Golden Promise Pale Ale

[MEB]

I'm doing a brew today. As i have a sack of Optic Malt i thought i'd do a Pale Ale using the Optic. Challenger for bittering and cascade for aroma/Flavour. Might throw in a handfull of carapils too. I'm going to use ringwood yeast for this. I think the profile will suit it.

Off to play in the brewery.

 

[brewzone]

You burning the midnight oil MEB? :thumb:

 

[Vossy1]

It's prolly afternoon over there...have a good'un MEB :thumb:

 

[A T]

Have a good one MEB

 

[MEB]

Cheers. I did have a good un. My newest version of a valentine arm worked fabulously. Forgot to take pic's though. I got quite high efficiency(91%!). I adopted a new boiling technique. I'll document this more tomorrow as i'm a bit plastered now. Might add the Recipe though...

RECIPE

5300g Optic Malt
311g Carapils

Mashed at 66C for 2 hrs.

Hops
10g Sticklebract FWH.
28g Northdown 60MINS
30g Challenger 60MINS
20g Cascade 15MINS
30g Cascade Steep-20 mins at 80C.

1 tsp Irish Moss

Ringwood Ale yeast.

OG 1060. 91% Efficiency.

 

[MEB]

With a 2 hr mash and a 2hr sparge it was still all over and done within the time i was filling dive cylinders. So i actually earn't money whilst brewing. LOL

I'm a devotee of the Valentine arm now. It's a brilliant little device and well easy to use/make. It also makes fly sparging a doddle. You just set the flow you require from your tap in HLT and adjust the V arm to the level of liquor you require above the grain bed. I throw some towels over the top of my MT to help maintain heat and then have a few beers and get on with other stuff. I check the liquor temp in the HLT every now and then and try to maintain it at around 80C. I also keep the wort thats colected in my kettle at a high temp so i don't have to wait for ages to get it up to boiling temp.

I've come to the conclusion that the malt i get from Dunedin Malt house isn't as well crushed as the malt from brewers coop. I get efficiency up in the high 80's-low 90's with the malt from BC but low 60's with the malt from DMH. So i'm sticking to BC from now on. They also have a bigger selection of grain and a great big archaic old fashioned mill. Probably why the crush is so good.

I'll get some pic's of my valentine arm for those interested.

 

[MEB]

I measured gravity today. 1032. I gave it a little swirl about as i moved it to the top shelf. I'll check again tomorrow and if the gravity hasn't moved much i'll sterilise my stirrer and give it a good rousing. Temp is a steady 17C in FC which gives wort temp of 19C.

 

[Vossy1]

I'll get some pic's of my valentine arm for those interested.

We're still waiting :whistle:

 

[slurp]

:wha: what is this valentine arm some sort of upgrade of a sparge arm?

 

[MEB]

This is a valentine arm

V arm

:thumb:

 

[slurp]

Thanks for that.Do you recon this really helps to increase your mash efficiency?

 

[MEB]

It helps with my efficiency. It stops me **** arsing about with taps so i can sit down and have a few beers during the sparge. I sparge for about 2 hr's and as slowly as i can. Balancing two taps to give identical flow is virtually impossible. Plus with the valentine arm the flow rate or height never changes, allowing for a uniform sparge. Which i feel does increase efficiency. I'm hitting 88-91% with my set up.

 

[slurp]

Thats very good i think i might try to make on although if i reduce the flow rate of the sparge water [too much]into my sparge arm it tends to stick so i think my sparging would not last anywhere near 2 hrs more like 1hr maximum .

 

[MEB]

I've had my first taste of this this evening. I've also realised it was not Optic malt but Golden Promise.
It's still green but first taste is very promising. A little bitter but bags of flavour. Will be FAB once matured for a bit longer. This one might get a chance as i'm just about catching up again from my lull. I think the GP and the Carapils make a very good combo for a Pale Ale. The Hop combo is a cracker too. I'm very pleased with this thus far.