The first time I decided to make my Black Ale was a couple of years ago, and since then I have been trying to perfect the recipe, adjust it and try and find the right balance - and I think I finally did. Over the last few months I have also been playing with BIAB, focusing on making an IPA but ending up with a very aromatic light Pale Ale, which has become my wife's favourite … [Read more...]
Introduction to beer styles
Introduction to beer styles As a more intuitive brewer, I have no ability to properly follow a recipe, even my own, since I always have new ideas on how to tweak or change it. I wrote recently about the fact that I made a final recipe for the two home beers that will become regulars in our house, and I'll do my best to keep to the recipe...... My biggest problem in putting … [Read more...]
A simple tip to deal with aggressive fermentation
A simple tip to deal with aggressive fermentation Sometimes when brewing higher gravity beers, or if the wort temperature is too high at the start of the fermentation, the yeast can "go wild" and a very aggressive fermentation occurs. You will know that it happens when you see this kind of behavior a few hours after sealing the fermenter: What happens here is … [Read more...]
A simple trick for quicker bottling
A simple trick for quicker bottling Not long ago I explained the full process of how I bottle beer. As we all know, bottling can be a pain and so far I've been using a very simple jug and funnel method, but no more! Thanks to a small £4 investment, I bought a simple plastic tap that I attached to an old fermenting bottle - and voila! a bottling container. This small … [Read more...]
BIAB IPA Brewing Day – improving the BIAB process
20/04/2015: This brewing day was first published on the 02/03/2015 but it is now updated with the tasting notes you will find at the end. After the success of the last BIAB Pale Ale I made, I wanted to try and recreate it while adjusting a couple of things: increasing the gravity levels and giving the beer a less dry and more hoppy taste. My "brewery" (a carton box) is also … [Read more...]