Probably Due To Network Congestion

Hooded Embarrassment – Thought I’d try squeeze in a brew for the Revolutions Brewery ‘Competition’ so I’m going for something a bit different after reading something about a Mittlefruh IPA in Stan Hieronymus‘ new book ‘For the love of Hops‘. I could have sworn that I had a pack of Mittlefruh in the Hop-Freezer, sadly I didn’t but what I did have was a pack of Mount Hood hops which are an American grown relation of Mittlefruh.
Vienna malt for some added maltiness and lots of carapils to retain body and hopefully balance the bitterness.
I’ve had a nice bottle of Mallinsons Brewery ‘Aramis’ and I thought it had a good spicy bitterness to it so that is forming my bittering additions, I’ll dry hop with Mt. Hood as soon as its passed 1020-1015 in the fermenter, then try and get bottled in good time to allow for it to condition up and mature before it has to be judged.

Fermentables:
Lager Malt – 2880g – 60%
Carapils (Weyermann) – 720g – 15%
Vienna Malt – 720g – 15%
Wheat Malt – 480g – 10%

Hops:
Aramis – 8.9 % @ 60 mins – 32g (First Wort Hop)
Aramis – 8.9 % @ 30 mins – 32g
Mount Hood – 7.5 % @ 10 mins – 30g
Mount Hood – 7.5 % @ 0 mins – 30g (Flameout steep for 30mins)

Dry Hops:
Mount Hood – 40g

Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.047
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Total Liquor: 31.1 Litres
Mash Liquor: 11.5 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 58 EBU
Colour: 6 EBC
Mash: 68°c for 60mins
Boil: 60mins
Yeast: Safale us-05

The malts, a very pale blend:

Some liquor treatment and First wort Aramis hops in the copper:

Hops prep’d, the full tablet of Protafloc went in with the 10mins hops:

Steeping hops, Mt. Hood, just turned the chiller on for a few seconds to kill the boil before adding the hops:

Everything sanitised with Starsan:

Got a little over 1052, I liquored-back to 1047, I must make another Brewday Record Sheet that includes the liquoring back:

No mucking about today, the mash was on at 10.55 (68°c) and I’m all cleared up and typing this now at about 16.00, I could probably have been done quicker if I’d tried.
Turfed out last weeks brew from the fermentation fridge and put todays brew in there set to 20°c, I’ll increase the temperature after a day or two to 21-22°c and hope to have it finished fermenting by the weekend.

Check out Revolutions Brewing on @RevolutionsBrew
Hopefully my yeast is good and I will make better beer than my un-entered attempt last year! 😉

*7th Feb ’13 – Dry Hopped at approx 20°c with 40g Mt.Hood, giving a good stir in through the yeast head, Gravity @ 1017.
*8th Feb ’13 – Gravity @ 1010.5 so gone a bit passed the 1012 predicted, again give the hops a good stir and squashed them against the side of the FV. Tastes rather good with a big woody/spicy flavour and spicy bitterness, I may well enjoy this 😉

*Bottled 18th Feb ’13 – with 90g White Sugar.

*22nd Feb ’13 – Early taster, a little green and slightly grassy, has a really solid spicy bitterness.

*25th Feb ’13 – Taster tasting good, nice sessionable ale, no big brash hops just a balance of bitterness and spice with woody orange tones.