Probably Due To Network Congestion

I’ve been pondering on this one for a while, I think this is going to make a good combo of Hops… with hopefully a slightly spicy edge from the Crystal Rye and some good maltiness. Thats the plan at least!

Nelson Brucker

Fermentables:
Pale Malt – 2740g – 75% (Actually 3650g as I weighed the total grain amount rather than the Pale malt!)
Crystal Rye Malt – 365g – 10%
Munich Malt – 365g – 10%
Torrefied Wheat – 180g – 5%

Hops:
Hallertauer Hersbrucker @ 60 mins 15g
Nelson Sauvin @ 60 mins 15g
Hallertauer Hersbrucker @ 15 mins 40g
Nelson Sauvin @ 15 mins 20g
Nelson Sauvin @ 0 mins 20g
Hallertauer Hersbrucker @ 0 mins 30g

Final Volume: 23 Litres – I’ve been going against my half batches a bit lately
Original Gravity: 1.040 – (Actually 1.050 due to Pale malt mess up!)
Final Gravity: 1.010
Alcohol Content: 3.9% ABV – (Actually 5%)
Total Liquor: 32 Litres
Mash Liquor: 9.1 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 85 % – I’m starting out at 85% now rather than 75% (Actual Efficiency was 86.2%)
Bitterness: 42 EBU – (Actually 39 as I added 5 mins to boil to compensate a little)
Colour: 28 EBC – (Actually 30EBC, though it does look a nice colour)

Today’s malts:

Weighing out the salts:

Boring Mash shot:

Our hops today are…:

First runnings going into the copper with First Wort hops:

Copper about Half full, collected a total of 30L @ 10.2Brix = 1.039, 108% Mash Efficiency??!! I think I must have weighed something wrong?! Maybe an extra kilo of Pale if it looks like its going to be a 5.1% after the boil:

Weirdly I managed to hit 1040!:

Quite like this colour, its Beer coloured:

Pitched Safale US-05 at 22-23c
The post boil gravity was 1043 according to the Refractometer’s 11.2brix which should make the 4% beer I was aiming for if it finishes at 1012! (I’m a little confused about all this, should I really stick to 75% mash efficiency in my recipe software?)
1043 – 1012 x 0.129=3.999% ABV

*Bottled 22nd Sept ’10 with 75g White Sugar