Norn Iron

Gerald- Head of Security.

What a difference a few bottled days make! Scroll back to see what the bottled 3 Lions Pale Ale looked like at the weekend. You couldn't see through it but now you can.

Yet again, our next door neighbours were the blind taste test judges. This time, they had an additional beer courtesy of Smithwick's (Guinness) Pale Ale. 

Ignore the fact that one beer had more head than others. That was due to my pouring technique and which beer was poured first!

All 3 looked similar. The winner from the head judge was my Pinter!

My next brew, which will be tapped on Sunday, is the Scottish Amber Ale. 

Still brewing is my West Nuevo Californian lager (an IPA in disguise methinks).

In the post are the Lockwood Pilsner and the Stars and Stripes APA.

TOP TIPS WHEN PURIFYING AND BREWING

Just finished the above for my next brew, the West Nuevo.

I have brewed it once before but this time I want to try it on the maximum timeline. We were really impressed with the minimum version. It was like lager meets IPA.

Here are 2 tips to use in all future beer making especially as rule no 1 is.... purification is king.

TIP 1

When using the purification granules, pour them into a jug and then add warm water. By stirring with a fork, the granules will dissolve far quicker. It will also sterilise the jug which can be used for my second tip.

Add the dissolved liquid into your pinter and follow as shown on the instructions. You'll notice when it comes to dispose of the liquid, just how few granules are left.

TIP 2

With the purified Jug, add your yeast into it and add enough warm water to stir it into a liquid (thumb's width). Keep stirring with the purified fork from tip 1 so that the yeast doesn't form bits which is often the case in the normal brewing process. Warm water gives the yeast the best chance to activate and do its thing.

The instructions say to use cold water up to the measuring line in the pinter. There are others who say room temperature water is better. I went for something in-between ie mostly cold water straight out of the tap plus half a pint of boiled kettle water. 

Let me know if these tips work plus how your brews are going.

Finally, I have been able to buy locally 2 x1l fliptop bottles. 

It seems a second fermentation works wonders for clarity and taste. My latest beer (Alexa Play 3 Lions Pale Ale) was brewed and conditioned using the maximum days recommended. It certainly was a smooth, easy drinking and refreshing pale ale. Craft Ales are supposed to be cloudy but when you're not used to it, it's worth dabbling!

We'll see in five days time how much clearer it will be just by looking at the bottle.

Just received this video from The Greater Good. Wow! That's what I call customer service.

Here's the Four Saisons having been conditioned in the bottle for a further 5 days followed by a day in the fridge. Wow! The clarity and taste.

When you have purified the Pinter, what can you do with the discarded liquid?

How about this!

Put the plug into your sink or in our case the little one that has been discoloured by tea etc..

Leave it for 4 hours and it's in pristine condition.

Should you need to convince your loved one the Pinter is what you need, just say it's a British invention that cleans kitchens. It also makes beer!  

Here is the latest brew. It was 'born' at 2pm today. A limited edition ale Alexa Play 3 Lions Pale Ale.

I wish I had ordered their Gareth Red Bale edition as I love Red Ale but for some reason chose a Scottish limited one instead.

Greater Good had just launched a new phone app. Well worth trying. Instructions have been enhanced. There is also a diary section that will be specific to the beer you're brewing. A great idea as you can choose standard or enhanced brew times.

I'm going for the maximum on this ale.

Wow! The 4 Saisons is really lively. Foam was coming out of the release valve. I had been resting it out of the fridge 8 hours ago as well. What's more I took about 10 mins to slowly release the valve.

Anyway, the taste is fantastic. When I bottle it, the ale will become clearer. I am currently comparing it with St Austell Tribute Pale Ale. Colour is similar but the smell gives it away immediately. One is fresh the other is non-existent.

That's me Babby!

4 hours ago, Never to the dark side said:

In that statement it does say SWINTON is that correct?

And it's not a typo. This from Companies House..

50 minutes ago, Maesknoll Red said:

Thanks, I’m sure if I drank beer at home ( I don’t totally abstain from it, but 10 pints would last me a couple of months) it would be worth a go, I do tend to buy decent real ale or craft beers and like to find decent stouts and dark beers in the winter.  Just hoping that beer festivals come back soon…….

Their Dark Matter Stout is excellent. I'm not really a Guinness fan either. 

To make the beer and then properly bottle it for a Winter's evening, having listened to a stunning one goal City victory away to Hartlepool in round 3 of the Caribou Cup, sounds perfect!

2 hours ago, Maesknoll Red said:

Interesting thread, what do you reckon it costs a pint?  It’s not something that I would have the time or desire to do (for me, drinking beer takes place in pubs) but I can see the attraction, I used to make wine (my tipple of choice at home) but just don’t have time for it now and use a wine club to get my variety and recommendations.

The beer works out at around £1.50 per pint but if you subscribe on a monthly basis, then it is £1.20 a pint.

Over here in Norn Iron, the water is free....no water rates! 

When you consider that the beer is really fresh to drink/taste and is more than a match when compared with well known bottled brands in Supermarkets, it is well worth the investment.

There has been an argument flying around that it is still more expensive than shop bought beers. I think the people peddling this line of thought would rather stay in a 1* hotel rather than a 3* in the same area, based on cost only. They would miss out on what a 3* hotel would offer that the 1* wouldn't have.

It is actually fun making it as well. I haven't had one single problem with any of the beers. Today I will be conditioning my Four Saisons Pale Ale. That will be ready next weekend.

Here's my Republic lager after 5 days bottled with the brewer's drop including one day in the fridge.

What a difference on clarity. Still tastes fresh as well!

46 minutes ago, slartibartfast said:

Really, NTTDS, every one knows tank engines don't have tenders, that bit sticking out the back of the cab is a coal bunker !

Thomas The Tank engine and his new best friend Loveme.

Tender.

3 hours ago, Antman said:

Hey Norn - honest question (and one i have at the back of my mind while considering buying a Pinter) do you reckon you are drinking more because of it?

When i make Cider, i notice my consumption does increase

But reading this thread i really fancy giving the Pinter a go.

Great question Antman.

I have a student son who helps me out with the consumption!

 However, I have always loved my beer but have never been a big drinker. For me, 4 pints in an evening (3 hours) is perfect. I suppose the answer to your question is No!

 The Pinter makes 10 pints. In the other new thread about how to make Cider, the poster talks about bottling in his IKEA Flip-top bottles. I have a different make and they're 500ml flip-tops.

The next bit is based on what I've read on the Pinter Forum and my own experience. The Greater Good claims that the beer will stay fizzy for up to 3 days. I've noticed that my remaining beer the following day has lost a bit of fizz. This is where the flip-tops plus brewer's carbonation drops come in handy. Others just add sugar btw. Having sterilised each bottle (I use Milton Baby Sterilising Fluid but a dishwasher on the hottest setting works really well apparently). I have worked out that each 500ml bottle needs 3ml of Milton. Digital Kitchen scales are fantastic! Add water to the solution, put the tops on, give it a shake and leave 15 minutes. Then simply pour away. Job done. 

I then get a measuring jug and pour the pinter beer into it to transfer into the bottles. Others have used a syphon or tool bought from eBay. 

Then leave the beer with carbonation drop in the same warm place you left the Pinter when brewing. I use the kitchen worktop above the Dishwasher.  Leave your bottles for 5 days ie a second fermentation and then fridge for 1 day to stop the process. Basically, a week later you'll have another fresh beer supply and it will be clearer too!

I have a pass code so if you want to order please see the attached screenshot. We both win! Anyone can PM me and I'll gladly supply the code.

20 hours ago, Eddie Hitler said:

XTC are all Swindon.

But yes, as @Shaun Taylor says there is no basis for Swindon becoming a city.

Nope! First 2 albums had Barry Andrews, from London, in the band. He left and was replaced by Dave Gregory just in time for Drums And Wires. Making Plans For Nigel is on Side 1. 

However, here is the Nuevo which I bottled and then stored in the fridge 15 days ago. I am chuffed that I now have the clarity you'd expect in a pub.

When I bottle the remaining Czech lager tomorrow, I'll be expecting a similar result.

What an extra two hours rest makes to the clarity. 

Talking of which....

I brewed and then bottled the Californian Nuevo. I had added a brewer's sugar drop into the bottle and left it for 5 days in the kitchen so that the Carbon Dioxide could do its thing in a warm temperature. The beer was then rested in the same fridge as the Czech lager. This should kill off the remaining fermentation and produce clarity. It will be opened later tonight but the signs are looking fantastic. 

My Czech Lager started life on 5th June. I brewed for maximum days recommended, 8, followed by maximum conditioning which terminated at 5pm ie just now!

The anticipation today was almost like waiting for the start of the new football season with City obviously going to get promoted!

The difference in taste was vastly different to the look. It looks more Aden Flint than David Beckham. However, Aden wins big time! Even my son on the non-blind taste (one is cloudy the other is clear) with a Budvar Czech Lager agreed that the flavour was won easily by the Greater Good! 

I concur. My version is better. It is so much more fresh in taste. The notes said there will be subtle fruit and will produce a drier taste if left to maximum. Totally agree. I can taste both hops and the subtle fruit reminds me of peach. The dryness is remarkable.

This is my third brew of Republic. Previous versions have been on the minimum plus an extra day or two. Both were really good but leaving it to the maximum, as in today's, creates a better, more rounded lager. They were correct! Well, almost.

The Brewer said you'd get clarity if left. As you can see from the photos, that isn't true. This could be due to the fact I only left it an hour to settle out of the fridge. I'll know more when I bottle the rest tomorrow and then leave for 5 days. Talking of which....

14 minutes ago, mozo said:

Have you tried all the IPA/APA etc? 

My concern with this extraction brewing was that you lose the hoppy flavour in the process. Do their beers still pack a punch (subject to following the process)?

I have brewed the IPA and both my son and I loved it. It is what I wanted from a beer ie to taste the hops and malt not an abundance of fruit.

I haven't noticed any loss in flavour. It was their stout that confirms what extra days do in the conditioning. Just like comparing a 10yr old Bushmills to a 12,16 or 25 Yr old version, all the flavours become more balanced and deliver a more rounded taste the longer you leave it. The Dark Matter Stout was blind tasted by our next door neighbour. He absolutely loved it as he was a Guinness fan. The Mk 1 version (minimum brew and conditioning) to him was slightly licorice heavy whilst my mk2 version (maximum 5 and 7 days for both) wasn't. I agreed. The hops, roasted barley and the taste of coffee were all there but had mellowed to create that fuller flavour.

I am currently working through all their fresh presses but will return to the IPA soon as it really was fantastic. My notes (see pic) suggests I should condition a bit longer next time....just to see what difference an extra day or two would make.

I am brewing their Four Saisons next weekend as I haven't tried it before.

I'm not much of a lager man but am determined to crack the Czech lager. It has been more than good on both previous occasions but I'm hoping the max conditioning time will help rival my favourite lager namely Budvar!

My personal preferences so far are Nuevo and IPA. 

Lockwood, Dark Matter and Republic are also recommended.

Waltham Forest Fruits Cider to be avoided as IT ISN'T CIDER! Cider has apples. End of. Grrrr. Mind you I haven't tried it but that's besides the point!

Cloudy Nine Cider was ok. It beats Rockshore Cider and Strongbow easily BUT once you've tried Thatcher's Gold you won't want anything else apart from Haze and Katy and others in their range.

What have you tried?

1 hour ago, mozo said:

Looks good, thanks for sharing

Thanks Mozo, Peter Gabriel fan per chance?

My Republic Lager is now conditioning in the fridge having brewed for the maximum days. Thursday 24th will be the maximum number of recommended days in the fridge prior to drinking.

I have dabbled with bottling the beer into flip-tops. I have learned that my brews seem to lose a little bit of the carbonation after 24 hours in the pinter hence bottling. However, to restore the fizz I place a carbonated drop (a small brewer's sugar lump really) into each bottle. It really does work and 5 days later I have a great bottled beer.

However, my last bottling attempt wasn't perfect as I immediately placed the bottles back into the fridge once the drop was added. Previously, I followed the recommended guidelines to leave the bottles in a warmish place for 5 days before the fridge. I can only assume this is because the sugar needs to react to any active yeast to make the CO2. The coldness of the fridge stops this process from happening.

I have kept one bottle of the Californian Nuevo brew (lager meets pale ale=wonderful) to compare with the Czech version. I'll then compare the Republic with Budvar to see how Czech the brew is!

I am expecting great things having made the Republic twice but not to the maximum. The extra days should give a more balanced and flavoursome beer. It was good on the minimum so it should be even better!

The Greater Good is great at keeping us informed.

In the post today was yet another booklet re all the brews available plus hints. 

Here are a few snaps....just in case you're still interested in buying or have taken the plunge.

1 hour ago, PHILINFRANCE said:

Firstly, apologies to @cidered abroad for the continued digression from the original point of the thread.

I am familiar with Cahors wine, which, incidentally, has improved dramatically in the last twenty years or so - it used to be quite rough back in the 1980s, but improved once the relatively new vineyards became established, but must say I have never tasted an Argentinian Malbec.

You suggest there is a large difference between the two: which is better, in your opinion?

I drank it every night for 2 weeks when over in Cahors 20 odd years ago! It was like chalk and cheese compared to Malbec. Cahors was an acquired taste. Full of brambles in flavour but I soon got used to it. We bought Cahors wine via Internet as well when we returned. We had visited a vineyard owned and run by a retired English couple near Montcuq. Good stuff.

Malbec has no issues. Full of fruit and soft, if any, tannins.