Erik The Anglophile's brewdays.

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Joined
Dec 8, 2021
Messages
343
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Location
out in the sticks near: Kalix, Sweden
Hello all, since everyone else logs their brews/brewdays here I figured I could do it aswell.
We recently moved out to the country-side in the far north of Sweden and are just now starting to get everything unpacked and in order with just some small bits left to get in place, so I will likely be able to get my first brew in the new house done in a few weeks. Altough being a father of 2, working full time and living in a house that needs renovations/shaping up to be done I probably won't be able to brew more than once a month or so.

11/12 2021.
Anyway, this has not been a brewday, but brew related at least, I made a new lautering tun out of 2 large fermenting buckets, since my old, smaller one could not fit all the sparge water I needed in one filling.
First I drilled a bunch of 2mm holes in the bottom of one bucket.
I then made a hole in another bucket for a spigot, put the perforated bucket in that and can now drain the wort via a silicone hose into my boil kettle.
This is the beauty once it is "assembled"

I then poured myself some beer, hydration is important

Also put a hole for a spigot in a 30L fermenting bucket, so I can start making 20L batches for kegging in the kegerator build for wich I plan to use the old kitchen fridge that we will replace.

My first brew will be a Traquair house ale clone-ish, using Maris Otter as base and 2% UK chocolate malt, 2hr boil and a smalł ( about 0,5g/L) 15 min addition of a Swedish old hop variety that gives a little clove like flavour wich should pair well.
After that I plan on doing a historically inspired strong ale.
Maris Otter as base
15% homemade invert#3 50/50 mix of demerara based and light muscovado based
6% Crisp amber
2% Crisp brown
8% torrefied wheat
OG 1.075 IBU around 40-45 and a 15 min addition of 2g/L First Gold and Kent Goldings and a hop stand with those aswell.
To be fermented with my go to yeast that is pretty character full and gives some red berries and stonefruit esters, aiming for something in the vein of Shepherd Neames Christmas Ale but even more liquid fruit cake.
After that likely some bitters and brown ales, maybe a mild and a stout/porter, to get a pipeline of normal strenght everyday beers for kegs going.
Well thats pretty much it, I will likely post my kegerator build in the DYI section, alongside the brew room I got planned for the part of the basement where our wood pellet burner is now. When we get ground heat installed and a considerably smaller heat pump and cleaner boiler room, it will also serve as my basement brewery.
 

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Saturday 19th March 2022
First brew of the year got all wrapped up and pitched the yeast a few hours ago.
This will be my first kegged beer, and I plan to brew 3 more in rather quick sucession to get a pipeline going for the kegerator, a Brown Ale, Best Bitter and a Dark Mild is in the queue.
Brewday went well, hit all my numbers and the wort tasted wonderful.
Will likely brew at weekend nights from now on, with 2 kids below 3 yrs daytime brewing gets a bit...hectic.

Shepherd Neames Double Stout inspired stout.
Maris Otter 2.27 kg 70%
Black Malt 260g 8%
Torrefied Wheat 160g 5%
Oats 160g 5%
Chocolate Malt 130g 4%
Invert #3 260g 8%

Mash 66c/60min 90 min boil
19.9g Challenger 60 min
11g Challenger 15 min

Ended up at about 15,5 liters post boil and 14 liters in the bucket, to be put in a 12L corny keg

Ferment at 18c with Brewly English ale yeast

OG 1.050
IBU 30
Est abv ~5%

Water
Ca ~197 mg/L
Cl ~ 302 mg/L
So4 ~ 102 mg/L
Na ~ 82 mg/L
Mash pH 5.5
 

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I see you have an assistant on hand there to help you through your brew days.

Out of interest, what was the Swedish clove like hop you mentioned in your first post you were going to use?
 
Kegged the stout today, my first time kegging but all went well, not too worried about closed transfers etc since I will naturally condition in the kegs, but I hooked a hose to the beer out post and transferred through that and purged the headspace to keep oxygen uptake to a minimum.
Had planned to brew a Brown Ale saturday night, but a wounded ankle made me have to put that on hold, will brew it next saturday night though. The plan is to keg friday night and brew saturday night every 2 weeks to get 4 full kegs for the kegerator.
In between house renovations I am tinkering on the keg fridge, but that's nothing I stress about since I have at least 6 weeks until I have all the beer to put in it, will likely pop up in the DIY forum once finished.
 

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As a bonus: the pellet burner/boiler room that will become also a brewery once we get the ground heat unit installed. Will tear down all wood panelling, clean properly, new ceiling tiles where the wood roof is, and paint with concrete paint. The room has water and drainage, but I need to optimise and draw some pipes from the water post to where I want them, and add some wall sockets on their own 20A group. And build some work benches etc along the wall with the windows.
The room has an old ventilation hatch in the wall I plan to build some sort of hood and get a fan for wort boiling.
 

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Hi Erik. Looks like you are getting set up for life. What is the yeast that gives red berry and stone fruit esters?
 
Hi Erik. Looks like you are getting set up for life. What is the yeast that gives red berry and stone fruit esters?
Well, the preparations will be done this summer, tearing out all old stuff and repainting etc, the actual building of the brewery might be a year or two in the future. We bought an old house not too long ago that needs some renovations done, but apart from some neglected maintenance of a plumbing appliance here and there (mostly fixable for someone who don't have 2 left thumbs) it is in livable condition so we don't really mind doing it in stages and that the whole project will take a few years to complete.
Brewly English Ale Yeast - Brewly @ The Home Brewery is the yeast I have started using for most my British ales.
The stout I fermented at 18c, but it has some simple sugars in it so there should be some subtle fruityness in it, I didn't really pick up any of it in the sample I drew while kegging, but on the other hand it was a 2 week old stout needing a few months to smooth out the harsher roasty flavours that likely are too overpowering still.
 
Well, the preparations will be done this summer, tearing out all old stuff and repainting etc, the actual building of the brewery might be a year or two in the future. We bought an old house not too long ago that needs some renovations done, but apart from some neglected maintenance of a plumbing appliance here and there (mostly fixable for someone who don't have 2 left thumbs) it is in livable condition so we don't really mind doing it in stages and that the whole project will take a few years to complete.
Brewly English Ale Yeast - Brewly @ The Home Brewery is the yeast I have started using for most my British ales.
The stout I fermented at 18c, but it has some simple sugars in it so there should be some subtle fruityness in it, I didn't really pick up any of it in the sample I drew while kegging, but on the other hand it was a 2 week old stout needing a few months to smooth out the harsher roasty flavours that likely are too overpowering still.
Ah Brewly, I've seen posts about it before. Do we have any idea what it is? I can't think of another dry yeast that provides red berry and stone fruit esters.

I'm not the sort to gut a house and do it all in one go either, I wouldn't buy something that desperately needed that. Although chipping away at a house when you have kids can become a drawn out affair. It's all about getting the balance right, and we are all different personalities with different skillsets and circumstances and energy levels! It sounds like a good lifestyle. And a brewery is definitely a nice reward to have on the horizon!
 
We try do major work done one weekend every month, but try to get something done every week, be it throwing away construction garbage, getting material or just some small preparations for bigger projects. As said we are not in a hurry but it's nice to get at least some sense of progress, and being able to take a lazy weekend here or there. Luckily I am a certified carpenter by trade, and generally a practical bloke with an ADHD personality so most of the stuff I handle on my own...
Next up is a Brown Ale next weekend!
 
I'm not really sure what the Brewly yeast is, someone suspected fermoale AY3, but the reviews I've seen from people who have used it don't add up with the attenuation and behaviour I get, I'd guess it's some Windsor related variant bred by Jästbolaget.
We try do major work done one weekend every month, but try to get something done every week, be it throwing away construction garbage, getting material or just some small preparations for bigger projects. As said we are not in a hurry but it's nice to get at least some sense of progress, and being able to take a lazy weekend here or there. Luckily I am a certified carpenter by trade, and generally a practical bloke with an ADHD personality so most of the stuff I handle on my own...
Next up is a Brown Ale next weekend!

Don't know why that became a double post...
 
I think you added the yeast bit and quoted your previous post?

As far as I am aware the Brewly yeast is available in the UK. But we have more than enough to go at these days!
 
10/04-22.
Brewed up a Brown Ale yesterday night, have started brewing after dinner so I can start the mash before bed time for the kids, makes for far less hectic brewdays (nights).
This is a slightly tweaked version of one I have made before, aiming to get closer to a nutty Northern Brown.

Est batch size ~21.5L post boil, ~20L in to the bucket.
Est OG 1.045
IBU 22

MO as base
5% Simpson DRC
5% Crisp Brown Malt
5% light muscovado (in boil)
2% Crystal 150 ebc
2% pale chocolate
Mashed at 66c/60min
90 min boil

Well, this batch did not go exactly as planned, it was my first larger batch intended for my 18L kegs.
I had previously done a test boil with water in my new 36L kettle, and had to use an immersion heater in addition to the IKEA TILLREDA portable induction plate I use, to get a decent (water) boil going.
Turns out the wort behaved rather different, and started boiling WAY too violently when using both, so I removed the kettle and went immersion heater only, wich worked really well. Although this resulted in quiet a bit less boil off than the recipe was calculated on.
I ended up with a few liters more than expected and an OG of .042 instead of my calculated .045.
But it will make beer, and the wort had a rather notable toasted nuts flavour wich I was going for, so all is good.
I measured the wort in the bucket ( almost precisely 20L) + the wort left in the kettle to get a more truthful boil off, so next time I hopefully will have numbers closer to the truth to work with.
 

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Best Bitter next, will be my first time trying a hop stand, 2g/L of equal parts Challenger and Styrian Goldings/Bobek. 80c/20 min.
Have also been thinking about keg hopping, chucking in ~0.6g/L when kegging, then let them sit during keg conditioning and hopefully get drawn out with the first pint of yeast sludge. Most my lighter beers are intended to go about 3 weeks from kegging to drinking so those moderate amounts should not give any weird flavours. Thoughts?
Edit: the thought is to try an additional small keg hop next time I brew up a bitter to compare.
 
I may have cocked up a little on batch#2 Northern Brown.
Mean to keg it this friday, and took a gravity sample yesterday since it's been 11 days in the FV and looks done. FG seems to be at 1.013 from 1.042, for an AA of 68%even with a bit of muscovado sugar.
I will from now on use 2 satchets of my "house" Brittish yeast, and keep a closer eye on the strike water temp.
My initial mash temp was 70-71c and it took me about 10 min to get it to my intended 66c by stirring in some cold water.
This in combo with a slight underpitch of a very maltotriose sensitive yeast is probably what lead to the poor-ish attenuation. It tasted promising anyways altough maybe not exactly what I envisioned.
I promise to be more vigilant on Saturday...
 
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Yeah, the dry selection is becoming really good, nice for me since I live so far away from everything with no LHBS, getting liqiud yeast shipped is not really doable for me.
Why is liquid yeast not doable? When I consider that I culture yeasts from months or years old bottles of beer that have been just hanging around on a shelf somewhere, I wonder why we're so precious about the shipping time for liquid yeasts. Especially if you order in the winter.
 

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