Be Excellent To Each Other

Or you drink the cider, eat a pork pie and then have some Jim Beam.

I need that cloudy cider from the beer festival that smelt of horse shit. Fuck me, that was good tackle.

If we're talking about ciders, I can thoroughly recommend Savannah Dry Cider. Only seen it in Gourmet Burger Kitchen, mind. But lovely, lovely stuff.

I have 36 bottles of Wychwood (9 each of Hobgoblin, Goliath, Wychcraft and Scarecrow). Box of 12 (3 each) is 11.99 + VAT at Costco.

I've seen savannah in tesco before, not sure if they still sell it.

They do Savannah in Nando's too.

Excuse me, this is the beer thread.

(Waitrose have a good selecion of home brand ciders.)

Seeing as I have gainful employment of some description at present, I have little time to go to the pub. So, I attended the "Edible Garden Show", where I saw lots of pigs, some chickens and goats. I also heard a talk by a man from the telly, who MrsA seemed quite keen on. And a talk by a man who told me how to make beer and wine.

It was easy, he said. All I needed was a bucket, some malt extract, some water, lemonade bottles and some yeast. After walking the streets of Oxford in my lunch hour, looking for these things, I gave up and went to the pub. I used their wireless to go to Amazon, and for £40, I bought a bucket, some malt extract, some yeast, sugar (this must be dextrose, this is important) and some other stuff I didn't understand.

I went to Tesco (easy in Bicester) and purchased 26 litres of Extra Value Still Water (and 2 9v batteries for a Cat Deterrent, which doesn't work) and set to work. I boiled the kettle, stuck the tin of malt extract in a pan, added the hot water and set 3.5 litres of water on the hob to boil. After 3 hours I returned from the pub, and realised I hadn't set the hob on, so I did that, and had a nap. In the meantime, MrsA sterilised the bucket and some other stuffs.

An hour later, the water was boiled so i added the malt extract to the bucket, and 1kg of dextrose. More sugar means more booze. So I stuck the lot in. MrsA added the water and stirred it for a while and then we topped it up with 23 litres of cold water. In with the yeast, stick the lid on and wait....

4 days later, the bucket is bubbling away happily, so fermentation is occurring, and bottling and secondary fermentation should begin on Friday or Saturday. Beer should be ready on 23rd April.

So, Americans who are below the age of 21, all you need is a bucket, some boiling water, malt extract and some yeast. And dextrose. It is important that you have a monosaccharide.

The kitchen doesn't smell too bad, but keep the bucket between 18-20 degrees until the thingy says 1006 then add half a teaspoon of sugar per 500ml beer into a 2L bottle Extra Value Still Water. leave that in the warm for two days, then in the cool for 12 days.

I shall tell you the results on the 24th April.

Stuff I bought:

http://www.biggerjugs.co.uk/starter-bee ... -1042.html
Water

40 pints of beer for £40, then 40 pints for £15 as you've bought the other things already....

I'm going to try that.

I need to Tinker's Rucksack Meet info from you, as I'd like to fit it into the Diary. If so, we can have a beer off, along with Kalmar.

All we've said about Tinkers 2011 is that it will be at the same site as last year (http://www.stayinthornthwaite.co.uk/) at the end of August. It would be great if you could make it. The more the merrier.

Around the 20th?

Gah! I'm at a wedding that weekend.

WTFF?!

The Leffe Blonde with the newly-redesigned bottle labels seems blander and less 'smoky' tasting.

They'd already jumped the shark before then. bloody inbev.

I found out today that fullers website sells cases of even yeared Vintages. 6 cases, 72 bottles, 430 quid. bargain!

Keeeegs. Adnams Broadside. 32 pints for 60 quid.

As it is now spring, I've been transitioning to IPA. Lovely.

I may be pissed on ipa as I type this

A significantly more amunt of infromationation ais required!

Here, hare, here.

http://cellarandkitchen.adnams.co.uk/ca ... cask-47abv

Delivery is, like, 3 quid, or something. Barg!

Having seen the casks, do you think it is possible to reuse them for homebrew?

Hmm, not sure about that. I don't think so, the valve and tap are plasticky affairs that look pretty breakable.

Not long to go now! Quietly excited. I need to get a second batch on, too. Sharpish.

I recommend leaving it longer than the stated days on the box, it normally makes it taste a bit better.

Will be doing.

Next I'll be trying an IPA.

My father recently went to Costco and came back with a large box of bottles of a lager called 'Desperados'. I'd never heard of it before, but it's basically a lager with a hint of tequila in it, and, at 5.9%, it's fairly strong.

Anyway, I'm not much of a lager drinker these days, but this stuff is bloody lovely! One of the most refreshing beers I've had in a long, long time. I gave a couple to an ardently ale-drinking pal, and even he's fallen in love with the stuff. Goes lovely with a slice of lime too.

It's worth a try anyhow, though I've got no idea where you get it from, other than Costco. The bottles look like this:

Too sweet for me, but I know a few folk that bum it.

Opened first two bottles of MaliAle. It was drinkable. I'm calling that a success, then.

Awesome, I am going to start my beer again this weekend.. I did not bottle mine, but use a keg instead.

Excellent, I should really give it a go myself.

Zardoz, they sell the full starter kits in Tesco about £50 should include a beer as well.

MaliA with MaliAle!

Note awesome shadow of jug on Tshirt.

40 Pints IPA now on to brew. I added the yeast and it appeared to clump together, so after stirring it for a while, I just stuck the lid on. Here's hoping.

Oooh, shouldn't stir after adding the yeast. It introduces bacteria which can kill it.

I've been enjoying a large bottle of Hoegaarden this evening.

I had Royal Union and Windsor Knot (along with Ringwood fortyniner) today.

Judging by the way it is bubbling right now, we are fermenting somewhat hard.

Unfortunately, I've forgotten most of what you told me apart from "Open three bottles" and "Lump of Ginger".

So, I've decided to not bother to out think yeast and wait five days, then bottle, as per instructions.

I don't have to bother brewing, I have acquired a friend who is an excellent homebrewer and will brew on request. Not that I do that.

Also, Helen bought me a cheesemaking kit for ChristmApril, heading off at the pass any urges in that direction. Especially as once I've figured out my ideal hot sauce(s) and relish(es) with the 80-ish plants of 7 chilli varieties, clearly I will then have to find the ideal cheese for it/them.

But anyway - looking good, Mali.

Bottling the IPA tonight. Though I'd best do it when MrsA was out restoring furniture.

Did it last night, instead.

I suspect, that it's has an ABV between 4.3 and 4.5%. Nevertheless, I added sugar to the bottles and on Sunday, they leave to settle in the cooler garage. 25 litres of IPA.

From the first lot of beer, after taking Bobby's sage advice and having pint one from bottle one then pint two from a second bottle, I poured the two half bottles into one and added more sugar and waited a week. The results are very nice, indeed.

yay! I really need to make a batch soon.

I suspect that I didn't put enough sugar in the first time around. Iw as worried about explosions. With the IPA, I stuck two teaspoons in, and it seems to be OK, cleared nicely, too. I'm considering a new batch next week or so.

Took a punt on a 3 ltr box of Westons Still Organic Cider at the weekend. Didn't have my usual fave bottled cider in stock.

Fucking brilliant, and at £5 at the moment at Tescos it's a steal.

I have got my brewing kit toogether at last.. This topis is making me want to brew again.

I have made 2 batches of Wherry in the past, but I use a keg rather than bottling.

Is bottling better?

I love this beer, just not too many

I use two litre plastic bottles because it suits the amount I drink. It goes off in a few days once opened, and I don't drink 40 pints in five days.

I might try that, although I have had a keg for about 3 weeks...

The platic bottles are they normal 'pop' bottles?

Yes, with the dimples in the bottom to collect sediment. I use extra value water.