You'd f**king hate this then...
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Quote: DaButt @ 1st November 2017, 6:26 PMYesterday I found a recipe that's supposed to approximate Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter and I've always loved the stuff, so I'm going to give it a shot. Their yeast is the key ingredient, so I'm out of luck here in Texas.
You might have trouble replicating the chalk-filtered water:
https://www.harveys.org.uk/about/what-goes-into-a-pint-of-harveys/
You can easily buy bottled South Downs spring water though it might be expensive shipping it over to Texas. He could have all the right ingredients and still not approximate the flavour and body - replicating beers is very difficult I'm told, especially for a home brewer. I remember my attempts with the old Courage Best Bitter homebrew kits and it tasted nothing like the pub brew. As a hobby experiment it's worth a go but really you'd need a commercial sized set up to even attempt getting it right. Space and volume of vats has a profound effect on the chemistry, remember the shortlived Firkin pub brewery fad - despite them creating great pub atmospheres unlike the Wetherspoons of today, punters soon tired of paying pub prices for glorified homebrew.
Quote: Nogget @ 12th November 2017, 9:01 PMYou might have trouble replicating the chalk-filtered water
It's probably not much different from my own water, since my city gets all of its water from an underground aquifer. The water percolates through a large volume of limestone and is very hard as a result. Great for brewing dark beers, but not so good for lighter beers.
I use a reverse osmosis unit to produce water that is essentially free of minerals and ions, so it's easy to replicate any water that I'd like. I just add a few grams of various salts (mostly gypsum and calcium chloride) and I'm good to go. Trying to replicate the water of a particular brewery is pointless, unless you know the actual profile that the brewery is using. Harvey's has a well, but they mostly use the city's water supply, and they almost certainly are adding or removing minerals from it before they brew with it. There are standard ranges for a bitter, so I'll shoot for that and brew a nice beer.
Quote: Alfred J Kipper @ 13th November 2017, 2:24 AMHe could have all the right ingredients and still not approximate the flavour and body - replicating beers is very difficult I'm told, especially for a home brewer.
It's not all that difficult if you have the actual recipe used by the brewer. A few years ago I brewed a clone of Breckinridge's Christmas ale using their published recipe and it came out great. I conducted a blind comparison with the real thing and none of the 4 tasters could notice much of a difference between the two, but there was a slight preference for my version. Freshness was key, I suppose.
I'll have no way of comparing my beer to Harvey's, but that's ok. I know it'll be a very tasty brew, and that's all that really matters. My only goal is to brew good beer that my friends and I will like.
The yeast sample showed up in my mailbox a few minutes ago. Fast service: I ordered it on November 1st, they grew the cells and then created the slope/slant on the 5th, mailed it on the 6th, and I received it on the 13th. Saturday was a postal holiday, or I would have received it then.
Time to grow it into something useful...
Just enjoying a pint of Adnam's Broadside.
Quote: DaButt @ 13th November 2017, 2:26 PMHarvey's has a well, but they mostly use the city's water supply,
Where did you hear that? They told me directly that all the water used in the production of their beer is from their well.
Good luck with your brewing.
So, I'm guessing no wine buffs on here?
Not heard the noble grape mentioned much.
Quote: Nogget @ 14th November 2017, 10:46 AMWhere did you hear that? They told me directly that all the water used in the production of their beer is from their well.
I think you're right. I was watching a bunch of brewery videos and I think I got Harvey's confused with Fuller's.
I still wouldn't be surprised if Harvey's were mixing their well water with a bit of water from the local system. It's very common and is often necessary because of the variable flow rate and water chemistry that can be inherent with wells. I'm almost certain that straight well water isn't used in the brewing process, since it's likely modified (for quality control's sake) before brewing, by either boiling, filtering and/or salt (and possibly acid) additions.
I put my yeast on a stir plate 8 hours ago and I see some bubbles this morning, so I think it survived the journey across the Atlantic. 
Quote: Lazzard @ 14th November 2017, 11:05 AMSo, I'm guessing no wine buffs on here?
I drink the occasional glass with friends, but I've never delved into it because I enjoy beer so much. It's probably saved me tens of thousands of dollars.
Quote: DaButt @ 14th November 2017, 1:27 PMI put my yeast on a stir plate 8 hours ago and I see some bubbles this morning, so I think it survived the journey across the Atlantic.
Thomas Paine made a successful journey there from Lewes, so there's a precedent.
Quote: DaButt @ 14th November 2017, 1:27 PMI drink the occasional glass with friends, but I've never delved into it because I enjoy beer so much. It's probably saved me tens of thousands of dollars.
Don't particularly like beer with food, that's the trouble.
But it can be a money pit, you're right.