This was actually last Monday that I did the boil, and it has been fermenting since - there is a nice krausen/head.
As my first attempt at brewing I actually made use of local hedgerow hops (I don't know what variety), which were picked and then left to dry out on a stretched sheet over about a week - until the stems were brittle.
The recipe was adapted from pale ale recipes in Greg Hughes book.
Maris Otter 6 kg (used two 3 kg bags)
Dried Hops 14 g start of boil, 14 g 30 mins in and 20 g at start of cooling (60 mins)
Protofloc (1 tablet/teaspoon) 45 mins in
Safale US-05 Yeast (I think)
60 min mash (65 C), 60 min boil
Unfortunately the boiler didn't hold the full 4.5 gallons of wort after sparging, just under 4, and so I ended up with about 3.5 gallons for fermentation (after losing a little more during boiling).
Original gravity was 1060, so maybe on the high side from what I have read? We'll see how it turns out.
Cooled to 24 C to pitch the yeast and then left to ferment at 22 C for about 48 h, then moved to a cooler location where it has been sitting at 18-20 C for the rest of the week since.
There is a nice krausen/head at this point which is promising, I will take a reading of the gravity tomorrow to check the progress.
I'm not sure how this will taste, it may be bland, but this was more of a test of the process and getting to grips with the practicalities. I am also quite curious to see if the local hops provide a drinkable beer, I don't think they are wild as there were hops planted in the adjacent fields the last couple of years.
Cheers
As my first attempt at brewing I actually made use of local hedgerow hops (I don't know what variety), which were picked and then left to dry out on a stretched sheet over about a week - until the stems were brittle.
The recipe was adapted from pale ale recipes in Greg Hughes book.
Maris Otter 6 kg (used two 3 kg bags)
Dried Hops 14 g start of boil, 14 g 30 mins in and 20 g at start of cooling (60 mins)
Protofloc (1 tablet/teaspoon) 45 mins in
Safale US-05 Yeast (I think)
60 min mash (65 C), 60 min boil
Unfortunately the boiler didn't hold the full 4.5 gallons of wort after sparging, just under 4, and so I ended up with about 3.5 gallons for fermentation (after losing a little more during boiling).
Original gravity was 1060, so maybe on the high side from what I have read? We'll see how it turns out.
Cooled to 24 C to pitch the yeast and then left to ferment at 22 C for about 48 h, then moved to a cooler location where it has been sitting at 18-20 C for the rest of the week since.
There is a nice krausen/head at this point which is promising, I will take a reading of the gravity tomorrow to check the progress.
I'm not sure how this will taste, it may be bland, but this was more of a test of the process and getting to grips with the practicalities. I am also quite curious to see if the local hops provide a drinkable beer, I don't think they are wild as there were hops planted in the adjacent fields the last couple of years.
Cheers
