Newbie From Galway...

[johnrm]

One more tip...
Put bulk prime into bottling bucket first and then add your beer.
No need to stir.

[MisterBurns]

If you want to try the batch priming and don't have a second bucket I always have a couple spare so can lend you one to try it with. That way you can see for yourself how easy if it is - much handier than measuring or using carbonation drops (I'm in Galway also)

[The Bards Son]

Thanks lads for the tips and the friendly offers..I may take you up on it MisterBurns

I chilled and tested my first two bottles this evening and i have to say i am a little dissapointed
They were quiet flat and lacked taste.. even a little bitter
I thought the one and a half suger tabs would create a bit of carbonisation but it seemed to have little effect from before i bottled taste wise...
I still have 40 bottles in my hotpress so i mite leave them for a while more...see will they mature a bit
Should i have used two tabs per 500ml bottle for a more bubblier beer or would this just make it sweeter??
Is bulk priming a better way of creating a more carbonated beer??
I have been thinkin i will order this bundle next!!

http://www.homebrewwest.ie/coopers-premium-selection-heritage-lager-17-kg-beer-kit-254-p.asp

have many of you tried this and what were your results??
Hopefully this time it will be going into brown glass bottles
Again any tips or advice is always welcome
Shane

[Eoin]

Get a hydrometer and don't rely on airlock bubbles.

Sent from my HTC One

[LordEoin]

Weird that you've little carbonation with 1.5 carb drops per 500ml.
if they're PET, did you tighten them enough?

Don't go to 2 drops per 500ml, that's too much (about 12grams per liter).

Regarding the heritage lager, I'd stay away from it unless you can ferment at a constant temp of around 16C.
It's not the best tasting anyway.. pretty plain.
Again, the EB, IPA or APA kits are much better and more forgiving.

[MisterBurns]

I have to agree with LordEoin – a good piece of advice I got was that the darker the beer type the better the results when you are starting out because for Lagers without the necessary equipment to control fermentation temp etc you just won't get a final product you are happy with. People with more experience than me can no doubt give a better technical explanation but I have definitely found it to be the case – you should come along to the next meeting (usually last Friday of the month in the Oslo) as there are some very experienced brewers in the Galway club who can give you all the pointers you need

[The Bards Son]

Well lads
I bottled up my second homebrew batch this evening and i am really looking forward to tasting this one
I went for the Coopers India Pale Ale and a can of light malt extract. I also added 250 grams of suger to raise the ABV a bit.
It bubbled up alot in the fermenter this time creating lot of foam which subsided after a few days
There was a lovely malty smell from it when i took the lid off
This time i used glass bottles and found that the smithwicks winter ale bottles cap really nicely.
I used one and a half coopers tabs per bottle,  but also primed a bottle or two with 2 tabs to see the results (marked so i know which ones they were)...i left an inch gap at the top of the bottles so they dont pop..Fingers crossed
they are back in the hot press now so should be ready for christmas.

I dont know which one to try next..Any sugesstions??
Im not really a cider or wine man so ill stick to beer type kits..
Is there a galway meet for december?

On another note I see in the Galway advertiser that DELA restaurant are holding a 3 course beer and food pairing /tasteing on wednesday nights for 45 a head i think.. with brief talks from a small kerry brewer and beer somilier in between courses...sounds interesting...
If i can find the time i mite go to one of these nights..if anybody on here has been already have ye any feed back?  is it worth the money??
Regards Shane

[johnrm]

Hi Shane, A hot press may be too warm for bottle conditioning. Room temp and a little patience should be fine.

[MisterBurns]

There a poll on the Galway page to check dates for a Christmas meet

http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,4794.0.html

On the kits it might be worth your while popping into home brew west and checking out there range in the store - they should be able to recommend something to you. The nicest kit I did was a Woodfordes Wherry two can kit

[The Bards Son]

Hi guys
Thanks for the replies

Hi Shane, A hot press may be too warm for bottle conditioning. Room temp and a little patience should be fine.

My hotpress is sitting between 18 and 20 ish most of the time..is this a bit warm for my bottles??
The rest of the house is a little cooler most of the time so should i just leave the bottles in a spare room or something?

There a poll on the Galway page to check dates for a Christmas meet

http://www.nationalhomebrewclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,4794.0.html

On the kits it might be worth your while popping into home brew west and checking out there range in the store - they should be able to recommend something to you. The nicest kit I did was a Woodfordes Wherry two can kit

I had a vote on the poll..the 20th would be good for me...
I mite give that Woodfordes a try ..Is it really bitter??

Any body have any suggestions for good books on beer making or beer and ales in general?.. something informative maybe ..explaining tastes, flavours and differences in beer and ales etc

Thanks ,Shane

[johnrm]

18-20 sounds fine.
Some hot presses can be quite a bit warmer.
Be careful of your twin-dropped bottles, these might be bottle bomb risks.

[The Bards Son]

thanks John

18-20 sounds fine.
Some hot presses can be quite a bit warmer.
Be careful of your twin-dropped bottles, these might be bottle bomb risks.

Bottle bomb risks?...i take it you mean they mite pop their caps??...The glass wouldnt explode would it??

[johnrm]

Yep, you're undies will smell of beer forever.

I had my first few brews behind me and thought I had my technique down.
A friend of mine decided a bottle of my beer would make a great paperweight and somehow it went pop.
It was the first time, and thankfully has not happened since.

[montofk]

I had a vote on the poll..the 20th would be good for me...
I mite give that Woodfordes a try ..Is it really bitter??

Any body have any suggestions for good books on beer making or beer and ales in general?.. something informative maybe ..explaining tastes, flavours and differences in beer and ales etc

Thanks ,Shane

That woodfordes wherry is a grand kit, I recall reading about it before I did the kit and the commercial version has won several medals and awards in England.... if you've had English bitter before and liked it.. it's a good example of one of those.

I'm sure there's plenty of stuff on the internet to read with regards to tastes, differences, particulars of each style of beer but no substitute for just having them!... It's not excessive boozing, it's research
If you make it out in Galway whenever this Xmas night gets agreed on, we can yak all night about it...

[MisterBurns]

Not too bitter at all. Very smooth taste to it. I just checked my notes on the Coppers IPA and I used two carbonation drops and no bottle bombs .... thankfully