I’ve just opened a bottle of The Plinian Legacy (1 gallon batch) - my first ever attempt at home brewing.
Bit disappointed with the result though. The taste is good (fruity / IPA style) and so is the alcohol content. But the beer itself is flat and still very cloudy.
I followed the instructions during the boil to the letter, but after that I must be going wrong somewhere…
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Cooling the wort seemed to take a very long time, even with the kettle in ice water . It must have been at least half an hour and I’ve read it should be cooled as quickly as possible?
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When siphoning into the fermenting jug it seemed very cloudy at that point and I probably got some of the trub too - should it be left to settle for quite a while before siphoning? Should the wort still be cloudy when siphoning?
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After 24 hours in the fermenting jug the rate of CO2 bubbles through the airlock was around 1 every 8 seconds, but this slowed significantly by the third day.
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I left the brew in the fermenting jug for 3 weeks before bottling. I’m guessing this was too long and bottling should be done as soon as fermentation has finished? I’ve been told this is so there’s still some life in the yeast when bottled?
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The fizz drops I added to the bottles were quite small, so maybe I should have doubled up on those too?
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Someone recommended throwing a whirlfloc tablet into the boil around 10 minutes before then end, to help with clarification. Anyone confirm this makes a difference?
Despite the result, I really enjoyed brewing for the first time and I’m sure I’ll get it right in future. I’m going to order another batch of Plinian Legacy ingredients and try again as I know this will be a great beer when done properly.
Any comments or advice are most welcome…