While all the world is talking about Oscar, I’m talking about beer.
I finally got round to drinking some of my homebrew last night, and I was hugely impressed and surprised. It’s actually really decent stuff and I’m rather chuffed because it was my first ever attempt and I really didn’t know what I was doing.
That said, I only managed (I think) to make two of these “11 mistakes that every new homebrewer makes“, so perhaps it could be even better next time.
The post in question comes from themadfermentationist.com – “beer, bread, cheese, funk”. I make bread too, but cheese seems a little advanced and funk is frankly way beyond my ability.
But back to the beer and those things I did wrong:
3. Brewing with unfiltered, chlorine-containing tap water.
Yes. I did this, although Cape Town tap water is actually really lovely.. Apparently, (I was belatedly told), you can get free spring water from the SAB Newlands Brewery, so maybe I’ll do that next time.
11. Adding the entire five ounce package of priming sugar.
Actually, I have no idea how much the package of priming sugar weighed, but I chucked it all in anyway. Waste not, want not. And I’m not sure if it had a detrimental effect on my beer, because I have nothing to compare it to.
Anyway, I’ve looked at all 11 mistakes and I’m determined not to make any of them next time, although I can’t promise not to make some other ones instead.
Or you could go collect water from here: http://www.findaspring.com/newlands-spring-cape-town-south-africa/
Tara > “Find a spring”? really? 🙂
Turns out (http://www.spill.co.za/the-producers/the-magic-little-spring-springs-way-newlands/2653/) it’s the same spring – it is literally just up the road from the Brewery.
But thanks. I’ll give it a go. And once I’m able to run again, I’ll go there for some refreshment.
I just had to turf one of my brews.
Fermentation got stuck and gave it a stir, seems like it picked up an infection. Pity, at halfway stage it had a pretty decent taste.
The wheat beer is tasting really good and going down well but now I have a gap in my production so might have to buy some.
Kildare spring has some nice water, parking can be a bit of an issue around there. Depends on how far you want to carry your water bottles.
Actually, we found it through Geocaching (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC22C1Z), but I Google’d ‘Newlands Spring’ and huh…whadda you know? People really will make a website about anything…