Dutto's Brew Day

[Dutto]

Busy day today:

1. Bottled the two "Rowan Berry" experiments into 6 x 650ml Flip-Tops from each DJ. Added quarter teaspoonful of Brewing Sugar to each bottle and carbonating/conditioning at ambient temperatures on garage shelves. FG was at 1.010 and 1.008 so +/-2.5% ABV. The DJ with the most Rowan Berry Juice (450ml) tasted better than the other one (350ml) at this stage.
2. Added 20g of B&M Hop Pellets to one and 20g of Hallertau Hop Leaf to second B&M 23 litre Ale Brews. (Day 8 of fermentation.)
3. Tried the "Mars Bar Beer" (modified Barley Wine) and if they made Mars Bars with black chocolate it would be a drinkable copy in small quantities. I will leave it until Christmas before trying a second one!

 

[Dutto]

I'm calling it a "LOW ABV VIENNA LAGER" 'cos it ticks all the boxes in BrewersFriend except the ABV's.

INGREDIENTS

3.00kg Maris Otter
0.50kg Crystal Malt
0.25kg Rolled Oats (untested)
40g Styrian Goldings Leaf (Bittering)
40g Hallertau Leaf (Aroma)
Wilco Ale Yeast
Protafloc Tablet

DAY ONE
Mash & Sparge
Strike Water = 12 litres at 80*C.
Mash at 63*C to 68*C for one hour – (Bottom feed – temp increased!)
Heat SPARGE water to 80*C.
After one hour circulate Mash using TWO vessels until wort runs CLEAR.
Sparge at one litre per minute. Stop sparge when boil kettle at30 litres.

DAY TWO
Boil
Boil with 40g of Styrian Goldings Leaf (AA3.9%) for 60 minutes.
Remove hops.
Add Protafloc tablet and boil for 10 minutes.
Flameout
Steep with 40g of Hallertau Leaf (AA2.9%) for 30 minutes.
Remove hops.
Cool to 30*C, Whirlpool, rest for 15 minutes and run off into FV.
Make up to 23 litres and take OG (1.034).
Pitch yeast and ferment in fridge at 22*C.

After a week fermenting I will:

• Dry Hop with another 20g of Hallertau for another week,
• Cold Crash the brew to 8*C for a third week,
• Transfer to 2 x 10 litre Growlers.
  • One Growler carbonated with CO2 (*) at ambient
  • Second Growler (along with 6 x 500ml bottles) carbonated with Brewing Sugar at 22*C.

They will then both be conditioned to be ready for around Christmas!

(*) I'm hoping that the CO2 carbonated Growler will be okay to take to a party on 17th December!

 

[Zephyr259]

Sounds very tasty, any reason, other than the continental hops, that this isn't just an ordinary bitter? 8 and a bit weeks to Christmas, how long do the late hops hang about for?

 

[Dutto]

Sounds very tasty, any reason, other than the continental hops, that this isn't just an ordinary bitter? 8 and a bit weeks to Christmas, how long do the late hops hang about for?

It's a bit too dark for an Ordinary Bitter (the Crystal Malt was EBC 250).

I use a weighted Hop Bag for Dry Hopping. I will add the 20g of Hallertau for the second week of fermentation and then drop the temperature down to +/-8*C for another week; without removing the Hop Bag.

I've never had the "grassy" taste that can apparently occur if the hops are left too long in the FV.

If I'm not bothering to Cold Crash, I bottle/keg a brew after Dry Hopping for a week so the hops come out anyway; but when I Cold Crash a brew I just leave the hops in place.

The duration of the Cold Crash is very dependent on how busy I am at other things (at the moment SWMBO has got me laying natural wood floors and sorting out a new toilet!) and may be as little as three days, but never more than a week.

The time to Christmas is just enough to ferment (two weeks), Cold Crash (one week), Carbonate (two weeks)(*) and Condition (three weeks).

(*) Here's hoping that the CO2 carbonated Growler will be okay a lot quicker than two weeks; and that I can transport it without stirring up any sediment!

 

[Zephyr259]

Thanks for the explanations, I know you like the 2+2+2 method, but I see you've added in some extra weeks on this one. Sounds yummy, I've never dry hopped a beer but I am tempted to do it with a British or Nobel hop, the American ones don't do it for me. :-)

 

[Leon103]

It's a bit too dark for an Ordinary Bitter (the Crystal Malt was EBC 250).

I use a weighted Hop Bag for Dry Hopping. I will add the 20g of Hallertau for the second week of fermentation and then drop the temperature down to +/-8*C for another week; without removing the Hop Bag.

I've never had the "grassy" taste that can apparently occur if the hops are left too long in the FV.

If I'm not bothering to Cold Crash, I bottle/keg a brew after Dry Hopping for a week so the hops come out anyway; but when I Cold Crash a brew I just leave the hops in place.

The duration of the Cold Crash is very dependent on how busy I am at other things (at the moment SWMBO has got me laying natural wood floors and sorting out a new toilet!) and may be as little as three days, but never more than a week.

The time to Christmas is just enough to ferment (two weeks), Cold Crash (one week), Carbonate (two weeks)(*) and Condition (three weeks).

(*) Here's hoping that the CO2 carbonated Growler will be okay a lot quicker than two weeks; and that I can transport it without stirring up any sediment!

Perhaps a bit too much Crystal for the style guides?

 

[Dutto]

Perhaps a bit too much Crystal for the style guides?

Er ... not if I wanted to produce a Vienna Lager! The only boxes it didn't tick on BrewersFriend were OG, FG and resulting ABV.

I deliberately brewed it to be a low ABV because I expect most of it to be consumed by people who will then drive home; rather than into the nearest wall or Police Cell.

 

[Leon103]

Er ... not if I wanted to produce a Vienna Lager! The only boxes it didn't tick on BrewersFriend were OG, FG and resulting ABV.

I deliberately brewed it to be a low ABV because I expect most of it to be consumed by people who will then drive home; rather than into the nearest wall or Police Cell.

But according to BJCP it is. I bet it hits a number of styles on brewers friend.

 

[dan125]

Er ... not if I wanted to produce a Vienna Lager! The only boxes it didn't tick on BrewersFriend were OG, FG and resulting ABV.

Have to agree with Leon on this one - caramel aroma/flavour is inappropriate in a Vienna Lager (according to the bjcp guidelines at least) - what are the boxes it ticked? I don't use brewersfriend but have taken a look and don't really get how it ticks the boxes for the style - looks like a nice bitter though

 

[Hoddy]

Have to agree with Leon on this one - caramel aroma/flavour is inappropriate in a Vienna Lager (according to the bjcp guidelines at least) - what are the boxes it ticked? I don't use brewersfriend but have taken a look and don't really get how it ticks the boxes for the style - looks like a nice bitter though

You would know if it’s a bitter. Being a winner in that style and all

 

[Dutto]

Have to agree with Leon on this one - caramel aroma/flavour is inappropriate in a Vienna Lager (according to the bjcp guidelines at least) - what are the boxes it ticked? I don't use brewersfriend but have taken a look and don't really get how it ticks the boxes for the style - looks like a nice bitter though

If you go to BrewersFriend and ask for "More" on the results there is a section that covers the Min & Max for OG, FG, ABV, IBU, EBC etc. There is also a relevant "Colour" chart that shows you what the planned brew will look like when compared to the one against whichever "Style" you are aiming for (or in my case already brewed).

For myself, I know what I have in the garage, I know how I've brewed it so I then go to BrewersFriend and see what I have brewed!

Using this system, I very seldom brew something that isn't within one or another "Style Guideline"; the exception being when brewing something that is very low on ABV. In that case I look for the first "Style" that fits whatever I've brewed and give it a name!

BTW, if you look at the OP on this brew I actually used Crystal Malt, rather than Caramalt so I'm not sure where you get the "caramel aroma/flavour" from.

 

[Leon103]

If you go to BrewersFriend and ask for "More" on the results there is a section that covers the Min & Max for OG, FG, ABV, IBU, EBC etc. There is also a relevant "Colour" chart that shows you what the planned brew will look like when compared to the one against whichever "Style" you are aiming for (or in my case already brewed).

For myself, I know what I have in the garage, I know how I've brewed it so I then go to BrewersFriend and see what I have brewed!

Using this system, I very seldom brew something that isn't within one or another "Style Guideline"; the exception being when brewing something that is very low on ABV. In that case I look for the first "Style" that fits whatever I've brewed and give it a name!

BTW, if you look at the OP on this brew I actually used Crystal Malt, rather than Caramalt so I'm not sure where you get the "caramel aroma/flavour" from.

The sweetness of crystal malt has distinct caramel tones to it.

 

[Dutto]

The sweetness of crystal malt has distinct caramel tones to it.

I won't know about that until sometime near Christmas; so looking forward to tasting it; but it still came out as a Vienna Lager in BrewersFriend.

The last one I did came out as a Dark Lager but to me it tasted so much like an English Mild that I went back into BrewersFriend and checked. Yep! It ticked all the boxes in "English Mild Ale" as well.

As you may have gathered, I don't get too carried away with describing whatever it is I brew. As long as it tastes okay then great and if it's worth repeating then even better; especially as I now note down what I used and how I brewed it.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
You say potato and I say potato . . .

 

[Leon103]

I won't know about that until sometime near Christmas; so looking forward to tasting it; but it still came out as a Vienna Lager in BrewersFriend.

The last one I did came out as a Dark Lager but to me it tasted so much like an English Mild that I went back into BrewersFriend and checked. Yep! It ticked all the boxes in "English Mild Ale" as well.

As you may have gathered, I don't get too carried away with describing whatever it is I brew. As long as it tastes okay then great and if it's worth repeating then even better; especially as I now note down what I used and how I brewed it.

That way you never get too worried if something doesn't come out as the style guides dictate.

 

[Leon103]

Hi!
You say patato and I say potato . . .

So we are saying potato

 

[dan125]

Styles don't really matter when you are just brewing for yourself, but I think the confusion is arising because there is more to making any style than just the OG, FG, ABV, IBU, EBC etc. As you mention any beer might hit these numbers for several styles but that doesn't mean they are indeed that style of beer.
A Vienna lager for example would usually include, some lager & vienna malts and be feremented with a lager yeast I believe.

 

[Dutto]

Somewhere in this Thread are comments that I couldn't possibly have made a Vienna Lager because:

1. I didn't use the right Malt.
2. I didn't use the right Yeast.
3. I didn't ferment at the right temperature.
4. I didn't "lager" the brew for the right length of time.
5. etc ....... ?
6. etc ....... ?

I have bought commercial "lager" that tasted absolute **** (with a capital "K"). I'm sure that the manufacturer of this stuff that was labelled "lager" hadn't followed the methods outlined by the purists ...

... but at least mine tasted okay!

 

[Dutto]

Change of plan with the latest Vienna Lager!

SWMBO needed space in the freezer so I Dry Hopped on Thursday 1st November with the remaining 40g of Hallertau, instead of the planned 20g.

Also, as the ambient temperature is predicted to have fallen to +/- 9*C by next Thursday, instead of Cold Crashing the brew I will just turn off the heater in Fridge 2 and open the door for a week.

 

[Dutto]

Checked on the Vienna Lager today and this was the result ...

The pellicle had a really greasy/soapy feel to it (the last time I felt anything similar was on the headless body of a young lady that we pulled out of a canal in Belgium.

There was no "off-smell", the taste was "hoppy" but very normal so I transferred it to 2 x 10 litre growlers and 2 x 650ml bottles. One Growler will be carbonated using CO2 and the other with 10g of Brewing Sugar.

Saponification is used in the production of soap but the brew tastes okay; plus the only oils I can think of are those that would be contained in the 40g of Hallertau Hop Leaf I used for Aroma after Flameout and for Dry Hopping.

I'll keep an eye on things and see if the brew stays as tasty in a couple of weeks!

Oh, the FG was at 1.009.