An Ankoù brewday:

[An Ankoù]

Ha, I bet you are minted!
It’s that price for 660ml, £1.50 a glass
You will love it

Apart from the pint I had at The Cow in Poole, which I couldn't taste because at £5.40 a pint it stuck in my throat, I wouldn't be talking about it now if it hadn't been for Leclerc mis-pricing the 330s on their shelves. Grabbed a dozen just in case and insisted they sold them at the price shown. Wish I'd cleared the shelf, but let's not be greedy.
How can Asda knock it out for £2.50 for 660 ml, duty, VAT and Asda's profit paid if they use all the hops they claim to?

 

[pms67]

Apart from the pint I had at The Cow in Poole, which I couldn't taste because at £5.40 a pint it stuck in my throat, I wouldn't be talking about it now if it hadn't been for Leclerc mis-pricing the 330s on their shelves. Grabbed a dozen just in case and insisted they sold them at the price shown. Wish I'd cleared the shelf, but let's not be greedy.
How can Asda knock it out for £2.50 for 660 ml, duty, VAT and Asda's profit paid if they use all the hops they claim to?

Yeah good point, even bulk buying the hops they use are expensive

 

[pms67]

You're very welcome. PM me for my address in about 7 weeks time.

Don’t worry I will!
Just let me know the cost of posting a beer out and I will sort it, I would send you one in return but I don’t want to put you off homebrewing

 

[An Ankoù]

As threatened, my recipe for a Czech Pilsner substituting Fuggles for Saaz. 20 litre batch using 13 litre picnic box mash tun and 12 litre kettle. Boiled top up water and let cool while the beer is on the cooker. Bittering is for 20 litres taking no consideration of reduced isomerisation due to wort concentration as I know I won't get the full 20 litres at target OG due to sparge limitations due to size of kettle. It's a bit of a "let's see". Brewing is such an adventure.
Bohemian Pilsner Malt 3640 g (too use it all up)
Munich #1 malt 364 g
Overnight mash. Soft water, no salt additions, no pH correction.
Bittering: Fuggles 64g giving 25 IBUs, Magnum 12g giving 15 IBUs (40 IBUs overall assumed in spite of late addition and only prepared to invest 1 x 100g pack of fuggles on this experiment)
Flavour hops: Fuggles 20g for 10 mins and 20g at flameout. Protofloc
70 minute boil
Collected 11 litres of wort with OG of 1072. Diluted to 17.6 litres to give me my target OG of 1045

Cockup: Used W-34/70 yeast instaed of M84. Had both in fridge and attention must have wandered. No big deal though and going like the clappers.
Had 4g fuggles remaining in another packet.
Will use the M84 to ferment my Camembert and Stilton milk stout.

 

[foxbat]

That pilsner should be a winner. Fuggle are very close to styrian goldings which are themselves very popular in Belgians.

 

[Zephyr259]

I'm brewing a split batch soon, based on a belgian pale recipe but figure it'll make a decent amber lager too. It's a blend of fuggles and glacier, never used the latter but I agree that fuggles should be good in a lager. Curious to see how you find them.

 

[An Ankoù]

Here we go. I've been threatening to brew a batch of Whitbread Trophy for some little while and finally did the deed yesterday and today. Trying to find a recipe, I discover that there's no such thing- it was made by a number of Whitbread breweries around England and each had a slightly different recipe. Some report that the Trophy from a particular brewery was mingin' while others have fond memories of the product of another brewery. I remember having two pints in the mid-seventies during a flying visit to Bideford. It was gorgeous.
Where to find a recipe, then? While Dave Line was the pioneer in his day, things have moved on apace. Les Howarth's database gives details from the Sheffield Brewery and the Cheltenham Brewery. The former gives percentages of ingredients while the former only gives a list of ingredients. There's quite a bit of difference in the grain bill and the hopping between the two breweries. I plumped for the Sheffield grain bill which looked more balanced, but the hops used there were 85% hop extract and 15% target! Not too inspiring, at least Cheltenham used Fuggles and Goldings throughout. In the end I was swayed by Pattinson's comments in "Brew It", who said he believed that Whitbread IPA morphed into Trophy at some stage and (I reckon) that would have been closer to the cask version. Finally, the yeast. Should I use MJ M42- a Whitbread strain- or should I use something with lower attenuation to get some body in this weak and watery wort? I ended up throwing Safale S-04 in there. Here's the recipe: I've never used so mush sugar in a brew since I made up Boot's kits, but hey ho.
20 litre batch brewed on the stove in a 12 litre pot and liquored back before pitching yeast.
OG 1037; IBUs 24(ish)
Pale malt (Hook Head) 2.10 Kg
Torrified wheat 300g
Medium crystal malt (150 ebc) 150g
Sugar 450 g
Grains mashed at 65C for several hours while I got on with other things.
WGV to 24 BUs full 75 minute boil
10g Fuggles 30 minutes
10g Goldings and protofloc 15 minutes
Add the sugar 5 minutes

Leaving the sugar until last reduces the boil gravity and offsets the lower hop utilisation due to not boiling full volume (this is pure damp-finger-in-the-air stuff) Don't give a hoot about the contribution of the late hops. Whoever heard of a bitter at 24 BU's?
5 g Goldings dry hops.
Reduced temperature to around 50C and left to cool overnight.
Collected 11.75 litres at OG 1062, which, when diluted to 20 litres comes spot on to target gravity even if I did drop the sugar pot in the boil splashing the stuff all over the kitchen.
It's bubbling away nicely now and if it's horrible, I'll know I've succeeded.

 

[foxbat]

Here we go. I've been threatening to brew a batch of Whitbread Trophy for some little while.

Huh, what? Do you have some people you need to scare off beer for life?

and if it's horrible, I'll know I've succeeded.

Yes, that'll be the yardstick by which you measure Trophy. By 'eck that was bland and forgettable beer. You are a brave man and I'll be following this with a morbid curiosity.

 

[An Ankoù]

Huh, what? Do you have some people you need to scare off beer for life?

Yes, that'll be the yardstick by which you measure Trophy. By 'eck that was bland and forgettable beer. You are a brave man and I'll be following this with a morbid curiosity.

Well, it was arguably better than Watney's StarLight.

 

[Dutto]

I was given to understand that Whitbreads Trophy (along with Watneys Red Barrel) was carried out under an "in-line" brewing system whereby the fermentation process was continuous.

This was apparently why the result was a bit "variable".

Looking forward to tasting the result. The "Good News" is that it won't have to shine too spectacularly to be "Best in Class".

 

[An Ankoù]

Dead Pony Club
Following up from my attempt at Brewdog's Punk IPA, above, I also knocked up a 12 litre batch of Dead Pony Club, which I much prefer to the IPA. I tasted a bottle on Thursday and another one last night, It's amazing, so knocking up a 20 litre batch as we speak. Here's the recipe:

OG 1040, IBUs 40 (derived from bittering hops addition) plus whatever else the late and dry hops add.
HookHead Pale Ale Malt 2.8 Kg (any pale ale malt will do as any subtlety of flavour is blown away b y the hops)
Caramalt 630 g
Crystal Malt 150 ebc, 190 g
½ tsp Calcium Chloride in soft water.
Overnight mash at 64C
Bittering Hops: 11.5 g Simcoe, 11.5 g Citra
Flavour Hops: 5 g each Simcoe and Citra 10 minutes boil, 5 g each Simcoe and Citra flameout.
Pitch with US-05
Dry Hops: 3 days- No more, no less: 30 g Simcoe, 65 g Citra, 50 g Mosaic.
For some reason- probably inebriation- I didn't record the FG, but it would have been around 1006-8, probably the higher with that amount of caramel malts. Primed at rate of 6g sugar per litre (it needs a bit of a fizz, but not as much as a lager).

My bottles always take 6 weeks to be ready, but this was good in less than 4.

 

[The Baron]

Here we go. I've been threatening to brew a batch of Whitbread Trophy for some little while and finally did the deed yesterday and today. Trying to find a recipe, I discover that there's no such thing- it was made by a number of Whitbread breweries around England and each had a slightly different recipe. Some report that the Trophy from a particular brewery was mingin' while others have fond memories of the product of another brewery. I remember having two pints in the mid-seventies during a flying visit to Bideford. It was gorgeous.
Where to find a recipe, then? While Dave Line was the pioneer in his day, things have moved on apace. Les Howarth's database gives details from the Sheffield Brewery and the Cheltenham Brewery. The former gives percentages of ingredients while the former only gives a list of ingredients. There's quite a bit of difference in the grain bill and the hopping between the two breweries. I plumped for the Sheffield grain bill which looked more balanced, but the hops used there were 85% hop extract and 15% target! Not too inspiring, at least Cheltenham used Fuggles and Goldings throughout. In the end I was swayed by Pattinson's comments in "Brew It", who said he believed that Whitbread IPA morphed into Trophy at some stage and (I reckon) that would have been closer to the cask version. Finally, the yeast. Should I use MJ M42- a Whitbread strain- or should I use something with lower attenuation to get some body in this weak and watery wort? I ended up throwing Safale S-04 in there. Here's the recipe: I've never used so mush sugar in a brew since I made up Boot's kits, but hey ho.
20 litre batch brewed on the stove in a 12 litre pot and liquored back before pitching yeast.
OG 1037; IBUs 24(ish)
Pale malt (Hook Head) 2.10 Kg
Torrified wheat 300g
Medium crystal malt (150 ebc) 150g
Sugar 450 g
Grains mashed at 65C for several hours while I got on with other things.
WGV to 24 BUs full 75 minute boil
10g Fuggles 30 minutes
10g Goldings and protofloc 15 minutes
Add the sugar 5 minutes

Leaving the sugar until last reduces the boil gravity and offsets the lower hop utilisation due to not boiling full volume (this is pure damp-finger-in-the-air stuff) Don't give a hoot about the contribution of the late hops. Whoever heard of a bitter at 24 BU's?
5 g Goldings dry hops.
Reduced temperature to around 50C and left to cool overnight.
Collected 11.75 litres at OG 1062, which, when diluted to 20 litres comes spot on to target gravity even if I did drop the sugar pot in the boil splashing the stuff all over the kitchen.
It's bubbling away nicely now and if it's horrible, I'll know I've succeeded.

Think it will turn out alright looks a sweetish recipe but the hops are good so don't think it will disappoint

 

[The Baron]

Dead Pony Club
Following up from my attempt at Brewdog's Punk IPA, above, I also knocked up a 12 litre batch of Dead Pony Club, which I much prefer to the IPA. I tasted a bottle on Thursday and another one last night, It's amazing, so knocking up a 20 litre batch as we speak. Here's the recipe:

OG 1040, IBUs 40 (derived from bittering hops addition) plus whatever else the late and dry hops add.
HookHead Pale Ale Malt 2.8 Kg (any pale ale malt will do as any subtlety of flavour is blown away b y the hops)
Caramalt 630 g
Crystal Malt 150 ebc, 190 g
½ tsp Calcium Chloride in soft water.
Overnight mash at 64C
Bittering Hops: 11.5 g Simcoe, 11.5 g Citra
Flavour Hops: 5 g each Simcoe and Citra 10 minutes boil, 5 g each Simcoe and Citra flameout.
Pitch with US-05
Dry Hops: 3 days- No more, no less: 30 g Simcoe, 65 g Citra, 50 g Mosaic.
For some reason- probably inebriation- I didn't record the FG, but it would have been around 1006-8, probably the higher with that amount of caramel malts. Primed at rate of 6g sugar per litre (it needs a bit of a fizz, but not as much as a lager).

My bottles always take 6 weeks to be ready, but this was good in less than 4.

Let us know how this turns out I have lust done a Punk IPA and A Elvis Juice not clones but based on the real recipes. In the Pelvis Juice I used lots of fruit juices- 1/2 ltr Clementine juice 3 Blood Oranges 3 Ruby Grapefruits and 1 Ltr of fresh Orange Juice. The initial first week it tastes good not the same but of that style and I can only see it getting better, Th Punk is very similar as I used the Son Of Punkish recipe and just realigned it to a lower ABV and hoppage and well pleased with that too so all in all I hope the Dead Pony turns out well if so I'll nick the recipe lol

 

[An Ankoù]

Think it will turn out alright looks a sweetish recipe but the hops are good so don't think it will disappoint

Thanks, Baron. It's getting bottled tomorrow and I must say, I'm not too pleased with it so far. Pitched a new sachet of SO4 which took off like the clappers of hell, but stunk to high heaven. from the second day. Not a characteristic of SO4 in my experience. Racked it and gave it a good dose of nutrient and it's not so bad now, but there's definitely a "twang". No idea what happened there. I'm going to redo it and see if it happens again. Be sure I'm going to bleach and gamma-irradiate all the equipment, but I don't think it's an infection.
Really do need to get a microscope to see what's going on.

 

[The Baron]

yes thats deffo not what we would expect from So4 at all hope it clears up on the up side I have just had a good result from the CML Midland yeast it was just like Wilko Gervin/Nottingham but it was solid in the Fv and the beer was very clear. CML also do a Yeast called Four in their new range I wonder why its called Four

 

[An Ankoù]

Let us know how this turns out I have lust done a Punk IPA and A Elvis Juice not clones but based on the real recipes. In the Pelvis Juice I used lots of fruit juices- 1/2 ltr Clementine juice 3 Blood Oranges 3 Ruby Grapefruits and 1 Ltr of fresh Orange Juice. The initial first week it tastes good not the same but of that style and I can only see it getting better, Th Punk is very similar as I used the Son Of Punkish recipe and just realigned it to a lower ABV and hoppage and well pleased with that too so all in all I hope the Dead Pony turns out well if so I'll nick the recipe lol

Your welcome to the recipe. As I said, I had already made a 12 Litre trial batch and it's amazing. For a beer that has less than 4½% abv, it tastes half as strong again. Having to fight the Wise One over it and she normally only drinks Duvel Tripel Hop- Citra! The dry hopping schedule really is worth it. Go for it. I also like the malt profile, which I'm going to use with different hops.

 

[The Baron]

Thanks Buddy lets hope the Trophy turns out alright the recipe is not far away from most older brews in British Real Ale Book by Graham Wheeler so can't see why not

 

[eyuptm]

Thanks, Baron. It's getting bottled tomorrow and I must say, I'm not too pleased with it so far. Pitched a new sachet of SO4 which took off like the clappers of hell, but stunk to high heaven. from the second day. Not a characteristic of SO4 in my experience. Racked it and gave it a good dose of nutrient and it's not so bad now, but there's definitely a "twang". No idea what happened there. I'm going to redo it and see if it happens again. Be sure I'm going to bleach and gamma-irradiate all the equipment, but I don't think it's an infection.
Really do need to get a microscope to see what's going on.

Does this referto the Dead Pony Club or Trophy? I LOVE DPC...

 

[The Baron]

I think the stink was referring to the Trophy but Ankou will confirm 100% thats what I was referring to in the thread anyway

 

[An Ankoù]

Does this referto the Dead Pony Club or Trophy? I LOVE DPC...

It's the Trophy. Just bottled it and miraculously the smell has gone leaving a very light and fizzy pale ale. I think the amount of fermented white sugar has left its stamp on the beer, though. Going to knock up another one tomorrow because I'm curious to know if the stink was a one off, or what. I don't like not knowing why the unexpected happens. While I'm at it, I'll be substituting a darker crystal for the medium crystal malt so that I don't confuse it with Cooper's OPA when I'm in my cups.
As for the Damp-Proof Course, we're drinking the first batch and the second is now fermenting away nicely. Last night's bottle reminded my that I had a batch of (Graham Morton's) Totally Tropical conditioning in the garage. I tried a bottle of that straight after and the Pony knocks spots off it!