Ag#7 christmas leftovers

[Rolfster]

Brew on today.
I am aiming for 35L at an OG of 1.042
Maris otter 6.2kg
Munich 350g
Torrified wheat 100g

Mashing for as long as I can manage at 67.

I will then be first hopping with 20g of pacific jade

then adding 26g of fuggle at 20 minutes and 5 minutes.

Then 20g of pacific jade at flameout.
This sould give a IBU of 35.4

Its then going to be slipt into 2 different fermenters.
On with nottingham and one with windsor.
The one with windor is going to be spiced once initial fermentation gives way.
Anyone got any tips on spice? I was thinking clove, ginger, cinamon and orange peel in muslin, so it can be easily removed when it gets spicey enough.
The other will be dry hopped with whatever I have left!

 

[graysalchemy]

Anyone got any tips on spice? I was thinking clove, ginger, cinamon and orange peel in muslin, so it can be easily removed when it gets spicey enough.

Yes do it in the secondary once it has finished fermenting so you have a base to be able to judge what the finished beer will taste like. And do as you describe in a muslin bag. :thumb:

 

[Rolfster]

As it is a left over recipe, I have just found out that I have only got 15g of pacific jade left!

its going to need some quick tweaking!

 

[Baldbrewer]

Try steeping some spices in vodka, I currently have a cinnamon stick, 1/8 grated nutmeg, 1/2 clove head and 1/2 tsp of dried ginger steeping in 80mls of vodka.

When I taste my christmas brew at bottling stage I will add spiced vodka to the bottling barrel to my required taste level. flying by the seat of my pants here because this is my first Christmas brew but going by what information I've gleaned from various forums.

He who dares Rodders he who dares :

 

[Rolfster]

Batch sparging now. And just used some of the water to rince out the pacific jade hop bag!

 

[Rolfster]

Try steeping some spices in vodka, I currently have a cinnamon stick, 1/8 grated nutmeg, 1/2 clove head and 1/2 tsp of dried ginger steeping in 80mls of vodka.

When I taste my christmas brew at bottling stage I will add spiced vodka to the bottling barrel to my required taste level. flying by the seat of my pants here because this is my first Christmas brew but going by what information I've gleaned from various forums.

He who dares Rodders he who dares :

Sounds like a good idea! :thumb:

 

[Rolfster]

Its boiling.... and the boiler it looking a little full. :pray:

 

[Rolfster]

just about to test out my new (and homemade) wort chiller....

 

[Rolfster]

I Got 35L at an OG of 1.049.

Now I am thinking spices, and how to make sure they are sterile!

 

[Rolfster]

I have split the Beer into 2 Fvs

One is dry hopping the other I put some orange peel, clove, coriander seed, a couple of pepper corns and some cassia bark into some vanila vodka for a day or so and then poured the lot into the FV through a muslin bag. Have tasted periodically and pulled the bag out when there was a noticable hint of spice.
Not after a spicy smack round the face!
Leaving a little while longer, while I find time to bottle it up!
R

 

[Rolfster]

So I bottled the spiced half of this today.
Got 32 bottles.

Should be bottling the other half tomorrow, and I am hoping to get 35 bottles out of that as I have not take much out of the FV to taste!

 

[Rolfster]

Bottled up the dry hopped half tonight.

Got 33 bottles (and a little one!)

I must say that I think this is the dullest beer I have so far! Not bad, but nothing stands out.
I put some old cascade hops in at the end of the boil. Has this sucked all the nice flavours out?

 

[Rolfster]

Well I feel like these beers have been rescued from mediocity slightly.

The dry hopped beer while still not quite clear is tasting nicely of hops, and is quite clean and fresh.

The spiced beer is clear, has a slight hoppy flavour, that leads nicely into the citrus of the orange peel, that leads on into the corriander seed. Its not my normal style but is going to down well over the festive season. I am happy with this effot.

It reminds me that trying new things is good! In retrospect I think if I did this again more clove/ a different yeast to give the clovey flavour would enhance the beer even more.....