marshbrewers brewdays

[pilgrimhudd]

The bitter amber sounds like just my cup of tea!

Have you tried your mild yet, sounds nice as well, i'm going to have to do another soon, I ruined mine by over carbonating.

 

[terrym]

@jjsh
How has that mild turned out?
Anything overwhelming from the choccy. black and perhaps amber malts?
A piccy would be good too!

 

[marshbrewer]

@pilgrimhudd and @terrym - The mild is still conditioning, it's been in the king Keg 2 weeks now, so it will be 3 more weeks before I give it a taste, but I'll keep you posted!

 

[marshbrewer]

Squeaky bum time - just checked Bitter Amber and it hasn't kicked off yet...... I seem to remember that New World Strong was a slow starter last time, so not too worried yet.

 

[marshbrewer]

Yep - checked my brewing notes and it took 18 hours for New World Strong to kick off last time, so I can relax.

 

[marshbrewer]

It's started. Krausen forming and airlock bubbling. Yay!

 

[marshbrewer]

@pilgrimhudd and @terrym - I have relented (i.e. been down the pub for a couple ) and decided to have a sneaky peak at the mild. With apologies for the obviously not clean glass, it looks good. Tastes young, but really, really promising. Fantastic, actually. Slight chocolate taste, blended with that dark malt / S04 subtle tartness and low bitterness. Really nice. I'm wondering now if it would be as good if I had hit my target volume, and thus lower OG? If so, it's a winner.

IMG_20190609_201646

• marshbrewer
• Jun 9, 2019

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Looks tidy that! Defo going to have to do one again!

 

[marshbrewer]

@pilgrimhudd and @terrym - Another weeks conditioning for the mild, and it's about bang on. I'll leave it for one more week before declaring it ready for supping. Won't be using SO4 again, it has a smell that I don't get on with. Back to MJ Liberty Bell for me! Very happy with the colour and taste of the mild.

IMG_20190614_192549

• marshbrewer
• Jun 14, 2019

The Bitter Amber is still slowly plopping away. I'll leave it another week and a bit then barrel or bottle it. Not sure which yet.

 

[terrym]

@jjsh
Re your Mild.
Looks like a glass half full then!
Your recipe modified to a partial mash is either #1 or #2 on my next-up list .
The competition is a Pale Ale with Summit and Cascade which I can't get enough of, and fast needs replenishing methinks. Decisions, decisions.....

 

[marshbrewer]

I'd say glass 80% full - I'm fairly confident the SO4 smell will gradually condition out, and it is just a smell, the taste is great.

I've got packs of US cascade, centennial and Chinook burning a hole in my freezer, so they are up next. Thinking a golden ale, 3.5 - 4. %, 40 IBU, that sort of thing. 90% pale ale malt, 10% Munich, nothing else. Liberty Bell yeast for some light esters.

 

[marshbrewer]

I've decided that I've got some EKG pellets that I need to use up before I start opening anything else. I also want to continue using up some of the half open bags of malt I have. I want something light and golden that is the sort of thing that quenches your thirst on a sunny day, as my last two brew have been dark, and the only light thing I've got in stock is my house lager, and I find that you've got to be in the mood for lager; sometimes you want to make out like it's the late 1980's with a nice British golden ale.

The golden syrup is there to push the gravity up a little, and also because I find it works well in small doses in this kind of beer.

So this is up next, then I'll do the new world hop thing. Or perhaps a light mild. Or a Belgian golden ale or triple. Decisions decisions.....

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: EKG User upper

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: British Golden Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 21 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 27.5 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.030
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)


STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.041
Final Gravity: 1.008
ABV (standard): 4.28%
IBU (tinseth): 37.43
SRM (morey): 4.6


FERMENTABLES:
3000 g - Pale 2-Row (78.9%)
500 g - Flaked Corn (13.2%)
150 g - Crystal 30L (3.9%)
150 g - Golden Syrup - (late addition) (3.9%)

HOPS:
25 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 90 min, IBU: 19.42
50 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 18.01
50 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 0 min
25 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Dry Hop for 0 days

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Infusion, Temp: 65 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 11 L
2) Sparge, Temp: 80 C, Time: 15 min, Amount: 22.3 L
Starting Mash Thickness: 3 L/kg

YEAST:
Danstar - Nottingham Ale Yeast
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 77%
Fermentation Temp: 18 C

Brew day will be one day next week.

 

[marshbrewer]

Barreled the Bitter Amber today, it's finished at 1010, giving an abv of about 4.5% after priming. Tastes nice and summery so didn't bother with the hop tea.

 

[marshbrewer]

Bottled my Magnum house lager that had been lagering for 4 weeks tonight; tastes ace! Everything is now bottled or king kegged ( apart from a couple of demijohns of wine), so I need to get brewing...

 

[marshbrewer]

Just checked the weather forecast and I doubt my hi tech environmentally friendly conditioning building (garage) will get any cooler than 10°ish over the next 2 weeks so no need for these bottles to take up any space in my brew fridge, so I'm all good to go for another brew... Happy Days!

 

[marshbrewer]

Today, I'm doing my EKG User Upper. Exact recipe to follow (when I've weighed the various opened bags that are going in!). Strike water heating now.

 

[marshbrewer]

Cock-ups galore already. Spilt a load of first runnings when the handle came off the FV I was collecting them in. Fly sparged for the first time, and I don't think I collected enough for my correct pre-boil volume. Thus, pre-boil gravity was a whopping 1046 rather than 1037. I think this might turn out a bit strong. Once I've put the last hop addition in, I'll post what's gone into it.

 

[marshbrewer]

OG after boil - 1054. So my decision to leave out the 250g of golden syrup looks like a good one, as if it ferments down to a predicted 1010, it will be nearly 6% after priming. Yikes. Colour is way off - this light crystal I've been using isn't very light at all.

Title: EKG User upper
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 21 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 27.5 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.037
Efficiency: 70% (brew house)
STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV (standard): 5.06%
IBU (tinseth): 42.75
SRM (morey): 6.38
Mash pH: 5.84
FERMENTABLES:
2867 g - Pale 2-Row (62.1%)
500 g - Flaked Corn (10.8%)
250 g - Crystal 30L (5.4%)
1 kg - Munich (21.7%)
HOPS:
50 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 15 min, IBU: 16.84
44 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Boil for 0 min
25 g - East Kent Goldings, Type: Pellet, AA: 5, Use: Dry Hop for 0 days
14 g - Magnum, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 25.91
MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Infusion, Temp: 65 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 14.25 L
2) Sparge, Temp: 80 C, Time: 15 min, Amount: 19.5 L
Starting Mash Thickness: 3 L/kg
YEAST:
CML Northern European

 

[marshbrewer]

Crossmyloof høg-norsk yeast pitched at 26.5°, near the top of it's recommended range. Water bath at for 22°, which is ambient temperature today. The idea being that the wort will have dropped to around there by the time the yeast gets going. My plan is to then keep it at a steady 22° until it's finished, which the forecast suggests I'll be able to do with just heating, if you see what I mean. If it comes out ok, crossmyloof høg-norsk could turn out a good choice for warmer weather. Sample of wort tasted lovely and hoppy.

 

[marshbrewer]

The høg-norsk yeast is off, fermenting happily. This morning, when it was still at the 'multipying, stage and gradually forming a krausen, it smelled quite breast. Now it's in full swing, it smells really nice; slightly fruity, but it's subtle - it reminds me a but like the way MJ Liberty Bell smells.

I had one of my Magnum house lager / Helles last night. Nowhere near ready, it needs much longer conditioning. I also had a cheeky nip of my Mild. That's as ready as it's going to get, so I think the conclusion is that I still don't like S04, as it has a kind of tartness to it which I don't enjoy. My Bitter Amber is still conditioning.