Kit O' Beer #2 - Canadian Blonde

the second half was no worse than the first. I enjoyed it more actually. There were some small floaties I'm taking for bits of yeast.

In the interest of beerscience I cracked the second bottle. The black cap. This one is flat. There was none of the smell. There appears to be about the same carbonation occuring but not reflected in the taste of this beer. No sensation of carbonation in the mouth or throat. I think this will meet sink due to flatness.

Score so far
White caps 1
Black caps 0

I'm going to get a second hydrometer. and check if I need to compensate for temps when reading. Buzz feels reasonable. Maybe the OG was not spot on? Will need to test more brews.

Beer needs more time. Possibly much more time. I would probably keg this beer and force carbonate, It is a nice taste and colour and would be agreeable to most people on a warm to hot day.

So no criticism of the beer, just not carb'd enough.

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Originally Posted by Glass

the second half was no worse than the first. I enjoyed it more actually. There were some small floaties I'm taking for bits of yeast.

In the interest of beerscience I cracked the second bottle. The black cap. This one is flat. There was none of the smell. There appears to be about the same carbonation occuring but not reflected in the taste of this beer. No sensation of carbonation in the mouth or throat. I think this will meet sink due to flatness.

Score so far
White caps 1
Black caps 0

I'm going to get a second hydrometer. and check if I need to compensate for temps when reading. Buzz feels reasonable. Maybe the OG was not spot on? Will need to test more brews.

Beer needs more time. Possibly much more time. I would probably keg this beer and force carbonate, It is a nice taste and colour and would be agreeable to most people on a warm to hot day.

So no criticism of the beer, just not carb'd enough.

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It's pretty easy to check your hydrometer, fill your test tube up with water and if it reads 1.000 at 68 then it's ok. That too depends on where your hydrometer was calibrated at, some are calibrated at 60F. Look at the info that came with yours.

Here's the adjustment calculator to use once you know it's working properly.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/

Hey LT. thanks.

I did test mine and it came in zero ok. I guess I'll check it again regularly. Someone suggested having a second, as a backup because they can break fairly easy and to use for a second opinion. I was figuring for the money it would be worth having.

tossing up going and looking at a fridge this morning. getting it home will be a challenge. might have to get it delivered which will add a bit to the end cost.

I treat mine like a newborn baby and if it's outta whack I'll know it promptly. If I need a new one then so be it, till then there are other $ to spend.

I gotta ask dude..... The term "tossing up"? I'm really curious.

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Originally Posted by Libertytree

I gotta ask dude..... The term "tossing up"? I'm really curious.

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Short for tossing a coin. In the UK tossing/tosser means something completely different although we use it that way as well. I went and had a look at the fridge. It was from a rental co. They had a few but the people said they had been selling their ex rentals since December and all the good ones went before Xmas. So basically not much left on offer. Pretty poor condition for the money IMO. I've seen better in the trading mags.

I agree on the $ priority. I'm confident mine is good. I heard they are easy to break. The Kit O Beer ones are all plastic but I think there is still a glass float inside.

3 weeks in the bottle. Time for a taste test.

Black cap selected for the taster. It was the ripest one. 24 hours on the chill @ 5C.

Bottle still mostly firm once chilled. They go a bit soft when chilled. A nice amount of gas released. Sounded like the most so far from either batch. Good sign.

This is a light honey coloured beer. Very clear to the eye. There is a slight hint of that smell but you have to shove your nose in it. Carbonation is still a bit light on but it is getting there. The head is thin and shallow. Half a finger would be generous. Does not have any stamina and fades away. Slight lacing but this also fades quickly. Carbonation is light but it is consistent for the duration. It is definately more of an ale style.

Taste is the thing. You get the taste of that smell even though you can't smell it. On the first mouthful is clearly there. A couple of mouthfuls are needed to soften it. Then it is nice and sweet. I don't really have any thing different to say from the last taster. It's a noice beer. It could be an easy chugger. I think you would probably brew this beer or one like it more than others so you had a good supply of something that would be agreeable to everyone.

Nice beer, needs more time bottle fermenting. I think that taste/smell goes over time as well. Seems slower than the lager from KoB #1. Don't know why. Not fussed about it. Happy to wait.

3.5 weeks in the bottle. I've just tasted 2 bottles. Both white caps. These seem to be ripening faster but.....

Not happy with the carbonation on this beer. LT and I have discussed SafAle 04 yeast in KoB #3 and how it performs. I'm ok with the results of primary fermentation but bottle carbonation seems lacking.

Bottle #1 gave me a nice gas release. Some beer got out. None of that smell on this one. Started out with good head in an chilled glass. Disappears quickly. No real ongoing gas release to speak ok. 2nd glass was poorer carbonation.

Bottle #2 was flat. A repeat of the first taste test I did. A quick release of gas and then nothing in the beer.

Describing the flavor of this beer is difficult. It has few distinct flavors. Perhaps some light fruit flavor that is like melon and something else. It is just there in the background. I'd like it to have something else but nothing too strong. It's nice but mehh.

I am going to brew this one again using the coopers yeast but keeping everything else the same. I will probably do this as KoB #4. Get it done so I can move on with some better info on the 2 yeasts and how they compare in the bottle carbonation.

Commercially bottle conditioned beers often have new yeast added to them prior to bottling. Danstar makes a yeast specifically for bottle conditioning. I've never actually repitched before bottling, so I can't report any anecdotal results.

How much priming sugar are you adding to the beer before bottling?

carbonation drops, two of to every bottle 25oz. I wondered if you can add more yeast at bottling. Or if I added more primer. Previous batch was good on 2per. There are plenty of variables. I got a couple I want to look at. Using coopers yeast. Bottles and glass cleaning with dish detergent no good? Rinse a lot. sanitized. Leaves a film or some thing? Bottles are PET. Temp control. I'm holding them in range for the yeast 20-24C but its easier to do on the low side slowing things. Just be patient. Do nothing more. Every brew does it's own thing in it's own time. Stop thinking.

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Originally Posted by Glass

carbonation drops, two of to every bottle 25oz. I wondered if you can add more yeast at bottling. Or if I added more primer. Previous batch was good on 2per. There are plenty of variables. I got a couple I want to look at. Using coopers yeast. Bottles and glass cleaning with dish detergent no good? Rinse a lot. sanitized. Leaves a film or some thing? Bottles are PET. Temp control. I'm holding them in range for the yeast 20-24C but its easier to do on the low side slowing things. Just be patient. Do nothing more. Every brew does it's own thing in it's own time. Stop thinking.

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I don't use carbonation drops, I use regular sugar, 1/2 cup per 5gals.

I don't know about adding byeast at bottling, doesn't make sense to me. Sugars/carb drops yes.

DO NOT use dish detergent with your bottles. A good rinse after emptying a bottle is great, then all you have to do is sterilize it before bottling. I've been using bleach/water but I'm using a lot of water and time doing so, thus the sanitizer unit. I'll find the link to the stuff I'm gonna start using, maybe you can find it over there?