Hi , finished my fridge yesterday , the only issue is the Coopers fermenter is too tall to go in it ! ....rookie mistake ....measure twice, cut once ..so as to speak ..
....so I've had to remove the lid and cover with cling film for now, whilst I look for a smaller barrel/ bucket to fit ...
Ok , my Mexican Cervdsa has been in since Monday lunchtime ( 3 days ) , my hydro reading looks like this ...
The fridge looks like this .....
Comments
The fermentation set up looks great, and shows the heater in there, so used in conjunction with your temperature controller should be a great way to keep your temperature constant and ensure consistent brews no matter what the time of year.
No doubt you will also find it very handy to keep your bottles or barrel at the right temperature whilst the condition and carbonate too
http://www.home-brew-online.com/search/pale-ale#t278:t279
Budforce may be offer some unbiased suggestions, he knows a thing or two about beers
haha.
Depends what kind of beers you like, but you hinted at a pale ale so:
The Young's American style kits are the very top of the range I think, but they are have quite a strong flavour punch.
Young's American IPA:
http://www.home-brew-online.com/beer-kits-c1/american-craft-brewing-beer-kits-ipa-american-beer-kit-p1487
This one I have in primary right now (due to bottle tomorrow) is what I would consider a true IPA flavour, it has a strong citrusy hop punch but also all that malty and bitterness behind it. If you are not used to IPA's though, it may be a bit of a shock to the system!
Young American Pale Ale
http://www.home-brew-online.com/beer-kits-c1/american-craft-brewing-beer-kits-apa-american-pale-ale-beer-kit-p1486
This one on the other hand is lighter, has a more fruiter and possibly stronger hop hit, but less of the maltyness and background flavour punch. This is probably my all time favourite.
Coopers - Brew of A IPA
http://www.home-brew-online.com/beer-kits-c1/coopers-premium-selection-brew-a-ipa-p2396
If you are looking for a more budget kit, I'd recommend this one - you will need to add your own sugar though. But these Coopers kits for the money are really great, not as good as the above, but when you factor in that it is half the price can't complain at all. They also do a Pale Ale equivalent, which I have yet to try, but I'd bet that one is also pretty good (will be in my next order).
The Bulldogs Brews kits are also fantastic, but... I find they take a bit longer to clear. Where as the Young's kits will clear in about 4 weeks (1/2 weeks warm, couple of weeks cool) and will be about as good as they will be in say, another 4 weeks, the Bulldog kits need longer, and are better after 8 weeks then they are at 4 (does that makes sense?).
The Festival kits also seem to be popular and my old man loves the Festival Razorback IPA. I think they are nice, but I don't think it has quite the flavour punch of the above kits.
Avoid the St. Peters Ale kits, they are a well known brand and their beer (as in the stuff you buy bottled in the shops) is really good, but I do not rate their beer kits, I just find them all pretty bland plus the kits don't make 40 pints so end up more expensive then it seems.
The Woodforde's kits are ok, but again just a bit bland.
I've also currently on a Muntons IPA kit, which is pretty dissapointing so I wouldn't bother with that one either.
how it tastes . I've opted for a bag of sugar rather that the normal brew enhancers , so I'm not sure if i need to add anything to enhance the taste ??
I've tried brew enhancers vs brewing sugar vs regular caster sugar, gotta be honest I don't notice any difference, I also think they are expensive for what they are.
You could try adding some hops, dry hop pouch or hop "tea bag" if you like more of a hop hit, but sure it'll be fine on its own.
I forgot to say earlier your brew setup looks really good. Should keep the temperature nice and stable which is probably the most important thing when it comes to home brewing. Also as it's enclosed should also help to keep out dirt and bacteria.
Normally I leave them 2 weeks room temperature then a further 3-4 weeks in the garage outside. But the longer you leave them the better, if you have storage space after a while you can brew them well in advance, I'm normally about 3 brews ahead so they get plenty of time to condition.
Also some kits condition quicker than others.
As a minimum if you can leave them 1 week room temperature then a further 2 weeks so 3 weeks in total, but any longer us a bonus up to about 8 weeks after that I don't notice much difference personally.
We have a "Dry September" thing going on here in the UK for cancer research ....guess who got talked into signing up ??!!..........Yep .....fell for it hook line and sinker .....
Soooooo.....not a bad thing really giving my Brews another 2 weeks or so to mature ..have given a couple of bottles of IPA to friends who say it's got a Newcastle Brown after taste ....
I guess " I'll" have to wait and see .
Speak to y'all soon ....
Ohhhh..... Started my Christmas cider fermenting today ......thinking of adding a few Cinamon sticks ....anyone tried this ?