Finished my first brew. Really enjoyed the process and the beer. It was exactly what I had hoped for, even if it was a bit cloudy! I have already ordered a refill kit. My question would be, once the two week fermentation period has finished, is it OK to transfer it to flip top bottles and divide up the dextrose equally between the bottles for the carbonation period? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Chris.
Great to hear! Yes you can do that no problem but sanitise each bottle and use a siphon (so the beer doesn’t get oxygenated). Half a teaspoon per bottle is the widely accepted rule. We have a vid coming out soon which demonstrates the siphoning process. Cheers!
Made my first (and it won't be my last) brew kit of 'Tribute to Doombar'. I enjoyed the process but my keg is unexpectedly hoppy. Not like Proper Job, more like Black Sheep. I love real ales, but I'm not a flavour expert. So I apologise if that doesn't make sense. I'm wondering what may have caused the bitter-hoppy flavour. I couldn't 'Cold Crash' it because I would have had to empty our refrigerator, it's so small. I've read if it's 'sour' it's gone off, but the air that came out of the top valve when we turned it smelled so good - I can't believe it's gone bad. Any advice?
Glad you enjoyed the process. It shouldn’t be that hoppy, more balanced with fruity and malty character plus spicy bitterness. It has a fairly large hop stand (hops you add at the end of the boil and let sit). Ideally you want to minimise the hop debris that transfers to your fermenter/keg after the hop stand. Or ideally whirlpool (stir it around briskly for a few minutes and then let the debris gather in the centre). Then once cooled gently pour into the fermenter/keg. Cold crashing is definitely worthwhile but shouldn’t affect hoppiness. Next time maybe try adding half the Hops 2 or add them once the wort hits 80 degrees to minimise hop character and bitterness. Thanks 🍺
