Hazelwood Brewday

[Hazelwood Brewery]

It’s a nice day today so I decided it’s a good day to get another batch of bitter on the go. I learned another lesson…

My silicon hoses have become a little discoloured as they do after a few brews and at this point I would normally soak the fittings in sodium percarbonate and replace the silicon hose. This time I decided I would try soaking the hose in sodium percarbonate too and left it soaking overnight. The next day I flushed them all through in hot water for a good 20 minutes but couldn’t get rid of a slightly milky film on the inside of the hose. I know this is the salts from the sodium percarbonate and that it’s harmless so use the hoses this morning.

After mashing for a few minutes I took a pH reading expecting something around 5.3 and the reading was 5.78

I had completely overlooked what those salts are from the sodium percarbonate until this point when my senses returned. It’s carbonate!!! I considered throwing the batch away but then told myself it’s just too alkaline, correct it. I added some more calcium and the pH came down to 5.58. I also tasted a sample and there was no obvious off-flavours so I’m pushing through. My final gravity is 2 points below my predicted value but that’s not a disaster.

We’ll see how this turns out in a couple of weeks but you can be sure I will have replaced all the hoses by my next brew.

Anyone using “no rinse” sodium percarbonate take note if you’re mashing grain and carefully measuring out your water treatments.

 

[Clint]

H,I realised the percarbonate left a soapy film after use,harmless but as you've discovered, with potential to change things!
I didn't know this,I just didn't like the scummy feeling it left behind,even,like you say,after a good rinsing. What does shift it is a wipe down with sanitiser. It leaves the surface squeaky clean so I presume carbonate free. Hopefully!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

H,I realised the percarbonate left a soapy film after use,harmless but as you've discovered, with potential to change things!
I didn't know this,I just didn't like the scummy feeling it left behind,even,like you say,after a good rinsing. What does shift it is a wipe down with sanitiser. It leaves the surface squeaky clean so I presume carbonate free. Hopefully!

I was able to wipe clean the outside of the hose but had nothing suitable for scrubbing inside. Maybe a strong acid would do it but I don’t have any.

Still learning!

 

[531Man]

I was able to wipe clean the outside of the hose but had nothing suitable for scrubbing inside. Maybe a strong acid would do it but I don’t have any.

Still learning!

Hi,
This is acidic, and it says, "No rinse when used at prescribed dilution rate"
I think it's the UK equivalent of Starsan.
I pump recirculate it hot from the Hopcat through the tubing and all taps, fixtures and fittings.
Tubing is sterilised but still brown.

Are yours back to frosted glass-like after the percarbonate treatment?
Perhaps both in sequence is the way to go.
ie percarbonate to clean up, then Chemsan/phosphoric acid rinse through to prevent/remove carbonate deposits.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Are yours back to frosted glass-like after the percarbonate treatment?

No, they had the same yellowish colour but also a very fine coating of carbonate left behind by the sodium percarbonate and even after a 20 minute pumped hot rinse. They looked like this…

During the boil I took the opportunity to replace the hose and now they look better…

I’ll not bother trying to clean them again, I’ll just replace them as I usually do.

 

[dcbrookes]

No, they had the same yellowish colour but also a very fine coating of carbonate left behind by the sodium percarbonate and even after a 20 minute pumped hot rinse. They looked like this…

View attachment 57802
During the boil I took the opportunity to replace the hose and now they look better…
View attachment 57803
I’ll not bother trying to clean them again, I’ll just replace them as I usually do.

Why do you replace them? The hoses I have are various shades of brown / tan but I have never thought they present any danger to my beer. I agree they look a bit horrible when they are very stained, but are they a hazard?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Why do you replace them? The hoses I have are various shades of brown / tan but I have never thought they present any danger to my beer. I agree they look a bit horrible when they are very stained, but are they a hazard?

Probably not a hazard at all given that boiling wort flows through them but the stainless fittings get a bit mucky after a few brews where the hose fits over the barbs so I’m assuming the hose is similarly contaminated where the two are in contact. I could probably achieve what I want by cutting an inch off either end of the hose but a nice clean hose gives me peace of mind and I better enjoy brewing without niggling doubts about whether that discolouration is harbouring something.

 

[Donegal john]

@Hazelwood Brewery a question if I may.
im brewing a stout and have tried your method of mashing some hops in. 100g summit leaf. Brewers friend suggest this will give me a starting ibu of 34.51. I don’t mind as I like a bitter American stout and will go to around 60 but is this what you normally get in mashing the hops ? I understood it didn’t give bitterness just flavour
ps too late now as the mash is under way lol

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

@Hazelwood Brewery a question if I may.
im brewing a stout and have tried your method of mashing some hops in. 100g summit leaf. Brewers friend suggest this will give me a starting ibu of 34.51. I don’t mind as I like a bitter American stout and will go to around 60 but is this what you normally get in mashing the hops ? I understood it didn’t give bitterness just flavour
ps too late now as the mash is under way lol

That’s a little higher than I’d expect.

Because of the lower temperature in the mash the isomerisation of alpha acids happens far more slowly. At typical mash temperature the utilisation is about 10% of what you’d expect for the same hops in a 60 minute boil.

100g @ 16% (assuming a 23 litre batch) =
(100 x 0.16 x 0.3 x 1000) / 23 = 208 IBU

10% of that gives about 21 IBU

Just don’t add a bittering charge!
I’m also assuming you’re using leaf hops- important because if you use pellet then a lot more hop material will make it into the boil. Leaf gets removed with the grain.

 

[Donegal john]

Yeah I thought it was high as well. I used leaf hops as you suggested. Was thinking of skipping the bitterering addition as I was planning on using simcoe and it’s a fairly high alpha hop
Cheers for the reply.
strange smelling a hoppy mash though.

 

[samale]

@Hazelwood Brewery a question if I may.
im brewing a stout and have tried your method of mashing some hops in. 100g summit leaf. Brewers friend suggest this will give me a starting ibu of 34.51. I don’t mind as I like a bitter American stout and will go to around 60 but is this what you normally get in mashing the hops ? I understood it didn’t give bitterness just flavour
ps too late now as the mash is under way lol

Are we brewing a Willie Frazer again

 

[Donegal john]

Are we brewing a Willie Frazer again

That’s the one a bitter black bas err stout

 

[YeastFace]

@Hazelwood Brewery In your thiol adventures, have you noticed more sulphur being produced during the bio-transformation stage. I've read a few articles and this seems to be normal, but some first hand experience would be reassuring.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

@Hazelwood Brewery In your thiol adventures, have you noticed more sulphur being produced during the bio-transformation stage. I've read a few articles and this seems to be normal, but some first hand experience would be reassuring.

No I haven’t, not a bit. Maybe I’m doing it wrong!

 

[Donegal john]

No I haven’t, not a bit. Maybe I’m doing it wrong!

Mine is finishing up at the min and even with using voss there hasn’t been any sulphur smell at all. Last beer I used voss on smelled terrible for 3/4 days. I did use a good spoonful of yeast nutrient this time though.

 

[YeastFace]

Not the reassurance I was after

Thiols are sulphur compounds so it makes sense, but it's my first time dry hopping during active fermentation. I wish I'd have left it rather than taking a sample to measure, as it will likely clear in a day or two.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Not the reassurance I was after

Thiols are sulphur compounds so it makes sense, but it's my first time dry hopping during active fermentation. I wish I'd have left it rather than taking a sample to measure, as it will likely clear in a day or two.

Yes, thiols are sulphur compounds but there are several groups of compounds. The ones that stink of sulphur (and come from protein) are not the ones you want and so far I’ve been lucky enough to not have them. I want the ones that are fruity - the polyfunctional thiols (from hops).

Feeling better?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I should say @YeastFace that I generally ignore my fermenting beers for days so it’s entirely possible that my own beers stank of sulphur for a while without me having a clue

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

This morning I kegged my latest version of Summer Breeze. The differences from the last version are that this one has a water profile very rich in chloride, there are fewer hops in the hopstand to reduce bitterness, I omitted the late dry hop, and I used Citra in the mash hop addition.

First impressions out of the fermenter are that it’s just as aromatic and is fruity although it tastes a little different. This could be a result of the changed water profile or of the changed hop regime but the beer needs to condition a little before I’ll get a sense of how it’s different.

I’m planning a version where ALL the hops are added in the mash to see how the flavours and aromas carry through. I think that will be my next brew of Summer Breeze, maybe in a couple of weeks.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

As the Summer Breeze kicked last night, I’ve just put a Trappist Single on tap in it’s place.

It’s nicely carbonated now and is quite clean tasting. Not quite crystal clear but maybe it will clear after a couple of pints.