Recent content by allanmb

Thanks for the info guys. Since I was diverting away from the yeast in the kits I thought I would go the whole hog and come up with a completely non-kit recipe. Below is what I cooked up. So far, I am 3 days in and things are fermenting away nicely. OG was measured at 1052, and my hops I...

Ok, I think I will try out some alternate yeast. This is where I usually order from: http://www.home-brew-online.com/ingredients-c45/yeast-c134#sort4 Are there any there you would recommend? I have been told to avoid turbo yeast like the plague! I was thinking about this one...

I am using a taped thermometer on the outside of the plastic barrel which is reading 21-22. It is in a much cooler room but I use a heated pad to raise the temp to this. Do you think that could be a problem?

I'm not sure what the yeast is. Here are a couple of manufacturers I have used: http://www.festivalpremiumale.co.uk/ http://www.woodfordes.co.uk/ Fermentation schedule seems to be similar for all kits I have used so far which is approx 2 weeks at 21-22 celsius. Then I someimtse put in finings...

I am fairly new to brewing ale. I have attempted a few ales from kit so far (Festival Ales amongst others). I have been mostly very happy with the results but I have noticed that all of them have the same background taste of yeast. I have tried a few different manufacturers but they have all...

Here is my batch. 32 pints of cider ~7.5% ABV. And 1 gallon currently being dry-hopped :)

So after a bit of reading I decided to go for 10g of Challenger hops in my gallon and am leaving it for 7 days. I will update this thread with the results!

This is the first year I have been able to vastly increase my cider production. Previously I have only been able to make single gallon batches but I invested in a decent-sized press and my apple trees had a great yield. Anyway, I managed to get 5 gallons and my cider is now ready to bottle...

Excellent - thats the info I need. I will buy a shredder and give it a good clean and hope I get a good yield from my trees :-) Cheers Allan

Do you get as much juice out using a juicer though? And is it going to be suitable for making >5 gallons?

This is a shredder I have found on eBay which is local and a good price... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170513926147 Would this do the job? Thanks Allan

Last year I tried making cider for the first time and achieved success! I had 2 gallons of nice tasting cider. However obtaining 2 gallons of apple juice proved to be very difficult as I had only a food processor with grating attachment and small 4L press with a small handle. So my aim...

The packet doesn't give recommended temperatures :( It is an AW4 yeast... Do you think I should add sugar to get the fermentation going again? Thanks Allan

I have started to make cider for the very first time, in fact I have never attempted any home brewing before now so am a self-confessed newbie! I have several apple trees in the garden and got a large crop so decided to make some cider with them. What I have done so far is pick them, grate...