TLDR; I had a number of disasters, but it turned out ok in the end! Read on… 🙂 I’ve finally got everything together to make my first all-grain brew on my new equipment! As it turned out really well, I’ve decided to make the all-grain version of the Dirty Daemon extract-based beer I made last November. It’s a really nice amber-coloured American Pale Ale with lots of Citra hops and should turn out at around 6.5% vol. On Friday evening I…
Maybe this blog post should have an alternative title… “NPT thread? BSP thread? ARGH!” or maybe “Why can’t I stop that bl**dy leak?!?”. So, I’ve got this brand new 15 (US) Gallon SS Brewtech Kettle, from The Malt Miller. It’s very shiny… Installing the supplied ball valve, bulkhead & the recirculation plugs are a doddle – You just need to grab some PTFE tape and follow the nice little instruction guide that comes with the kettle. Next up was the…
I’ve got a new 40L Buffalo hot water boiler to use as a HLT in my new setup. I need to remove the crappy plastic tap and replace it with a decent ball valve. Parts List: 1/2″ Ball Valve nipple lock nut Silicone washer (20mm ID, 32mm OD) Camlock fittings Grinding stones Remove the tap and save the plastic washer to use with the new fittings. You’ll notice the tap hole isnt round, so you’ll need to round it out and…
I recently saw a post on the “N.E. Home Brew Network” Facebook Group regarding a bargain buy from Tesco for a 52 litre cooler box for £20 – Ideal for converting into a mash tun. After a few good brews based on Malt Extract, I’ve worked out I could be saving between £10 & £20 per brew if I was brewing “All-Grain” batches. It seemed like a no brainer! I placed my order and picked one up the next day. I scoured…
Today’s a day of firsts: The first time I’ve used a yeast starter, the first time I’ve used Star San, using my new immersion cooler and the first time I’ve followed a recipe I’ve customised. The main change was to down-scale the boil to around 10 litres, with a top-up in the fermenter – The main adjustments made were to the amount of hops required to maintain the required flavour. My recipe, which I think I’ll call Dirty Daemon, was…