matt76's Brewdays

[matt76]

If you are less a fan of clove than banana, maybe run the tmep up a degree or two. Someone told me to do that as fermentation progressed rather than start hot with this yeast, as high temps favour banana but a full ferment at 22 or 23 can overdo it... It is a glorious yeast tbf and I recommend it to anyone.

Thanks, yep, that's basically what I'm doing - the German article I linked to above has a specific section how to push it towards banana (and another one for clove) which is basically increase the wheat, start at 18degC and let it free rise from there.

It got to 21.7degC (according to the Inkbird and Tilt) bit I've now switched on the heater and set it to 22.5degC. Probably what I'll do from here is temp it up manually 0.5 or 1degC per day.

 

[matt76]

Update: AG#76 Hefeweizen

Judging by the Tilt readings it's pretty much all over bar the shouting now after 4-5 days since pitching. Considering my OG was a few points lower than calculated (I won't say "expected" - I expected it would be lower due to all the wheat) it's also attenuated a little more from 1.042 to 1.010. I reckon it might go another point or two given time and end up in the 4.2-4.5% ABV range.

I'll be good and give it the full 2 weeks before kegging. I've been reading around and opinion seems divided as to whether you should cold crash but I'm not sure I will in this case - bottom line is the German article I'm using (which I take as the gold standard) doesn't mention cold crashing or lagering so I'll take their word for it.

I'm a bit annoyed at myself for chickening out and aborting the open fermentation sooner than planned, though in hindsight probably only by about 1-2 days and when it was about 50% of the way to FG. In hindsight the most obvious likely culprit was always thick krausen throwing the Tilt reading off. But you live and learn and it's unlikely to have made the beer explode or catch fire so I seriously doubt it'll turn out to be a disaster!

 

[matt76]

Kegging: AG#76 Hefeweizen

It was clearly doing diddly squat in the FV and I got bored of waiting so I kegged it

First I did 4 x 500ml bottles primed with sugar and bottled directly from the FV in an otherwise closed transfer - this was a precaution to avoid another keg-overflowing-through-the-PRV incident!

Then from there I closed-transferred the remaining 10L or so to a purged keg and hooked it up in the kegerator to my high pressure line at 25psi

The banana aroma present during early fermentation seems to have gone - it may still be there, just not especially prominent, need to wait for a proper tasting In it's place though is clove, and in fact from the tiny tiny taste I had it seemed very very reminiscent of the Hefeweizens I've had in Germany such as Erdinger which bodes well

ABV = 4.15%
SRM = 3.21 (Pale)
IBU = 11.5 (Rager)

 

[matt76]

AG#77 Get Even IPA v3

Had the afternoon off work yesterday so made my third attempt at this session IPA. I'm still trying to capture a bitter punch with a classic West Coast IPA pine-resin character from the hops. Last version was nice but somehow ended up quite grapefruity and less bitter tasting to me than the IBU number would suggest.

2 or 3 changes from last time:
The last one was bit thin so I'm adding some speciality malts to try and give it a bit more backbone.
I've completely changed the hopping to see if I can get that piney-resin thing going.
It was bottled last time and the hoppiness faded quickly - this time I'll be kegging via closed transfer which experience so far says will preserve the hop character nicely.

Also a process change - I use a re-circ pump during the mash but decided this time to use it during the whirlpool/hopsteep to see if it would suck up more of the crud from the bottom of the kettle and dump it in the jumbo hop bag I use, leaving me with less crud and more clear wort to drain to the FV. (Verdict: I think it helped a bit.)

15L tap water, 17.5ml CRS, 3g gypsum, half a Campden tablet, giving:
Calcium 182
Chloride 121
Sulfate 260
Alkalinity 75

1000g Golden Promise
500g Vienna
250g Munich
250g Carapils
50g Victory Malt
2.050kg TOTAL

70min full-volume no-sparge mash @ 67degC

Boil 30mins:
25g Chinook 12.3% AAU for 30mins
20g Chinook 12.3% AAU for 10mins
1/2 Protafloc tablet 5mins

Whirlpool/Hopsteep 15mins @ 85-90degC:
20g Columbus 14.9% AAU
20g Simcoe 13.3% AAU

(Will dry hop at end of fermentation with 25g each Columbus & Simcoe)

Cooled to 20degC in 10mins then left it to settle out before draining 11L clear wort to the FV. Also collected 1.5L crud in a bottle to settle out which netted me another 1L clear wort that I've already added to the FV this morning.

Pitched 5.5g (half a pack) BRY-97.

4.8 SRM
73.3 IBUs Rager
OG 1.040
Expect it to end up about 1.010 and 4.0%.

 

[Buffers brewery]

I’ll be watching with interest as to how it turns out

 

[matt76]

Kegging: AG#77 Get Even IPA v3

It went from 1.040 to 1.009 for 4.1% ABV. I've used BRY-97 many times now so I was surprised it took a couple of days longer than usual to reach FG. Not concerned, just strange...

Dry hopped cool as planned at the end of fermentation with 25g each Simcoe and Columbus for 2 days before cold crashing for a couple of days.

About 11L closed-transferred to the keg I think. No issues but I forgot to add any finings - certainly not the end of the world.

Hooked up to the low pressure line at 15psi - should be ready for a first taste next weekend

ABV = 4.07%
SRM = 4.8 (Pale)
IBU = 73.3 (Rager)

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

The last one was bit thin so I'm adding some speciality malts

I used to find my beers were all a bit thin, until I started doing some basic step-mashing: totally fixed it, and nothing like as complex as people make out

 

[matt76]

I used to find my beers were all a bit thin, until I started doing some basic step-mashing: totally fixed it, and nothing like as complex as people make out

Yeah, I did a step mash for my recent Hefeweizen - as you say, not difficult especially in an electric all in one, even though mine is not programmable

On the flip side, my Hoppy Amber Ale is similar and certainly not thin so I'm optimistic about the grist for this one - I've effectively taken the Hoppy Amber grist and swapped the Amber Malt for Munich

 

[matt76]

My next couple of brews will be fermented with Imperial A-09 "Pub" (Fuller's strain). I bought a pouch not too long ago from TMM but it's out of date now so I figured I'd best make a starter.

It's been quite a while (nearly 2 years maybe?) since my trusty homemade stir plate has seen the light of day.

And as it turns out, my DME too - it's been left so long I think it's absorbed moisture and turned into a solid brick!

Needs must and that I made an all-grain starter with with some spare lager malt - I've done it before, ages ago, works just the same but DME is a lot less faff!

I'm not completely trying to overbuild it, just wake it up for the next brew. But I'll see how it does and maybe use the dregs to build up another starter or re-pitch some slurry from brew #1 into #2.

The first one will be another batch of my Hurricane Porter - it's worked really well before with MJ M36 and WY1318 so will be interesting to see how A-09 turns out. That will then be followed by an English take on my Hoppy Amber Ale

 

[matt76]

Umm... so, this happened:

I checked on the starter this morning and the stir plate has stopped - so much yeast that the stirrer couldn't stir.

So I restarted it with the speed turned up as little since when it's been running fine.

But whereas from past experience I'd expect the liquid to turn increasingly milky as the yeast multiply, in this case it's clumping together in rice-to-lentil sized clumps or bigger.

So what gives?

I've a vague feeling some strains, including this one, do this. Anyone know?

Or maybe someone just chucked in a can of chick peas when I wasn't looking!

 

[foxbat]

A09 is supposed to be the same as WLP002 and WLP002 is famous for looking like egg drop soup in a starter, like this:



I've never used either but I think what you're looking at is considered normal. You need a strong stir plate to keep it in suspension.

 

[matt76]

A09 is supposed to be the same as WLP002 and WLP002 is famous for looking like egg drop soup in a starter, like this:



I've never used either but I think what you're looking at is considered normal. You need a strong stir plate to keep it in suspension.

Ah, thank you for that @foxbat , that's reassuring to know. Now you say it, "egg drop soup", yeah, definitely read that somewhere before

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Umm... so, this happened:

View attachment 55258

View attachment 55259

I checked on the starter this morning and the stir plate has stopped - so much yeast that the stirrer couldn't stir.

So I restarted it with the speed turned up as little since when it's been running fine.

But whereas from past experience I'd expect the liquid to turn increasingly milky as the yeast multiply, in this case it's clumping together in rice-to-lentil sized clumps or bigger.

So what gives?

I've a vague feeling some strains, including this one, do this. Anyone know?

Or maybe someone just chucked in a can of chick peas when I wasn't looking!

Bloody hell, it's how covid started i've heard.

 

[matt76]

AG#78 Mk.IV Hurricane Porter

Brewed this last night, 2-3 days earlier than planned but a window of opportunity opened up and I wasn't going to say no.

Nervous times this morning though - having had the starter on the stir plate for a couple of days I had kind of expected it to let rip pretty much straight away. So far no action from the airlock or the Tilt - but I've been doing this long enough to know not to panic just yet.

Grist unchanged from the last two outings. I was a few grams short of Northdown so had to sub in a little Northern Brewer at the start of the boil.

No Brettanomyces this time of course. Whereas both MJ M36 and WY1318 have both produced excellent but different beers, this time if I've gone for Imperial A-09 "Pub" which is said to be the Fuller's strain.

17L tap water, 1.25ml lactic acid 80%, 2g CaCl, half a Campden tablet.
Calcium 169, Chloride 102, Sulfate 40, Alkalinity 292

2000g Golden Promise Malt
375g Brown Malt
375g Chocolate Rye Malt
125g Dark Crystal Malt 80L
125g Extra Dark Crystal Malt 160L
125g Special B Malt
3.125kg Total

Full-volume no-sparge mash, 1h15mins @ 67degC

Boil 30mins:
20g Northdown 7.5% AAU 30mins
5g Northern Brewer 6.1% AAU 30mins
15g Northdown 7.5% AAU 10mins
1/4 Britewort tablet 5mins

12.4L in the FV @ OG 1.048 plus 1.5L crud in bottles which will yield another 1L or so.

Pitched my starter of Imperial A-09 Pub which flocculated out quickly into a thick rubbery slab soon after I stopped the stir plate. Into the brew fridge at 20degC.

34 SRM
27 IBUs Rager
OG 1.048

Expect it to end up around 1.020 and 3.5% ABV, perfect for drinking in quantity as the weather turns colder, and over the Xmas and New Year period in particular.

 

[matt76]

Oh FFS I'm such a t1t!

Just been to check on the FV for signs of life (cos no other homebrewer in the history of the known universe does this every 5 mins)...

Still no signs of life Smells quite nice though... Sorry, what was that you said brain? How come we can smell it? Umm...

I'd only gone and left valve on the gas-in pipe at the back WIDE OPEN!!!

(now shut!)

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Just been to check on the FV for signs of life (cos no other homebrewer in the history of the known universe does this every 5 mins)...

I know exactly what you mean - I'm trying to cure myself of the same addiction to isitbrewedyetitus...

 

[An Ankoù]

Oh FFS I'm such a t1t!

Just been to check on the FV for signs of life (cos no other homebrewer in the history of the known universe does this every 5 mins)...

Still no signs of life ☹ Smells quite nice though... Sorry, what was that you said brain? How come we can smell it? Umm...

I'd only gone and left valve on the gas-in pipe at the back WIDE OPEN!!!

View attachment 55353

(now shut!)

Stupid question, I know, but what's the gas-in valve for? Is it related to oxygen less transfer? If so, why not simply pull out the air lock and put a feed straight into the grommet.
Or is it for something else?

 

[matt76]

Stupid question, I know, but what's the gas-in valve for? Is it related to oxygen less transfer? If so, why not simply pull out the air lock and put a feed straight into the grommet.
Or is it for something else?

Not a stupid question at all -

There's some pics in another thread here but basically yes it's for closed transfer.

When it comes to kegging time the gas-in valve is for, erm, the gas to go in. A longer tube then goes in through the airlock grommet into the beer - the gas pressure pushes the liquid out to the keg. Originally I had another grommet for the gas-in side but it tended to leak a bit under transfer hence I've replaced it now with a bulkhead fitting.

Doing it this way means I can apply light CO2 pressure before I remove the airlock just to be absolutely sure no air is getting in once I do remove it. In fact when I insert the liquid-out tube it doesn't go under the surface straight away, but rather I use the CO2 pressure to purge the lines first (and the filter if I'm using it).

And yes I am that fastidious about keeping oxygen out. And yes it does make a significant difference compared to bottling (massive actually) to the hoppiness and how long the hoppiness lasts (for my beers at least).

 

[An Ankoù]

And yes I am that fastidious about keeping oxygen out. And yes it does make a significant difference compared to bottling (massive actually) to the hoppiness and how long the hoppiness lasts (for my beers at least).

Ok. Your enthusiasm is infectious and I've got to experience this. However, I bottle nearly everything and I'll have to figure out a way of bottling in a totally inert environment. It won't take me long, I'm quite resourceful.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

bottling in a totally inert environment. It won't take me long, I'm quite resourceful.

I envisage seeing pictures of you bottling in a scuba-diving outfit, having completely flooded your garage with CO2...