Bottling Number VII

400ml extra light extract powder in 800ml water, boiled 15 min and cooled.

The bottling went well, the idea was to fill the 30l bucket with water and chlorine bleach to sterilise it, then drain this into the bottles to sterilise them. Then drain the beer into the now sterile bucket, drain the bleach out of the bottles, wash them with clean water and then put the beer into the bottles. Simple. It all worked well except the bottle washer didn't fit on the tap tightly, again, and this is beginning to get irritating. I'm now in posession of 51 bottles of beer, upstairs for a week or so to start fermentation, then ready for the Grand Opening in Strasbourg on 22nd/23rd December. I've got a glass here, it's not bad, but I hope it's not become contaminated somehow. While bottling I drank a bottle of Bill Brau No. II and Bill Brau No. III and No. VII is quite different. Let's see how it ages in the bottles...

Number VII Final Fermentation

FG 1015@15C. Tastes good, hoppy and bitter but light. Colour is too dark for Adnams Regatta, and too bitter. Must be different types of hops in Regatta, and the colour is from the extract. Next time no extract, or only extra light powder. I'll do the bottling on Saturday or Sunday so it has about two weeks for carbonation. Should be enough to be ready for December 22nd when the beer has its grand opening at my lovely girlfriend's parents.

No. VII Fermentation slowing

Measured today at SG1014 @ 18C. Progress slowing but as the beer is in the cellar this is OK and I'd expect the final gravity to be something like this.

Quite bitter taste, too bitter to be a pale ale, the hops are East Kent Goldings 6.5% alpha, Fuggles 5.89% alpha. Must do the sums to work out how bitter this brew should have been. Anyway it tastes good, just not quite what I was aiming for. It ready for bottling early next week and then ready for Christmas. Perfect.