Beer and Cider Recipes This page last updated: 3 March 98

I re-started brewing this year and have been keeping notes in an MS Access database. This page contains an exported version of my notes on brewing for each beer I've done, including mistakes and experiments.

If you're a beginner at brewing, you could try leafing through a brief presentation I produced on the beer brewing process (I was forced to do it for our regular 'Friday evening talk' at work, which is not at all brewing-related).

I've largely been using the excellent Graham Wheeler's Home Brewing, the CAMRA Guide and Dave Line's Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy. I have referenced their recipes where used. You will find repeats of recipes as I go back to a particular brew (particularly Middle Barrel), so you may have to consult several recipes to find the best.

Tongue Scorer (Cider) Palmer's Extra Stout Royal Oak Middle Barrel Middle Barrel II Fuller's London Pride Caroline's Fine Ale Variant Telford's Burton Ale Telford's Burton Ale Variant I Caledonian Porter Variant I

Tongue Scorer (Cider)

Type of brew: Cider

Date begun: 20 October 1996

Ingredients: 46.5 lbs of apples Pectolase Sparkling wine yeast Yeast nutrient Campden Tablets Chempro SDP Precipitated chalk

5 gallon bins (2 off) - one with a tap Hessian sack (home made) 5 gallon fermenting bin (1 off) with lock syphon tubing 2 demi-jons 12 string pint bottles & tops Hydrometer

pH measuring device Electric drill & small metal bar (like an Allen key)

Caster sugar

Process: Wash the apples and sterilise the kit (including the hessian sack) with Chempro SDP. Put the apples in the bucket without the tap in batches and mash them with a bent metal bar in an electric drill. Transfer the apples to the hessian sack mounted in the second bucket held a few inches up from the floor of the bucket by something so that juice can collect and run out of the tap freely. When all the apples are in, add 2 tsp pectolase to help them break down, close the sack and put a weight on top (a few large tins of paint will do). Draw off the fluid and put it in the fermenting bin.

This should yield 1.8 gallons of juice. Check the pH - if less than 4, add precipitated chalk to raise it to 4. Add 2 crushed Campden tablets to the juice and leave for a day. Add the yeast to 2 tsp of yeast nutrient, stir, leave for 15 minutes, add to the juice.

Leave for stage 1 fermentation (I intended to stop it before 1000 as this means it's as dry as one is likely to get it and I didn't want an absolutely dry cider), then syphon into two demi-jons for secondary fermentation and settling.

Bottle after the end of secondary fermentation (I used 'Grolsch' style bottles) and leave for as long as possible - AT LEAST several months (time to undergo malo-lactic fermentation in the bottle). I added / teaspoon of caster suger per bottle (12 x 1 pint bottles), as the cider tasted very dry indeed on siphoning and showed no signs of sparkle.

Yeast used: Gervin Wine Yeast No.3 (for sparkling wines) S. baya

Original 1044 gravity:

Final gravity: 1000

pH: 4.2

Duration of 8 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 8 weeks stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 20 weeks first sample:

Comments from Very dry, clear, not very sparkling. Alice thought first it tasted of lemon, probably the acidity. However,

sampling: quite drinkable. Could have been a little sweeter - this would require mixing in sweeter cider apples. We've got cooking cider.

Left until --- second sample:

Comments from --- second sampling:

Palmer's Extra Stout

Type of brew: Beer

Date begun: 03 November 1996

Ingredients: 5 lb crushed pale malt 8 oz crushed crystal malt 6 oz crushed black malt 2.5 gallons water 2 oz Fuggles hops 1 lb soft dark brown sugar 2 oz brewers yeast yeast nutrient gelatine finings 0.5 tsp salt Chempro SDP

5 gallon bru-heat boiler sparge bag long stirring spoon 5 gallon bin with lid 5 gallon fermenting bin with lock syphon tubing 5 gallon pressure barrel Hydrometer Thermometer

Process: From p64 of Dave Line's "Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy":

Sterilise all the kit with Chempro SDP, apart from the sparge bag which if made from terylene should just be boiled. Put the water into the boiler and raise the temperature to 60 c then add 0.5 tsp of salt (if you're in a hard water area). Stir in the crushed pale malt.

I then left this for 45 minutes, raising the temperature to 66 c before stirring in the rest of the malt. This was then left for 1.75 hours, letting the temperature drift between 60 and 66 c. Put the sparge bag over the 5 gallon bin and pour the wort in, using additional hot water to wash the malt of all it's goodness, bringing the final quantity of liquid in the bin to 4 gallons. Wash out the boiler and pour the liquid back into it.

Add the hops and the sugar (pre-dissolved in a little of the wort) to the liquid and boil it for 1.5 hours.

Strain the hops out of the liquid and pour it into the 5 gallon bin again. Check the OG (which should be around 1036) and leave to cool to between 18 and 24 c. Add the yeast, mixed with some yeast nutrient and left for 15 minutes, to the fluid and leave until it clears. It should brew down to about 1010. Syphon out into the 5 gallon fermenting bin (leaving the crud behind), add finings and leave for the secondary fermentation with an airlock fitted. This is supposed to be at around 13 c.

After the secondary fermentation, syphon off into the pressure barrel.

Yeast used: Edme Active Dried Yeast

Original 1040 gravity:

Final gravity: 1010

pH: ---

Duration of 6 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 1 week stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 2 weeks first sample:

Comments from Just what the doctor ordered. Full bodied and dark, first but not too strong. Some problems with the barrel sampling: not holding pressure, so had to use CO2, but no problems with yeastiness. Lasted about 1 month, no souring, I just drank it all.

Left until --- second sample:

Comments from --- second sampling:

Royal Oak

Type of brew: Beer

Date begun: 06 February 1997

Ingredients: 7 lb crushed pale malt

8 oz crushed crystal malt 14 oz flaked barley 3 gallons water 2 oz Fuggles hops 1.75 oz Fuggles hops 12 oz soft dark brown sugar 2 oz brewers yeast gelatine finings Chempro SDP

5 gallon bru-heat boiler sparge bag long stirring spoon 5 gallon bin with lid 5 gallon fermenting bin with lock syphon tubing 5 gallon pressure barrel Hydrometer Thermometer

Process: From p86 of Dave Line's "Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy":

Sterilise all the kit with Chempro SDP, apart from the sparge bag which if made from terylene should just be boiled. Put the water into the boiler and raise the temperature to 60 c. Stir in all the malt and the flakes.

Leave this 1.5 hours, letting the temperature drift between 60 and 66 c. Put the sparge bag over the 5 gallon bin and pour the wort in, using additional hot water to wash the malt of all it's goodness, bringing the final quantity of liquid in the bin to 4 gallons. Wash out the boiler and pour the liquid back into it. Add 1 oz of the Goldings hops and the sugar (pre-dissolved in a little of the wort) to the liquid and boil it for 1.5 hours. Add a further 0.5 oz of the Goldings hops and leave for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid and top up with cold water to 5 gallons, then add the Fuggles hops and boil for a further 1.5 hours (OK, I admit it, the Fuggles should have been added in the same boil as the Goldings hops, but I cocked up).

Strain the hops out of the liquid and pour it into the 5 gallon bin again. Check the OG (which was around 1041 but should have been closer to 1049) and leave to cool to between 18 and 24 c. Add the yeast to the fluid and leave until it clears. It should brew down to about 1010. Syphon out into the 5 gallon fermenting bin (leaving the crud behind), add finings and the last 0.25 oz of the Goldings hops and leave for the secondary fermentation under an airlock. This is supposed to be at around 13 c.

After the secondary fermentation, syphon off into the pressure barrel and add more finings.

Yeast used: Edme Active Dried Yeast

Original 1041 gravity:

Final gravity: 1010

pH: ---

Duration of 3 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 1 week stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 1 week first sample:

Comments from The finings didn't work properly (they'd been left first near the cooker and so had lost their consistency). sampling: The beer was very cloudy and the hop taste was a little metallic. If the beer had been of the intended strength (1049 o.g.) the richness might have balanced the hops, but as it was the whole was not particularly pleasant. I threw it away after a few weeks.

Left until --- second sample:

Comments from --- second sampling:

Middle Barrel

Type of brew: Beer

Date begun: 17 March 1997

Ingredients: 7 lb crushed pale malt 8 oz cracked roast malt (roast black barley will do, but not as smooth) 8 oz crystal malt 3 gallons water 1.5 oz Northern Brewer hops 1 oz Fuggles hops 2.2 lb Demerara sugar 2 oz brewers yeast gelatine finings Chempro SDP

5 gallon bru-heat boiler sparge bag long stirring spoon 5 gallon bin with lid 5 gallon fermenting bin with lock syphon tubing

5 gallon pressure barrel Hydrometer Thermometer

Process: Sterilise all the kit with Chempro SDP, apart from the sparge bag which if made from terylene should just be boiled. Put the water into the boiler and raise the temperature to 60 c. Stir in all the malt. I used roast black barley in this brew.

Leave this 2.5 hours (rather than 1.5 hours since my sparging technique is not efficient enough), letting the temperature drift between 60 and 66 c. Put the sparge bag over the 5 gallon bin and pour the wort in, using additional hot water to wash the malt of all it's goodness, bringing the final quantity of liquid in the bin up to 4 gallons. At this point the OG was around 1040. Wash out the boiler and pour the liquid back into it. Dissolve the sugar in a little of the wort and add it to the boil. Add all the hops and boil it for 1.5 hours. Strain the liquid and top up with cold water to 5 gallons.

Strain the hops out of the liquid and pour it into the 5 gallon bin again. Check the OG (which was 1044) and leave to cool to between 18 and 24 c. Add the yeast to the fluid and leave until it clears. It should brew down to about 1010. Syphon out into the 5 gallon fermenting bin (leaving the crud behind), add finings and leave for the secondary fermentation under an airlock. This is supposed to be at around 13 c.

After the secondary fermentation, syphon off into the pressure barrel and add more finings.

Yeast used: Edme Active Dried Yeast

Original 1044 gravity:

Final gravity: 1010

pH: ---

Duration of 3 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 1 week stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 1 week first sample:

Comments from Good and full bodied with a marvellous red colour. first Cleared really well. A little sweet at this stage. sampling:

Left until 3 weeks

second sample:

Comments from At it's peak, without a doubt. The over-sweetness second replaced with a lovely rich taste of strength. A sampling: pleasure to drink, though it tastes quite a lot stronger than it probably is.

Middle Barrel II

Type of brew: Beer

Date begun: 22 June 1997

Ingredients: 7 lb crushed pale malt 8 oz cracked roast malt (roast black barley will do, but not as smooth) 8 oz crystal malt 3 gallons water 1.5 oz Northern Brewer hops 1 oz Fuggles hops 2 lb Demerara sugar 4 oz granulated sugar Irish Moss 2 oz brewers yeast 'Condessa' finings (silicic acid) Chempro SDP

5 gallon bru-heat boiler sparge bag long stirring spoon 5 gallon bin with lid 5 gallon fermenting bin with lock syphon tubing 5 gallon pressure barrel Hydrometer Thermometer

Process: Sterilise all the kit with Chempro SDP, apart from the sparge bag which if made from terylene should just be boiled. Put the water into the boiler and raise the temperature to 60 c. Stir in all the malt. I used roast black barley in this brew.

Leave this 3.5 hours, the temperature should drift between 60 and 66 c, but I let it get up to 71 c in this case. Put the sparge bag over the 5 gallon bin and pour the wort in, using additional hot water to wash the malt of all it's goodness, bringing the final quantity of liquid in the bin up to 4 gallons. Wash out the boiler and pour the liquid back into it. Dissolve the sugar in a little of the wort and add it to the boil. Add all the hops and boil it for 1.5 hours, adding the Irish Moss 15 minutes before the end of the boil. Strain the liquid and top up with cold water to 5 gallons.

Strain the hops out of the liquid and pour it into the 5 gallon bin again. Check the OG (which was

1040 - 10% down for 10% less sugar than the first of these brews I did, so much for any improvement in my sparging technique) and leave to cool.

Add the yeast to the fluid and leave until it clears - unlike the Edme yeast, the Gervin yeast really does require a starter. I didn't realise this until too late, so I just kept the beer in a well heated room for a few days. It should brew down to about 1010. Syphon out into the 5 gallon fermenting bin (leaving the crud behind), add finings and leave for the secondary fermentation under an airlock. This is supposed to be at around 13 c.

After the secondary fermentation, syphon off into

the pressure barrel and add more finings. Add the 4 oz granulated sugar to prime the barrel and leave.

Yeast used: Gervin English Ale Yeast (S.cerevisiae. Strain NA)

Original 1040 gravity:

Final gravity: 1010

pH: ---

Duration of 4 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 1 week stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 1 week first sample:

Comments from To early to expect it to taste good, but it had first cleared completely and was showing potential - a sampling: little too sweet just now. Leave a few more weeks to let the sweetness brew away to body.

Left until 3 weeks second sample:

Comments from Good, definitely cracked this one. I have a feeling second though that it tastes a little too strongly of the sampling: Demerrara sugar. Worth trying a variant with less sugar and more malt. The 'Condessa' finings worked really well but were ridiculously expensive.

Fullers London Pride

Type of brew: Beer

Date begun: 29 June 1997

Ingredients: 7 lb crushed pale malt (Maris Otter) 8 oz crushed crystal malt 3 gallons water 1 oz Fuggles hops 2.75 oz Goldings hops 8 oz Demerara sugar 2 oz brewers yeast 4 oz Demerara sugar yeast nutrient Gelatine finings Irish Moss Chempro SDP

5 gallon bru-heat boiler sparge bag long stirring spoon 5 gallon bin with lid 5 gallon fermenting bin with lock syphon tubing 5 gallon pressure barrel Hydrometer Thermometer

Process: From p87 of Dave Line's "Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy":

Sterilise all the kit with Chempro SDP, apart from the sparge bag which if made from terylene should just be boiled. Put the water into the boiler and raise the temperature to 60 c. Stir in all the malt.

I then left this for 2.5 hours, raising the temperature to 66 c and then letting it drift between 60 and 66 c. Put the sparge bag over the 5 gallon bin and pour the wort in, using additional hot water to wash the malt of all it's goodness, bringing the final quantity of liquid in the bin to 4 gallons. Wash out the boiler and pour the liquid back into it. Add the Fuggles and 2 oz of the Goldings hops and the larger portion of the sugar (pre-dissolved in a little of the wort) to the liquid and boil it for 1.5 hours. 15 minutes before the end of the boil add another 0.5 oz of the Goldings hops and the Irish Moss.

Strain the hops out of the liquid and pour it into the 5 gallon bin, topping up to 5 gallons with cold water. Cool this as quickly as possible to below 30 c. Add the yeast, mixed with some yeast nutrient and left for 15 minutes, to the fluid and leave to ferment. It should brew down to about 1012, but I let it go to 1010. Syphon out into the 5 gallon fermenting bin (leaving the crud behind), add finings and the remaining 0.25 oz of Goldings hops and leave for the secondary fermentation with an airlock fitted. This is supposed to be at around 13 c.

After the secondary fermentation, syphon off into

the pressure barrel. Add more finings and the remaining sugar to prime the barrel. Leave.

Yeast used: Gervin English Ale Yeast (S.cerevisiae. Strain NA)

Original 1040 gravity:

Final gravity: 1010

pH: ---

Duration of 3 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 1 week stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 1 week first sample:

Comments from Actually at 1 week it was still a little fuzzy, but first at 1.5 weeks it had cleared sufficiently. A really sampling: pleasant hoppy smell and a good rounded light hoppy foretaste. The after taste is a little odd - sort of like Laurel leaves but not chemically or unpleasant. Quite an apparent show of strength though.

Left until 2 weeks second sample:

Comments from Oh dear, the laurel leaves after-taste has got second stronger and has been identified as Lactose sampling: fermentation. A visit to the Peterborough beer festival a month later revealed that several of the beers there had a similar after-taste. Obviously an effect of the heat. Beer was thrown away

Caroline's Fine Ale Variant I

Type of brew: Beer

Date begun: 14 January 1998

Ingredients: From p159 "Home Brewing - The Camra Guide":

4.6 kg crushed pale malt (Maris Otter) 12 litres water 45 g Goldings hops 15 g Fuggles hops 30 g Northern Brewer hops 'Kwik Clear' two-component finings Irish Moss 11.5 g brewers yeast 100 g granulated sugar

Chempro SDP

25 litre bru-heat boiler sparge bag long stirring spoon 25 litre bin with lid 25 litre fermenting bin with lock syphon tubing 25 litre pressure barrel Hydrometer Thermometer

Process: Sterilise all the kit with Chempro SDP, apart from the sparge bag which if made from terylene should just be boiled. Put the water into the boiler and raise the temperature to 72 c. Stir in all the malt - the temperature should drop to 66 c.

I then left this for 2.5 hours, letting the temperature drift between 62 and 69 c. Put the sparge bag over the 25 litre bin and pour the wort in, using additional hot water to wash the malt of all it's goodness, bringing the final quantity of liquid in the bin to 23 litres. Wash out the boiler and pour the liquid back into it. I forgot to ensure that the boiler element was clean, so the boil was somewhat intermittent. Add all the hops to the liquid and boil it for 2.5 hours (normally 1.5 hours on a more vigourous boil). 15 minutes before the end of the boil add the Irish Moss.

Strain the hops out of the liquid and pour it into the 25 litre bin, topping up to 23 litres with cold water. Cool this as quickly as possible to below 24 c. Add the yeast to the fluid and leave to ferment. It should brew down to about 1010, though mine didn't get that far. Siphon the liquid into the fermentation bin, add the finings and leave for the secondary fermentation with an airlock fitted. This is supposed to be at around 20 c.

After the secondary fermentation, syphon off into the pressure barrel. Add more finings and the remaining sugar to prime the barrel. Leave.

Yeast used: Edme Active Dried Yeast

Original 1044 gravity:

Final gravity: 1016

pH: ---

Duration of 4 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 1 week stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 1 week first sample:

Comments from Still slightly yeasty. Taste and colour are both a first little light and it's a little sweet for my liking, sampling: but since it's such a simple beer, that's only to be expected. I hope it will become less sweet and develop some complexity during the next week, otherwise I'm going to have a go at brewing a stout to replace it with.

Left until 3 weeks second sample:

Comments from No, suffers from a protein haze. I think the second intermittent boil did it. Ah well. Throw it away. sampling:

Telford's Burton Ale

Type of brew: Beer

Date begun: 15 January 1998

Ingredients: From p161 "Home Brewing - The Camra Guide":

5.9 kg crushed pale malt (Maris Otter) 60 g crushed black malt 14 litres water 70 g Goldings (alpha acid 5.3%) hops 20 g Goldings (alpha acid 5.3%) hops Irish Moss 11.5 g brewers yeast 50 g granulated sugar 'Kwik Clear' two-component finings Chempro SDP

25 litre bru-heat boiler sparge bag long stirring spoon 25 litre bin with lid 25 litre fermenting bin with lock syphon tubing 25 litre pressure barrel Hydrometer Thermometer

Process: Sterilise all the kit with Chempro SDP, apart from the sparge bag which if made from terylene should just be boiled. Put the water into the boiler and raise the temperature to 72 c. Stir in all the malt - the temperature should drop to 66 c.

I then left this for 2.5 hours, letting the temperature drift between 62 and 69 c. Put the sparge bag over the 25 litre bin and pour the wort

in, using additional hot water to wash the malt of all it's goodness, bringing the final quantity of liquid in the bin to 23 litres. Wash out the boiler, ensuring the element is clean, and pour the liquid back into it. Add the first portion of the Goldings hops to the liquid and boil it for 1.5 hours. 15 minutes before the end of the boil add the second portion of the Goldings hops and the Irish Moss.

Strain the hops out of the liquid and pour it into the 25 litre bin, topping up to 23 litres with cold water. Cool this as quickly as possible to below 24 c. Add the yeast to the fluid, then leave to ferment. It should brew down to about 1012, though mine didn't get that far. Siphon the liquid into the fermentation bin, add the finings and leave for the secondary fermentation with an airlock fitted. This is supposed to be at around 20 c.

After the secondary fermentation, syphon off into the pressure barrel. Add more finings and the remaining sugar to prime the barrel. Leave.

Yeast used: Edme Active Dried Yeast

Original 1052 gravity:

Final gravity: 1018

pH: ---

Duration of 4 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 1 week stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 1 week first sample:

Comments from Slightly yeasty, but very rich in taste and quite first violent with the sides of the tongue. A good sampling: darkish brown colour - very much my type of beer. Brown, strong tasting and rich. This is promising, since a sip when I was siphoning the beer left me with the distinct impression that sightly upping the black malt from 55 g to 60 g had been a mistake.

Left until 3 weeks second sample:

Comments from Still has a slightly bitter after taste, but it has second now mellowed and is a much easier drink. Rich in sampling: flavour, good colour, clear. Maybe try again with Roast Barley instead of Black Malt.

Telford's Burton Ale Variant I

Type of brew: Beer

Date begun: 08 February 1998

Ingredients: From p161 "Home Brewing - The Camra Guide":

5.6 kg crushed pale malt (Maris Otter) 55 g crushed roast barley 14 litres water 45 g Goldings (alpha acid 5.3%) hops 25 g Fuggles (alpha acid 4.2%) hops 20 g Fuggles (alpha acid 4.2%) hops Irish Moss 11.5 g brewers yeast 50 g granulated sugar 'Harris Filters' two-component beer finings Chempro SDP

25 litre bru-heat boiler 25 litre insulated two-part mash tun hop bag long stirring spoon 25 litre bin with lid 25 litre fermenting bin with lock syphon tubing 25 litre pressure barrel Hydrometer Thermometer

Process: Sterilise all the kit with Chempro SDP, apart from the hop bag which if made from terylene should just be boiled. Put the water into the boiler and raise the temperature to 73 c. Let this water into the insulated mash tun. Stir in all the malt - the temperature should drop to 66 c. The original recipe calls for Black Malt rather than Roast Barley - I changed this to see if it would reduce the bitter after-taste.

I then left this for 2 hours, during which the temperature dropped to 64 c. Pour off the wort and sparge the remainder gently and slowly with water at 77 c. Pour the liquid into the boiler. Add the first portion of the Goldings/Fuggles hops (I'd run out of Goldings, hence the mixture) to the liquid and boil it for 2 hours. 15 minutes before the end of the boil add the second portion of the Fuggles hops and the Irish Moss.

Strain the hops out of the liquid using the hop bag and pour it into the 25 litre bin, topping up to 23 litres with cold water. Cool this as quickly as possible to below 24 c. Add the yeast to the fluid, then leave to ferment. It should brew down to about 1012, but mine didn't make that. Siphon the liquid into the fermentation bin, add the finings and leave for the secondary fermentation with an airlock

fitted. This is supposed to be at around 20 c.

After the secondary fermentation, syphon off into the pressure barrel. Add more finings and the remaining sugar to prime the barrel. Leave.

Yeast used: Edme Active Dried Yeast

Original 1046 gravity:

Final gravity: 1016

pH: 5.0

Duration of 3 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 1 week stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 1 week first sample:

Comments from Definitely a smoother, rounder, maltier taste than first the standard version, while the bitter hop after- sampling: taste is just as strong. Better, in my opinion, but suffers from a very slight haze. Since the sparging and the boil were tip-top, I can only think that the Roast Barley is to blame somehow. However, the slight haze is no real problem and can no-doubt be dealt with by varying the other ingredients somehow.

Left until 2 weeks second sample:

Comments from The haze has now gone - the beer simply took longer second to clear properly. I have a suspicion that the sampling: finings had been left in the sun in the shop. The taste is good, but I took the brew to a party on Saturday and found that after drinking several other beers the taste was too bland. I think this means the original sharper recipe was good and that I must sort out my yeast and get a drier brew.

Caledonian Porter Variant I

Type of brew: Beer

Date begun: 08 February 1998

Ingredients: From p144 "Brew Your Own Real Ale At Home":

3.54 kg crushed pale malt (Maris Otter) 340 g crystal malt (EBC 150) 480 g amber malt

290 g chocolate malt (EBC 800) 190 g black malt 14 litres water 50 g Goldings (alpha acid 5.3%) hops 40 g Fuggles (alpha acid 4.2%) hops 25 g Goldings (alpha acid 5.3%) hops Irish Moss 11.5 g brewers yeast 100 g granulated sugar 'Harris Filters' two-component beer finings Chempro SDP

25 litre bru-heat boiler 25 litre insulated two-part mash tun hop bag long stirring spoon 25 litre bin with lid 25 litre fermenting bin with lock syphon tubing 25 litre pressure barrel Hydrometer Thermometer

Process: Sterilise all the kit with Chempro SDP, apart from the hop bag which if made from terylene should just be boiled. Put the water into the boiler and raise the temperature to 72 c. Let this water into the insulated mash tun. Stir in all the malt - the temperature should drop to 65 c. This recipe originally required 240 g (5% of the total) of Wheat Malt, which I didn't have at the time. I increased the Pale Malt to compensate.

I then left this for 2 hours, during which the temperature dropped to 63 c. Pour off the wort and sparge the remainder gently and slowly with water at 77 c. Pour the liquid into the boiler. Add the first portion of the Goldings/Fuggles hops to the liquid and boil it for 2 hours. 15 minutes before the end of the boil add the second portion of the Goldings hops and the Irish Moss.

Strain the hops out of the liquid using the hop bag and pour it into the 25 litre bin, topping up to 23 litres with cold water. Cool this as quickly as possible to below 24 c. Add the yeast to the fluid, then leave to ferment. It should brew down to about 1012, but mine didn't make that. Siphon the liquid into the fermentation bin, add the finings and leave for the secondary fermentation with an airlock fitted. This is supposed to be at around 20 c.

After the secondary fermentation, syphon off into the pressure barrel. Add more finings and the remaining sugar to prime the barrel. Leave.

Yeast used: Edme Active Dried Yeast

Original 1046 gravity:

Final gravity: 1018

pH: 5.0

Duration of 3 days stage 1 fermentation:

Duration of 1 week stage 2 fermentation:

Left until 1 week first sample:

Comments from Quite a dry bitter porter, combining a soft taste on first the middle of the tongue with a strong bitterness on sampling: the sides of the tongue. Chocolatey, with a deep red-brown colour and a wonderful light brown head. A very drinkable porter for a first attempt. In fact, I'm not sure how I'd improve it as if it were any drier it wouldn't be such a comfortable drink. Need to brew this again to find out what the effect of the missing Wheat Malt is; there certainly seems to be no lack of head-retention.

Left until 2 weeks second sample:

Comments from This one survived the party test rather better. second Could still do with brewing down a little further sampling: though.

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