Perfect for those chilly evenings when the ghosts of Halloween loom, Evil Harley Brown's Dark Brew is best enjoyed in the company of friends who appreciate the whimsical chaos of life.
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This sinister concoction pours a deep mahogany, glimmering under the light like a devious plan waiting to unfold. With a frothy tan head that lingers just a little too long, this brew whispers tales of chocolate malts and roasted nuts, each sip wrapping you in a cloak of rich, malty goodness.
Notes of toasted caramel dance around dark cocoa, providing a delightful sweetness that quickly flips to an unexpected bitterness, much like the unpredictable antics of our infamous character. Hints of dark fruits emerge, conjuring memories of mischief under the harvest moon, while a subtle touch of toffee caresses the palate, leaving you with a lingering curiosity—could this be your new favorite brew?
Perfect for those chilly evenings when the ghosts of Halloween loom, Evil Harley Brown's Dark Brew is best enjoyed in the company of friends who appreciate the whimsical chaos of life. So grab a glass, and toast to embracing the darkness within, because in this world, the line between good and evil is as fine as the head on your beer. Cheers to the night!
Clean and sanitise all brewing equipment that will come into contact with your beer (including fermenter, fermenter lid, mixing paddle/spoon, thermometer, air lock etc.) with a quality no-rinse sanitiser, such as StellarSan (KL05357).
Refer to the instructions on the label of your no-rinse sanitiser for dosage and usage instructions.
Unscrew the cap and sanitise the neck of your Fresh Wort Kit to prevent any wild yeast or bacteria which may be on the bag itself from being transferred into your brew. Super Kill Ethyl Sanitiser is ideal for this.
Pour the entire contents of your room temperature Fresh Wort Kit into your fermenter. Top up with clean (prefacble pre-boiled and chilled) potable water. See below:
6L
21L
Ideally, the temperature of the wort should be at pitching temp before adding the yeast. If the liquid is too hot then sit the fermenter in an ice bath or fermentation fridge until the temperature of the liquid has cooled down to below the target pitching temperature.
22°c
Ensure that the lid remains on the fermenter as much as possible and the thermometer is sanitised prior to each measurement to avoid contamination of your beer. Add the entire contents of the yeast sachets to your fermenter by gently sprinkling the yeast across the top of the wort.
This step is the most important to get great tasting finished beer. Half fill your airlock or blow-off jar with no-rinse sanitiser at the correct dilution.
Use the schedule below as your target temperatures throughout fermention (follow SG Steps over Time Steps if possible, a RAPT Pill is a great way to make this easy).
Raising the temperature at the end of fermentation is known as a diacetyl rest, and is important to ensure full attenuation and to allow the yeast to clean up the off flavours that can be produced as a result of fermentation.
1.059-1.015
Day 0-4
19°c
1.015-Until FG Stablises
Day 4-Until FG Stablises
23°c Gradual over 3 days
Try to maintain the fermentation within the yeasts ideal temperature range until fermentation is nearly complete, at which stage the fermenter can be moved somewhere warmer for the diacetyl rest.
19°c
24°c
The absolute best way to ensure you get consistently great beer is to get a small cheap/free fridge from Gumtree and make a fermentation chamber paired with a Fermentation Heating Wrap Belt and controlled by a RAPT Temperature Controller or buy a ready to go RAPT Fermentation Chamber. Note that if you are using a pressure capable fermenter you will get the best results at around 5-12psi. Allow pressure to build up with a spunding valve 24 hours after pitching.
Once fermentation is done, it is time to transfer your fnished beer! Ideally, cold crashing -1°C for 3 days will give the best results before transferring. To determine that fermentation has finished, check the gravity over three consecutive days. If it is stable across three consecutive days then fermentation is done and the beer can be safely transferred to your bottles, cans or keg. Do not transfer until fermentation is complete.
During the packaging process the most important rule is to keep air (well Oxygen) out of the beer. Check out the links for best practice of how to do this depending on method used.
Bottling your beer: Use KegLand Amber Glass Bottles with Swing/Flip Top Lids (KL20947) or KegLand Amber PET Bottles with Screw Caps (KL19866 or KL19859). Please refer to our detailed beginners guide for bottling from a fermenter here.
Kegging: We would suggest, carbonating and dispensing at 10-12 psi at 2°C for best results. Refer to our detailed beginners guide for kegging from a fermenter here.
Canning: To transfer your finished beer into cans we would suggest kegging and carbonating at 11psi at 2°C then transferring to cans. Refer to our detailed beginners guide for canning here.
