What are you brewing II ?

[Weizguy]

American-style amber with an irregular mix of grains, not that we can get Yank grain here (and why would you want to?).
I have tuned this one down from 5.3% (last time) to about 4.6% to help the tasting session last a bit longer. This will kick off a drinking/feasting day at a friend's house in a few weeks. No reason, except we like to get together and share a beer occasionally.

Amber Ale
Brew Type: All Grain Date: 28-02-09
Style: American Amber Ale Brewer: Seth
Batch Size: 28.00 L
Boil Volume: 37.84 L Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0 % Equipment: Seth - 50 litre Esky and 75 litre kettle

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.55 kg Pilsner (Weyermann) (3.3 EBC) Grain 81.8 %
0.38 kg Carawheat (Weyermann) (98.5 EBC) Grain 6.9 %
0.30 kg Munich II (Weyermann) (16.7 EBC) Grain 5.3 %
0.20 kg Caraamber (Weyermann) (70.9 EBC) Grain 3.5 %
0.14 kg Crystal, Dark (Joe White) (216.7 EBC) Grain 2.5 %
15.96 gm Magnum [13.00%] (60 min) Hops 22.2 IBU
15.12 gm Cascade [6.30%] (10 min) Hops 2.0 IBU
14.28 gm Willamette [4.90%] (10 min) Hops 1.5 IBU
8.40 gm Willamette [4.90%] (10 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1 Whirfloc tablet (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs American Ale (W1056) [Starter 1500 ml] [Cultured] Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.047 SG (1.045-1.060 SG)
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.011 SG (1.010-1.015 SG)
Estimated Color: 19.1 EBC (19.7-33.5 EBC)
Bitterness: 25.7 IBU (25.0-45.0 IBU)
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 4.6 % (4.5-6.0 %)
Actual Calories: 450 cal/l


Mash Profile Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body Mash Tun Weight: 3.00 kg

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 14.51 L of water at 75.7 C 67.8 C 60 min
Mash Out Add 8.12 L of water at 92.0 C 75.6 C 10 min

Last time I made this, it was complex (both malt and hop) and very delicious when young. Didn't last too long.

Les (off to dough/mash in)

 

[Tony]

Running a final volume of 21L, 11 EBC and 27 IBU. Efficiency was crappy, less than 60%, although I'm beginning to suspect my hydrometer as its getting dodgy readings all over the place. Might be as simple as a crap testing tube. Otherwise, looks like I can budget on cruddy efficiency for a while until I get my method nailed down solidly. No matter, I knew there was a reason I bought a whole sack of Traditional Ale to start off with

Cheers all - boingk

If your getting less than 60% efficiency there a few common problems or a combonation of them that will cause the problem.

Course Malt Crush: The grain should be cracked to contain a fair amount of flour...... mainly fine grits and husk. If the grain is just broken into a few bits you wont get good efficiency.

Too fast a sparge: You should throttle back your runnings to the kettle so it takes about an hour to drain for a 23 odd liter batch. If it runs through too quick, the water cant pull the remaining sugars from the grain particles in the mash. Dont rush your sparge.

Chaneling: THis can be related to fast sparge speeds. Its when the mash's grain bed cracks and water flows strait through to the false bottom without collecting any sugars. Keep an eye out for cracks while sparging. Sparging quickly can also cause chanelling as the water will find the path of least resistance.

Buy a Refractometer! You can then take small drop sized samples while mashing sparging and boiling to check process and if your channeling of sparging to slow you will catch it. The gravity of the sparge should not really drop below 1.020. If your getting 1.008 your leaving sugars behind.

hope this helps a bit

cheers

 

[boingk]

Course Malt Crush

Too fast a sparge

Chaneling

Buy a Refractometer!

Cheers for the advice Tony, but I do BIAB so that rules out the second and third options. My grain is cracked by somone else [fellas at Jay-Dub], so thats out. A refractometer, however, seems like a good idea. I am, unfortunately, financially challenged though...so thats that out. Damn!

Whoa, hold on a sec...water! I've just had the brainwave - I live in Goulburn and we are renowned for having really terrible water. Perhaps this has something to do with it. Might have to get a few test strips and some kettle adjuncts.

Cheers - boingk

 

[mckenry]

I live in Goulburn and we are renowned for having really terrible water.
Cheers - boingk

My oath you do. Still, bad tasting water to drink often lends itself to making some excellent styles of beer. Check Goulburns water profile on your local council website.

 

[Tony]

Oh well there's your problem................. BIAB

h34r:

And just because your grain is cracked by someone else, doesnt make it cracked croectly.

cheers

 

[boingk]

Well, cheers for the advice and info fellas. Looks like I've got some research to do.

Meanwhile...back to the brews!

- boingk

 

[lucas]

i think it's been damn near a year since I fired up the AG rig, so yesterday was spent cleaning the cobwebs out of everything and I've just started mashing a double batch of APA

"It's been a long time" pale ale

9.00 kg Pale Malt (2.0 SRM) Grain 93.75 %
0.50 kg Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (2.0 SRM) Grain 5.21 %
0.10 kg Caramunich II (Weyermann) (63.0 SRM) Grain 1.04 %
28.30 gm american mix (old cascade and northern brewer I had in the freezer) [7.00 %] (80 min) Hops 12.9 IBU
10.00 gm Magnum [13.50 %] (80 min) Hops 8.8 IBU
20.00 gm Simcoe [11.90 %] (30 min) Hops 11.3 IBU
30.00 gm Simcoe [11.90 %] (5 min) Hops 4.4 IBU
30.00 gm Simcoe [11.90 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops

Batch Size: 40L
Est OG: 1.051
Est FG: 1.013
Alc: 4.92%
Bitterness 37.5 IBU

Hopefully I dont forget anything crucial

 

[Tony]

Hopefully I dont forget anything crucial

Did you pitch the yeast

 

[lucas]

Did you pitch the yeast

is this some new discovery while I was gone? like mash hopping but with yeast?

 

[bconnery]

Another English to put on the yeast cake of my 1469 West Yorkshire
This is a semi standard grain bill I use with 100/100/100g of Pale Choc, Dark Crystal and some other crystal (plus the extra 30g to use up my stocks today...)
I also ran out of ale malt, hence the munich and wheat...
This of course just means I might be forced to by some floor malted something this week

Recipe: Mooshell's 1470
Brewer: Mooshells
Asst Brewer:
Style: Standard/Ordinary Bitter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 25.00 L
Boil Size: 34.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.037 SG
Estimated Color: 28.3 EBC
Estimated IBU: 28.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2700.00 gm Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 63.83 %
500.00 gm Munich I (Weyermann) (14.0 EBC) Grain 11.82 %
300.00 gm Wheat Malt (Barrett Burston) (3.0 EBC) Grain 7.09 %
250.00 gm Maize, Flaked (Thomas Fawcett) (3.9 EBC) Grain 5.91 %
150.00 gm Amber Malt (85.0 EBC) Grain 3.55 %
130.00 gm Crystal, Dark (Bairds) (216.7 EBC) Grain 3.07 %
100.00 gm Crystal, Medium (Bairds) (145.0 EBC) Grain 2.36 %
100.00 gm Pale Chocolate Malt (Thomas Fawcett) (800.Grain 2.36 %
20.00 gm Fuggles [3.90 %] (60 min) Hops 8.8 IBU
20.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (60 min) Hops 11.5 IBU
10.00 gm Fuggles [3.90 %] (20 min) Hops 2.7 IBU
10.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (20 min) Hops 3.5 IBU
20.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (2 min) Hops 1.0 IBU
30.00 gm Fuggles [3.90 %] (2 min) Hops 1.1 IBU
1 Pkgs West Yorkshire (Wyeast Labs #1469) Yeast-Ale

 

[winkle]

Need to get a bitter down pretty damm soonish Ben, however today is another crack at a blueberry wit.

Bluewit
Witbier

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 22.00 L
Boil Size: 25.18
Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.00 kg Pale Malt (Barrett Burston) (2.0 SRM) Grain 50.00 %
1.00 kg Wheat Malt (Barrett Burston) (1.5 SRM) Grain 25.00 %
1.00 kg Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM) Grain 25.00 %
11.00 gm Sticklebract [13.50 %] (60 min) Hops 17.4 IBU
12.00 gm Saaz [4.00 %] (15 min) Hops 2.8 IBU
0.25 tsp Koppafloc (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
1025.00 gm Blueberries (Secondary 4.0 days) Misc
1 Pkgs SafBrew Specialty Ale (DCL Yeast #T-58) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.042 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.06 %
Bitterness: 20.2 IBU Calories: 373 cal/l
Est Color: 3.0

Applying lessons learnt from the case swap batch

 

[bconnery]

Need to get a bitter down pretty damm soonish Ben, however today is another crack at a blueberry wit.

Yes you do.
Tasted the beer I am reusing the yeast cake from and it is tasting very nice. Looking forward to getting it in the keg!

Wit looks good. Are the blueberries strong enough to get away with 1kg? I can't remember what you put in last time.
Interested to see how t58 works. I still love wb06 for fruit wheats but t58 could be interesting, it certainly works in a spiced beer...

 

[NickB]

MK III of my NS Pils mashing as I type...

NS Pils

3.00kg BB Galaxy
1.75kg BB Ale
350g Weyermann Munich

20g Green Bullet @ 90
25g Nelson Sauvin @ flameout

US-05 yeast this time as I don't have any lager yeast ATM... Will try to ferment at around 15-16C and see what happens

OG 1.052
FG 1.013
Mash Temp 67C

Also giving my new March Pump a run recirculating my mash today........... I'm a real brewer now

Cheers

PS: Agree with you Winkle, really need to get a Bitter of some sort down soon!

 

[winkle]

Yes you do.
Tasted the beer I am reusing the yeast cake from and it is tasting very nice. Looking forward to getting it in the keg!

Wit looks good. Are the blueberries strong enough to get away with 1kg? I can't remember what you put in last time.
Interested to see how t58 works. I still love wb06 for fruit wheats but t58 could be interesting, it certainly works in a spiced beer...

Last time it was about 850gm, so I've upped it a bit and will hit them with a stick blender the pour it all into a stocking to prevent those chewy bits in the last batch. T-58 should be good just have to give it a bit more conditioning time.

Looks like another trip to craftbrewer for some floor malted MO.

 

[Muggus]

Finally getting around to brewing my NSW Easter Case Swap entry. Trying to use the ingredients I have on hand.

Brutus - Belgian Brown
3.0kg Pilsner
0.5kg Carapils
0.5kg Torrified wheat
0.4kg Caramalt
0.2kg Amber Malt
0.1kg Crystal Malt
0.1kg Dark Crystal Malt
0.1kg Chocolate Malt
1.5kg Coopers Light Malt extract

Mash at 68 for an hour

Hops
FWH - 10g Motueka pellets (7.1%AA)
- 5g Green Bullet pellets (13.0AA)
15 min - 10g Motueka pellets (7.1%AA)
- 5g Green Bullet pellets (13.0AA)

Ferment with WLP500 Trappist Ale

Should be interesting...

 

[white.grant]

Ag number 20 for me today so thought I would do something different. Got this recipe from Mosher's radical brewing, but swapped in tettnang for the original spalt.

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Grant gose mad in dorking
Brewer: Grant
Asst Brewer:
Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 22.00 L
Boil Size: 27.95 L
Estimated OG: 1.032 SG
Estimated Color: 2.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 25.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
0.45 kg Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 12.61 %
1.59 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 44.54 %
0.68 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 19.05 %
0.45 kg Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) Grain 12.61 %
0.40 kg Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 11.20 %
28.30 gm Tettnang [4.50 %] (90 min) Hops 17.3 IBU
14.50 gm Tettnang [4.50 %] (45 min) Hops 8.0 IBU
28.00 gm Coriander Seed (Boil 0.0 min) Misc
28.00 gm Salt (Boil 0.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Weihenstephan Weizen (Wyeast Labs #3068) Yeast-Wheat


Had a munch on the acidulated malt, wow I think I like it.

cheers

grant

 

[bconnery]

Ended up caramelizing about 1.5kgs with 100g brown sugar and 200mls of cointreau as well...
All up a shade under 4kgs of figs went into the secondary, plus I've got another 1.7 frozen for something else in the future

Picked up a load of ripe figs at the market today so it's fruit beer time.
Was going to do a belgian something but my wife suggested a porter and I like the idea.
I don't know how much fruit it will be until I've sorted out the trays but a few kilos anyway...

I plan to caramelize them a little with some brown sugar, or on their own...

Recipe: Fig Porter
Brewer: Mooshells
Asst Brewer:
Style: Brown Porter
TYPE: All Grain

Batch Size: 24.00 L
Boil Size: 33.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 43.5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 30.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 70 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3900.00 gm Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 81.68 %
250.00 gm Carared (Weyermann) (47.3 EBC) Grain 5.24 %
200.00 gm Brown Malt (145.0 EBC) Grain 4.19 %
200.00 gm Caraaroma (Weyermann) (350.7 EBC) Grain 4.19 %
100.00 gm Carafa Special II (Weyermann) (1150.0 EBC)Grain 2.09 %
25.00 gm Black Malt (Bairds) (1350.0 EBC) Grain 0.52 %
25.00 gm Ahtanum [5.70 %] (60 min) Hops 16.2 IBU
10.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (60 min) Hops 5.8 IBU
30.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (15 min) Hops 8.6 IBU
2000.00 gm Fig (Secondary 7.0 days) Misc
100.00 gm Brown Sugar, Light (50.0 EBC) Sugar 2.09 %
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale

 

[bconnery]

Well this has become more of a best bitter my as new false bottom raised my efficiency by 5%...
I didn't change anything else as yet so I think the better deadspace and possibly less channeling? Not sure but I was getting bang on 70% consistently and I've gone to 75 today.

Another English to put on the yeast cake of my 1469 West Yorkshire
This is a semi standard grain bill I use with 100/100/100g of Pale Choc, Dark Crystal and some other crystal (plus the extra 30g to use up my stocks today...)
I also ran out of ale malt, hence the munich and wheat...
This of course just means I might be forced to by some floor malted something this week

Recipe: Mooshell's 1470
Brewer: Mooshells
Asst Brewer:
Style: Standard/Ordinary Bitter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 25.00 L
Boil Size: 34.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.037 SG
Estimated Color: 28.3 EBC
Estimated IBU: 28.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
2700.00 gm Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 63.83 %
500.00 gm Munich I (Weyermann) (14.0 EBC) Grain 11.82 %
300.00 gm Wheat Malt (Barrett Burston) (3.0 EBC) Grain 7.09 %
250.00 gm Maize, Flaked (Thomas Fawcett) (3.9 EBC) Grain 5.91 %
150.00 gm Amber Malt (85.0 EBC) Grain 3.55 %
130.00 gm Crystal, Dark (Bairds) (216.7 EBC) Grain 3.07 %
100.00 gm Crystal, Medium (Bairds) (145.0 EBC) Grain 2.36 %
100.00 gm Pale Chocolate Malt (Thomas Fawcett) (800.Grain 2.36 %
20.00 gm Fuggles [3.90 %] (60 min) Hops 8.8 IBU
20.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (60 min) Hops 11.5 IBU
10.00 gm Fuggles [3.90 %] (20 min) Hops 2.7 IBU
10.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (20 min) Hops 3.5 IBU
20.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.10 %] (2 min) Hops 1.0 IBU
30.00 gm Fuggles [3.90 %] (2 min) Hops 1.1 IBU
1 Pkgs West Yorkshire (Wyeast Labs #1469) Yeast-Ale

 

[bindi]

Mashing this:
Style: Unkown
22L

3.50 kg Munich I
1.50 kg Wheat Malt
0.25 kg Chocolate Rye
0.25 kg Melanoidin
0.10 kg Caraaroma
0.10 kg Carared
20.00 gm Northern Brewer [9.40 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 20.4 IBU
26.00 gm Tettnang [4.20 %] (20 min) Hops 6.5 IBU

Yeast: Wheat [not sure which one yet].

 

[Stuster]

Mashing for a parti-gyle at the moment. Just straight Thomas Fawcett Maris Otter. The first half will be an old ale, somewhere round the 1060-70 mark. I'm going to use the Wyeast Old ale yeast on that one (love that brett ). The second runnings are for a 1040 summer ale with Challenger and the 1026 cask ale yeast.