good taste, bottled and waiting to drink. Racked the Beez Neez Clone into a different FV today, not so much honey aroma to it now, taste is still good, strong drop OG 1.050, current gravity 1.010 6.2%? Will let that sick for another week or two before bottling. Honey Blonde - Had a lovely Krausen of about 10cm, still a lovely aroma, cooking along nicely. Also put down Morgans Ginger Beer 1kg Raw Sugar 1kg BE2 Equivelent Half an orange Zest Contemplated Hopping but didnt. Lol Made to 20 Litres Pitched yeast -24'c Also New thoughts on fish tank heaters, Currently for cooling I had my FV in a black square 50 litre bucket filled with water and added ice, Temps in Melbourne currently getting cold and added hot water to bucked instead of ice, brought the temps up. Submerged fish tank heaters in tubs FV sits in. Thoughts? Just cost effective Cheers Rae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Update, Got a clearing agent and added to racked Beez Neez Clone, smells lovely looking to leave another week or so until bottling, possibly longer. Honey Blonde has been cooking along nicely, looking to leave that for a 3 or so weeks, will rack off into a second FV add clearing agent and add 12g Cascade dry hopped this week at some point. Still has small signs of fermentation, expecting this to continue for a while cause of the high quantity of honey and complex sugars. Morgans ginger beer had a lovely Krausen to it about 5cm, smell is nice. First ginger beer (Brigalows) tasted last night, personally thought it was HORRIBLE, but time will tell as to taste. Just put down a; Beer Makers Draught 1kg BE2 250 g Crystal Malt - Steeped this time, just before boil for an hour. 250g Dextrose 200g LDM 12g Cascade Steeped 15mins? Made to 23 litres Pitched 24'c OG- 1.044 (had to modify to bring it up from 1.035) Currently with Melbourne weather my temps are sitting nicely at about 20'c, so knowing our winter to come I'm looking to try some lager yeasts at colder temps. But anyway, Rae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 Still updating, regardless if people are reading Haha. Ok so bottled my Beez Neez clone, Taste was a bit dry and could taste the PoR, Thinking next time that I may add Crystal Malt to the package. Og - 1.050 - FG -1.008 ABV 6.3%? Now just conditioning in bottles. I have racked the Canadian Blonde Honey into another FV, removed orange zest, and Dry hopped 12g Cascade, Aroma is very sweet, and taste is phenomenal, sweet but hopped, crystal seems to help even out the dryness of the honey? considering the large amount I wasnt sure how that was going to play out, but if all goes well I think this may be a regular drinker for me, OG - 1.040 Current Gravity 1.004 - ABV 5.5% -16 days in FV and slight activity through airlock. Really looking forward to this one. As far as the hobo cider (for fun an curiosity) made 3 x 750ml bottles, Very strong, very dry but should be drinkable. Curiosity can you brew cider in a 3litre apple juice container - Yes. Will it taste better and be easier in a FV due to measuring amounts accurately and cost. Yes. Today - About to put down a new batch DrSmurtos James Squire Golden Ale Coopers Sparkling Ale 1 can Wheat Extract - Morgans 250g Crystal Steeped 1 hour, 12g Amirillo 10 min 12g Amirillo 2 min US05 yeast Will update OG via edit. I am tending to test and edit OG with LDM or Dextrose to suit. Another note, Finding thicker sediment yeasts are becoming a favourite like Muntons Gold etc, Clearer beer and easier bottling somewhat irrelevant cause I am tending to Rack most beers and add a clearing agent. But anyway, Im hoping someone is reading this and finding it useful and interesting. Cheers Rae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithy Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Today - About to put down a new batch DrSmurtos James Squire Golden Ale Coopers Sparkling Ale 1 can Wheat Extract - Morgans 250g Crystal Steeped 1 hour, 12g Amirillo 10 min 12g Amirillo 2 min US05 yeast Will update OG via edit. I am tending to test and edit OG with LDM or Dextrose to suit. Rae I've heard good things about this recipe. I'm keen to give it a go one day too! Make sure you update us with how it turned out :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 Yeah me to, Seems to be stated on every forum really, Im trying the kit version as mashing is not for me yet:P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Although that recipe would be nice and is close but it is not Dr Smurtos GA. His recipe for a kit is: 1 can Thomas Coopers Sparkling Ale 1 can Coopers Wheat Malt 250g Caramalt (or other light crystal) 15g Amarillo @ 15 15g Amarillo @ 5 15g Amarillo dry hop. Yeast - US05 [rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
***** Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Although that recipe would be nice and is close but it is not Dr Smurtos GA. I made his original, here. I am on record saying its nowhere near as good as everyone elses. Well tonight its 3 months bottled, I had a JSGA then the Drs followed by another JSGA. The good Doctor is starting to mellow and could end up as close as the Doctor quotes in this original post. Still a little bitter after taste, but time maybe my friend here. I need to conserve my other two drinkers at the minute, cause I know my LCPA is going to be a ripper at months end (i.e. 3 months bottled). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamenZ Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 Billk - Your right, kinda met in the middle, my LHBS had the recipe mentioned and couldnt find caramalt hops so figured crystal couldnt hurt. And needing to buy some bulk hops as my LHBS only sells 25g packs, so might order some for ESB unless you know anywere else that sells cheap hops? OG of JSGA - 1.042 - added 100g dextrose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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