What are you brewing 2024

[Spacman]

Brewed Foreign Extra Stout yesterday.
Pitched the WLP004 yeast harvested from Dry Irish Stout.

Recipe predicted OG 1.073.
I had 1.07, with an extra litre into FV. Screwed up somewhere on the volume, probably drew too much sparge water. I’m pretty happy with 75% mash efficiency from a 6.5kg grist on the little Brewzilla (3.1.1)

Base recipe calls for
69% Maris Otter
12% Crisp Chocolate Malt
8% Rolled Oats
6% Muscovado sugar
5% CaraAroma
Mashed at 65° for 75 minutes
60 minute boil.
Single addition Magnum to 50 IBU
OG 1.072

Have brewed this with Carafa Special 2 and WLP007, which was rather good.
Brewed it again in May 24, with Crisp Chocolate, Special B and S-04 yeast.
I did not like this one as much.

This time I’ve used a mix of roasted malts: Gladfield Light Chocolate, Carafa Sp3 and Sp1. For the crystal element I’ve used a mix of Special B and Crisp dark crystal (reported as 169°L).
I haven’t really been a fan of the foam in the previous 2 efforts, and I’m not sold on the use of oats in brewing anyway, so I’ve replaced the oats with a mix of torrified wheat and malted wheat.
I only had about half of the required amount of Muscovado, so I used some Rapadura for the rest.
And I’m using WLP004.
So probably hopelessly muddled but the wort tasted good.
Pitched yeast about 1pm. Went down to fill the airlock around 6am today and was a small battle to get the liquid in past the escaping gas. I think the yeast pitch was adequate. It’s made about 4cm of barm in under 18 hours.
I don’t usually harvest yeast from beers as strong as this, but I might have a go at top-cropping this one if that holds up well tomorrow.

Reminds me, found this in my shed t'other day. Had forgotten it ever existed, doing a dive through the 'Coopers' threads to give something like this a go.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

My recent brew is an India Pale Lager extremely highly hopped with a low ABV 70+ IBU of Noble hops and again a fermentation temperature of 16C. The yeast is Mangrove Jack California lager yeast.
Very green wort due to hops another 100 gram to go in for a 30 minute hop stand.
View attachment 124848
Shooting for 1,038 so close enough.
View attachment 124847
And taking off quite nicely.
View attachment 124849

Well, I had my second taste of the India Pale Lager High IBU's and low ABV are not good bedfellows. But still has time for the hops to settle down. This is going to be a great summer thirst quencher with the IBU's and ABV. Making this again I will change the hops from noble to American or even English hops.