HalsteadMills Brews

[SamBrewster]

Ghost of Box Mill from the new Brewery Tap:

This is the tap inside the brewery (garage).

Also ready to fit on the bar outside (bar to be reimagined next year):

As for the beer - been in the keg a week. Very nice, the hops shine but it needs a little longer to condition.

 

[user 18729]

Ghost of Box Mill from the new Brewery Tap:

View attachment 33168
This is the tap inside the brewery (garage).

Also ready to fit on the bar outside (bar to be reimagined next year):

View attachment 33169
As for the beer - been in the keg a week. Very nice, the hops shine but it needs a little longer to condition.

Love this

 

[SamBrewster]

E107 East Mill Home Hopped

All packaged up - 10l mini keg hooked up to the CO2 and 19 bottles primed with some left over Candi Syrup.

I have seen others describe how good their beer tastes out of the fermenter - I thought this was blind optimism. But this beer is clear and tastes amazing - especially considering it is made using garden hops which usually carry "interesting" flavours. Maybe care, attention and temperature control of the fermenter is starting to pay off?

Following excellent feedback from competition judges this year, I have some chemicals so I'm off to treat the water before tomorrow's brew based on Beginners Guide to Water Treatment (plus links to more advanced water treatment in post #1), my water report, a list of beer style water profiles and Excel.

 

[SamBrewster]

In 2004 I spent 3 weeks in January working in Boston, Massachusetts (and a week per month for the rest of that year). When on your own what better than to search out the local brewery for a tour and tasting. It was -5F (-20C) so I walked about 2 miles to the harbour and found the Harpoon Brewery. After checking IDs (even for the pensioner) the guy shouts "look through the window behind you. That's the brewery tour done, who wants a beer". A great afternoon spent drinking really nice beer. So when finding a recipe for Harpoon IPA in my Clones book it went straight on the to brew list - more about the brew day later.

 

[SamBrewster]

B109 - Harpooning Minnows at Box Mill

4500g Pale Malt
680g Munich
230g Amber (what an aroma).

17g Columbus at 60min
28g Cascade at 10min
28g Cascade at heat off - hold for 10min before cooling.
Plan to dry hop with 44g Cascade (rest of 100g pack) just before cold crash.

Oh dear, mashed at 67 then mash out to 77C before sparging - everything good. Quick check of sparge water temp before releasing - 20C. Cable between stat and heater disconnected. Instead of 10min hold at 77C it got 40min. Quickly setup the BBQ InkBird so it alarmed as soon as temp reached:

Something's wrong, a skum during cooling that appears to run all the way through:

Would only cool to 30C - my wife (the Chemical Engineer) tells me that the dissolved solids will slow the cooling.

Dropped to FV through strainer:

No improvement - strainer looks coated in hop debris.

OG a disappointing 1.049 when aiming for 1.056 with the hydrometer standing up in the "emulsion". I have to say that the sample actually tasted nice - creamy with good mouth feel - silver lining??

Now in fridge cooling to 20C so I can pitch Notty yeast. Hopefully the ferment will recover the beer?

Soooooo. Any ideas here - I have not used Munich Malt, Amber Malt or Columbus before - I cannot think this is the problem. First time treating the water - 40ml CRS, 3g Gypsum shared between mash & sparge - any issue here? DING - 40 minute hold at 77C - has this extracted some oils or something else that shouldn't be there? Advice welcome...

Soon be time for beer...

 

[SamBrewster]

Back in August I tasted a beer I made to compare CML Real Ale yeast and SO4 yeast with the conclusion:

Not sure I learned much about yeast from this experiment.

Had a pint of the CML yesterday, it smells quite sour, there is a little sourness in the taste too but not enough to spoil the beer. Then I had the SO4 version. No sourness at all, a much nicer beer. Reversed the order of drinking tonight, same result.
Looks like the beer keeps better when fermented with the SO4 compared to CML Real Ale yeast!!
It's really quite a nice beer too

 

[SamBrewster]

A few write-ups after two full days of Dubai audit hosting (from my desk in Essex!).

Today was cider day

C106 - Townsford Mill Cider yielded 8 bottles. Added a little sugar this year to get some fizz, 5.7%.

N108 - Flowers at North Mill

One PB and 6 bottles all packaged up. After some effort, I think the PB is holding, pressure starting to climb today.

Acquired a big fridge and a fridge freezer from FreeCycle - just the cost of the van hire to collect. Will use the fridge freezer to store fruit, hops, etc. and cold crash. The fridge is now fitted with a "heater". This was a heat tray that perished so took the hot bit out and sandwiched it between two glass fridge shelves and stood at the back of the fridge. Just waiting for the STC1000 and try out later in the week.

Was given 2 bags of pears (about 25kg). I don't like pears but maybe ferment a gallon and add Strawberry & Lime - maybe chilli & ginger to a couple?

 

[SamBrewster]

Friday & Saturday was Christmas Brew time - E110.

The last two years I made Christmas Tree - flavored with pine needles, clove and orange - it was nice but I decided two split out the pine from the clove and orange whilst also making Hopsteep's Forum Christmas Brew:

3740g Pale Malt
125g Crystal Malt
560g Chocolate Malt
350g Porridge Oats

Mashed for an hour at 66C.

20g Summit at 60 minutes.
325g Black Treacle added a bit at a time throughout the boil (used in previous Christmas beers so instead of invert here).

After the boil I dropped hot into three FVs:

~10l onto 120g Lactose & Teaspoon Cacao powder - forum brew which I will call Chocolate Elf
~10l onto 1 clove and pinch sweet & bitter orange peel - Pomander - this will have fresh orange zest & juice added during the ferment.
~5l onto 10g pine needles & 50g Lactose - Christmas Tree

Once cooled overnight the clove, peel and pine needles were removed. Chocolate Elf was pitched with S04, Pomander with CML Belgian and Christmas Tree with CML Real Ale (all left over half packs).

All now in the fridge at about 20C - Pomander going like mad, Christmas Tree starting and Chocolate Elf still thinking about it.

This was a much easier brew day than expected and shorter without the cool...

 

[SamBrewster]

B109 - Harpooning Minnows at Box Mill

I appear to have made beer cheese:

Gave it a few extra days cold crashing in an attempt to save some beer. Siphoned the clear stuff off the top so lost 5/6l at a guess.

Something's wrong, a skum during cooling that appears to run all the way through

"emulsion"

Any ideas here - I have not used Munich Malt, Amber Malt or Columbus before - I cannot think this is the problem. First time treating the water - 40ml CRS, 3g Gypsum shared between mash & sparge - any issue here? DING - 40 minute hold at 77C - has this extracted some oils or something else that shouldn't be there?

Tastes OK but doesn't have the flavour I would expect from all the cascade.

In a corny with gas on, fingers crossed...

 

[SamBrewster]

Christmas Brew

All bottled up. 16 Chocolate Elf, 16 Pomander and 7 Christmas Tree.

In my new brew fridge to carb & condition for a couple of weeks - primed with black treacle.

Lots of crud in this like the last batch. The only common thing between the beers was addition of CRS - maybe this is the cause?

 

[Pennine]

Do you use other fining agents? I have never seen crud like that before. I also usually use all the trub in my fermenter too.

 

[SamBrewster]

Do you use other fining agents?

Irish Moss last 15 of boil. From FV sample it doesn't seam to be affecting the flavour, just increases the losses and looks weirdly cheesy.

 

[SamBrewster]

Not found time to get a brew on recently, hopefully later this week.
Look what the postman just delivered

 

[SamBrewster]

After a busy few weeks with work & hols, managed to get a brew in today .
Based on GH Brown Porter:

4kg MO
350g Crystal Malt
200g Chocolate Malt
300g Brown Malt

25g First Gold @ 60min
8g First Gold @ 10min

Everything went well, with nice full kettle:

Cooled to 24C and waiting for it to drop to <20 before pitching CML Five and moving to the fridge at 18C.
Missed target by a few points - OG 1.043. The base malts are very variable, the last was >80% BHE, this one about 70%.
Didn't add CRS today due to the "cheese" issues of the last two batches but:

Definite oiliness to this again. Looking at the brew logs, the only common ingredient to these batches and no other is the MO.
I guess Pale Malt is scarce but may try to get some more to compare or just live with this for now until used up (only tasted one of the batches and it was fine)...

After primary ferment is done plan to have 5L Brown Porter and split the rest between 1kg Blackberries and 1kg Plums for a week or so.

 

[SamBrewster]

Excited by the London Bitter N105, I squeezed in a brew today to experiment with hops - N113:

4400g MO
250g Crystal Malt
36g Chocolate Malt

30g Challenger at 60min
10g Challenger at 15min

Plan was to drop hot into 5 DJ with:

5g Challenger
5g EKG
5g Target
5g First Gold
5g Styrian Golding (that great English hop)

Noticed a small crack in one DJ so swapped for a bucket. All going well until the last DJ. BANG the bottom went, quickly grabbed another bucket. Now have one bucket a bit full and one a bit low. Steeped for 30min, removed hops. Once cooled will pitch S04.

I have read posts from other brewers mixing to find best hop combination and this is my plan. Will then try to darken the beer, then play with yeast.

I love this hobby

 

[SamBrewster]

Wonderful sight:

Brown porter siphoned to secondarys (plain, blackberry & plum) just before fermentation finished so eating up any sugar in the fruits and bubbling gently.
5 different hopped bitters bubbling nicely.
All controlled at 20C

 

[SamBrewster]

Work getting in the way of brewing so decided to do an evening brew tomorrow.
What to make... have ingredients for Clones Turbodog - brown beer with Chinook & Willamette OR GH 80 Shilling...

 

[Horners]

I did GH 80" recently and got to say that I am not really enjoying it. Of course that could be down to personal taste or poor brewing technique. Used WLP028 - mine finished at 1015 and to me is a little sweet.

 

[SamBrewster]

Decided on the Turbodog Clone.
N114-The Guard Dog

I guess Pale Malt is scarce

Managed to get some but will feed the MO in a little at a time to get rid...

1kg MO
3kg Pale
520g Crystal
210g Chocolate
Scoop of porridge oats

26g Chinook at 60min
35g Willamette at 5min
38g Willamette at flame out

Will dose water with CRS and get heat on about 4.

 

[SamBrewster]

Boils on, it's the evening and I spy a keg of beer

Cheers