Nettle Beer - Bottling

So it is a week after I brewed my nettle beer and I have been keeping a close eye on it everyday. The airlock was bubbling away everyday since first clipping on the lid and half filling with water. 


I noted at the end of my first post on nettle beer that the day after we brewed the beer there was a sulphur (fart) smell emitting from the airlock which I was not ready for and instantly took to the web to see if this was a problem. Turns out it is perfectly normal and within a day the smell was gone. (it's all a learning curve)


I made sure to take a hydrometer reading every day to monitor progress and each day it was changing which meant it was still fermenting and additionally not ready to bottle. 


I took a hydrometer reading of 1.001 or 1.002 (I erred on the cautious side and settled for 1.002). Our starting gravity was 1.032. Through the magic of an online calculator that give us an ABV (Alcohol by Volume) of 3.94%. Not bad for a first attempt but next time I'll aim for higher. 

Monday night and it was time to bottle. The picture above shows all the bottles, caps and bottle filler soaking in a warm bath with sterilising solution to make sure there is no bacteria coming into contact with the beer. Seems like overkill for just nettle beer but I am trying out the kit for future lager and ale brews so best to establish good practice from the start. Basically you want to make sure every surface that will be touching your beer is sterilised. 


Make sure to rinse well however before bottling to avoid a swimming pool taste to your beer!!!


I added approx a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to each bottle before adding the beer. The kit I bought came with a handy bottle filling tube (see picture below) which fills the bottles to the right level. Put the caps on and tighten as much as possible before giving each bottle a quick shake to make sure all the sugar is dissolved.

That as they sad is that. There is still about 4 litres to be bottled, I ran out of bottles but will be getting more today so I will finish the process tonight. 

So far 21 litres of nettle beer....looks a little like juice! 


Note: the Exputex in shot is not part of the formula :)

Nettle Beer

I came across an article for nettle beer a few months ago and commented then (to myself) that I must give it a go sometime. Then last week I saw a video on You Tube on the same subject so decided to give it a go myself. Being me I like to do things correctly so did a lot of research before just launching into it. I purchased a Homebrew beer making kit from the world wide web which arrived within a few days. 

Initially I got lost in the lingo of hydrometers, specific gravity readings, wort, activation of yeast etc. The methodology however is much the same no matter what kind of beer you are brewing so time spent learning the different equipment and its purpose at the start is time well spent.

STEP 1 - THE EQUIPMENT 

The above picture shows the kit which included the following:

• fermenter with lid, grommet, and bubbler airlock
• bottle filling system
• hydrometer
• glass trial jar
• stirring paddle
• large liquid crystal thermometer
• 100 grams VWP cleaner / sterilizer

Additionally I purchased:

• youngs dried active wine and beer yeast (100 gram tub)
• coopers Ox-Bar 24 500ml PET bottles (bottles not in picture)

From all my research I figured out the above kit would be the minimum I would need to brew my first batch of nettle beer. 
Other equipment needed will be a large saucepan or several smaller ones if you don't have a large one. I also use a potato masher and a sieve for straining the nettles into the bucket. Whatever you have lying around though will do fine.

STEP 2 - THE INGREDIENTS 

The next stage involves becoming one with nature and getting out to pick the nettles, not sure how many I would need I picked 2 extra large shopping bags full, only picking the top 6-8 leaves with the newest growth to ensure the best flavour. I think I picked about 2.5 kgs worth of nettle tops but realistically only used 1kg worth.

Other ingredients include the following:

• 3 bags 500g demerara sugar
• 1/2 kg white sugar
• 10 lemons
• 3 oranges
• 1/2 container cream of tartar powder
• brewing yeast (amount varies depending on instructions)

STEP 3 - PREPARATION

Sterilisation is a key part to brewing any beer to avoid bacteria contaminating your finished product. I filled my brewing bucket with warm water and added sterilising powder as instructed. I think it was 1tsp per gallon but it will tell you on the container.

Chuck in all you other implements too to the bucket such as your hydrometer, testing jar, stirring paddle and any other items that will be coming into contact with your beer. Leave them for 10 mins or until they are about to be used being sure to rinse them off well beforeh use.

Meanwhile you can add your nettles to your pot(s) and get them boiling. I boiled mine for around twenty minutes. At the same time as the nettles are boiling you can prepare your other ingredients, zest and squeeze the juice from all the lemons, only squeeze the juice from the oranges and set aside.

Get your sugar bags open and ready to chuck in, saves faffing about later.


STEP 4 - ADDING TO FERMENTER

Once the nettles are done you can transfer the liquid to the fermenter. Using your strainer pour the nettle liquid and nettles into it over the bucket, use the potato masher to squeeze and residual juice from the nettles into the bucket. An extra pair of hands go a long way at this stage.

Add in all your sugar in stages making sure it all dissolves in the hot water.

Next add in your lemon zest, lemon juice and orange juice and again mix through well.

Add in the 1/2 container of cream of tartar powder, mix.

Lastly for this stage, top up the bucket to the required level, in my case the 25L mark with cold water. Give it all another good mix to make sure all the ingredients have mixed together well and the sugar is fully dissolved.


STEP 5 - MONITOR & TAKE HYDROMETER READING

The kit I got came with a liquid crystal thermometer (see picture above) which sticks onto the side of the fermenting bucket. We are aiming for a temperature between 21 and 24 degrees which is the optimal temperature to pitch (add) your yeast to the mixture. Adding the yeast to the wort (mixture) at a higher temp would mean the yeast will not activate and you will have alcohol free beer. Not good! 

In my case I decided to sit tight and let the mixture cool naturally but I have heard you can chuck the entire bucket into a cold water filled bath and speed up the process. It took a few hours but eventually the temperature came down to 24 degrees which meant time to pitch the yeast. However before pitching the yeast there is one critical step that must be done, you must take a hydrometer reading.

Now I don't understand all the ins and outs of the hydrometer (at least for the moment) but the basics are as follows:

• you take a reading before the yeast is added
• you take a reading after fermentations is complete
• you do a short equation and the answer gives you your alcohol content of your beer

(There is an added use of the hydrometer in that to test if fermentation is fully complete you take a reading after say 3-5 days or when the airlock is finished bubbling, if the hydrometer reading is the same for 2 / 3 days in a row then fermentation is complete and you can bottle your beer - more on this in later blog posts).

My hydrometer reading (Starting Gravity) is: 1032.


STEP 6 - PITCHING THE YEAST

The yeast I got states to simply add 1tsp per gallon to prepared liquid (in this case my wort), other yeast will vary though so be sure to read your packet carefully. I added the required amount of yeast and sealed the lid of the fermenting bucket tightly, popped on the airlock and half filled it with water.

The fermenting bucket is now sitting in our warmest room, its small and the boiler is located in here (we don't have a hotpress) and is generally a constant 22 degrees which should be fine for brewing.


STEP 7 - LEAVE IT ALONE & MONITOR

I woke up this morning to the sound of bubbling from the airlock. This is a good sign as it means the brew is fermenting. Something I was not ready for was the sulphur smell (a rather unfortunate resemblance to fart smell) that can sometimes be emitted from the yeast. This is meant to be perfectly normal and will dissipate after a few days (fingers crossed for that).


Progress Updates to follow..........

Allotment - Kale

Decided to give Kale a go this year as have heard lots of others raving about it, I haven't even tasted it before which may have made more sense before attempting to grow it but when do I ever do things conventionally?


We have 2 varieties to try, one is called 'Dwarf Green Curled' and 'Westland Winter'. I think we got the latter from a magazine as a freebie. 


Like all Brassica's it is pretty straightforward to sow, we sowed 6 no. of the 'Dwarf Green Curled' variety in a plug tray (see below: left of picture) but only require 3 good plants. We have been doing that a lot this year with everything to allow for any failures to germinate or other issues, sowing approximately double what is needed. I will sow another batch of Kale in May to stagger the cropping times a little, next time I will try the other variety and will sow 6 again but needing 4 good plants.

Allotment - Carrots

Carrots are probably the first vegetable I get asked about when I mention I have an allotment. Aside from the humble spud they are without doubt the 2nd most popular vegetable in Ireland. I would be surprised to hear of any veggie grower who doesn't at least grow a small amount of carrots just for that unbelievably fresh smell when they are harvested. 


Last year I got a pretty good return from the carrots, some people seem to have a lot of trouble with theirs but ours were pretty straightforward. This year I want to get them even bigger and better than last year. 


Historically to sow carrots you would sow them as thinly as possible for thinning out at a later date. However one of the chief drawbacks to this method is an increased risk of attracting the dreaded carrot fly who just loves  the scent of the thinning's. To avoid this we use the same method as we use for sowing our parsnips. That is to use the dibber to make a conical shaped hole approx 6 inches deep. We then fill this hole with compost. You are often told that manure and fresh compost in the carrot bed will cause forking but to be honest I used this method last year and did not notice any forked carrots so I will try it again this year. If it ain't broken don't fix it!!!


By using the dibber there is no need at all for thinning, just make the holes approx 2-3 inches apart and make your rows approx 18 inches apart. An additional benefit to this method is you do not waste as much seed. Carrot thinning's cannot be transplanted so they are either eaten as mini veg or composted. The only drawback that I find is that it is very time consuming at the initial stage but I think it balances out as there is no further work required apart from keeping the weeds at bay. 


We are sowing a few different varieties this year, 'Autumn King 2' and 'Chantenay Red Chored 2'. We are sowing 76 of 'Autumn King 2' and 76 of 'Chantenay Red Chored 2', too many? 


To avoid having a glut of carrots available all at the same time we are staggering our sowing times, first sowing in April, second in May and another in Early June. This will stretch out the cropping period and make storage a little easier later in the year.


We also use Enviromesh (a fine and hard wearing netting) which ensures that the carrot fly cannot get near the carrots at all but sunlight and water can. The carrot fly lay their eggs at ground level, the offspring then burrow below ground and start feeding on the carrots. The mesh is very expensive, a roll of 5m x 2.6m is €31.99 but having said that it should last for many years so worth the investment in my opinion. 

Allotment - GrowVeg Garden Planning Software

I came across this programme last year and decided against spending £15 (Sterling) on it at the time as the allotment costs were already pretty high for the year. 


This year though we are much more budget friendly so I splashed out. The software itself is a garden planner where you recreate a 2D map of your garden, allotment etc. and then set about planting the fruit and vegetables in your 2D garden. 


There are pre saved fruit and vegetable plants on the software meaning all you need to do is drag and drop your chosen vegetable (say potatoes as an example) to your preferred patch of ground. Depending on the number of potato tubers you are sowing you can grab the corner of the image and expend it accordingly. Where the software is clever is that it automatically fills the space with the relevant plant spacings so you know for instance in a row 2 metres long you can plant 5 potato tubers but no more. 


It allows you to draw shapes of various types, circular, rectangular, square etc. so, if like me you have raised beds you can first draw these in and then plant your vegetables within the beds. 


There are several clever things that can be done using this software. Firstly you can plant all your vegetables in the garden but who is to say that a certain vegetable will stay in that patch of soil all year round? Winter sown onions or garlic for instance will be harvested by Early / Mid Summer (June) and there are still 6 months of the year left to go, plenty of time to sow, grow and harvest another crop. 


There is an option to select a month by month view on the software where you can see each month what will be in the ground (this requires editing each vegetable individually by double clicking on it and editing the 'Only in the ground' option) Example: Onion's sown the previous winter will only be in the ground until maybe July. So you can edit your months from Nov to July (default setting is Jan to Dec). Therefore if you select August as the month you wish to view the Onions will have been harvested and that piece of ground can now be used to sow something else, spring cabbage, spring broccoli etc. 


Another handy feature is that once you plant a vegetable or fruit plant in your 2D garden, the software automatically creates a plant list or sowing list. So once you have finished planting your garden for the season you print off your plant list and that can be your sowing guide for the shed. 


One negative aspect with using this software is say you make more than one sowing of the same vegetable during the season to stagger harvest dates. The plant list will not differentiate between sowing's so you will have to make a note yourself of how many to sow and when exactly to sow them. While this is not the end of the world it's just a shame as it would have been the perfect addition to an already impressive piece of kit. Visually I renamed some of my crops, eg Radish 1, Radish 2 etc. so I will know which ones were sown first on the print out of the plan.


The cost is pretty minimal for such handy software, to be honest it is time consuming initially but once finished you will seldom have to edit it, unless you change your mind about something that is. The charge is an annual fee so if you want to create a crop rotation plan it will cost you another £15 next year to continue using it. 


A cool feature with the crop rotation plan (if selected in the settings) is that the software will warn you about sowing a vegetable from the same family on the same patch of ground 2 years in a row. A red flashing will come up on screen to prevent this which is quite useful for planning next years crops. Makes crop rotation easy if you have never applied it before. 


There is a 30 day free trial of the software which I would encourage you to at least try and see if it's for you. I would also recommend reading through the user guide as there are far more features to this software than I have highlighted here. Above are just some of the more useful ones that I have used. Overall very impressed with the software. 


See link below to online layout / plant list view of the allotment site using the software. If some veggies look a little crowded it is because the image is the 12 month plan where more than one crop will be grown in the same piece of ground. 


http://www.growveg.com/garden-plan.aspx?p=254087

Allotment - Enviromesh

Unfortunately for every crop you want to grow there are will be at least 1 pest that loves to eat it before you do. 

Enviromesh was something I had been reading a lot about last year as particularly good for covering Carrots from the Carrot Fly but it has so many other applications than simply this. In the picture below you can see a sheet of this mesh covering our onions, parsnips, carrots and further right lettuce plants last year. I looked at each carrot during pulling (of which there were many) and none appeared to have any damage whatsoever from the dreaded fly. 

The mesh itself is very fine,feels extremely tough and durable and is guaranteed for at least 10 years. Last year we used plastic pegs to keep it in place and these did the trick. 

The mesh lets light and water to penetrate which is obviously key to allow pants to mature uninhibited. 

If there are any drawbacks to it, the main one would be the price tag. The sheet below measures 5m x 2.6m and retails at €31.99. I have two rolls at this size and it pretty much covers 1 of our 3 beds. Of course not every vegetable plant needs to be protected in this way but certainly carrots and parsnips benefit from its use. Other vegetables such as Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Swedes, Turnips etc. would all be protected with the mesh. 

If I had the cash I would definately purchase enough to cover all our raised beds but until then will have to make do. 

La Sportiva Nepal Extreme B3 Mountaineering Boots

This B3 Mountaineering boot was bought with future expeditions in mind. Initially I got them for use in the Scottish Highlands in winter but with one eye on the Alps and hopefully further afield. 


Being completely green in this area I was not sure what I was looking for in a good boot. I went to the old reliable 53 Degrees North in Carrickmines, tried on a few pairs, walked up and down the stairs etc... Luckily the salesman on the day knows his stuff and actually advised me to go to Snow and Rock in Dundrum where they sell the Nepal Extremes. I had been doing a little research beforehand and came across these boots, reviews of which were quite positive. Only the price tag put me off at around €370....


Nevertheless having tried them on I knew they were the boots I wanted and so I parted with the hard earned,not easily spared cash and got the boots. I was so excited to have finally gotten myself a pair of technical mountaineering boots that I actually wore them around the apartment for the following few days (sorry neighbors below us), I actually convinced myself I was breaking them in.... 


Unfortunately due to a prolonged knee injury I didn't have much opportunity pre Scotland to break in the boots properly, this was a big concern to me before heading off for a whole week of pretty intense climbing but armed with plenty of blister kits off I went anyway.


The other members on the trip were envious of my shining new boots on our first day out on the mountains but I was eager to get them dirty early and remove the new boot feel / look to them. 


From the first time I wore them on the actual snow and ice I knew I would have no problems with blisters. They are supremely comfortable to wear and even the additional weight to what I am used to was not so much of a problem. The only issue I had was getting the right fit on the adjustable tongue but once sorted during a rest stop ceased to be a concern. 


We spent 4 good days on the Mountains, 2 of which were 9 hour days and at no point in time did my feet feel any discomfort. They are extremely tough boots and feel like they will last for decades with some care and attention after the long trips abroad. The sole itself is Vibram which is synonymous with quality. 


I would recommend getting these boots a size larger than your regular foot size to allow for wearing a thick mountaineering sock underneath. I have read online on other reviews that some people have experienced that these boots are not the warmest available but I cannot say I had this problem. 


We used standard G12 Grivel Crampons but the boots are designed to take the cramp-o-matic design should you choose those instead, I have no preference either way. There are additional features to these boots that are above my head but are I am sure no less clever / useful. 


I was told when I bought the boots that they should be tied very tight with no play or movement in the ankle. However I found this to be uncomfortable and did not allow for a natural foot movement or ankle roll when on the approach walk or traversing / contouring. I would advise allowing a little give if not on a technical section and if on a technical climb to then tie the laces up tight where a tight fit is needed for use with the crampon. That however is just a personal thing, fiddle around with them until you get the 'setting' that works best for you. 


If anything these boots are a little above and beyond the requirement for a trip to the Scottish Highlands but don't let this be a reason to not get them. If you are at all considering a trip further afield than Scotland then these are an excellent boot choice. I really have no complaints about these boots...except for maybe the price but if nothing else will make you more regimented in the care and cleaning routine!!!