Newbie from North West Cork

[Bzfeale80]

Hi fellow home brewers I just joined this forum so that I can find out from more experienced brewers some hints and tips as I go along

I have brewed 2 kits already in the last year, the first was Coopers International Canadian Blonde which I got along with a starter kit I bought from Home Brew West. It was awful at first but it improved after a while and was drinkable. The problem was the carbonation drops were for 375ml bottles and the bottles I was supplied with were 500ml oxblow pet bottles with the starter kit so the beer was under carbonated as a result.

I have since brewed a batch of Coopers Australian Pale Ale and took more care when bottling and calculated the amount of sugar to make up in a partial bulk priming of the batch and carbonation drops in the bottles. I am currently enjoying this beer and it has turned out pretty good.

Apart from that have some parsnip wine & elderflower champagne maturing. I have also got red gooseberry, blackcurrant and elderflower wines on primary fermentation.

Really want to have a go at blackberry & elderberry wine. I also have 2 brewferm kits to brew when I get around to it

[Ciderhead]

Welcome along
1 tab is fine if you leave it long enough?

[LordEoin]

Welcome Bzfeale80!

If you're going for the Coopers' recommended rate of carbonation, 1.5 carb drops to a 500ml.
It's a balls halving drops though.
1 drop per 500ml will carbonate you about right for stout of a flatter ale.

If you want to make blackberry & elderberry wine, you'd want to get a move on. The blackberries are almost wasted now but you'll still get lucky in a few ditches

[johnrm]

Welcome Bzfeale80,
Where in NW Cork are you?

[Gugs44]

Welcome

Only a newbie myself, I tried those drops too in a pale ale, 1 drop per 500ml bottle and 2 flat for my liking, double dropped some bottles and strangely enough, they turned out flatter.

Gonna try batch priming next time so its equal carb in every bottle

[Bzfeale80]

Cheers guys

I missed all the replies as I didn't set my notifications for this and a few other posts 
Everything is later ripening up here in the hills and some of the elderberries are still green on the trees.

As regards the priming of the beer I was lucky that I had access to attic space to store the bottles after priming and we also had a good summer this year for a change so the temperature in the attic was almost perfect for storing the bottles. Coopers say that you only need a week or so to dissolve the sugar after priming but that's for Australia and I left mine for about a month before trying them. I was able to bottle 42 500ml bottles from the batch and used 1 carbonation drop per bottle and calculated the quantity I was short made a sugar syrup and added to the batch in fv, allowed it to cool then carried on with bottling wick into bottles

[johnrm]

@bzf, First thing you click on should be "Show new replies to your posts."

[Bzfeale80]

Welcome Bzfeale80,
Where in NW Cork are you?

I am up in Rockchapel its close to Kerry and Limerick borders

[johnrm]

Tralee is closer to you than Cork City.
If I'm on a night out I stay in Sheilas Hostel. EUR16.

[LordEoin]

You're only round the corner from me.
I'm in Kanturk

[Taf]

Welcome Bzfeale80,
Where in NW Cork are you?

I am up in Rockchapel its close to Kerry and Limerick borders

My wifes family are from Rockchapel, so I'm around that area now and then. Might give me an exscuse to slip away from the in-laws, after Sunday dinner some time!

[nickonius]

i use the drops all the time and have had brews that carb way to much to not at some taking about 2 months to carb,but in saying that i have more success than failures, have done a few with dme but just find in handier for the drops

[Bzfeale80]

Haha small world Taf get in touch the next time you are in the hood! Sometimes I head out for a pint on Sundays to the local
LordEoin yea i used to go to Cashmans pub years ago back in the good oul days lol!