What are your current homebrew challenges? We put the question to our awesome homebrew community on Facebook and Instagram (@darkfarmhops ). Here are the remedies prescribed by our very own Dr Brew.
Water Chemistry
Whoever dares wins! Water chemistry is not always required, but for those who enjoy a pH strip and test tubes then it’s a sure fire way to improve a brew. Good chemistry, like in life, is good for beer. It can help wort efficiency, provide accurate bitterness and hop efficiencies, and reduces risk of nasty off-flavours. For the lazy folks you can always buy bottled water!
In issue 7 we featured a really useful article by Frances Maud from Murphy & Son on water treatment and homebrewing. Take a look: https://bit.ly/liquor-treatment (or scan this code).
Finding Time & Energy
There is nothing worse than finishing your last bottle / keg of homebrew and realise you haven’t got any in the fermenter. Disaster! So get off your comfy sofa - or better yet, move the sofa and TV into your brew room - and brew more beer today. Remember, the alternative is shop bought, and your homebrew is so much better!
Enjoy your time away from your everyday responsibilities, read your MASHED! Mag back issues, or learn a new hobby to pass the time. Or better yet, crack open your latest beery creation, sit back and enjoy the quiet time. Brew time is your time - own it!
For practical ideas on how to carve out more time and energy for your homebrewing, check out this article from issue 2:Â
https://bit.ly/Brew-More (or scan this code).
Boiling a High Volume of WaterÂ
First tip: never turn your back on a boiling pot! Yes, sometimes it’s like watching paint dry, but it’s only 60 mins. The moment you get distracted that’s when it all happens…
One of the many reasons we love the 40L and 60L Dark Farm Brew Tanks is that they are amazing at getting large volumes of water up to temperature quickly. See above for how to enjoy your time while the water is heating!
Getting a Clear Wort From the Kettle to the Fermenter
Don’t be too precious, but don’t be too liberal either. We all love high efficiencies, but for a sake of a pint leave a little back. You are about to add yeast and likely more hops, so what’s more important is to concentrate on conditioning after your fermentation. Be patient and it all will become clear! Â
Convincing the Wife She Needs to Look After the Kids for 8 Hours While I Brew in the Shed
Get the kids involved as early as possible! (Safely, obviously.) Consider them as little helpers / interns - you can find all of life’s lessons during brewing to sneak in some interesting learning: maths, geography, science, art. Plus they are great for cleaning tiny, tiny things, or getting your next beer from the fridge. Top tip: have plenty of bribes for them and your partner so you can get your brew done. Make it your long-term strategy to get your partner to love your homebrew. This process takes time but is very rewarding once achieved, and gives you the licence to brew up even more as you now brew for two!
