Finally a brew day

[photek1000]

Well it's been a while since my last post, don't get to visit this glorious forum much at the moment, busy at home and work have very unfairly blocked the site :-(

Anyway, taken a day off work to get back on the Home Brew Horse, maybe a bit ambitious but planning a two brew day tomorrow, starting with a Porter from ingredients I have had in storage for a while, which reminds me, my hops are in the freezer, any need to defrost or will boiling wort just do that instantly anyway?

And secondly an Exmoor Gold from the Graham Wheeler book.

Hopefully with overlapping mash and boil I should be looking at getting it all squeezed in between school drop off and nursery pick up, and making use of a no chill cube, first go, for the Porter and normal immersion chill for the Gold.

Now I may decide during the Porter that I'm a little out of practice and bin off the Gold for the day but the plan is for the double, as it's a rare opportunity to brew :-)

 

[GerritT]

Frozen hops should defrost quite instantly. Unless you're adding hops by the pound of course.
Most I brewed was 3 batches in a day: 3x5 liter to fill up a 23 fv. Turned out as a fokkin good IPA but that day was long... You could start milling today already, if you keep it cool and dry overnight.
How is the Wheelr book btw? I ordered it but Amazon are taking their bløødy sweet time...

 

[photek1000]

Grain is pre-crushed so that's not a concern, the only thing I may in advance is get the initial water volume ready in the HLT and ready to go, I have a Inkbird 306T I won off this wonderful forum that will get it's first real go, I have tested it on a small 10 litre volume and it worked nicely, so i may kick it off heating whilst i run around dropping kids off to various schools and nursery's.

I like the wheeler book, a good read and plenty of recipes, although he favours a 90 min boil which I won't be following, I'll be going with a 60 mash and a 60 boil.

 

[GerritT]

You gonna love the Inkbird! But you call 10 liter small? And your next brews are going to be 5-liter AG? Isn't a 10 liter brew as much time taking as a 5 liter?

 

[photek1000]

I assume your probably getting that from my old signature, tomorrow’s brews will be aiming at 23 litre into the FV for both.

 

[photek1000]

Well that was a busy old day, but actually managed to come out ahead of my planned schedule.

Came out 2 litres under volume and over OG on the Gold but OG was spot on after a cold water top up.

The Porter was bang on, and after several hours in the No-Chill cube it was down to 30°c and a short run of the Immersion chiller it was at pitching temp.

Both are now sat in the garage with various heat methods with ambient for cooling, really could do with a whole fleet of brew fridges :-)

Anyway a tiring day, but got 2 brews done for about an extra hour of actual work time, fingers crossed they turn out nice and that the porter doesn't redecorate the garage, I have a feeling it may well go off well.

 

[Ajhutch]

Sounds like a great day, you've earned a beer!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[photek1000]

Well I had a free evening of sorts this evening so I thought I'd have a peak and gravity check a bit early, 5 days into fermentation.

Well first up, I need a new trial jar, I bought a large scale hydrometer off the beerhawk sale, yup my jar isn't tall enough.

Anyway, old hydrometer in hand and jar, it would seem that both beers have fermented out to pretty much 1.010 and are tasting amazing.

I'll let them keep going and let the yeast clean up some, maybe get them in the barrels on the weekend.

 

[photek1000]

A test pour of both this evening after a week carbonating, both lovely and beautifully clear right now, basically ready to drink.

 

[photek1000]

It’s fair to say I’m damned happy with this Porter, lovely flavours, really smokey, slow pour as per normal from the PB but I can live with that.

 

[Dutto]

.........., busy at home and work have very unfairly blocked the site ............

"Work"! The curse of the drinking classes! :thumb: :thumb:

It's a pity that they couldn't block all the porn sites that MP was allegedly looking at. :whistle: :whistle:

Welcome back. :thumb:

 

[photek1000]

"Work"! The curse of the drinking classes! :thumb: :thumb:

Cheers Dutto, I have since liberated a laptop from the disposal pile at work and snuck onto the visitor WiFi, no stopping me now :-D

It is nice to have access back again.