20l Stovetop All Grain Aussie Lager

[paulmclaren11]

Thanks Nick, I will try it again with the kettle boil method, stirring it a lot and insulating the pot better next time.

My efficiency was still pretty good when I did it and the Bright Ale Clone I made tastes unreal .... too easy to drink!

 

[Nick JD]

Thanks Nick, I will try it again with the kettle boil method, stirring it a lot and insulating the pot better next time.

My efficiency was still pretty good when I did it and the Bright Ale Clone I made tastes unreal .... too easy to drink!

While you're infusing, taste the mash. You'll be amazed how sweet it is even at 58C.

Most of the reason for such long mashes is to get that last little bit. Most of it's done (especially with a fine crush) really quickly. If you're mashing at 70C you only need to give it 15 minutes - worrying about the mash temp falling a few degrees is only really a bit problem if you are mashing low, like 62C, where you really don't want the second half of the mash to fall to below 60C. Cool mashes take much longer (like 90 minutes).

Also, if you are kettle infusing - the pot doesn't need to be on the stove. You can sit it on a couple of towels in the bench. I wrap my mash in an old thinsulate sleeping bag.

 

[kierent]

It's difficult to dry hop with noble hops successfully, and I'm not sure if any commercial lagers are dry hopped.



I didn't realise this! I've only ever dry hopped with cascade and amarillo in my pale ales so I'm glad I read this before trying it in a pilsner with saaz. I guess the trick is to just bitter it correctly in the boil in the first place huh?

 

[Nick JD]

I didn't realise this! I've only ever dry hopped with cascade and amarillo in my pale ales so I'm glad I read this before trying it in a pilsner with saaz. I guess the trick is to just bitter it correctly in the boil in the first place huh?

No reason why you can't hop with noble hops, just that it's difficult to get a desirable flavour - it's easy to end up with grass-clippings instead of florally spice. If you are going to try, go conservative. Also, dry hopping doesn't give much (most would argue, none) in the way of bitterness (although I think it does "bitter" to some small extent ... taste a hop tea to see). When I keg dry hop with Citra at 1g/L the beer seems a little bit more bitter, but I find high AA hops dry can also impart a kind of astringency to the beer which fades after a few days when the hops are removed and feels a little like bitterness on the tongue if the beer is already high in IBUs.

 

[flano]

saaz for me turned out grassy.
I read in some brewing mag that the head brewer from Little creatures suggested dry hopping with hops that start with "C". casade , citra etc
Galaxy is a no no..too potent. according to him.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

saaz for me turned out grassy.
I read in some brewing mag that the head brewer from Little creatures suggested dry hopping with hops that start with "C". casade , citra etc
Galaxy is a no no..too potent. according to him.

Pretty much all true.

I find that Galaxy gets a bit grassy, soapy and harsh as a dry hopper (especially in high quantities).

Nobles are a no-no.

Cascade - good, but beware in super high amounts, it still gets a little grassy - but I actually like the 'type' of grassiness I get from it.

My go to dry hop is Citra. It is nearly the perfect C hop in any situation.

Centennial and Chinook aren't bad at the job either.

 

[sgw86]

Hopefully Nick or Flano can help me with my below question (may be a little over worried though).

I am almost up to Day 14 for my first BIAB using Nicks method and had a taste...must say very very nice! Again thanks to Nick for the tutorial and also Flano for his tips and advice.

Anyhoo I have noticed that there is now about 1.5+ inches of trub sitting at the bottom of the fermenter (a lot more than when I was doing Extract). Is there any concern for this? Am I right in saying that the only thing this will cause when I go to keg it is the first few pours will be cloudy?

My concern is some of the gunk (if transferred to the keg) may block up my dip tube.

 

[Nick JD]

Hopefully Nick or Flano can help me with my below question (may be a little over worried though).

I am almost up to Day 14 for my first BIAB using Nicks method and had a taste...must say very very nice! Again thanks to Nick for the tutorial and also Flano for his tips and advice.

Anyhoo I have noticed that there is now about 1.5+ inches of trub sitting at the bottom of the fermenter (a lot more than when I was doing Extract). Is there any concern for this? Am I right in saying that the only thing this will cause when I go to keg it is the first few pours will be cloudy?

My concern is some of the gunk (if transferred to the keg) may block up my dip tube.

That's a lot of trub, but isn't an issue.

Transfer it with a long hose into another fermenter or jerry and give it a day or two to settle out (do the gelatine thing too, and cold crash by all means ... Aussie lagers should be crystal clear) - then keg.

Presentation is important if you intend to serve this to others. Also, the style really benefits from being clear in that the taste of yeast isn't to style. If you used Coopers yeast ignore all this!

 

[sgw86]

Nick,

I reckon there would be more trub at the bottom now which seems to have settled down. Would I have this much trub due to me pouring the entire contents of the mash stockpot into the fermenter? as opposed to leaving out the hot break etc.

I am just going to cold crash to 0C in the primary (which I do every time) and then keg 6-7 days later. Is this sufficient?

I used SafLager S-23 yeast.

That's a lot of trub, but isn't an issue.

Transfer it with a long hose into another fermenter or jerry and give it a day or two to settle out (do the gelatine thing too, and cold crash by all means ... Aussie lagers should be crystal clear) - then keg.

Presentation is important if you intend to serve this to others. Also, the style really benefits from being clear in that the taste of yeast isn't to style. If you used Coopers yeast ignore all this!

 

[Nick JD]

If you poured in the hotbreak that'll explain it. What ever way you feel most comfortable doing it is the best way at this stage.

 

[Gavo]

As Nick as said pouring the whole kettle in will explain the extra trub. Going from kits to extract will get extra trub but probably less noticeable, Going from extract to all grain will definitely see an increase in trub. A whirlpool at the end and siphon from the side of the pot will see you with a lot less trub in the fermenter.

 

[sgw86]

Thanks Nick and Gavo!

At the moment I will continue to add the hot break and then as I get more comfortable with the process can look to whirlpool and siphon into fermenter.

As I am starting to build up my recipes has anybody had a crack at a Mac Hop Rocker Pilsener? A bit of research has led me to the following recipe.


Hop Rocker


Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 20.0
Total Grain (kg): 4.000
Total Hops (g): 40.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.043 (P): 10.7
Final Gravity (FG): 1.011 (P): 2.8
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.22 %
Colour (SRM): 4.4 (EBC): 8.6
Bitterness (IBU): 35.4 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 70
Boil Time (Minutes): 60

Grain Bill
----------------
3.800 kg Pilsner (95%)
0.200 kg Caramalt (5%)

Hop Bill
----------------
15.0 g Nelson Sauvin Pellet (11.5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) (0.8 g/L)
10.0 g Cascade Pellet (7.8% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (0.5 g/L)
5.0 g Nelson Sauvin Pellet (11.5% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) (0.2 g/L)
5.0 g Cascade Pellet (7.8% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil) (0.2 g/L)
5.0 g Nelson Sauvin Pellet (11.5% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil) (0.2 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------

Single step Infusion at 66C for 90 Minutes.
Fermented at 10C with Saflager W-34/70


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

 

[Nick JD]

Looks good - I'd use a good euro pils malt and NZ cascade. And don't fear the rotten eggs that 34/70 produces early in the ferment. It clears.

 

[sgw86]

Looks good - I'd use a good euro pils malt and NZ cascade. And don't fear the rotten eggs that 34/70 produces early in the ferment. It clears.

Weyermann malt? and I notice you can buy NZ Cascade in flowers but not pellets?

 

[Phillo]

Hopefully Nick or Flano can help me with my below question (may be a little over worried though).

I am almost up to Day 14 for my first BIAB using Nicks method and had a taste...must say very very nice! Again thanks to Nick for the tutorial and also Flano for his tips and advice.

Anyhoo I have noticed that there is now about 1.5+ inches of trub sitting at the bottom of the fermenter (a lot more than when I was doing Extract). Is there any concern for this? Am I right in saying that the only thing this will cause when I go to keg it is the first few pours will be cloudy?

My concern is some of the gunk (if transferred to the keg) may block up my dip tube.

Don't worry mate, I've only done ten or so BIABs in a stock pot and my latest IPA (got greedy and poured in the whole pot) has trub to about 1.5cm above the freakin' tap!

I'll be calculating my recipes for a few litres more in future and sacrificing the last bit. What I've got at the moment is nearly unmanageable. I'll probably rack to secondary tomorrow with a little dex so there's some CO2 in the headspace, then leave it the rest of the way.

Time for a tap with a pickup tube methinks!

 

[Nick JD]

Weyermann malt? and I notice you can buy NZ Cascade in flowers but not pellets?

Weyermann Pilsner is a supurb grain - worth the $15 extra a sack - I use it as a base malt for nearly everything. IMO NZ Cascade flowers are the world's best cascade. Very zingy.

The beer will still be great with BB Pale and USA Cascade though - but if you're cloning a NZ beer, get NZ ingredients where possible.

That said - I wonder what NZ malts are like?? Might start a thread.

 

[sgw86]

Interesting. I guess it's always advisable to buy ingredients from the region that the beer originates from.

With Flowers (why is it not possible to get NZ Cascade as pellets) do you use them as you would use pellets in a hop sock?

Weyermann Pilsner is a supurb grain - worth the $15 extra a sack - I use it as a base malt for nearly everything. IMO NZ Cascade flowers are the world's best cascade. Very zingy.

The beer will still be great with BB Pale and USA Cascade though - but if you're cloning a NZ beer, get NZ ingredients where possible.

That said - I wonder what NZ malts are like?? Might start a thread.

 

[Nick JD]

Interesting. I guess it's always advisable to buy ingredients from the region that the beer originates from.

With Flowers (why is it not possible to get NZ Cascade as pellets) do you use them as you would use pellets in a hop sock?

http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=2785

I use flowers and pellets in a hop sock - it must always be BIG, that's the only caveat. I've used the grain bag before as a hop sock.

 

[flano]

I always tip the lot into the fermenter...hot break and all. I use whirlfloc most of the time

I use the trub for recycled yeast.

If I ever do add anything to clear it up I use gelatine....but that is just another process where I could let an infection get in I think.

I used to stick the fermenter in the fridge for a but 2 weeks prior to kegging and that would clear it right up.
I have started dry hopping and was told not to let it sit on the trub with the dry hops for more than 5 days.
so now I wait until it is just about done fermenting , dry hop for approx 4 days , then keg and leave in the fridge ( purged of oxygen ) for a few weeks .
Comes out clear usually.

Joining a brewing club has helped heaps. Just slowly getting little tips here and there has improved my beer a lot. It is no harder harder to make just a few different things during the process.
Plus drinking heaps of great beer is a bonus.

also just on *****'s pils recipe there....which looks good to me....and what Nick says about NZ stuff
I cubed a Pils a few months ago during a brewing binge.
I used NZ moetuka saaz ...with just plain saaz ....prelim samples have been awesome.

but like every thing I read about brewing ....temp control is the key.

 

[paulmclaren11]

Just put Dr Smurto's Landlord down, his Light Amber which I am sipping now (mine isn't so light) is a ripping brew - I subbed Galaxy with Citra :icon_drool2:

What is considered good efficiency with this method?

I am getting around 69% :beerbang: with the last 3 brews.

Should I expect more?