Confessions

[Sean_Mc]

Cock ups from the last few months

My experiment with lemon balm and elderflower in a pale ale is now cleaning the drains :sick: kept a few bottles just to see if they ever get better

The elderflower on its on came good eventually and will do again for next summer using dried ingredients, leaving the herbs for cooking :)

Trying to cut corners with 60min boil times on stouts :nono: seemed to get away with 60 min mash, but am going back to 90min mash and boils on all brews.

Somehow cocked up Poltergeist porter, OG and FG good, primed as normal, but the bottles erupted violently when opened, keg was okay, so think my sterilizing needed attention there and they got infected :whistle:

Done some good beers though, stouts, bitters, pales and even a couple of lagers, so notes have been kept. Feel I'm ready to stop so many experiments now though. I like dry stouts, mildly hopped bitters and a fruity pale on a sunny day.

Plan now is to get a bigger tun and brew to at least 50ltr lengths on tried and tested recipes, herms again put on the back boiler....maybe next year

Sean

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I boil my stouts for 60 mins, never had a problem :hmm:
BB

 

[Sean_Mc]

They just don't seem to get bitter enough for me John with only a 60min boil, maybe I'm not reaching the hot break, just seem better to me with 90min

 

[highwayman]

I used to boil all my worts for 90 mins until John and others said they got the same results with a 60 min boil..so I reduced mine to 60 mins as well ...and to be honest there was no difference. However, I now boil for 70 mins..to be on the safe side

 

[evanvine]

I both sparge and boil to lenght.
If the reduction in the boil is too rapid, I keep turning an element off for a while.

 

[Sean_Mc]

Not knowing the chemistry of the boil, maybe my boil could be more vigorous, I seem to reach calculator targets?

Don't have a problem with pales, in fact I'd say mine are quite good, its just my fave tipple stout.


Oh while I'm on here moaning, I plan to do Dave Lines Guinness extra stout, which yeast? I was thinking s-05, but plan a buy from Rob and he's got a good choice, so which would you recommend?

PS, hi Jim not seen you posting for a bit :

 

[evanvine]

Not knowing the chemistry of the boil, maybe my boil could be more vigorous, I seem to reach calculator targets

I believe that a vigorous kicking boil is required to get the best from your hops, while the hot break is only achieved by time.

I'm still here Sean!

 

[cwrw]

So, for the totally AG unitiated (and unconventional) would it be a viable approach to Mash for 90 minutes and boil for 70 minutes (doing a belgian ale) for a first go? I'm starting in the next 5 days! :whistle:

 

[evanvine]

So, for the totally AG unitiated (and unconventional) would it be a viable approach to Mash for 90 minutes and boil for 70 minutes (doing a belgian ale) for a first go? I'm starting in the next 5 days! :whistle:

I know very little about Belgian beers or lagers as I mainly brew bitter.
Mashing for 90 mins is plenty long enough, it is your mash temp that is more important (66C).
Achieving the hot break is far more important than boil time!
Best of luck with your brew :thumb:

 

[cwrw]

Thanks Evanvine :thumb:

 

[Tony]

I now boil for 70 mins..to be on the safe side

Me too .. well almost. I decided to split the difference and go for 75