Hi y'all
I only got back into brewing a couple of weeks ago after a somewhat 8yr hiatus (is that how you guys spell it?) Just finished my Microbiology Degree at Warwick University UK and I remembered when I made some Lager from a canned kit back when I was about 14yrs old......... it was crap. It's a good job it was crap otherwise I wouldn't have considered it such a respectable challenge to take on Beer Making now. It really is a challenge and from internet research I see that in the USA you guys have some really great ideas when it comes to semi-industrial homebrew techniques. In the UK the equipment available is small, low tech' and relatively very expensive. I don't think very many people are into homebrew and those that are have already gone on to create microbreweries such as my local Frog Island http://www.frogislandbrewery.co.uk/ . Without the inspiration of a few american home brewers sites I would never have though of using stainless beer kegs as boiling kettles/ processing vessels. I remember at first seeing some peoples RIMS/ HERMS systems and really having difficulty getting my head around what was going on with the Mashing/ Sparging etc etc but happily after about a month of casual research on the web its amazingly clear and cheap and well awesome; my first batch is currently on the go, a malt extract with saaz aroma hops and fuggles bittering - it's very dark almost like a stout because I used 1.6kg dark malt extract and 1.5kg medium. I've called my first brew "Uni-brau" get it?
Future Planns - Full grain HERMS system with a counterflow cooler and 50L sankey keg kettle instead of my current 2gal jam pansion "femtobrewery" (5gal batches)
Oh yes and how bloody confusing is it that 5gals (~19L) american isn't the same as 5gals UK (~22.5L)?
ThankGod you have a thriving homebrew community - because the UK certainly doesn't.
all the best
Matt Willmott
I only got back into brewing a couple of weeks ago after a somewhat 8yr hiatus (is that how you guys spell it?) Just finished my Microbiology Degree at Warwick University UK and I remembered when I made some Lager from a canned kit back when I was about 14yrs old......... it was crap. It's a good job it was crap otherwise I wouldn't have considered it such a respectable challenge to take on Beer Making now. It really is a challenge and from internet research I see that in the USA you guys have some really great ideas when it comes to semi-industrial homebrew techniques. In the UK the equipment available is small, low tech' and relatively very expensive. I don't think very many people are into homebrew and those that are have already gone on to create microbreweries such as my local Frog Island http://www.frogislandbrewery.co.uk/ . Without the inspiration of a few american home brewers sites I would never have though of using stainless beer kegs as boiling kettles/ processing vessels. I remember at first seeing some peoples RIMS/ HERMS systems and really having difficulty getting my head around what was going on with the Mashing/ Sparging etc etc but happily after about a month of casual research on the web its amazingly clear and cheap and well awesome; my first batch is currently on the go, a malt extract with saaz aroma hops and fuggles bittering - it's very dark almost like a stout because I used 1.6kg dark malt extract and 1.5kg medium. I've called my first brew "Uni-brau" get it?
Future Planns - Full grain HERMS system with a counterflow cooler and 50L sankey keg kettle instead of my current 2gal jam pansion "femtobrewery" (5gal batches)
Oh yes and how bloody confusing is it that 5gals (~19L) american isn't the same as 5gals UK (~22.5L)?
ThankGod you have a thriving homebrew community - because the UK certainly doesn't.
all the best
Matt Willmott
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