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Author: ElChemist

By Posted on Posted in Beer, Cider, Wine 2 Comments

So, I threw my mead on and was stuck for an airlock. Couldn’t find a bung anywhere. Wilko.com was closed and me the missus and the little monster were due out for dinner with the outlaws…

Quick Google showed this method and it seems to work really well…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPLZSykeNxw

Positive pressure inside the balloon and a couple of tiny pinprick holes means instant airlock. Brilliant. I think I’ll be using this method with my DJs from now on. So bloody simple…

By Posted on Posted in Wine 2 Comments Tagged with , ,

So, was chatting to a bloke at work and got a book off him. I read it for a little while and then this happened. 

Yeah. Apparently I’m making mead as well as beer and wine now. Basic recipe to follow, probably while I’m out having dinner with the outlaws.

Smells nice and yes that is a balloon. Yes it works. Yes it has a couple of nicks in it to stop it blowing off. 

I’ll let y’all know how it turns out in about 9 months when I get to drink it…

By Posted on Posted in All Grain, Beer, Extract Brewing, Processes, Recipes No Comments

So, after the cock up that was my last brew, I decided to stock up on dried yeasts so that it didn’t happen again. I decided to go for a range of yeasts with some specific to brews I’m planning on doing soon and some for the future…

This is what I ended up with. Any suggestions for brews involving these yeasties welcomed. Help me choose the right beers for the yeast!

Chem 

By Posted on Posted in All Grain, Beer No Comments

You may have read my post a couple days ago about my potentially failed brew, well, it seems its not as failed as I thought, and is in fact chugging along quite nicely now after the introduction of a non dead yeast…

Yep, you guessed it, the wonderful Wyeast Ringwood liquid yeast I inoculated with initially was dead. It’d been in the fridge for 8 weeks, and I honestly didn’t give it any thought at all before smacking it, and pitching it. Guess I really should have done.

Lesson Learned. Buy fresh yeast for brews you know you’ll have time to do VERY SOON, and keep a damned good stock of dried JIC.

Seems a few of the liquid yeasties were alive, and have begun making babies as I am getting a very interesting nose from the bucket which isn’t Weiss (From the MJ20 I pitched) but an estery almost floral mix…

Guess we’ll see how this one ends up, but it’s not the failure I first thought…

By Posted on Posted in All Grain, Beer, Recipes No Comments

In the vain of Dudes recipes, I thought I’d share one of my favourites, and an absolute ever present staple of my beer arsenal…

Moose’ Brew

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Weissbier
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 23 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 31 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.036
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)

STATS

Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.011
ABV (standard): 4.93%
IBU (tinseth): 12.38
SRM (morey): 5.01

FERMENTABLES

3 kg – German – Wheat Malt (56.6%)
2 kg – German – Pilsner (37.7%)
150 g – Rice Hulls (2.8%)
0.15 kg – German – Caramel Wheat (2.8%)

HOPS

20 g – Hallertau Hersbrucker, 60 min, IBU: 9.08
20 g – Hallertau Hersbrucker, 10 min, IBU: 3.29

MASH GUIDELINES

1) Sparge, Temp: 66 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 15 L
Starting Mash Thickness: 3.5 L/kg

YEAST

Wyeast – Weihenstephan Weizen 3068
Starter: No
Form: Liquid
Attenuation (avg): 75%
Flocculation: Low
Fermentation Temp: 22 C

This comes out as a very clean, extremely close Weihenstephaner clone and a very nice weissbier. My brother in law loves the beer, so I decided to make him some for christmas, and it turned out amazing. I’ve since done another 2 batches scaled down to 10L and it doesnt hang around very long at all. Give it a shot, its Weihenstaphaner just at 30p a bottle…

By Posted on Posted in All Grain, Beer 2 Comments

So, I went to a beer festival (the Magna Real Ale Festival in Sheffield) last saturday and ended up having a couple of pints of Why kick a Moo Cow by Arbor Ales, a very nice pint with a wonderful fruity twist and a good hoppy flavour, while avoiding my personal gripe of making them too bitter.

I tried to replicate a version of this, aimed for the right colour, had the correct hops and did a quick blast with some fairly neutral yeast but it just hasnt started bubbling yet. No Krausen, no activity of any kind…

Concerning.

I’ve pitched the only yeast I had in stock (Mental note, order more…) which was a Belgian weiss yeast, and I’m hoping this will pull it through.

Have you ever had one just not start? I havent changed a thing in my process, and the starting gravity was on point with what was expected (1.050) so I’m a little concerned that something may be wrong with my sanitation and sterilisation routine for this one…

Heres hoping the yeasties pull one back and this beer comes to fruition…

Chem

By Posted on Posted in Media, Video Blogs No Comments

Those of you who know me, know that I ramble. My brain is working far too quick for my mouth to keep up sometimes.

I decided to utilise this and start doing some video blogs on YouTube. Just me rambling about something to do with brewing. I’m hoping that once I get the PC sorted in the shed and a decent network link, I’ll be able to have people skype in and we can do some serious podcasting and Vlogging down there.

In the meantime, check out my channel on YouTube and enjoy the ramblings of ElChemist. Please leave comments below, or on the Digital Media forum and we’ll answer them as soon as we can!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCS6K9J6oP8&lc=z13fizhbaojufj2gp04cixspepa4i5l42gk

Yeah, I know, looks crap, but I’m still working on it! Not easy when you’re daddy daycare most evenings…

Chem

By Posted on Posted in Media No Comments

Finally managed to kick the forum software into life and finally have it working. Feel free to check it out, post and let me know what you think!

I’ve also changed the layout and theme to get a more rich and immersive experience.

Let the good times roll!

Chem

By Posted on Posted in Beer, Media, Podcasts, Processes No Comments

The ElChemCast is now available on SoundCloud.

Check it out for regular discussion and thoughts on brewing and the brewing world, with some other banter and thoughts as well.

It may sound like the ramblings of a madman, and honestly it probably is, but I try to cover the bases and hopefully provide some nugget of information for you to enhance, explain or just plain entertain your brewing experience.

Enjoy, and leave any comments you have below.