Bezza's Brewdays

[-Bezza-]

Commencing a cheeky "working from home" brew.

Prepped water last night and set a timer so the mash water was hot at lunchtime. Doughed in and going for a long mash until the kids are in bed (will set sparge water heating just before bathtime) and will then commence with the boil, chill and into the fermenter this evening. Bit cold out but I'll cope.

Recipe below. Two dry hops are shown as I have 60g leaf and 60g pellets going spare.

Spoiler

#16 - Citrabomb Single Hop Pale
American Pale Ale (18 B)

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 19.00 L
Boil Size: 24.37 L
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 21.88 L
Final Bottling Vol: 17.00 L
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage

Date: 05 Mar 2021
Brewer: -Bezza-
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: Grainfather
Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 82.9 %

Prepare for Brewing

• Hydrate yeast with 305.93 ml warm water and add optional 15.3 g of GoFerm
• Clean and Prepare Brewing Equipment
• Total Water Needed: 29.73 L
• Mash Water Acid: None

Water Prep

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
29.73 L​	-My Water- 25 Alkalinity​	Water​	1​	-​	-​

Mash or Steep Grains
Mash Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
3.75 kg​	Pale Malt, Maris Otter (5.9 EBC)​	Grain​	5​	92.6 %​	2.44 L​
0.30 kg​	Crisp Caramalt (29.5 EBC)​	Grain​	6​	7.4 %​	0.20 L​

Mash Steps

Name​	Description​	Step Temperature​	Step Time​
Protein Rest​	Add 15.80 L of water at 52 C​	50.0 C​	20 min​
Saccharification​	Heat to 67 C over 15 min​	67 C​	420 min​
Mash Out​	Heat to 76 C over 10 min​	76 C​	10 min​

• Sparge Water Acid: None
• Fly sparge with 13.93 L water at 75.6 C
• Add water to achieve boil volume of 24.37 L
• Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.043 SG

Boil Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
20.00 g​	Citra [12.86 %] - Boil 60.0 min​	Hop​	10​	29.9 IBUs​	-​
0.50 Items​	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)​	Fining​	11​	-​	-​
12.00 g​	Citra [12.86 %] - Boil 15.0 min​	Hop​	12​	8.9 IBUs​	-​

Steeped Hops

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
68.00 g​	Citra [12.86 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0.0 min, 90.2 C​	Hop​	13​	0.0 IBUs​	-​

• Estimated Post Boil Vol: 21.88 L and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.050 SG

Cool and Transfer Wort

• Cool wort to fermentation temperature
• Transfer wort to fermenter
• Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 19.00 L

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume
Fermentation Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
1.0 pkg​	American West Coast Ale (Lallemand/Danstar #BRY-97)​	Yeast​	14​	-​	-​

Fermentation

• 05 Mar 2021 - Primary Fermentation (4.00 days at 20.0 C ending at 20.0 C)
• 09 Mar 2021 - Secondary Fermentation (10.00 days at 19.0 C ending at 19.0 C)

Dry Hop and Bottle/Keg
Dry Hop/Bottling Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
60.00 g​	Citra [12.00 %] - Dry Hop 4.0 Days​	Hop​	15​	0.0 IBUs​	-​
60.00 g​	Citra [12.00 %] - Dry Hop 4.0 Days​	Hop​	16​	0.0 IBUs​	-​

 

[-Bezza-]

That whole brew went really well. Hit all the marks other than getting slightly over volume with 1.050 at 19.5l. Full cleanup saved for tomorrow.

Only question is whether 70g at flameout (there was 110g in my 100g pouch) was a bit excessive and a waste.

That's all ingredients used up so need to get planning some new brews.

 

[-Bezza-]

Citrabomb all fermented out a few weeks back and I transferred to the kegs on 26 March. Dry hopping such a weight of whole hops was silly - I put them into the hop spider to make transferring to the keg easier but half of the hops weren't submerged. They also drank up a lot of the beer, so I had to squeeze them out before kegging. This all meant the beer going into the kegs wasn't the cleanest but, since I needed the FV back for the next brew, I did it anyway. I decided to set the keg pressure quite low and planning on using my syphon to transfer into a clean keg now (after 3 weeks of conditioning) before force carbing.

Fermented out to around 1.011 so, 5.1-5.2% which is exactly what I was aiming for.

I also thought it would be a good idea to use the slurry to make some beer bread. Utter disaster! I was worried about putting too much yeast in and having a yeasty-tasting bread, so used a good bit but then made up the rest of the "wet" in the bread mix using the final dregs of beer. Well the bread didn't rise much at all, so I decided to turn it into bread sticks; just rolling out thinly and baking for 15 mins. Great crunch on those and were quite flavoursome, but my god the hop hit at the end - mouthpuckering and bitter. So whilst not many of those got eaten, I'm hopeful for having an insane beer in a couple of weeks!

 

[-Bezza-]

Lemon Verbena Saison

Spoiler

#17 - Lemon Verbena Saison
Saison (17 2)


Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 20.00 L
Boil Size: 25.94 L
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 23.44 L
Final Bottling Vol: 18.50 L
Fermentation: Ale, Three Stage

Date: 26 Mar 2021
Brewer: -Bezza-
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: Grainfather_18.5L Keg (20l batch)
Efficiency: 73.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 82.1 %
Taste Rating: 30.0

Taste Notes:

Prepare for Brewing

• Hydrate yeast with 317.86 ml warm water and add optional 15.9 g of GoFerm
• Clean and Prepare Brewing Equipment
• Total Water Needed: 34.44 L
• Mash Water Acid: None

Water Prep

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
34.44 L​	-My Water- 25 Alkalinity​	Water​	1​	-​	-​
9.60 ml​	CRS (Mash)​	Water Agent​	2​	-​	-​
1.99 g​	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash)​	Water Agent​	3​	-​	-​
1.00 g​	Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash)​	Water Agent​	4​	-​	-​
0.50 Items​	Campden Tablets (Mash)​	Water Agent​	5​	-​	-​

Mash or Steep Grains
Mash Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
3.50 kg​	Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (4.4 EBC)​	Grain​	6​	70.0 %​	2.28 L​
1.00 kg​	Wheat Malt, Bel (4.7 EBC)​	Grain​	7​	20.0 %​	0.65 L​
0.50 kg​	Biscuit Malt (50.0 EBC)​	Grain​	8​	10.0 %​	0.33 L​
2.04 g​	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Sparge)​	Water Agent​	9​	-​	-​
1.03 g​	Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Sparge)​	Water Agent​	10​	-​	-​

Mash Steps

Name​	Description​	Step Temperature​	Step Time​
Protein Rest​	Add 17.00 L of water at 53.1 C​	50.0 C​	30 min​
Saccharification​	Heat to 64.0 C over 15 min​	64.0 C​	340 min​
Mash Out​	Heat to 76.0 C over 10 min​	76.0 C​	10 min​

• Sparge Water Acid: None
• Fly sparge with 17.44 L water at 76.0 C
• Add water to achieve boil volume of 25.94 L
• Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.048 SG

Boil Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
10.00 g​	Chinook [12.90 %] - Boil 60.0 min​	Hop​	11​	14.8 IBUs​	-​
0.25 Items​	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)​	Fining​	12​	-​	-​
10.00 g​	Lemon Verbena (Boil 15.0 mins)​	Herb​	13​	-​	-​
15.00 g​	Chinook [12.90 %] - Boil 15.0 min​	Hop​	14​	11.0 IBUs​	-​
1.50 tsp​	Peppercorns (Boil 15.0 mins)​	Spice​	15​	-​	-​
15.00 g​	Chinook [12.90 %] - Boil 0.0 min​	Hop​	16​	0.0 IBUs​	-​

• Estimated Post Boil Vol: 23.44 L and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.055 SG

Cool and Transfer Wort

• Cool wort to fermentation temperature
• Transfer wort to fermenter
• Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 20.00 L

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume
Fermentation Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
1.0 pkg​	Belle Saison (Lallemand/Danstar #-)​	Yeast​	17​	-​	-​

• Measure Actual Original Gravity _______ (Target: 1.055 SG)
• Measure Actual Batch Volume _______ (Target: 20.00 L)

Fermentation

• 26 Mar 2021 - Primary Fermentation (4.00 days at 24.0 C ending at 24.0 C)
• 30 Mar 2021 - Secondary Fermentation (12.00 days at 26.0 C ending at 26.0 C)
• 11 Apr 2021 - Tertiary Fermentation (5.00 days at 3.0 C ending at 3.0 C)

Dry Hop and Bottle/Keg
Dry Hop/Bottling Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
15.00 g​	Lemon Verbena (Bottling 10.0 mins)​	Herb​	18​	-​	-​

• Measure Final Gravity: _________ (Estimate: 1.009 SG)
• Date Bottled/Kegged: 16 Apr 2021 - Carbonation: Keg with 1.43 bar
• Age beer for 30.00 days at 7.0 C
• 16 May 2021 - Drink and enjoy!

This was a very experimental beer and not entirely sure how it's all going to turn out.

Lemon Verbena is an amazing smelling plant that you can use to make tea etc and grows quite easily in this country. The plan was to get some of these flavour into a beer, in place of a dry hop, set against a more aggressive bittering hop (hence the Chinook). Sadly, my plant hasn't come back after last summer and so I bought some dried leaves which really aren't the same thing - much more subdued flavour and a bit more woody tasting. The recipe was evolving as I was brewing to compensate, including adding the 15g Chinook at flameout to ensure there was a bit of overall juiciness.

I'm still planning on adding more lemon verbena tea at kegging but need to try and gauge how much to put in. Think I'll just make a big strong batch of "tea! and try a few dosage tests in the uncarbed beer.

Brewday as a whole wasn't the best as I got the volumes wrong (I'll be damned if I can get Beersmith to calculate sensible water volumes) so ended up more diluted than I wanted, getting 22L of 1.052 rather than the 20L 1.055 target. However, at the same time, it's fermented out to 1.005 rather than the expected 1.009 so still a healthy 6.1-6.2% which is the sort of ballpark I was aiming. I also wanted a drier beer, so it's all good. I'll probably just bottle the extra.

I'm hoping that the lower floralness and increased woodiness of the lemon verbena will actually be a better fit in the beer, perhaps adding a slightly rye-like quality to the beer. So yeah, desperate to try this one really!!

 

[moto748]

Just on your first page, you mentioned buying a bottle brush. I was going to say that something I've found useful is a short length of brass 'lamp chain' (available from hardware shops) which you can drop into bottles, demi-johns, etc, and sploosh around with some cleaner/sterilising solution.

 

[-Bezza-]

Just on your first page, you mentioned buying a bottle brush. I was going to say that something I've found useful is a short length of brass 'lamp chain' (available from hardware shops) which you can drop into bottles, demi-johns, etc, and sploosh around with some cleaner/sterilising solution.

Dude, I made that comment in Jan 2019. Do you really not think I've bought one since then!? Well I have - but literally only 3 weeks ago!

I like the idea of lamp chain though. I have some "magic balls" which are used for cleaning wine decanters (a dirty wine decanter is definitely a first world problem) and they're annoying given they are so small. Having them chained together would be much easier!

 

[-Bezza-]

The last two beers were an interesting bag.

For some reason, the Citrabomb has come out quite bitter tasting rather than having any citra juiciness, so it's now rebranded as an IPA. It's perfectly drinkable but just a bit punchier than I would like.

The Saison is a bit of a disappointment in that the dried lemon verbena is really lacking in flavour compared to the fresh leaves, so hasn't delivered what I was looking for. The underlying beer is great and is going down a storm with friends - fresh and crisp with a bit of dryness on the finish. I've now bought some lemon verbena plants so I'll use a few leaves to make a "hop tea" once they've grown a bit more and pour into a pint as an experiment as I can always brew this one again.

Next on the list is a Vienna Lager. I'd have preferred to have brewed this a bit earlier in the year so that it was drinking over the summer but, well, life.

The brew space is getting a bit of an upgrade too. There's water in my brew shed but only through a basin tap or outdoor tap. The basin is too shallow to be of any use so it means I have to use the outdoor tap, so not entirely hygienic, means lugging heavy buckets of water and the chiller leaks through the hoselock fittings (via a long hose). I've invested in a peglar ball lock tap from Screwfix, which I am going to plumb in and mount above where I brew, so I'll have fresh water right where I need it.

 

[-Bezza-]

Brewday Friday had a Vienna Lager in the kettle. This is a style of beer I've never tried but was quite keen to brew: it sounds interesting, is unlike the beer I normally drink, should appeal to a mass audience and I really wanted to try to make a lager but also sample an all-grain lager rather than the commercial crap you get. I'm only wishing I could have found time to brew earlier in the year so that it was ready for the summer months.

Recipe below (ignore the dates):

Spoiler

#18 - Vienna Lager
Vienna Lager (4 2)


Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 20.50 L
Boil Size: 25.50 L
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 22.50 L
Final Bottling Vol: 18.50 L
Fermentation: Lager, Three Stage

Date: 10 Mar 2021
Brewer: -Bezza-
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: Grainfather_18.5L Keg (20l batch)
Efficiency: 73.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 80.1 %
Taste Rating: 30.0

Taste Notes:

Prepare for Brewing

• Hydrate yeast with 529.44 ml warm water and add optional 26.5 g of GoFerm
• Clean and Prepare Brewing Equipment
• Total Water Needed: 33.21 L
• Mash Water Acid: None

Water Prep

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
30.00 L​	-My Water- 30L, 12 Alkalinity​	Water​	1​	-​	-​
2.72 g​	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash)​	Water Agent​	2​	-​	-​
1.73 g​	Baking Soda (Mash)​	Water Agent​	3​	-​	-​

Mash or Steep Grains
Mash Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
3.50 kg​	Vienna Malt (8.0 EBC)​	Grain​	4​	83.3 %​	2.28 L​
0.50 kg​	Munich Malt (15.0 EBC)​	Grain​	5​	11.9 %​	0.33 L​
0.15 kg​	Melanoiden Malt (70.0 EBC)​	Grain​	6​	3.6 %​	0.10 L​
0.05 kg​	Chocolate Malt (1100.0 EBC)​	Grain​	7​	1.2 %​	0.03 L​
2.60 g​	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Sparge)​	Water Agent​	8​	-​	-​
1.65 g​	Baking Soda (Sparge)​	Water Agent​	9​	-​	-​

Mash Steps

Name​	Description​	Step Temperature​	Step Time​
Protein Rest​	Add 14.84 L of water at 53.0 C​	50.0 C​	30 min​
Saccharification​	Heat to 64.0 C over 15 min​	64.0 C​	360 min​
Mash Out​	Heat to 76.0 C over 10 min​	76.0 C​	10 min​

• Sparge Water Acid: None
• Fly sparge with 14.16 L water at 75.6 C
• Add water to achieve boil volume of 25.50 L
• Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.040 SG

Boil Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
28.00 g​	Northern Brewer [6.70 %] - Boil 60.0 min​	Hop​	10​	21.0 IBUs​	-​
0.50 Items​	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)​	Fining​	11​	-​	-​
12.00 g​	Hallertauer Hersbrucker [2.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min​	Hop​	12​	0.0 IBUs​	-​
12.00 g​	Tettnang [3.70 %] - Boil 0.0 min​	Hop​	13​	0.0 IBUs​	-​

• Estimated Post Boil Vol: 22.50 L and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.045 SG

Cool and Transfer Wort

• Cool wort to fermentation temperature
• Transfer wort to fermenter
• Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 20.50 L

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume
Fermentation Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
2.0 pkg​	Bohemian Lager (Mangrove Jack's #M84)​	Yeast​	14​	-​	-​

• Measure Actual Original Gravity _______ (Target: 1.045 SG)
• Measure Actual Batch Volume _______ (Target: 20.50 L)

Fermentation

• 10 Mar 2021 - Primary Fermentation (21.00 days at 12.0 C ending at 12.0 C)
• 31 Mar 2021 - Secondary Fermentation (3.00 days at 15.0 C ending at 15.0 C)
• 03 Apr 2021 - Tertiary Fermentation (7.00 days at 3.0 C ending at 3.0 C)

Dry Hop and Bottle/Keg

• Measure Final Gravity: _________ (Estimate: 1.008 SG)
• Date Bottled/Kegged: 10 Apr 2021 - Carbonation: Keg with 0.86 bar
• Age beer for 30.00 days at 7.0 C
• 10 May 2021 - Drink and enjoy!

Notes

• Water additions to match Vienna water profile in Beersmith.

At the planning stage, focussed on getting my volumes correct as I still think Beersmith does some odd calculations. To me, it seems that they double-count the grain absorption figure you you end up a couple of litres over on the sparge. That said, I my boil off rate seemed to be exceptionally high this time and found myself topping up the FV to get up to the target volume and down to the target SG. Came out perfectly on target in the end but in a 'two wrongs make a right' situation, I would have got there had I followed the Beersmith volumes.

I emerged from the brewday relatively unscathed - the whole thing seemed to go pretty well. Starting the mash at lunchtime and then moving on to the more attentive spage-boil-chill phase once the kids were bathed, it was an 8pm til 11pm session. Cleanup the following day. I might try and shorter boil in future though, just to save myself that extra 15-20 mins.

I couldn't chill below 20 owing to the weather so pitched the yeast the following morning once the wort was down to 12C.

I also bought a refractometer from Amazon and I have to say that is soooooo much easier to use and read compared to a hydrometer. You can work with boiling hot wort with ease, so long as you let it cool in the pipette, and much easier to read the scale with accuracy. Just need to work on calibration so that I know I'm getting accurate readings.

Now the waiting game.

 

[-Bezza-]

With the threat of a powercut during today's storms now reduced, mash water is heating ready for an evening brewing the big Belgian. First time I've used my newly-installed tap - already saved the ball-ache of carrying heavy buckets of water around and should make the cooling process a lot easier too. The only downside is that the grainfather cooler has a non-UK thread pitch so I still have to use hoselock adapters but thankfully they don't leak all that much.

 

[-Bezza-]

Well that brew didn't go as planned. Loads of issues going on.

• Mash was strange, almost like I had too much water. Seemed like the grain just sank rather than making a thick porridge
• Couldn't get recirculation rate right. Either too much or dried up, probably related to...
• Very slow sparge
• Cocked up the mash steps somehow and set the step at 60 rather than 70, so did an extra step
• Poor efficiency. Post sparge SG of 1043 rather than 1060
• Made up for it with an extra 500g Demerara but needed a load of water to dissolve all that sugar so ended up over volume and under SG
• Concerns around body in the final beer and whether the extra sugar will detract from there grain bill
• Bloody cold in the shed

Reckon I'm on for a 9.8% which is a bit disappointing as I was hoping to get at least 11%. Whilst good beer is the ultimate aim, I was deliberately trying to get a high number here.

At the end of the day, I should still have beer so can't complain. Just glad the next few beers I've planned are a bit simpler.

So kolsch, Amarillo smash-ish, bock and patersbier are up next.

 

[-Bezza-]

Looks like we're all fermented out and got to 1.009 meaning a healthy 8.6%, but not the 10%+ I'd set as my target. On the plus side, there's a bit of body to it.

Disappointed that I had so many issues on the brewday. This is the downside of my brewing schedule as I can't keep an eye on the mash so missed that the recirculation wasn't going according to plan. In hindsight, I should have used some of the wort to dissolve the sugars rather than fresh water and should make a habit of adding rice hulls to anything with wheat/oats in.

I'll see what this tastes like and then might attempt it again later in the year. Interestingly, strong beers and dark beers have eluded me, so a strong and dark wasn't the best idea!

 

[-Bezza-]

Kegged the Belgian yesterday and noticed a really strong bubblegum aroma so could be quite interesting. By being over volume, I managed to fill 5 swing tops as well as the keg so that should come in useful in sharing out the homebrew. FV into a big jug and then poured from there into the bottles so no faff at all.

Now the fermenter is empty I get to go again. Kolsch scheduled for Friday evening. Although I have the grain for a 5% brew, I'm now thinking I might drop it down to 4.7% and get the extra volume into bottles again.

 

[-Bezza-]

Recipe for Friday night's brew. I wanted to get a few of the Greg Hughes recipes under the belt, so this is his recipe, swapping the Spalt for Saaz to use up what's in stock, adding a bit of crystal for colour. I'm also going for a 45 min boil on this one.

#20 - Kolsch
Kölsch (5 B)


Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 22.00 L
Boil Size: 26.54 L
Boil Time: 45 min
End of Boil Vol: 24.48 L
Final Bottling Vol: 20.50 L
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage


Prepare for Brewing

• Hydrate yeast with 293.33 ml warm water and add optional 14.7 g of GoFerm
• Clean and Prepare Brewing Equipment
• Total Water Needed: 30.34 L
• Mash Water Acid: None

Water Prep

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
30.34 L​	-MY WATER- 12ALK 10.8CRS​	Water​	1​	-​	-​
10.80 ml​	CRS (Mash)​	Water Agent​	2​	-​	-​
0.50 Items​	Campden Tablets (Mash)​	Water Agent​	4​	-​	-​
1.69 g​	Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash)​	Water Agent​	5​	-​	-​

Mash or Steep Grains
Mash Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
4.00 kg​	Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (3.9 EBC)​	Grain​	6​	87.9 %​	2.61 L​
0.50 kg​	Cara-Pils/Dextrine (3.9 EBC)​	Grain​	7​	11.0 %​	0.33 L​
0.05 kg​	Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (85.0 EBC)​	Grain​	8​	1.1 %​	0.03 L​
1.56 g​	Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Sparge)​	Water Agent​	10​	-​	-​

Mash Steps

Name​	Description​	Step Temperature​	Step Time​
Protein Rest​	Add 15.79 L of water at 53.0 C​	50.0 C​	30 min​
Saccharification​	Heat to 64.0 C over 15 min​	64.0 C​	300 min​
Mash Out​	Heat to 76.0 C over 10 min​	76.0 C​	10 min​

• Sparge Water Acid: None
• Fly sparge with 14.55 L water at 75.6 C
• Add water to achieve boil volume of 26.54 L
• Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.041 SG

Boil Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
50.00 g​	Saaz [3.60 %] - Boil 45.0 min​	Hop​	11​	19.3 IBUs​	-​
1.00 Items​	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)​	Fining​	12​	-​	-​
25.00 g​	Tettnang [3.70 %] - Boil 5.0 min​	Hop​	13​	2.0 IBUs​	-​
44.00 g​	Tettnang [3.70 %] - Boil 0.0 min​	Hop​	14​	0.0 IBUs​	-​

• Estimated Post Boil Vol: 24.48 L and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG

Cool and Transfer Wort

• Cool wort to fermentation temperature
• Transfer wort to fermenter
• Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 22.00 L

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume
Fermentation Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
1.0 pkg​	Koln Kolsch Yeast (Lalbrew #)​	Yeast​	15​	-​	-​

• Measure Actual Original Gravity _______ (Target: 1.046 SG)
• Measure Actual Batch Volume _______ (Target: 22.00 L)

Fermentation

• 18 Mar 2022 - Primary Fermentation (14.00 days at 18.0 C ending at 18.0 C)
• 01 Apr 2022 - Secondary Fermentation (7.00 days at 3.0 C ending at 3.0 C)

Dry Hop and Bottle/Keg

• Measure Final Gravity: _________ (Estimate: 1.009 SG)
• Date Bottled/Kegged: 08 Apr 2022 - Carbonation: Keg with 1.16 bar
• Age beer for 30.00 days at 12.0 C
• 08 May 2022 - Drink and enjoy!

Target water profile is Ca 37, Mg 10, Na 25, So4 70, Cl 35, HCO3 80
Additions get me to Ca50, Mg 13.5, Na 30.3, SO4 69.1, Cl 51.6, HCO3 97.6

 

[-Bezza-]

I've been off the radar a little what with family life and all. Genuinely sad to see the legendary @Dutto is no longer around these parts so will raise my next glass to him.

Since the Kolsh above I've brewed:

#21 - Amarillo Smash: Bitter a bit harsher than I would have liked and stronger than I was aiming for, at 6.2%, but all good fun
#22 - Patersbier: This was lovely and definitely one to brew again. Light and refreshing but with those lovely Belgian flavours. Didn't last long in the keg at all!
#23 - Bock: Currently carbonating and conditioning. Didn't ferment out as much as I would like, ending at 1.020, so feels a bit sweet at the moment but that might ease off once the CO2 is in the beer. Proof of the pudding is in the eating though.

Chunky order in the post so that I can make the following:

<4% Hazy Session Pale Ale (Simcoe and Mosaic)
Rye PA (Dana hops and going to try Kveik on this one)
Repeat of Patersbier (it really was that good)
@BrannBrew Breakfast stout (with slight tweaks owing to CML not stocking Chocolate Wheat or Carafa I)
Omnipollo Double Raspberry Vanilla Smoothie IPA clone (300g mosaic needed for this one so got to hope it works!)

 

[Caramel Ox]

I have a Patersbier conditioning, I have no reference for how it should taste though. I am trying to be more disciplined in giving appropriate conditioning time!

 

[-Bezza-]

I have a Patersbier conditioning, I have no reference for how it should taste though. I am trying to be more disciplined in giving appropriate conditioning time!

That's always the challenge. And then even if you do find a commercial version, you're never sure if it's a good example or some poor imitation.

Patersbier I can only describe as being like you've mixed a Belgian with a lager. You should be getting the Belgian yeast notes along with the malty beer but much more subdued than necking a dubbel. Would be good to hear how you get on.

 

[d.carey]

I've been off the radar a little what with family life and all. Genuinely sad to see the legendary @Dutto is no longer around these parts so will raise my next glass to him.

Since the Kolsh above I've brewed:

#21 - Amarillo Smash: Bitter a bit harsher than I would have liked and stronger than I was aiming for, at 6.2%, but all good fun
#22 - Patersbier: This was lovely and definitely one to brew again. Light and refreshing but with those lovely Belgian flavours. Didn't last long in the keg at all!
#23 - Bock: Currently carbonating and conditioning. Didn't ferment out as much as I would like, ending at 1.020, so feels a bit sweet at the moment but that might ease off once the CO2 is in the beer. Proof of the pudding is in the eating though.

Chunky order in the post so that I can make the following:

<4% Hazy Session Pale Ale (Simcoe and Mosaic)
Rye PA (Dana hops and going to try Kveik on this one)
Repeat of Patersbier (it really was that good)
@BrannBrew Breakfast stout (with slight tweaks owing to CML not stocking Chocolate Wheat or Carafa I)
Omnipollo Double Raspberry Vanilla Smoothie IPA clone (300g mosaic needed for this one so got to hope it works!)

Can u share more on the Patersbier?

 

[d.carey]

Found a few interesting cites might try one after I get more experienced. I'm BIAB lager experimentalist at the moment.

E.g. Patersbier: The Lawnmower Beer of Trappist Monks

 

[-Bezza-]

Can u share more on the Patersbier?

Sure, here's what I did (note that my brew day involves starting the mash at lunchtime then commencing the sparge and boil in the evening once I've finished work).

Stupidly simple recipe! Reckon you could add a small amount of melanoidin and special B if you wanted a little extra, but not sure there's any real need.

Patersbier 45min

Belgian Single (26 A)​

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 20.00 L
Boil Size: 24.37 L
Boil Time: 45 min
End of Boil Vol: 22.50 L
Final Bottling Vol: 18.50 L
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage

Equipment: Grainfather_18.5L Keg (20l batch)
Efficiency: 73.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 78.8 %

Prepare for Brewing​

• Clean and Prepare Brewing Equipment
• Total Water Needed: 27.71 L
• Mash Water Acid: None

Water Prep

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
27.71 L​	-MY WATER-​	Water​	1​	-​	-​
1.60 g​	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash)​	Water Agent​	2​	-​	-​
0.55 g​	Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash)​	Water Agent​	3​	-​	-​
0.50 Items​	Campden Tablets (Mash)​	Water Agent​	4​	-​	-​

Mash or Steep Grains​

Mash Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
4.00 kg​	Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (3.9 EBC)​	Grain​	5​	100.0 %​	2.61 L​
1.50 g​	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Sparge)​	Water Agent​	6​	-​	-​
0.52 g​	Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Sparge)​	Water Agent​	7​	-​	-​

Mash Steps

Name​	Description​	Step Temperature​	Step Time​
Protein Rest​	Add 14.30 L of water at 53.0 C​	50.0 C​	30 min​
Saccharification​	Heat to 64.0 C over 15 min​	64.0 C​	240 min​
Mash Out​	Heat to 76.0 C over 10 min​	76.0 C​	10 min​

• Sparge Water Acid: None
• Fly sparge with 13.41 L water at 75.6 C
• Add water to achieve boil volume of 24.37 L
• Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.040 SG

Boil Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
35.00 g​	Saaz [3.60 %] - Boil 45.0 min​	Hop​	8​	14.8 IBUs​	-​
1.00 Items​	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)​	Fining​	9​	-​	-​
18.00 g​	Saaz [3.60 %] - Boil 10.0 min​	Hop​	10​	3.0 IBUs​	-​

• Estimated Post Boil Vol: 22.50 L and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.045 SG

Cool and Transfer Wort​

• Cool wort to fermentation temperature
• Transfer wort to fermenter
• Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 20.00 L

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume​

Fermentation Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
1.0 pkg​	Belgian Abbey (Mangrove Jack's #M47)​	Yeast​	11​	-​	-​

• Measure Actual Original Gravity _______ (Target: 1.045 SG)
• Measure Actual Batch Volume _______ (Target: 20.00 L)

Fermentation​

• Primary Fermentation (14.00 days at 22.0 C ending at 22.0 C)
• Secondary Fermentation (7.00 days at 3.0 C ending at 3.0 C)

Dry Hop and Bottle/Keg​

• Measure Final Gravity: _________ (Estimate: 1.008 SG)
• Carbonation: Keg with 0.86 bar
• Age beer for 30.00 days at 4.0 C

 

[d.carey]

Sure, here's what I did (note that my brew day involves starting the mash at lunchtime then commencing the sparge and boil in the evening once I've finished work).

Stupidly simple recipe! Reckon you could add a small amount of melanoidin and special B if you wanted a little extra, but not sure there's any real need.

Patersbier 45min

Belgian Single (26 A)​

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 20.00 L
Boil Size: 24.37 L
Boil Time: 45 min
End of Boil Vol: 22.50 L
Final Bottling Vol: 18.50 L
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage

Equipment: Grainfather_18.5L Keg (20l batch)
Efficiency: 73.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 78.8 %

Prepare for Brewing​

• Clean and Prepare Brewing Equipment
• Total Water Needed: 27.71 L
• Mash Water Acid: None

Water Prep

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
27.71 L​	-MY WATER-​	Water​	1​	-​	-​
1.60 g​	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash)​	Water Agent​	2​	-​	-​
0.55 g​	Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash)​	Water Agent​	3​	-​	-​
0.50 Items​	Campden Tablets (Mash)​	Water Agent​	4​	-​	-​

Mash or Steep Grains​

Mash Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
4.00 kg​	Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (3.9 EBC)​	Grain​	5​	100.0 %​	2.61 L​
1.50 g​	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Sparge)​	Water Agent​	6​	-​	-​
0.52 g​	Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Sparge)​	Water Agent​	7​	-​	-​

Mash Steps

Name​	Description​	Step Temperature​	Step Time​
Protein Rest​	Add 14.30 L of water at 53.0 C​	50.0 C​	30 min​
Saccharification​	Heat to 64.0 C over 15 min​	64.0 C​	240 min​
Mash Out​	Heat to 76.0 C over 10 min​	76.0 C​	10 min​

• Sparge Water Acid: None
• Fly sparge with 13.41 L water at 75.6 C
• Add water to achieve boil volume of 24.37 L
• Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.040 SG

Boil Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
35.00 g​	Saaz [3.60 %] - Boil 45.0 min​	Hop​	8​	14.8 IBUs​	-​
1.00 Items​	Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)​	Fining​	9​	-​	-​
18.00 g​	Saaz [3.60 %] - Boil 10.0 min​	Hop​	10​	3.0 IBUs​	-​

• Estimated Post Boil Vol: 22.50 L and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.045 SG

Cool and Transfer Wort​

• Cool wort to fermentation temperature
• Transfer wort to fermenter
• Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 20.00 L

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume​

Fermentation Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
1.0 pkg​	Belgian Abbey (Mangrove Jack's #M47)​	Yeast​	11​	-​	-​

• Measure Actual Original Gravity _______ (Target: 1.045 SG)
• Measure Actual Batch Volume _______ (Target: 20.00 L)

Fermentation​

• Primary Fermentation (14.00 days at 22.0 C ending at 22.0 C)
• Secondary Fermentation (7.00 days at 3.0 C ending at 3.0 C)

Dry Hop and Bottle/Keg​

• Measure Final Gravity: _________ (Estimate: 1.008 SG)
• Carbonation: Keg with 0.86 bar
• Age beer for 30.00 days at 4.0 C

A four hour rest? Crickey! I am new to the game. I was impressed with myself for trying a single step decoction....