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Post by Skankmonkey on Jun 23, 2016 11:58:27 GMT
I think water cress needs running water to thrive. That's right the sheep cause the problem with the wild stuff.
I generally use nettles as a spinach and mostly mixed with other greens. I find the young tips early on are a bit milder. A lot of people can taste the iron in spinach as well. An interesting recipe I attempted with nettles was an attempt at copying a west African groundnut stew but using nettles and crunchy peanut butter. By interesting I don't mean successful.
We might well be on the same page as brewing goes. I did the all grain stuff years ago but I got rid of the kit ages ago. I just do modified kits now. In fact I mainly concentrate on TwoCan type recipes now and make them up to 25 - 26 Ltrs. The all grain can make decent beer but its a bit off a faff in comparison. You can make something pretty close on from kits these days. - if you go a step on from the basic instructions and that. I work to <= 50p a pint. What enhancements do you go in for? Hop Teas and that. Different sugars, added Malt extract, making a short brew, that sort of thing? IMHO The best enhancement you can start with is ditching the kit yeast and getting a decent one. The Wilko's is excellent. It took me a while to figure this. That and conquering my inherent cheapskate nature. I use the kit yeasts to make a "Park Bench Reserve" cider from Aldi saver apple juice.
The Geordie kits have stood the test of time. They were around late 70's. I often use the Mild and I made a lethal 9%er out of the winter ale once. What are you using?
Have you tried the Coopers Kits? They have a good rep. and for once the yeast is decent - the only kit yeast I will use. VERY lively though you need a big fermenter or the krausen will climb out and over your carpet. The Stout is decent but not the Dark Ale. That tasted like weak Dandelion & Burdock to me.
We should reboot cli**ys "Filthy Homebrewer" thread! That or a new Catweazles's Country Lore one.
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Jun 23, 2016 16:00:15 GMT
Havn't tinkered with yeast yet. I've tried a few different kits from Wilko/Jolly Brewer but settled on Geordie for my purposes.
My 'enhancements' are using well water, replacing some of the sugar with local honey, and using local blooms in the initial fermentation phase. Judging by the final gravities of some of the brews I reckon the combination of honey and the pollen/nectar of the blooms gives it an extra kick. Wouldn't be surprised to find that I'm adding some natural yeasts into the mix via the flowers.
Not that the intention is ever to create strength over flavour, they seem to be a happy alliance.
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Post by Skankmonkey on Jun 23, 2016 16:37:57 GMT
Havn't tinkered with yeast yet. I've tried a few different kits from Wilko/Jolly Brewer but settled on Geordie for my purposes. My 'enhancements' are using well water, replacing some of the sugar with local honey, and using local blooms in the initial fermentation phase. Judging by the final gravities of some of the brews I reckon the combination of honey and the pollen/nectar of the blooms gives it an extra kick. Wouldn't be surprised to find that I'm adding some natural yeasts into the mix via the flowers. Not that the intention is ever to create strength over flavour, they seem to be a happy alliance. Sounds interesting mate. I haven't used flowers. They used all sorts pre hops. Heather for one. Maybe Rue as well. I'd have to check. Did you grow wild hops? What was that like? Not that keen myself on using honey. I've had odd flavour problems with that in the past. Well water sounds good. I boil tap water the night before - drives off the chlorine that can cause a taint. Plans are ongoing for a fruit beer at some point. Similar to Titanic Plum Porter. The only sugars I really bother with now are dextrose for bottling and SG adjustment, some lactose to sweeten a milk stout and a tiny bit of treacle in stout. Are you a bottler or kegger? My yeast tip is worthwhile. I had all sorts of trouble with stuck fermentations and fermentations ending prematurely around 1017-1018 when using kit yeasts with "enhanced recipes". That Wilko yeast is far more efficient. It's a "rebadged" version of one of the expensive expert varieties. Good brewing this weekend mate!
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Post by cheeesfreeex on Jun 23, 2016 19:21:47 GMT
Chin chin.
I'm a kegger rather than a bottler. Avoid any Co2 too. Summer brewer using ambient temperatures rather than heat mats etc.
It was a hop bought from a local garden centre. It didn't have a denomination. Just hops. Prolific stuff I've grown up bean frames, it went mad. Dried it and added it to the brews and experimented with it for sleep inducing pot pourri.
I've added remnants of sloe gin etc to the final fermentation but never tried a 'fruit' beer as such.
Fruit gluts at the wrong time of year for my type of beer brewing. And I've abandoned homemade wines for now.
Booze from basics is a fine arrow in the quiver.
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