2023 - What are you brewing?

[wide eyed and legless]

Foreign Extra Stout full volume mash, roast barley added at mash out, (keeps the salt additions simple) Stirred the mash for about 25 minutes after mash in dur e to the amount of flaked barley. Would love to understand the physics of the mash becoming lighter to stir after 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes.

Roast barley added at mash out

 

[Maves]

I would guess that the viscous resistance of dissolved sugars and free husks to stirring is less than the turbulence resistance of starch still bonded to husks.

 

[Sidney Harbour-Bridge]

Would love to understand the physics of the mash becoming lighter to stir after 20 minutes.

Presumably the starch is going into solution, being broken down into sugars that desolve

 

[wide eyed and legless]

That's what I think it is, but the level seeming to go down could just be an optical elusion as for some reason the grains in the mash take on a neutral buoyancy, leaving the bottom of the mash tun clear of grain husks and the liquor free to recirculate on full volume leaving more liquor around the sides of the mash tun.

This was the dregs from the bottom of the kettle from yesterdays brew, the 2 litres I needed to make up the 21 litres from 34 litres in the kettle at the start with 6.85 kg of grain.

.

 

[Half Pint]

That Aussie Sparkling sounds great. Keen to hear how it turns out. I might try that soon. Just have to set up proper temperature control other than ‘in a cupboard in the shed…’

My Sparkling Ale was rated Gold and finished equal 2nd in a field of 11. I’m happy with that. I’ve got 13 bottles qualified for National Championships but this is the one I was really ambitious to have judged.

 

[Maves]

That's what I think it is, but the level seeming to go down could just be an optical elusion as for some reason the grains in the mash take on a neutral buoyancy, leaving the bottom of the mash tun clear of grain husks and the liquor free to recirculate on full volume leaving more liquor around the sides of the mash tun.

This was the dregs from the bottom of the kettle from yesterdays brew, the 2 litres I needed to make up the 21 litres from 34 litres in the kettle at the start with 6.85 kg of grain.

View attachment 123718
I can imagine that starch grains are "bulkier" than dissolved sugars. That may explain part of the perceived volume drop.
.

 

[the.cassowary]

My Sparkling Ale was rated Gold and finished equal 2nd in a field of 11. I’m happy with that. I’ve got 13 bottles qualified for National Championships but this is the one I was really ambitious to have judged.

That's fantastic. I'm definitely going to give that a try. I'm doing a double batch of American Cream Ale this Friday (every second Friday is a Brew Day now!), and then I might try to replicate your recipe on the next brew day. I've never done a yeast starter before, so that's something I'm going to need to get under my belt. If I can't afford to buy the equipment to make a yeast starter, I'll just have to try an easier pitching beer while I wait.

 

[Half Pint]

That's fantastic. I'm definitely going to give that a try. I'm doing a double batch of American Cream Ale this Friday (every second Friday is a Brew Day now!), and then I might try to replicate your recipe on the next brew day. I've never done a yeast starter before, so that's something I'm going to need to get under my belt. If I can't afford to buy the equipment to make a yeast starter, I'll just have to try an easier pitching beer while I wait.

I start them in pretty basic gear.
My equipment to make starters:
Saucepan, stovetop, aluminium foil, thermometer, funnel, bung, airlock, 2 litre flagon. I used to use a 2 Litre PET bottle but the flagon is more durable and easier to clean.
It’sa two step process for me. First stage is to drain as much beer as possible from 2 750ml bottles of Coopers Pale Ale, while leaving as much yeast as possible. That’s actually the tricky part I think. Helps to start with the freshest possible beer, store it upright in the fridge a few days so the yeast is as settled as can be. Have a couple of jugs ready so you only have to tilt the bottles once to decant.
Then I tip dregs from one bottle into the other, via sanitised funnel.
I make a little wort of 400ml water plus 40g dried malt extract (or a little less), and boil it for long enough to sanitise. Cover with foil and cool it to below 30°.
Tip it into the beer bottle with the dregs.
Bung it up however suits you. I cover with foil first and shake it all up so it’s foamy, then usually put a drilled bung and airlock on it. Give it a bit of a shake from time to time if you like.
Once you can see it’s come to life and had a bit of a go and is maybe settling down, it’s time for stage 2, which is similar process except with a litre of wort and a 2 litre flagon to hold it.
Maintain sanitary practice and keep it at a suitable temperature throughout.
PET bottles in appropriate sizes are also perfect for this. They even have airtight lids so you can just tighten the lid when you want to shake them up, and loosen it a crack so they can vent the gas .
Or you can buy an Erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate and do it that way. Might be simpler and more predictable but costs a few more bucks. I’ve just always done it my way and can’t be bothered changing

This might be more coherent/easier to follow than my ramblings
https://brewsrq.com/blogs/you-can-brew-it/yeast-starters-the-shaken-not-stirred-method#:~:text=It's%20very%20passive%20after%20the,won't%20oxidize%20the%20starter.

 

[the.cassowary]

I start them in pretty basic gear.
My equipment to make starters:
Saucepan, stovetop, aluminium foil, thermometer, funnel, bung, airlock, 2 litre flagon. I used to use a 2 Litre PET bottle but the flagon is more durable and easier to clean.
It’sa two step process for me. First stage is to drain as much beer as possible from 2 750ml bottles of Coopers Pale Ale, while leaving as much yeast as possible. That’s actually the tricky part I think. Helps to start with the freshest possible beer, store it upright in the fridge a few days so the yeast is as settled as can be. Have a couple of jugs ready so you only have to tilt the bottles once to decant.
Then I tip dregs from one bottle into the other, via sanitised funnel.
I make a little wort of 400ml water plus 40g dried malt extract (or a little less), and boil it for long enough to sanitise. Cover with foil and cool it to below 30°.
Tip it into the beer bottle with the dregs.
Bung it up however suits you. I cover with foil first and shake it all up so it’s foamy, then usually put a drilled bung and airlock on it. Give it a bit of a shake from time to time if you like.
Once you can see it’s come to life and had a bit of a go and is maybe settling down, it’s time for stage 2, which is similar process except with a litre of wort and a 2 litre flagon to hold it.
Maintain sanitary practice and keep it at a suitable temperature throughout.
PET bottles in appropriate sizes are also perfect for this. They even have airtight lids so you can just tighten the lid when you want to shake them up, and loosen it a crack so they can vent the gas .
Or you can buy an Erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate and do it that way. Might be simpler and more predictable but costs a few more bucks. I’ve just always done it my way and can’t be bothered changing

This might be more coherent/easier to follow than my ramblings
https://brewsrq.com/blogs/you-can-brew-it/yeast-starters-the-shaken-not-stirred-method#:~:text=It's%20very%20passive%20after%20the,won't%20oxidize%20the%20starter.

Just got an erlenmeyer flask, bung, and some DME for fathers day, so I'm going to get a yeast starter going and try your Aussie Sparkling recipe next Friday. I might do a double batch so I don't get too thirsty as Spring heats up

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Nancy Naylor Landlady pale ale.
OG 1,052 FG 1,014 ABV 5.2 IBU 43.7 SRM 6.5

5.3 kg Veloria Schooner
0.45 kg Joe White Light Munich
0.20 kg Weyerman Carapils

50g Fuggles @ 60 mins
30g EKG @ 10 mins
28g Styrian Goldings hop stand.

On target,

Full house with a fifth one cold crashing, 3rd one along is a ginger beer which has hit 1,000 FG first ginger beer, is that normal?

 

[razz]

Monday’s RIS

Captains Hat RIS​

Imperial Stout
11.3% / 24.1 °P
Recipe by
JD
All Grain

Small Batch brewing​

67.1% efficiency
Batch Volume: 17 L
Boil Time: 120 min
Mash Water: 26.45 L
Sparge Water: 6.75 L
Total Water: 33.2 L
Boil Volume: 27.79 L
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.072

Original Gravity: 1.102​

Final Gravity: 1.016
IBU (Rager): 70
BU/GU: 0.69
Colour: 47.5 SRM
Mash
Strike Temp — 70.5 °C
Temperature — 65 °C — 30 min
Temperature — 70 °C — 30 min
Msshout — 77 °C — 15 min

Malts (8.15 kg)​

6 kg (73.6%) — Weyermann Pale Malt — Grain — 3.3 SRM
1.5 kg (18.4%) — Briess Oats, Flaked — Grain — 1.4 SRM
250 g (3.1%) — Joe White Maltings Chocolate Malt — Grain — 380 SRM
150 g (1.8%) — Briess Midnight Wheat Malt — Grain — 745 SRM
100 g (1.2%) — Simpsons Brown Malt — Grain — 260 SRM
100 g (1.2%) — Gladfield Malt Gladfield Roast Barley — Grain — 710 SRM
50 g (0.6%) — Weyermann Carafa Special II — Grain — 560 SRM

Hops (108 g)​

15 g (42 IBU) — Warrior 15.4% — First Wort
43 g (28 IBU) — Warrior 14.7% — Aroma — 30 min hopstand
50 g — Centennial 11.1% — Dry Hop — 7 days

Hopstand at 90 °C
Whirlpool/Hopstand Time: 30 min

Miscs​

1.98 g — Brewtan B — Mash
2.63 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Mash
2.15 g — Epsom Salt (MgSO4) — Mash
2.23 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Mash
0.67 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Sparge
0.55 g — Epsom Salt (MgSO4) — Sparge
0.57 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Sparge
8 drops — defoamer 105 — Boil — 120 min
5.34 g — Polyclar Brewbrite — Boil — 10 min
1.48 g — Brewtan B — Boil — 5 min

Yeast​

3 pkg — Lallemand (LalBrew) Nottingham Yeast 75%
1 pkg — Lallemand (LalBrew) NovaLager 84%
449 billion yeast cells
1.08 million cells / ml / °P

Fermentation​

Primary — 20 °C — 14 days
Carbonation: 2.4 CO2-vol

Water Profile​

Ca2+
53Mg2+
9Na+
6Cl-
55SO42-
86HCO3-
24

 

[yankinoz]

Presumably the starch is going into solution, being broken down into sugars that desolve

Correct, and I'll add that suspended starch thickens as a mixture in water heats. That's what happens when you make gravy by adding water with starch or flour to pan drippings and then heat it. Also, look up making Turkish Delight. But in a mash diastatic enzymes remove the starch, thickened or not.

 

[the.cassowary]

I start them in pretty basic gear.
My equipment to make starters:
Saucepan, stovetop, aluminium foil, thermometer, funnel, bung, airlock, 2 litre flagon. I used to use a 2 Litre PET bottle but the flagon is more durable and easier to clean.
It’sa two step process for me. First stage is to drain as much beer as possible from 2 750ml bottles of Coopers Pale Ale, while leaving as much yeast as possible. That’s actually the tricky part I think. Helps to start with the freshest possible beer, store it upright in the fridge a few days so the yeast is as settled as can be. Have a couple of jugs ready so you only have to tilt the bottles once to decant.
Then I tip dregs from one bottle into the other, via sanitised funnel.
I make a little wort of 400ml water plus 40g dried malt extract (or a little less), and boil it for long enough to sanitise. Cover with foil and cool it to below 30°.
Tip it into the beer bottle with the dregs.
Bung it up however suits you. I cover with foil first and shake it all up so it’s foamy, then usually put a drilled bung and airlock on it. Give it a bit of a shake from time to time if you like.
Once you can see it’s come to life and had a bit of a go and is maybe settling down, it’s time for stage 2, which is similar process except with a litre of wort and a 2 litre flagon to hold it.
Maintain sanitary practice and keep it at a suitable temperature throughout.
PET bottles in appropriate sizes are also perfect for this. They even have airtight lids so you can just tighten the lid when you want to shake them up, and loosen it a crack so they can vent the gas .
Or you can buy an Erlenmeyer flask and a stir plate and do it that way. Might be simpler and more predictable but costs a few more bucks. I’ve just always done it my way and can’t be bothered changing

This might be more coherent/easier to follow than my ramblings
https://brewsrq.com/blogs/you-can-brew-it/yeast-starters-the-shaken-not-stirred-method#:~:text=It's%20very%20passive%20after%20the,won't%20oxidize%20the%20starter.

I'm bottling up the Aussie Sparkling tomorrow! OG 1054, FG 1012, really going to be difficult to wait 2-3 weeks for them to bottle condition before I crack one open. Thanks for sharing the recipe, it looks like it's going to be a good one!

 

[the.cassowary]

Nancy Naylor Landlady pale ale.
OG 1,052 FG 1,014 ABV 5.2 IBU 43.7 SRM 6.5

5.3 kg Veloria Schooner
0.45 kg Joe White Light Munich
0.20 kg Weyerman Carapils

50g Fuggles @ 60 mins
30g EKG @ 10 mins
28g Styrian Goldings hop stand.

On target,

View attachment 123861

Full house with a fifth one cold crashing, 3rd one along is a ginger beer which has hit 1,000 FG first ginger beer, is that normal?

View attachment 123860

I've got a brew day tomorrow with nearly the exact same grain bill, but I'm going with Eukanot Hops to try and mimic BentSpoke's Barley Griffin. Going to do a double batch, and test out dry hopping one batch only, give me a chance to compare.

 

[Narapoia]

Just finished a batch of AG ginger beer - and it is unintentionally my first sour. Boy did that Lacto get a hold of it. Hasn't carbed properly in bottle due to just getting more sour. I don't hate it, but my partner does not like it which is a bummer as it was made pretty much entirely for her.

She helped me with the prep and made the error that I am pretty sure led to the infection as well. So if anyone has any call for 20+ litres of sour Ginger beer hit me up hah.

 

[Half Pint]

I made a beer with ginger on Monday. A recipe from the Home Brew Beer book. Might be a bit on the bland side, but hard to say at this point. Definitely some ginger aroma in the vented gas.
Only made 10 litres.

Today was probably my last brew day for the year. I spent it making 20 litres of wort for a Munich Helles. Missed the pre boil target by 6 points, which is the first time I’ve missed by that much in about 3 years. Made it up with 300g DME in the boil.

Managed to cool wort to 18° in the kettle, then ran it to FV and finished chilling to 8° in the freezer. Pitched a big starter of WLP830 at 8° and now bringing the wort up to 10° for the primary fermentation.
Should be ready mid-December. Might be worth serving from the keg.

 

[TwoCrows]

I bought malted maize a while back and now using it up. Multiple brew days. Cream ale and American standard lager.

 

[philrob]

Just bottled 27 longnecks of this beauty, Belgian Dubbel
OG 1.065, FG 1.010, ABV 7.3%
Should be OK by Christmas, and only get better with time.

 

[Half Pint]

Just bottled 27 longnecks of this beauty, Belgian Dubbel
OG 1.065, FG 1.010, ABV 7.3%
Should be OK by Christmas, and only get better with time.

View attachment 123870

This post sent me to the cellar to ferret out a bottle of my own Dubbel. I spent yesterday afternoon and evening getting through it. The first glass looked great but I’m not thrilled with the way it drinks. The second glass was hazier and I found maybe a little more merit. The 3rd return was hazier again with most of the year up in it, but I thought it tasted better than the rest.
Maybe it’s the yeast that’s smoothing out the flavour, or maybe it’s the cumulative effect of the 7% alcohol over the course of a few hours. I don’t know. It’s not quite the drink I had in mind but I haven’t completely given up hope for it.
I was wondering how long I should wait before considering it’s peaked. I was thinking 6 months should be starting to get close, but then I saw a recipe Dave Line included in Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy, for “Chimay”.
It’s a very old book, and the recipe reflects the state of play for home brewing at that time (‘78), but in relation to conditioning the beer he says to store for 6 months before bottling, and then mature it 18 months before sampling!
I think people are producing much more drinkable Dubbels than mine, in less time, but I might just store mine away up the back for another year or so, and see which way the drinkability goes.

 

[philrob]

Not sure how long to mature it. I based my recipe very closely on this article:

https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-belgian-dubbel/
Apart from Belgian Wits, I've only ever brewed one other Belgian at least 12 years ago, A Belgian Dark Strong Ale. It was at its best after about 4 years in the bottle, but that was an 9.1% monster. Did OK in a competition, but had a touch too much obvious alcohol character, although very complex overall.