AG #14 - Daximus Galaximus Pale Ale

[The Goatreich]

Brewing today for the first time in ages! I'm repeating the same recipe as I did last brew as it came out really well. Renamed it after my assistant brewer.

AG#14 Daximus Galaximus Pale Ale
Brew length: 19l
Style: American Pale Ale
Estimated OG: 1.045
Estimated IBU: 60
Estimated EBC: 9.5

Maris Otter - 3.6kg
Gypsum - 3.82g
Mash at 76C for 75 minutes

Gypsum - 7.25g - boil for 60 minutes
Epsom salt - 4.43g - boil for 60 minutes
Nugget - 15g - 60 minutes
0.5 protofloc tablet - 15 minutes
25g galaxy - 15 minutes
15g challenger - 15 minutes
25g galaxy - 5 minutes
25g galaxy - 0 minutes (steep for 20 minutes)
25g galaxy - dry hop after 7 days
US-05 yeast

Getting the HLT up to temp early this morning:

The grist:

Doughing in:

Mash tun all wrapped up:

The beautful hops:

The boil and first hop entry (with evidence of my first ever boil over):

Flavour hop addition:

The 5 minute hop addition:

Flame out and aroma hop addition is in to steep for 20 minutes:

A quick walk of the brewer's assistant, Dax, while the wort cools. He's unfortunately on his last legs we think, so this may be his last brew day:

Transferring the wort into the fermentation bucket:

1.044 - not far off considering I was 2l under volume:

17l collected - oh well:

All tucked up for the next 7 days before dry hopping:

 

[barry44]

I hope your dog sees many more brew days mate.

 

[abeyptfc]

all the best Dax, hope you see many more brewdays my son. :

 

[The Goatreich]

Thanks guys.

 

[The Goatreich]

Getting a bit worried about this. I normally roughly control the fermentation temperature by sitting the FV in a bucket with an aquarium heater set to around 20C. I then dangle a probe in the bucket and periodically check the temperature on it. It normally happily sits at around 20-21C, but this time for some reason the haeter isn't happy until the water in the bucket around the brew is about 24-25C. I'm guessing that the actual wort is going to be even warmer than that.

I'm unsure what to do, if I turn off the heater it'll get too cold over night, and if I turn it on just overnight the chances are it'll be fluctuating in temperature too much.

I'm using US-05 yeast, so might be worrying about nothing, but i'd hate to lose this brew to off flavours.

 

[Steve]

If the heater temp probe is in the wort and not in the water bath the high water temp makes me think the FV temp was lower. If you're worried then just drop the set temperature a few degrees to get it a bit lower. It might take a little longer to ferment out but not that much longer.

Sorry to hear about Dax.

 

[The Goatreich]

The probe is in the water bath and won't go any lower. It used to sit fine at around 21 so I don't know what's changed. I've turned it off now.

 

[morethanworts]

Well the first two days or so are the most critical in creating the 'yeast flavours', while the cells divide, so it's not been ideal perhaps. What's the air temperature there? I'd have been tempted to just leave the FV in the trug of water, which alone will even out day/night swings, for the first couple of days at least, maybe heating later - though you obviously thought the heater was working OK at that stage. Lowering it now may not make much difference, other than slowing down final attenuation. Maybe take an SG.

FWIW, anecdotally, I think US-05 is probably OK a bit higher than some yeasts, even in the early phase, so you may get away with it I guess.

 

[The Goatreich]

Fingers crossed. Air temperature in that room is usually quiet chilly, so I'm surprised it's so high. I'm due to dry hop on Saturday, so I'll take an SG then and have a quick taste test.

 

[The Goatreich]

1.006 after 7 days, tasted deliciously hoppy, very bitter. At 73 IBU I'm not surprised.

Added another 25g Galaxy in as dry hops. Chucked them in without a bag this time. After the photo I gave them a gentle stir to try and get them to absorb some fluid. I wanted to crumble them up, but there was muck under my nails from working in the garden. I think I'll just stir them occasionally throughout the day until they're fully saturated.