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Brewed another batch of Galaxy / Citra ale today ā€œSummer Breezeā€. Last brewed June 28th and now down to my last couple of pints. I should really have started this a month ago but thereā€™s not much I can do about that now and I have plenty of other ales. Recipe is...

Summer Breeze 5.2%
4.5Kg Vienna malt
500g Flaked oats
250g Torrified wheat
75 min mash at 150F
20g Magnum leaf AA=15.3% 60 min
1/2 Protofloc tablet at 10 mins
50g Citra leaf AA=13.6% at 10 mins
50g Galaxy leaf AA=12.6% at 10 mins
(actually used pellets, run out of leaf)
At 0 mins, cool to 165F
Hold at 165F for 30 min hopstand with
50g Citra leaf AA=13.6%
Cool to 70F
22 litres in the FV, OG =1048
10g US West Coast yeast

Iā€™m going to try a different dry hop regime this time, normally I would add:
50g Citra leaf on day 7

This time Iā€™m going to add 10g Citra pellets on each of days 5,6,7,8,9,10,11.

Barrel on day 12, SG=1008

The dry-hop rationale: Iā€™ve previously tried adding dry hops for different lengths of time and found most of the benefit is achieved in the first few hours. Iā€™d like to see if the beer takes on a more hoppy aroma if itā€™s subjected to a smaller hop addition each day rather than one big hit.

Anyone already tried this?
I was waiting for you to post it! I just brewed that centennial ipa with mostly Vienna and it's a solid base like this. I might give it a shot this weekend. I'm not a huge fan or galaxy and might swap with mosaic though, or maybe not.
 
I was waiting for you to post it! I just brewed that centennial ipa with mostly Vienna and it's a solid base like this. I might give it a shot this weekend. I'm not a huge fan or galaxy and might swap with mosaic though, or maybe not.

Iā€™ve just taken delivery of some Centennial hops from our last discussion. Mosaic is a solid choice. Iā€™ve just ordered half a kilo of Citra for another set of experiments, looking at what pairs best with Citra šŸ˜‰
 
Iā€™ve just taken delivery of some Centennial hops from our last discussion. Mosaic is a solid choice. Iā€™ve just ordered half a kilo of Citra for another set of experiments, looking at what pairs best with Citra šŸ˜‰
I think everything pairs with citra, well possibly not northern brewer or fuggles. to be honest I go through so much citra a kilo might be a good investment. especially when the 2020 crop shows up.

Centennial is an excellent stand alone hop like citra or mosaic. as long as the floral doesn't taste like soap, do you have an issue with cilantro?
 
I think everything pairs with citra, well possibly not northern brewer or fuggles. to be honest I go through so much citra a kilo might be a good investment. especially when the 2020 crop shows up.

Centennial is an excellent stand alone hop like citra or mosaic. as long as the floral doesn't taste like soap, do you have an issue with cilantro?

Love Cilantro.
 
Yesterday I made the effort and brewed four small-batch single-hop beers. I tried to take some of the effort out by mashing once and boiling the wort with the bittering addition, to be used as the base for all four brews. This did mean a pretty full boiler, I think I even pushed it further than @Hopsteep !

View attachment 31696

The recipe was quite simple

4250g Pale malt 82%
700g Malted wheat 13%
250g Crystal 30 5%
Mash for 75 mins at 150F
10g Magnum leaf AA=15.3% 60 mins
At 15 mins add 1/2 protofloc tablet
At 0 mins add 1Kg Glucose in 2 litres boiling water.
Drop temp to 180F and decant 28 litres into two fermenting buckets.

For each of the four beers:
7 litres of the base wort into boiler
Raise to 170F and hold temperature for 30-min hopstand with 60g of the flavour hop
Cool to 70F
Approx 6 litres into FV (Jerry can!)
3g US05 yeast

Each batch will be dry-hopped on day 5 with 20g and day 9 with 20g of the same flavour hop.

Each batch will be bottled on day 14.

Hereā€™s the result, 4 small batch brews in the fermentation cupboard.

View attachment 31697

The plan when these are fermented is to blend them in various combinations to see which hop combinations I prefer. Iā€™ll add more on this as I do it.
Oh Mr H... that kettle efficiency makes me excited! Good effort
 
Time for a tasting of my beers, starting with ā€œPunkyā€, an attempt at making Punk IPA. You havenā€™t heard much about this one from me other than perhaps itā€™s nothing at all like Punk IPA.

This one is 5.8% and now 6 weeks conditioned. It is clear though not quite crystal clear, nice golden colour, good off-white head with good head retention. Aroma is slightly bready malt, some caramel notes I hadnā€™t expected, and a blend of tropical fruits but nothing shines through particularly. Flavour is actually quite nice but it isnā€™t Punk IPA! Itā€™s more resinous and earthy than the aroma letā€™s on, there are fruity notes too but quite subdued. The bitterness is assertive as youā€™d expect and it lingers for a while.

Iā€™ll enjoy drinking it but it definitely wonā€™t be my go-ale.

FE4E9AED-355A-41A9-A6FA-EAA936106B38.jpeg
 
Next up, my Equinox ale. I hope this one is nice, Iā€™ve sent some out to people! Itā€™s 4 weeks conditioned and is 6.3%.

Slightly hazy and pale golden colour. Nicely carbonated from the keg with a fairly thin off white head - again, sticks around. Aroma is far more exciting than the Punky. Thereā€™s some malt but the hops really come through - citrus, pineapple, mango, a touch of bubble-gum. Flavour is pithy orange, pithy grapefruit, a little black pepper? Bitterness is again quite assertive anlingering but is somehow cleaner than Punky.

93452AAD-E67B-4564-AFD2-4FD61F38E007.jpeg
 
Festival is 5 weeks conditioned and weighs in at 6.8%.

This one is crystal clear and a beautiful amber colour. The head, once settled a little is luxurious and going nowhere. The aroma is not a big hitter particularly - some fruit, some caramel, a little sweet pear maybe. The flavour is similar to the aroma, itā€™s nice but not exciting.

Iā€™m beginning to wonder if some of my beers have been adversely affected through over-heating because several reached temperatures in the mid to high twenties during that short hot spell. I expect more from this Mosaic/Simcoe beer, itā€™s normally one of my favourites.

C694A274-E751-4D73-9602-EC3D25CD7DF1.jpeg
 
One of my bitters intended as easy drinking ales. This one is 2 weeks conditioned and 4.2%.

The appearance is really nice. Toffee coloured, crystal clear, lovely creamy off white head. Aroma is all malt and dark caramel - gorgeous! Flavour is nutty, malty goodness. Mild bitterness and soft mouthfeel.

738496A9-2F4C-4943-8659-A38E27508958.jpeg
 
I decided Iā€™m going to tip away the two beers most affected by over-heating. Iā€™m assuming thatā€™s the problem and my suspicions are reinforced by some others on the forum saying they had also experienced some heat damage to their beers. This is obviously disappointing but Iā€™m going to focus on the benefit of having two empty kegs - so I can brew two new beers and Iā€™m in the mood for experimenting...
 
The first of the beers is a hop monster and I brewed it last night. Iā€™ve decided to call this one Harlequin because it has as many hops as a Harlequin has colours, and because Iā€™m brewing it for fun. This is it:

Harlequin 5.0% (Experimental)
4Kg Pale malt
1Kg Malted wheat
250g Crystal 30
75min mash at 150F

No bittering additions needed!

15 minute additions
1/2 Protofloc tablet
30g Simcoe Leaf AA=13.2%
30g Mosaic Leaf AA=11.4%
30g Amarillo Leaf AA=9.2%
30g Citra Leaf AA=13.6%
30g Equanot Leaf AA=13.2%

Hopstand, 30 minutes, 165F
40g Simcoe Leaf AA=13.2%
40g Mosaic Leaf AA=11.4%
40g Amarillo Leaf AA=9.2%
40g Citra Leaf AA=13.6%
40g Equanot Leaf AA=13.2%

22 litres in FV, OG=1044
1 Pk US05 yeast

Dry hop on day 7
30g Simcoe pellet
30g Mosaic pellet
30g Amarillo pellet
30g Citra pellet
30g Equanot pellet

Keg on day 12, FG=1006?


C97AACA7-6A6B-4386-8A7D-D69525572EC6.jpeg

Edit: DONā€™T BREW THIS!
Itā€™s intensely bitter. If you still feel the need, move the 15 minute additions to the hopstand (or omit it altogether) and mash at a higher temperature.
 
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Also this morning I kegged my latest batch of Summer Breeze. It came out at 5.2% as expected and out of the fermenter it looks like this:

CAC4DAB1-8B57-4209-8E5C-F6BC4909D0BB.jpeg


Tasting this sample I got a bit of hop-burn which I donā€™t normally get. Iā€™m assuming this is a consequence of the alternative dry hop regime I tried this time. Weā€™ll see how that develops as the beer conditions.
 

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