Bubble bubble

It must be about 46 or 47 years ago since I made a brew. It was while I was boarding in Jeanette’s mom’s house in The Strand circa 1968-ish.

I can clearly remember that cleanliness and hygiene were two of the critical ingredients for the success of a good beer. So, I applied my well-studied knowledge of chemistry. Caustic Soda  would surely get my 20 litre glass carboy. And solubility in aqueous solutions is better under warmer conditions,yes?

I have never since added caustic soda to hot water. It “wooshes” up into your face, if you’re not careful, like I found out back in 1968…

Then,I stored the brew with all that yeast and sugar in the bottom of my wardrobe,carefully checking the number of bubbles escaping from the pressure vessel through the glass and rubber tube. 

It tasted awful,to say the least. Twenty litres of the most expensive beer I’ve ever discarded.

(Above): In 2015 I bought a ready-made so-called fool-proof brewing kit from Brewer’s World in Param. It consists of a 23-litre plastic vessel with a tight-fitting lid and aplastic dispensing tap. A built-in tape thermometer is affixed to the side,as the brewing temperature is important.

 
(Above): The glass U-bend trap through a tight-fitting rubber grommet, filled with water serves as a comparative measure of the degree of reaction of fermentation still taking place.

The batch will slow-brew at18 degrees or lower for another three weeks,and then we’ll bottle and wait another four weeks for the secondary fermentation process to run its course.

We are making Black Rock Mexican lager,which,hopefully,will turn out something like the Corona imported from Mexico and on sale locally.