HomebrewandBeer.com forum

Hi all, new to this forum.. And I'm learning all kinds of stuff from it. I have been given some bits and bobs from a pal who is over his home few.. Think his Missus wanted her garage back... So I have Canadian blonde- coopers- brewcellar premium ale yeast and be1.. Along with hallertau and saaz hops..will these ingredients work?.. Any suggestions gratefully accepted. Thanks, tunza

Hi and welcome, tunza.

First things first: have a look at the yeast packet and establish the best-before date. If it's close or in the past, or if you're not sure that the yeast has been stored in the cool, don't take any risks. Ditch it and obtain a replacement, either from a new can of concentrate you buy from the supermarket or homebrew shop, or buy a sachet of ale yeast from your homebrew shop.

Same with the hops. If they haven't been stored in a fridge or freezer they may be a bit long in the tooth and I'd be reluctant to use them. Hopefully they are still sealed in a foil pack.

You don't say how much hops you have, but off the top of my head here's something to try:
* Boil 250g BE1 in 2 litres of water and 20g of the hops (try 10g of each if you have that much) for 10 mins.
* Strain and discard the hops.
* Use the hop liquid and just enough boiling water to dissolve the other ingredients, except the yeast.
* Sanitise your fermenter, add the liquid and top up to 21-23 litres with cold tap water.
* Pitch the yeast (ideally rehydrate it first - do a search on the forum for how to do that).
* Cover with cling wrap, using the rubber seal from the lid to hold it in place.
* Ferment as close to 18C as you can.
* Leave in the fermenter for at least two weeks and bottle when you have the same SG readings over two consecutive days, which indicates that fermentation has ceased.

Let us know how you get on.

Cheers,

Oliver