Recent content by Hopsacks

Thanks very much for the help. I think I'll go for the Vienna and the Belgian pale ale malt. The Belgian is less expensive than the German for me. I think I'll go with the S-04, S-05 and a Belgian strain of yeast. The hops are more complicated! Is Tettnanger so much similar to Saaz? I think...

I'm looking for advice for my upcoming order. I have just 5 brews under my belt (BIAB) using only Pilsner malt, Carared and combos of Magnum, EKG and Saaz. I've been using Safale T-58 and Notty yeasts. Not being able to buy everything I'd like, I'm hoping to maximize the combo possibilties...

Thank you mrkrausen. I've brewed another couple of batches since and brewday is going a little smoother now. This beer has notes of mandarin, grapefruit and passionfruit. No idea what to attribute that to (the yeast?) but I think I'd like to recreate it one day. I drank the dregs of one bottle...

I recently brewed my first all grain batch (biab) and wrote out the details of that brewday in another thread . For those who read it you may remember I had a tough time juggling everything and as a result I ended up with way more lactic acid than I wanted (8% malt equivalent in the grist) and a...

Chins up guys. Don't let anyone be put off by my manic Monday. I'm not complaining, just reporting my experience. Difficulty and 'stress' do not have to have negative connotations at all. I found it engaging, interesting and a bit of an adrenaline rush to be honest. I absolutely will be...

Thanks. Yeah, the bad batch was all my own fault. It was a kit I was given as a birthday present and I knew zero about brewing back then. It was also fermented way too low (if it fermented at all!) and I think it got infected too. After that I read so much about brewing for such a long time that...

Salut et merci. I'm just up the road, in the sticks not far from Dax. My better half is from here too. Great wine from Jurançon!

It was a white knuckle ride. A bit like jumping into your boy racer buddy's car when he's just passed his driving test. You're convinced you're gonna die, but somehow you have a mad, wide grin on your face :rockin:

Thanks MagicMatt for all the tips. I'll definitely take it all on board for next time. I've since went over the acid addition and I realise now my mistake of putting in too much. That's how I ended up frantically scurrying for the baking soda, of which I also overdid! Next time it's half as much...

I recently brewed my first beer and thought that my experience, psychological anguish and squeaky bum time may benefit other fellow beginners. Despite in theory having prepared all the details for my first brew day, I discovered soon enough that in practice not is all as it seems. I would...

Hi, I'm a long time lurker and have finally decided to take the plunge. I'm from Scotland originally but have been here a good while now. Started with a disastrous extract beer kit experience which ended up like bitter, black tar, yeasty syrup and then started reading about all grain BIAB...