Since I bottled my first batch of beer last week, I couldn’t wait to get underway with the second! The bucket was empty and the beer was happily maturing away. Nothing to do until the beginning of April, if I follow the instructions.

The day after bottling batch one I researched which options were available for beginning home brewers, and apart from getting really deep in using raw materials I could get a plethora of different kits for different beers.

I ordered some new cleaning chemicals and a kit for 10 litres of London Porter. When I got the kit in it was a little more complex than the previous since this time I had to do something more than just water down the mixture and ferment it. This time some herbs and hops had to be cooked first and the recipe was a bit more complex too. A nice and gentle step up!

The second batch is now underway, and I finally understand how a hydrometer works, after some youtubing (movie) and, apparently, in 10 days I should bottle it and leave it alone for a bit more. Then, somewhere at the end of March or the beginning of April I have about 30 bottles of Porter to enjoy!

Labels designed by Boyke ten Broeke

Also, I already mentioned on Twitter and Facebook that the one who designs the logo I’m going to end up using gets some free beers, so submit whatever you can conjure up and be in the running too!

I’ve named my brewing “Cocky Rooster Brewing”, and of course, that is the theme for the logos!