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   1. pH too high?

      by James, 11 years ago in Brewing Water

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      I've just had my tap water tested at an aquarium shop and it came up with pH 8.1. I read somewhere that the ideal pH is 5.6 (ish?). I live in Pembrokeshire, South Wales and believe the water to be soft (little limescale build up in kettles, etc). Should i treat my brewing water and if so with what?
      
      Thanks all,
      James

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      I seem to remember those particular ones are either difficult to source in the UK, or are very expensive.
      Maybe Bob needs to add these to his cheese winners awards!
      7 Replies
      18054 Views
      mally
      11 years ago
   2. American Amber recipe query

      by James, 12 years ago in BIAB Recipes

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      Hi All - I recently tried Fourpure's Amber Ale - and loved it! Having never tried any other American Amber Ales I thought I'd try giving one a go. Found a general recipe and after a bit of work came up with the recipe below. Few questions about it below:
      
      1. The original bittering hop was Horizon but I can't track that down from local supplier. Will Magnum do a good job?
      2. Do i need the Cascade & Centennial? Given that the quantities are pretty small I'm not sure if I could get away with the...

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      That is a good quote for sure :champ:
      
      but...
      
      Good numbers/terminology are essential when you want to transmit a recipe correctly to another brewer and also if you want to answer questions correctly. This thread is a good example.
      
      This site is the only site that takes on teaching brewers when and which numbers/terminolgy to respect and disrespect. Few brewers have access to this knowledge and even some members here are a little lazy/dismissive of it which is unfortunate as it costs time and...
      4 Replies
      8089 Views
      PistolPatch
      12 years ago
   3. Lemon dream recipe?

      by James, 12 years ago in BIAB Recipes

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      Hi all,
      
      Can anyone help with a recipe for salopian lemon dream at all?
      
      Thanks,
      James

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      You might have to do some digging here James as this is a UK brew and may not be well known world wide. What have you managed to find out about the beer.
      
      :thumbs:
      
      Yeasty
      1 Replies
      4225 Views
      Yeasty
      12 years ago
   4. Saison recipe help

      by James, 12 years ago in Creating Your Own Recipes

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      Hi all. Trying my first saison recipe this weekend. I've ordered everything and just read that bohemian pilsner malt may require stepped mashing? Is this suitable for biab method or should I substitute with a different malt?
      
      Bohemian pilsner malt 77.3% ebc4
      Pale wheat malt 13.6% ebc3
      Caramunich malt 4.5% ebc90
      Flaked oats 4.5% ebc3
      
      Tettnang & EK Goldings hops with some orange blossom honey & fresh ground pepper in just before end of boil. Saison yeast from Brewlab yeast slant.
      
      Thanks all.

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      Many thanks. Look forward to the new version!
      2 Replies
      5198 Views
      James
      12 years ago
   5. Help for a moteuka pale ale recipe

      by James, 12 years ago in Creating Your Own Recipes

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      Hi all,
      
      I had a really nice pint which used moteuka hops so thought I'd give the hop a go. Can anyone advise on a pairing hop? I've got some east kent goldings and some challenger hops left from previous brews but happy to buy different if that'd suit better?
      
      In terms of grain bill what malts would you use as a guide? Again I've got some Bohemian pilsner malt, crystal malt and some flake oats left over from previous sessions. Any advice much appreciated! Open to any suggestions...
      
      Thanks...

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      Thanks all for the advice.
      3 Replies
      6318 Views
      James
      12 years ago
   6. Cleaning & sanitising bottles?

      by James, 12 years ago in Cleaning and Sanitisation

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      Hi all,
      
      I wonder if anyone can offer advice on cleaning regimes for bottles..
      
      For the last 3ish years I've rinsed bottles out straight after using them with water a few times prior to storing. I then sanitizer with starsan and then drain before refilling. I've never had a problem with this method but should I be scrubbing them as well? If so with what? Can the dishwasher do the job for me also?
      
      Thanks all,
      James

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      I soak at least 24hrs in Oxy Clean, this removes most labels and glue wipes off pretty easily. I also scrub with bottle brush before removing from a 30 gallon tub (half full of liquid at most).
      
      After a recent dishwashing cycle, I'll load it full of bottles and run it on the heat cycle with no soap. Then, I store them after leaving them to dry a bit.
      
      On bottling day I'll soak them in star san for a few minutes, hit with bottle brush again ... drain/rinse and fill then cap immediately....
      8 Replies
      19009 Views
      Rick
      12 years ago
   7. Bath Ales Gem Recipe

      by James, 12 years ago in Creating Your Own Recipes

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      Hi All,
      
      Just entering the world of BIAB method after a coupl of years of extract brewing. Have a 50L pan with hop strainer and tap on order now. Thinking of recipe. Would really like to try a Bath Ales Gem which I've found. Recipe below. Does this look ok?
      
      I used to use Beer Engine. I have beersmith 2 which seems very complicated and haven't got to grips with it really. Looked at the BIAB calculator from this site and see it's really useful for volumes. What do people recommend? Can i simply...

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      That's great news James! :clap:
      I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the beer I end up with from my brewing. And the Gem is a favourite of mine.
      It does inspire you to brew more when the results are this good.
      Keep up the good work! :thumbs:
      7 Replies
      10719 Views
      Adman1966
      12 years ago
   8. BIABabacus scaling?

      by James, 12 years ago in Creating Your Own Recipes

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      Hi all,
      
      Sorry still pretty new to the Abacus spreadsheet which seems to be very good. I thought I'd try the NRM's Amarillo APA as a starter but can only see a recipe using a 70l vessel - I've got 50 and was hoping to bottle about 23/25l. How should I set about scaling this in the spreadsheet - is there a user guide I've missed?
      
      Thanks
      James

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      Ah, thanks. I'll try that later.
      2 Replies
      4743 Views
      James
      12 years ago
   9. Buffalo 40 litre vs brupaks 29?

      by James, 12 years ago in Electric BIAB

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      Hi all,
      
      Been extract brewing for about 3 years and thinking of progressing to biab.prefer to use an electric boiler for ease and safety. Between a buffalo 40l and the brupaks 29l - which would be most suitable for biab? Thanks all

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      Thanks for the advice all. Decided to bite the bullet and went with a 50l kettle with hop strainer/tap and propane burner. Nice!
      3 Replies
      7040 Views
      James
      12 years ago

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