Hazelwood’s Brewday Part 2

[Hazelwood Brewery]

The stout brew-day is complete. Rather than just a picture of the wort in the fermentation cabinet I’ve put together a few pictures through the process.

This first group is from the mash showing the boiler with my pump recirculating the wort to maintain a more even temperature through the grain bed and continuously filter the wort. Also, a picture of the recirculation from inside the boiler. The pH (and temperature) reading, along with the gravity reading were taken after 20 minutes to see how the mash is behaving.

Sparge next. Pictures show the setup, the white pipe is a Valentine arm which is used to match in-flow and out-flow as the sparge water is pumped in from the bucket on the right. The bucket on the left collects the runnings. Also, a view of the sparge water entering the boiler and looking into the bucket collecting the runnings.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

After the mash/sparge I haul the grain basket out with a rope and pulley system and let the grain drain for a short while - I usually recover about a litre.

After combining the wort left in the boiler, the runnings, and the drips from the grain I always get slightly confused whenever I brew this recipe thinking the volume of wort is a bit short - then I remember I have a couple of litres of cold-steeped liquor to add yet. Bring it all to a boil and skim off the hot-break before adding the hops in a mesh bag.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Nearly there now. At the end of the boil that black liquor is added and 10 minutes later chill down ready to pitch the yeast.

Let the cooled wort rest for an hour so the cold/break can all settle at the bottom of my boiler. When ready, take a gravity reading and then transfer that lovely wort into a fermenting bucket with the yeast. 21 litres of wort with OG of 1052 in the fermenting cabinet.

Collecting the water now for another brewday tomorrow. This will be another bitter with different hops to my regular brew.

 

[Clint]

Such fun!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Such fun!

Pop round and join in, you can’t be more than 150 miles away!

 

[Clint]

Pop round and join in, you can’t be more than 150 miles away!

Unfortunately it's 4 hrs 15 minutes.

 

[Clint]

....229 miles.
Boooo!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

....229 miles.
Boooo!

Further than I thought - probably should have checked first! Never mind, I’ll get your room ready, breakfast at 9.

 

[Justin Dean]

Nice write up. Thank you. I always paddle in the hot break rather than skim. Not sure why, just what I learnt years ago. How do you manage steam from the boil? I use a stand fan to blow steam out a window. Also use a mash manifold

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Nice write up. Thank you. I always paddle in the hot break rather than skim. Not sure why, just what I learnt years ago. How do you manage steam from the boil? I use a stand fan to blow steam out a window. Also use a mash manifold

Hi Justin. Whether to skim or paddle in the hot break, and whether to put the cold break into the fermenter or leave it behind seem to be personal preference rather than right or wrong with influential people on both sides of the argument. There are some that say those proteins are needed for body or to clean up the beer but neither of those seem to be an issue for me. Do what makes you happy I guess.

I don’t need to manage the steam because all my brewing is done outside on my covered bar. There’s a picture in my post above #654.

The mash manifold is great. I made a version I use for sparging that’s just a ring of 3/8 beer pipe that I pierced along it’s length with a needle to form a ring of water jets - this sprays water onto the surface of the wort. You can just about see it in the middle picture of the sparge - one jet is fairly easy to see on the left edge of the picture.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

This morning I brewed a new bitter. It uses the same grist as my regular bitter with the exception of the quantity of crystal malt - my regular bitter has 200g, this bitter has 160g and will be a touch lighter in colour maybe. The main difference though is the hops, my regular bitter uses Fuggles and EKG, this bitter uses Admiral and Phoenix. 20 litres in the fermentation cabinet.

The fermentation cabinet is now full so that’s the end of my brewing marathon until something comes out - after the weekend.

Next job, I need to clean my beer lines.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Beer lines are all cleaned and I also cleaned the taps (not a full strip down). I of course had the obligatory taste of each beer on tap along with a couple that are still conditioning

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

This morning I kegged the bitter in the picture above. It finished at 1014 for an ABV of 4.2% and is lovely and clear from the fermenter - just as well because the number of people coming round on Monday is growing rapidly. Pictures below of the beer and looking into the fermenting bucket after kegging the beer.

 

[Agentgonzo]

View attachment 83624

It's photos like this that make me thinking hot side aeration in a myth. LODO brewers try to avoid splashing at all costs during the mash, but you (and many many others) have spray nozzles that will will give the absolute maximum aeration - yet seem to have no I'll effects!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

It's photos like this that make me thinking hot side aeration in a myth. LODO brewers try to avoid splashing at all costs during the mash, but you (and many many others) have spray nozzles that will will give the absolute maximum aeration - yet seem to have no I'll effects!

I’m not sure it is a myth (or on the other hand how big an issue it might be) but the effects may not be immediately obvious perhaps. It is possible for example that hot side aeration increases the oxidation of metal ions present in the wort that subsequently oxidise the beer post-production. I have no evidence or citations here, I’m extrapolating from known science.

If the above is right then it would be less obvious in beers like this and more obvious when brewing highly hopped ales with high protein adjuncts. However, when I brew those types of beers I reduce flow through circulation so the spray is more of a dribble and I add hops to the mash to counter the oxidation of metal ions.

 

[Clint]

That was quite a long day but I now have 21 litres of what will be a Munich Helles in my fermentation cabinet with an OG of 1052.

View attachment 83102

What was you recipe please H? Also what yeast?
I was going to brew a bitter but havnt got the yeast but I do have a CML Kentucky which I'm sure will be ok for a Helles..

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

What was you recipe please H? Also what yeast?
I was going to brew a bitter but havnt got the yeast but I do have a CML Kentucky which I'm sure will be ok for a Helles..

I’ll have to look it out for you but it might be a good idea to see how it turns out first! I should be kegging it from tomorrow.

I actually cheated with the yeast on this brew - I used US-05 as it’s pretty clean and neutral. I’d normally use California lager yeast.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I have at least 4 brew-related jobs to do today: clean my beer lines; change the RO filters, membrane, and deionisation crystals, prepare water and grist for a brew tomorrow, and keg my Belgian Blonde. Better get off this sofa and crack on…

The Belgian Blonde is kegged. FG came out at 1004 for an ABV of 7.1%. Beautiful, and typical, Belgian aroma & flavour.

Lines are all cleaned and the beers back on tap. My wife is QA’ing the Nitro Imperial for me

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Job number three was to replace the filters, membrane, and deionisation crystals in my RO machine. You can buy all this in a pack and it’s surprising perhaps that it’s quite a bit cheaper than a new RO machine despite being almost the whole thing! Anyway here’s the kit. From left to right, deionisation crystals, membrane, sediment filter, activated charcoal filter.

First up replace the sediment filter. This is the first filter of the machine and is basically a fibrous mat.

Next the charcoal filter to remove most of the contaminants in your water, including chlorine. It won’t remove chloramine though.

Then the membrane which fits inside the casing with a heavy screw-top lid. This removes pretty much all other impurities (still doesn’t remove chloramine).

Finally the deionisation crystals to remove ions that can’t be removed through filtering. I’ve already shown the replacement of these crystals a couple of times so spared you another showing.

I’m now collecting water and can see the rate of collection has improved somewhat. I assume the old membrane, and maybe even filters, were getting clogged.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Today I brewed that beer I’d planned yesterday and now have a shade over 19 litres of Pirate Pale in the fermenter, OG is 1050. Grist is mostly MO with a touch of light crystal and oats. Hops are Centennial for bittering and Olicana/Jester as late additions. Yeast is Liberty Bell.

This afternoon I kegged the stout that appears in the photo above. It finished at 1014 for an ABV of 5.0. Tastes nice from the fermenter and is already clear. It’s now conditioning in the brewshed on nitro.