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Archive for October 2009

AG#11 – Pale, Wheat and Rye

Posted by: pdtnc on: October 24, 2009

In: Brewing
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Pale, Wheat and Rye – Something with Rye malt, fairly pale with just a bit of sweetness coming from the Pale Crystal Malt

Fermentables:
Maris Otter 1040g
Wheat Malt 520g
Rye Malt 520g
Crystal Malt, Pale 205g

Hops:
Target @ 60 mins 16g (FWH)
First Gold @ 15 mins 10g
First Gold @ 0 mins 10g (I ended up doubling this to 20g)
Protafloc @ 20 mins

Final Volume: 12 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 4.1% ABV
Total Liquor: 18.5 Litres
Mash Liquor: 5.7 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 46 EBU
Colour: 14 EBC

1tsp Gypsum to each Mash & Boil, 90 minute Mash which stretched to 105 minute.
Yeast Safale s-04

The grains an 1 tsp gypsum for the mash:

Grist temp:

Mashed in spot on (I forgot to take an end of mash temp):

pH looks good:

The colour of the first batch sparge (with the second batch added its going to be a nice straw colour):

Running off, had a bit of sticking but the wort was going to be a bit cloudy anyway with the wheat:

Hops all sorted, I decided to double up the 10g 0 mins to 20g:

Just started boiling:

10min steep of 20g First Gold @ flame outs:

Cold break:

Hit about the right OG:

Splish splash:

Dry Sprinkled Safale s-04, left to sink for 15mins then thrashed with a paddle:

Left overs:

Front left is todays brew, back left is Yorkshire Trappist red with experiments on top, front right is the JBK Anniversary brew, back right is Amber Otter:

This morning

Fermentation less than 24 hours later:

I’m hoping the Target hops will have kept some flavour to add some extra zing to the First Gold.

*Bottled 3rd Nov ’09

Tags: ale, beer, Brewing, craft brewing, first gold, first gold hops, grain, gypsum, home brew, home brewing, hops, Maris Otter, pale, pale crystal malt, pale malt, rye, rye malt, target, target hops, wheat, wheat malt

AG#10 – Yorkshire Trappist Red

Posted by: pdtnc on: October 17, 2009

In: Brewing
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Yorkshire Trappist Red

Fermentables:
Lager Malt 3300g
Munich Malt 800g
Vienna Malt 800g
Golden Syrup 680g (to be added at least half way through-ish)
Belgian Aromatic Malt 400g
Caramalt 400g
Wheat Malt 300g
German Cara Red 200g
Total 6.2kg Grain

Hops:
Boadicea @ 60 mins – 31g (FWH)
Saaz Whole @ 10 mins – 23g
Hallertauer Hersbrucker @ 10 mins – 23g
Protafloc Tablet Pellet @ 20 mins

Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.070
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol Content: 7.7% ABV
Total Liquor: 34.5 Litres
Mash Liquor: 15.5 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 26 EBU
Colour: 23 EBC

Whitelabs WLP500 Trappist yeast, 2 Litre starter.
90 Minute Mash @ 66 C (2 Tsp Gysum to grist)

Maybe 3 sparge batches as the Mash tun looks pretty full, but I’ll see as I go.
Water from the hot tap treated with Sodium Met, I made sure i treated lots in preparation this time:

The Grain bill, all mixed up, weighed out last night:

Mash on at 66 C for 90 mins:

Mash pH looks spot on, 2 heaped Tsp of Gypsum were added to the grist before mashing, though otherwise no other water treatment:

First Run-off:

FWH Boadicea, and Northdown as I ran out of Boadicea:

Saaz and Hersbrucker, Golden Syrup, Protafloc and Yeast Nutrient:

Lovely fat Northdown hop:

Spent Grains:

Spent Grain Recycling:

Coming to the Boil:

Saaz & Hersbrucker 10 minute hops:

Experiment with 3L and safale s-04 to see what I’m missing using the WLP500, and I saved a bit of my 2.5L starter to culture up a little more Trappist yeast, I let down my wort a little with bottled water:

This was shot with a white light LED torch behind to get some idea of the colour, I was aiming for something red, it looked better in the sunlight near the window:

OG:1066ish, just a few points lower than anticipated, won’t be worrying about that:)

A little Video Link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS3u1hUr5xU

Less than 24 hours later: Fermenting away with a good yeast head @ 18 Deg C this morning, I admit I was a little scared in leaving the FV on the cold cellar floor and not all tucked up and warm in my brewing cupboard. I’m going for the “earthy” character of the yeast…

After 4 days: Trial Jar and hydro says gravity 1026, so thats from pitched yeast on Saturday afternoon until now, is this normal for an 18 Deg C ferment????
The taste test btw,…. very different! Though there’s a fair amount of un-fermented sugars in there yet, has a very malty profile so far.

6 Days later: warmed it up to about 22 C.
The Smell is pears, taste is getting to a mild chalkiness with the pear coming through too.
Still tastes malty but it has gone a little now I’ve got the FV temperature up and Its dropped about 10 points though still quite actively fermenting with plenty of bubbles rising to the surface.
You also get a bit of warming in your throat from the alcohol.
Loads of yeast still in suspension.

*Bottled 29rd Oct ‘09 with 85g sugar to about 19-20 litres.

The yeast is surprisingly subtle, loads of malt flavour, still some pear flavour and aroma.
OG @ 1010 so its got to target.
Bottling about 19-20L with 85g sugar and bottling my s-04 3L with 25g sugar.
Tasted the s-04 batch, its like Wine, the alcohol comes straight through.

AG#9 – Amber Otter

Posted by: pdtnc on: October 10, 2009

In: Brewing
4 Comments

Part 1 of a 3 Part Malt and hops experiment ‘Mild Otter’ and ‘Brown Otter’ to follow in future brewdays.

Amber Otter – an Amber beer with Celeia hops

Fermentables:
Maris Otter 1800g
Amber Malt 520g
Torrefied Wheat 100g

Hops:
Celeia 60 mins 27g
Celeia 15 mins 16g
Celeia 0 mins 11g
Protafloc Tablet 20 mins

Final Volume: 12 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.044
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 4.4% ABV
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 36 EBU
Colour: 38 EBC

Going to Pitch Safale us-05 so I get a full appreciation of the malt and hops

The Grains, Maris Otter, Amber Malt and Torrefied Wheat:

Mash paddle I made at work:

Mashing with my new spoon, no more floppy spoon syndrome:

Looks pretty damn good for pH:

Celeia Hops:

First batch sparge wort, tasting interesting… quite dry but sweet if you know what I mean:

First Batch goes on to warm up with FWH and 1Tsp Gypsum:

Coming to the Boil:

Cold Break:

Nice Clear Wort:

Hit around OG1042 @ 23 Deg C so that will do 🙂

Next malt Experiment will be using Brown Malt.

Less than 24 hours and its fermenting well:

**Bottled 23rd Oct ’09 with 45g sugar

Tags: amber, amber ale, amber beer, amber malt, amber otter, beer, bitter, boil, Brewing, celeia, celeia hops, craft brewing, grain, gypsum, home brew, home brewing, hops, Maris Otter, mash, otter, pale malt, Torrefied Wheat

Stock in use

Posted by: pdtnc on: October 4, 2009

In: Stock Images
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Just done a bit of Google Image Search trawling… found a couple of things.

My view of Amsterdam again:

http://www.easyviaggio.com/studio/la-vecchia-europa-e-oltre-citta-d-eccezione/nel-vento-dei-paesi-bassi.html

And a shot of a sign post near Haworth:

http://www.placesonline.com/europe/uk_england/yorkshire_and_the_humber/haworth/photo_detail.asp?filename=haworth_9641

Tags: amsterdam, haworth, microstock, penistone, royalty free, sign post, Stock Images, stock in use, stock photography

AG#8 – JBK Anniversary Brew 09

Posted by: pdtnc on: October 2, 2009

In: Brewing
4 Comments

AG#8 – JBK Anniversary Brew 09 – www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk

The instructions:

Jim wrote:I would look for something around a maximum of 55 OG, with crystal malt to give it body and a bit of darkness from roast barley and good old English hops – plenty of fuggle with a bit of golding for aroma and around 45 to 50 IBUs.

So this is what I’ve come up with:

Fermentables:
Maris Otter 1880g
Dark Crystal Malt 205g (no mention of which crystal, so this gives me a chance to try out some Dark Crystal)
Torrefied Wheat 78g
Roasted Barley 26g

Hops:
Challenger – 60 mins 19g
Progress – 30 mins 16g
First Gold – 5 mins 11g

Final Volume: 12 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.041
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 3.9% ABV
Bitterness: 48 EBU
Colour: 64 EBC

The Grain weighed out, 2 Tsp of Chalk and Gysum for the Mash:

The Intended Yeast slurry from a previous brew which is coming back to life and releasing some bubbles, will decant off the beer and pitch some of this:

The new manifold in my 15L tun, note the support sleeving to support my warm floppy pipe. I may need to make this a rigid arrangement in future:

Grist Temp:

The Mash Tun:

Mashed in @ 67C, leaving for 90 mins:

Mash pH looks near enough:

Hops, Generous weighing as I know the Burton Ale yeast will subdue them:

End mash temp:

First Runnings being recycles, sparging went brilliantly, no sticking and pretty clear wort:

First Wort Hops going in with first batch spargings:

Leftovers:

Bacon butty:

5 min hops addition with cooler already in:

Sanitising with Starsan:

Pretty clear hitting the FV and a good deep colour:

Pitching Whitelabs Burton Ale yeast Slurry @ 24C:

Well Aerated:

Hops and Trub:

My exceedingly happy brewing cupboard, FV1 is JBK, FV2 is Blauer Vogel, in the back the Top crate is full of TTL, underneath and to the left there is my Otter Dark Stout:

Just a bit of clearing up to do, hit OG1042 @ 24C so that’ll do me 🙂
Happy Anniversary JBK, Live long and prosper and all that 🙂
Hope this will be a good one, I needed a darker ale under my belt 🙂

Bottling Update FG hit 1010/1012 ish
Full Crate:

Sun shining through then bottle, lots of Burton Ale yeast in suspension, should take a few weeks for it to settle out:

2 weeks of warm followed by 2 weeks of cool and these should be ready.