Recent content by UKBrewing

Right, managed to pick up some citric acid granules today... not my first choice but it was the only choice. If I add 15 grams to 50L of brewing water (for mash and sparge) and 5 grams of gypsum, I get these stats: Ca+2 153 Mg+2 5 Na+ 42 Cl- 63 SO4-2 138 HCO 56 So takes the alkalinity down...

Thanks for the info and links, I have had a read of those... Unfortunately I dont think I can get any acid before I brew this weekend, but if I did have I guess I want to add enough until my HCO=0? (rather than the current 238). Brewers friend has a setting for 'Light Coloured Hoppy' profile...

Thanks for doing that mate, yes I looked at the burton preset on brewers friend and it said to add a silly amount of chemicals to get the sulphate level that high. I read somewhere getting it up to around 250-300 makes a difference, I can do that if I add about 4 teaspoons to 50L, but it makes...

I have ordered some Gypsum as I want to make my tap water more 'Burtonised' so I can make a nicer IPA. Now I am a total noob at this, but thought if I bought the gypsum and know what my levels are, Brewers Friend would tell me how much to add, but its not that simple (unless I am doing it...

Thanks for the responses... I will work on getting the yeast rates sorted next brew. I have had off flavors in the past like a metallic kind of taste followed with a strange after taste, which I think was due to over carbonation, or applying too much co2 pressure trying to carb quicker. I...

For this brew I used 1056 American Ale and made a starter of about 3/4 of a Litre (or quart for you US guys). Brewers friend told me that I was under pitching when I input that into the software (after I had pitched it)... but I wasn't too worried (some dont make a starter at all) Next time I...

Cheers for the advice... option 3 was thrusted upon me as I have too much to do to fit a brew in today now... but I have warmed the setting on the fridge from 19 degrees (centegrade) up to 22 to let the yeast do its thing in a slightly warmer setting. I'll keg it when back from holiday, the...

I usually find 4 weeks in Primary and 4 weeks in keg gets me a beer that has aged well and tastes good. I used to taste and drink my beer earlier than this, but try to leave until 8 weeks old before tasting as I find by this time the beer has matured and tastes better. To try something a...

American IPA for sure...

OK so here I am reporting back on the finished brew... This was not heavily bitter like the enamel peeling IPA's as I usually like. Also, it has a more 'Floral' flavor than the Citrus/Tropical/Grapefruit flavors I tend to enjoy in my IPA's (I guess from the Amarillo). But it was actually a...

Thanks for feedback, and yes will report back on it when it's ready, quite interested to see what this tastes like. I would usually use s05 for american style beers too but didn't have any about. S04 is used in the zombie dust clone I have made before which turned out great, so thought what the...

Pros and cons to everything I suppose... The bucket sounds like a good option but not sure about draining every few minutes. Maybe next time I will adjust the recipe for an extra gallon or so and then just chuck the pellets in and expect to leave a fair amount of wort in the boiler. Not...

Rather than brew another batch of the 'Programmers Elbow ESB' from 'Brewing Classic Styles' (which was too nice to leave alone when it got to 2 months old!) I decided I wanted a nice american IPA. I had a few different hops in the freezer but nothing that combined to match a recipe that...

I had a similar problem yesterday even using hop bags, but found after leaving behind about a gallon of wort that one of the bags had split and the pellets had turned to mush which was blocking the bazooka tube. I didn't realize people are happily draining everything into the fermentor with no...

Cheers, It tasted even better yesterday after another week and a half, and it had cleared up nicely too... shame the keg is nearly empty!