An Ankoù brewday:

[moto748]

but in the olden days when fermenters were plastic dustbins and we had to use a siphon tube, it was very much like that. And the cap was applied with a "mould" which had to be hammered to seal the cap onto the bottle.
Happy daze.

Whaddya mean, 'olden days'?

I siphon all my beer. And I'll bet I can get a batch bottled in half the time most of you guys are faffing around with bottling wands, auto-siphons, etc!

The hammering-on was a PITA, though. I've moved on to an over-centre capping tool. I still keep the old tool for use with 'high-collar' bottles, though.

 

[An Ankoù]

Whaddya mean, 'olden days'?

I siphon all my beer. And I'll bet I can get a batch bottled in half the time most of you guys are faffing around with bottling wands, auto-siphons, etc!

The hammering-on was a PITA, though. I've moved on a over-centre capping tool. I still keep the tool for use with 'high-collar' bottles, though.

I did some test batches in demi johns and had to syphon-fill the bottles. I haven't lost the knack and wasted very little.
Bottling wands are for alcoholic fairies in my opinion.

 

[jayk34]

I did some test batches in demi johns and had to syphon-fill the bottles. I haven't lost the knack and wasted very little.
Bottling wands are for alcoholic fairies in my opinion.

Better get me tutu on

 

[DocAnna]

Better get me tutu on

Yes me too - I do rather like my steel bottling wand - makes life a whole simpler. I’m with @An Ankoù on the benefits of syphons - not a fan of taps at all!.

 

[An Ankoù]

Better get me tutu on

You know times are hard when you have to take the laces from your DMs to hold your tights up.

 

[jayk34]

View attachment 51106
You know times are hard when you have to take the laces from your DMs to hold your tights up.

It's like looking in the mirror

 

[An Ankoù]

Time I posted a recipe.
There's some great stuff happening in New Zealand, it would seem, and I've been having a look at the Gladfield (maltsters) recipe book. This one is listed under the heading "Pale Commonwealth Beer" don't let that put you off as the recipe for Summer Gold looks a cracker.
Here's the original recipe:
https://www.gladfieldmalt.co.nz/new...d-(Contemporary-British-Golden-Ale---NZ-Hops)I'd reckon to get an OG of 1050+ from the malt bill so there's a bit of leeway there.
Notes on the original recipe:
- Gladfield American Ale malt is a bit more lightly kilned than their ordinary Pale Ale malt. M O extra pale?
- It doesn't account for the stated 86.1% of the grain bill, rather 55.6%
- Harraway's Flaked Wheat malt doesn't exist as far as I can see, it's just flaked wheat.
- I'm adjusting my pH with a bot of acidulated malt rather than phosphoric acid.
- Beta glucanase is a faff, just mash out and sparge in mid to high 70s C.
Vitals:
OG 1046 : FG 1011 : IBUs 28 : abv 4.6%amazing

My take on the recipe for a 26 litre batch:
Mineral additions as recipe
Water treated for chlorine and chloramine
3 Kg Golden Promise (Simpson's I think. Haven't got any MO Extra Pale)
1.4 Kg German Pilsner (Bestmalz)
0.5 Kg Wheat Malt
0.5 Kg Flaked Wheat
90 minute mash at 66C (They say 60 minutes)
75 minute boil
FWH Southern Cross to 25 IBUs (28.5 g @ 11.4% alpha acid) (They say 60 minutes, I prefer FWH)
10 minutes Taiheke 20 g (also known as N. Z. Casca de)
10 minutes protofloc ½ tablet
1 minute Wai-iti 50 g
1 minute Taiheke 30 g
1 minute Southern Cross 15 g
The 1 minute addition will be flame-out additions.
Pitch with BRY-97 West Coast Ale
Ferment at 20C, then 22C in secondary then cold crash to clear.

Can't wait. I got all these hops (if I remember right) from CML.

All going well with the above. The crucial thing is to get the beer done and cooled before the sun comes fully over the house (it's nearly there now). It's 26C in the shade and you can add another 10+ in the sun. Got a nice early start, but I had a bit of unexpected cleaning to do as I hadn't used my outdoor kit for some time. Opening the new hop packets was amazing, they smell gorgeous- especially the Southern Cross. I'm following the recipe as closely as I can, but I'm already thinking about a Southern Cross SMaSH and a Wai-iti lager. Cooling still under way. Further edits to come.
Note to self: must get another order in to CML, quick, before you lot grab all the Southern Cross.

EDIT:
Temperature in the shade now 30C. Managed to get the wort down to 26C before running into the FV. There's so much crud from these pelleted hops that I've chucked the whole lot in there and put it in the fridge to cool and settle. I'll syphon it into another FV and pitch the yeast when it reaches 20C. In the meantime, the corrected OG is 1048 and I'll dilute to 1045 when I see how much I've got.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

FWH Southern Cross to 25 IBUs (28.5 g @ 11.4% alpha acid) (They say 60 minutes, I prefer FWH)

I should probably know this, but please could you explain 'FWH' ?

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

must get another order in to CML, quick, before you lot grab all the Southern Cross.

Too late...

 

[An Ankoù]

Too late...

View attachment 51124

Drat. Foiled again!

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

There's some great stuff happening in New Zealand, it would seem, and I've been having a look at the Gladfield (maltsters) recipe book. This one is listed under the heading "Pale Commonwealth Beer" don't let that put you off as the recipe for Summer Gold looks a cracker.
(...)
Pitch with BRY-97 West Coast Ale

I can get BRY-97 from MM, but reading "BRY-97 is a neutral strain with a high flocculation ability that can be used to make a wide variety of American-style beers." I am wondering whether I would go far wrong with S-04 ... what do you think please?

 

[Cheshire Cat]

FWH= first wort hops

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

FWH= first wort hops

Many thanks @Cheshire Cat but that's a new one on me...?

 

[An Ankoù]

Many thanks @Cheshire Cat but that's a new one on me...?

It means you chuck the hops into the kettle and pour some of the wort on top of them. As normal, as soon as you've got enough wort in the kettle to stop the bottom burning, fire it up. The hops stay longer in the wort and you get a bit better utilisation (to offset the alpha acid degradation while they've been hanging around in the fridge, I kid myself). It's also alleged to give a "smoother" bittering. Since I don't make the same brew day after day, I wouldn't know.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

It means you chuck the hops into the kettle and pour some of the wort on top of them. As normal, as soon as you've got enough wort in the kettle to stop the bottom burning, fire it up.

Ahhh right, makes sense - thanks

Actually I can't fire up my Burco while I'm still collecting because I use it for my sparge water. In any case, whenever I try to do more than one thing at a time ...

 

[An Ankoù]

Ahhh right, makes sense - thanks

Actually I can't fire up my Burco while I'm still collecting because I use it for my sparge water. In any case, whenever I try to do more than one thing at a time ...

You must be collecting the wort in some vessel, and I guess the wort is pretty warm. Just chuck the hops in there with the wort.

 

[An Ankoù]

Cracked open a bottle after 16 days therein. Too warm, but it's carbed up even if there is a bit of priming sugar still discernible. It tastes nice, like bottled Guinness. It's in a swingtop so I've put the rest in the fridge and I'll have a proper taste tomorrow. Have been drinking hefeweizenbier with a couple of German holidaymakers, who've just arrived so I'm not sure my palate's doing it justice.

Wasn't expecting much from the rest of the bottle of my (now) 17 day old porter, but at least it has been chilled.
Jubifuckinlation! It's amazing: Lovely head, nice smell, little bit of a cough mixture flavour at the end of a glass left in the sun, but it's not ready yet.
Have no fear. It's a good'n.
I've got a bottle of the commercial stuff, but I'll wait another few weeks before doing a side-by=side comparison.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Received the grains and yeast today for the Gladfield Malt 'Summer Gold' - hops should arrive tomorrow
This beer's clocking up the food miles: hops from NZ (via Glasgow), yeast from Austria, malt from Germany, moss from Ireland...

 

[An Ankoù]

Received the grains and yeast today for the Gladfield Malt 'Summer Gold' - hops should arrive tomorrow
This beer's clocking up the food miles: hops from NZ (via Glasgow), yeast from Austria, malt from Germany, moss from Ireland...

Mine's fermenting away merrily in the fridge from China.

 

[An Ankoù]

Time I posted a recipe.
There's some great stuff happening in New Zealand, it would seem, and I've been having a look at the Gladfield (maltsters) recipe book. This one is listed under the heading "Pale Commonwealth Beer" don't let that put you off as the recipe for Summer Gold looks a cracker.
Here's the original recipe:
https://www.gladfieldmalt.co.nz/new...d-(Contemporary-British-Golden-Ale---NZ-Hops)I'd reckon to get an OG of 1050+ from the malt bill so there's a bit of leeway there.
Notes on the original recipe:
- Gladfield American Ale malt is a bit more lightly kilned than their ordinary Pale Ale malt. M O extra pale?
- It doesn't account for the stated 86.1% of the grain bill, rather 55.6%
- Harraway's Flaked Wheat malt doesn't exist as far as I can see, it's just flaked wheat.
- I'm adjusting my pH with a bot of acidulated malt rather than phosphoric acid.
- Beta glucanase is a faff, just mash out and sparge in mid to high 70s C.
Vitals:
OG 1046 : FG 1011 : IBUs 28 : abv 4.6%

My take on the recipe for a 26 litre batch:
Mineral additions as recipe
Water treated for chlorine and chloramine
3 Kg Golden Promise (Simpson's I think. Haven't got any MO Extra Pale)
1.4 Kg German Pilsner (Bestmalz)
0.5 Kg Wheat Malt
0.5 Kg Flaked Wheat
90 minute mash at 66C (They say 60 minutes)
75 minute boil
FWH Southern Cross to 25 IBUs (28.5 g @ 11.4% alpha acid) (They say 60 minutes, I prefer FWH)
10 minutes Taiheke 20 g (also known as N. Z. Cascade)
10 minutes protofloc ½ tablet
1 minute Wai-iti 50 g
1 minute Taiheke 30 g
1 minute Southern Cross 15 g
The 1 minute addition will be flame-out additions.
Pitch with BRY-97 West Coast Ale
Ferment at 20C, then 22C in secondary then cold crash to clear.

Can't wait. I got all these hops (if I remember right) from CML.

All brewed up and bottled this morning. Smells lovely and fresh. Just a tad more bitter than I would like, but I think this will condition out as there's still a faint haze in the beer from suspended yeast. This often exacerbates the bitterness. BRY-97 is not US-05 under a different guise as I had suspected. It takes a while to drop clear and it has attenuated more than anticipated FG 1006. This is going to be a lovely beer. I can't wait for it to carb up and condition.