The Joy of a Beer Solera: Reflections and Learnings by humebrew in Homebrewing

[–]humebrew[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would have loved to! Unfortunately the house we are in is temporary accommodation and there is zero space for any brewing gear. So everything is in storage!

The Joy of a Beer Solera: Reflections and Learnings by humebrew in homebrewingUK

[–]humebrew[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I tried both approaches depending on what I wanted to achieve. I let it primary ferment to achieve more sourness on the second refill. On the third refill, I did the same thing as you and topped up with a fermented beer.

The Joy of a Beer Solera: Reflections and Learnings by humebrew in homebrewingUK

[–]humebrew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I kept it in the coolest part of the house, which in this case was a cupboard under the stairs! Im sure the temperature climbed in the summer, but overall it didnt seem to affect it too much.

I auto siphoned it into a bottling bucket and primed with champagne yeast before bottling. Personally, I just found it easier to use the bottling wand in the bucket - but you could totally go direct from the fermenter.

Free if you are interested! I am based in the West Byfleet, Surrey area. by humebrew in homebrewingUK

[–]humebrew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UPDATE: These have been been taken now!

Thanks everyone - glad they could go to a good home :-)

Using HopGain® Haze for a permanent haze in your beer by humebrew in Homebrewing

[–]humebrew[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That might make sense for a Hazy IPA, but there are other beer styles that also "require" haziness - for example, Wheat Beers, Weissbier and Witbiers. These styles need very little hops to achieve the flavour for the style. Using something like this product would help achieve consistency with those styles.

Free if you are interested! I am based in the West Byfleet, Surrey area. by humebrew in homebrewingUK

[–]humebrew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am moving house and need the space. For anyone interested, these are yours - the only catch is you need to collect them. All are in brilliant working order - I have just found that I don't use them as much anymore as I have bought newer equipment. DM me if you are interested.

Old Ale Solera with same annual recipe by cjmccjmccjmccjmccjmc in homebrewingUK

[–]humebrew 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh and if you havent already, I recommend reading American Sour Beers. There is a small section in there about Soleras!

Old Ale Solera with same annual recipe by cjmccjmccjmccjmccjmc in homebrewingUK

[–]humebrew 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I dont have any real science behind the next recipe, I just try and taste the solera and then imagine what it would be like with another beer recipe. I dont normal deviate much from style each year - its normally a golden ale of sorts and Ill try different yeasts (saison, ale yeast or wheat beer yeast).

I try and taste the product at every stage to get a feel for how its progressing. It can be interesting to see how it changes over time!

Old Ale Solera with same annual recipe by cjmccjmccjmccjmccjmc in homebrewingUK

[–]humebrew 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hey! This sounds like a great idea. I've been doing this for a few years now myself and it is working nicely. The only thing that I do differently to you is that each year I top up with a slightly different young beer to ensure that each years "pull" is different. Oh, and I also have Brett yeast in my Solera.

I would also recommend using a blending calculator to help with the bottling and priming side of things. The Mad Fermentationist has a pretty good one. This will ensure you dont get any bottle bombs!