First 5 gal batch!

[GunNut76]

Got a GC for my LHBS and a few extra dollars and I went and bought a beer kit, 6.5 gal HDPE bucket, JET bottle washer and adapter, new spigot, an auto-siphon and an 80 bottle drying tree. Man am I stoked!!!

Kit is a smooth nut brown. OG is 1.051, the OG would have been lower except I threw in the extra 4 or 5 ounces of brown sugar that I had left over from my last batch. Next week I will buy a 5 gal glass and do my secondary, if I can afford it. Ended up with about 6 gal of wort...won't be here when the thing gets going so I just threw a towel over the lid and airlock in a futile attempt at preventing a violent pop.

After 6 batches of 2.5 gallons or less I will be glad to have this 2+ cases batch!

[Tweek]

grats man! Its not much more work than doing small batches right? and now you have way more beer!

[toneyc]

Oh, hey, I like the sound of that, "Way more beer."

Seriously, though, I don't think I could do smaller batches. I would be brewing *every* weekend. With 5-gallon batches, I get away with every other weekend, with an extra one thrown in every now and then. There was one Saturday in November that I brewed two batches. I've kinda been thinking about going to 10-gallon batches, but then I would have to get a pot that big, and... and... and... I think I'll just stick to 5-gallon batches for while longer.

:)
T@ney.

[GunNut76]

My next 5 gal batch is going to be a Creamy Dark clone made with ale yeast, specificly Nottingham. I figure that it is the most neutral ale yeast out there. If I am wrong someone let me know.

[tubetek]

Howdy Gun-
(anyone willing to use a handle like yours
gets my respect!!)
IMO, the only other neutral yeast I have
used are WYeast1056 /WLP001.
Both are liquid and expensive unless you
culture them. Of the two, WYeast suggests a lower optimum fermentation temperature but WhiteLabs claims high flocculation while WYeast claims low!?!?
(These are supposedly the SAME STRAIN!)

BTW, I really like Nottingham; Never fails and likes 64f optimum ferm. temp... Great for wintertime CLEAN ALE!
In the warmer months, I usually use 1056
from a starter for my APAs etc.

Hope this helps...
TT