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LTownLiquorPig

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I'm looking for an easy way to explore brewing beers I like. I tried a pretty expensive FestBrew kit, think it may have been infected, not entirely happy. I brewed an apple cider which was intended to be consumed quickly, and am fairly happy with it. My first love though, is beer.

My preferred style is an English bitter, my favourite commercial beer is Propeller Extra Special Bitter from Halifax NS, but I've read it is not a "true bitter". I don't know, and frankly could care less. I also really enjoy Guiness, Boddington's, and Pumphouse Brewery's Acadian Cream Ale, which is brewed in Moncton NB. My favourite domestic/generic beer is probably Oland's Export Ale, and when I was in Florida 6 or 7 years ago I enjoyed Miller Lite more than any of the other gas station beers I tried (didn't get a chance to get any more adventurous than that).

Right now I am brewing the Doric Canadian Light Beer Mix Doric Canadian BeerMix straight up with a KG of Munton's Beer Enhancer. I want to know how it tastes, and to work on my technique. I'm thinking once I know how it tastes I can start exploring different hopping strategies and fermentables to mix with it to adjust it to suit what I am trying to get to, taste wise. Will this plan work? I'm a seasonal worker, so I have a couple of months of down time right now, and a basement that sits between 58*-64* in the winter.

I'm a little bit handicapped by my location, which is very rural. There is no real LHBS, but a drug store about 15 mins away carries several extract kits, some sanitizers (iodophor, which I use) and basic equipment, as well as a loyalty program. I have used the Munton's yeast that they carry for my cider, but plan to mail order Nottingham, which I think best fits my fermentation temps. I'll mail order hops as well. Don't want to get into ordering heavier bulk items, as the shipping is cost prohibitive.

I currently am doing the primary only method, in a glass 6.5L carboy with blow off tube. I like this method, and I like the carboy, don't think I want to use a bucket. I need a larger pot, I'd like to do at least half boils, hopefully Santa will do his job and bring one for me, along with another carboy.

SO..... After all that babbling, does anyone have any advice for me? My "LHBS" has a pretty good selection of the Cooper's/Munton's kits, so I could use their malt extract as well.

Thanks in advance!

LLP
 
Hmmm - take a look at some of the extract recipes here on HBT and select an easy one with not too many fussy things to add. Maybe a pale ale with one steeped grain and bitter, flavour and aroma hops. To order in the ingredients give thought to some of the online ordering places. There are a few in Canada that are quite good. As well, you could always see if there are any brew on premises shops in Halifax that could sell you the ingredients.

Once you've read a bit more you'll become familiar with the process and making beer this way will be a snap.

B
 
Thanks Birvine. The city is an option, just don't get there often. Would that Doric extract essentially just be an LME?
 
Just got off of the phone with Noble Grape in Hal. They suggested the Main Street store at 465.9463 and said it would be about 15 minutes from you. They have LME, hops and grains and could actually walk you through the process.

Yes, the Doric is bitter-hopped LME but who knows how old it is. At the shop you'd have fresh ingredients and someone to help - a huge bonus.

By the way, I have NO connection with any shop - I just called around to find the info to help a new brewer.

B
 
I have a beginner's English brown recipe posted (look under my avatar in the "recipes" pulldown") that you might like. It's a little bit like a fresher tasting Newcastle. It's an English brown, not a bitter, but you may like it.

I'd stay away from those prehopped can LME "kits", as they don't make very good beer as a rule. I'd especially stay away from Munton's and Cooper's yeast. I"d recommend buying only fresh extract. If you must buy canned extract, Alexanders is pretty good. Don't use "beer enhancer" or "dextrose" in the beer. Stay away from products and recipes that call for that!
 
Welcome! And good luck sourcing stuff out there! With fresh ingredients and a few pieces of equipment you can make awesome beer easily.

Dry Male Extract (DME) might be a good choice since it stays fresher longer, and is probably cheaper to ship if you need to order it online. It also stays a lighter color (important if you care).
 
Dry Male Extract? EEEw. I was sent the cooper's International Series English bitter kit. It was malty brown with a bit of roastiness. I was told if I add 2 boxes of the cooper's light DME & an ounce of Kent Golding,I'd have a fuller's clone. Anyway,it came out very clear,but not much carbonation from tastybrew's calculation for ordinary bitter at 1.3 volumes of co2. 1.8 volumes would likely be better. But it was pretty good. Great with pit bbq.
 
Thanks for the input guys!

Birvine, thanks for the leg work! I've been to the Noble Grape (bought most of my gear there last time I was in Halifax or "The City" in rural NS vernacular), but I'm in a different Lawrencetown, NS. Confusion happens all the time, even the local news shows us on the map when they talk about house fires in the "other" Lawrencetown.

So I should be afraid of the canned liquid extracts at all costs? The canned extracts at the drug store add have BBD's on them, the cheap Doric I have on now was February 2013 if I remember correctly.

And now for the full disclosure, I'm mortally frightened of going to much beyond dumping the extract and sugar in a pot at this point. I have a hard time not finding really bizzare ways to screw up simple directions/processes. My wife says it's because I'm a man, but I'm not convinced. I was hoping I could work on making some decent beer and really getting the hang of it without adding too many steps.
 
I don't have all these problems many folks do with canned extracts. But at the least I use 3lbs of plain DME & hops with said can to make a good beer with'em. I have my own process that works for me,& they come out good. But you can buy plain (un hopped) extract malts & do your own bittering if you like. It depends on how involved you want to get. But it's not that hard regardless. Just try not to read more into it than is actually there. That's mostly "noob nerves" that go away.
 
Just a thought, my wife used to work in international shipping at UPS here in Minneapolis and tells me both Northern Brewer and Midwest Supply ship to Canada regularly. Why not try mail order for your ingredients and/or kits?!
 
There is nothing wrong with LME at all, if you can get it fresh. The DME lasts longer and I've had very good luck with it.

In any instance, you will want FRESH.

Nothing wrong with doing extract brews if that is all you want to do. I think the most important thing for you to think about at this point is temperature. Ales like to be about 65F for the first week or so.
 
Homer, is lower than 65* a problem? My sticky thermometer spent a week or so at 62-64*, but down to 58* this last couple days with a cooler air temp outside and in the house.
 
Homer, is lower than 65* a problem? My sticky thermometer spent a week or so at 62-64*, but down to 58* this last couple days with a cooler air temp outside and in the house.

Too low and the yeast will start going dormant. If you can find a cheap aquarium heater, you might be able to set up a swamp cooler with a heater in it.

Or a heat pad, or you can buy a "Brew Belt" that wraps around your fermenter. There are lots of ways to heat up a fermenter a little bit.

You might look for a place in the house that is close to 65. If it's just a little lower that's ok since the yeast will warm themselves up a little bit as they do their work.

Wrapping the fermenter in a blanket will also help hold in the heat from the yeast and might be good enough to keep them warm when the rook is at 58. We're only talking a couple of degrees here.
 
Thanks for the input guys!

Birvine, thanks for the leg work! I've been to the Noble Grape (bought most of my gear there last time I was in Halifax or "The City" in rural NS vernacular), but I'm in a different Lawrencetown, NS. Confusion happens all the time, even the local news shows us on the map when they talk about house fires in the "other" Lawrencetown.

So I should be afraid of the canned liquid extracts at all costs? The canned extracts at the drug store add have BBD's on them, the cheap Doric I have on now was February 2013 if I remember correctly.

And now for the full disclosure, I'm mortally frightened of going to much beyond dumping the extract and sugar in a pot at this point. I have a hard time not finding really bizzare ways to screw up simple directions/processes. My wife says it's because I'm a man, but I'm not convinced. I was hoping I could work on making some decent beer and really getting the hang of it without adding too many steps.

I used to buy the Doric cans in the early 90's and I did not make great beer with them - mind you, I was new at it and just fumbling around, really.

Might I suggest finding a brewer in your area who can guide you a bit to get over the initial fear of going the next step?

B
 
Homer, is lower than 65* a problem? My sticky thermometer spent a week or so at 62-64*, but down to 58* this last couple days with a cooler air temp outside and in the house.

It might slow your yeast down but when the temp comes back up it will get going again.

B
 
It might slow your yeast down but when the temp comes back up it will get going again.

B

Yes it will take longer and probably not hurt the beer at all. You could ferment up to around 70 (internal temp) without a problem too.

Again, the ideal temp is determined by the yeast strain and the beer style. I've fermented a Saison at around 90 F.
 
24/12/11

Success! I think. Took a gravity reading just now, its a solid 1.011-.012 ish, down from about 1.041.

The sample tasted like half a Bud Light left out over night (please don't ask why I know this). I don't like Bud Light, that's just the feeling I get from it.

So at the end of the day it seems I've produced something more or less drinkable. Sometime this I plan on starting another batch from the same cheap Doric Kit, but using some Nottingham yeast I picked up + the brew enhancer and a pound of honey and finished with a dry hop of an ounce or 2 of Gouldings I think.
 
Sounds like your making beer. As for the supplies have you looked at "morebeer".com? they offer free shipping to the US and I believe parts of Canada. They ship UPS. You have to check the items that are listed for free shipping, and I would not suggest getting liquid yeast shipped overland it may freeze before it gets there, dry yeast is fine and they have a good selection. Cheers
 
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