matt76's Brewdays

[matt76]

AG#43 Hoppy Pale Session Ale

APA, IPA... you be the judge. Bit of a user-upper but also building on recent efforts I also wanted to experiment a bit more with using crystal malts (instead of just chucking in a bag of base malt and a ton of hops and calling it an IPA as I would normally do). The key here seems to be to find the right balance between the bitterness, the hoppiness and the sweetness from the crystal malt.

15L tap water, 10ml CRS, 2g gypsum, half a Campden tablet.

1530g Lager Malt
395g Golden Promise
200g Vienna malt
75g Munich malt
125g Crystal malt
100g Victory malt
TOTAL 2.43kg

60min full-volume no-sparge mash @ 65degC

Boil 30mins:
15g Magnum 11% 30mins
10g Cascade (NZ) 7% 10mins
10g Centennial 9.7% 10mins
1g Irish Moss powder 10mins
10g Cascade (NZ) 7% 5mins
10g Centennial 9.7% 5mins

(also plan to dry hop with 10-20g each Cascade & Centennial)

12L crystal clear wort into the FV.

Pitched 5g MJ M36

OG 1.042 (a couple of points shy of the target)
Should end up around 4.4% ABV
48 IBUs
7.2 SRM

 

[cushyno]

AG#43 Hoppy Pale Session Ale

APA, IPA... you be the judge. Bit of a user-upper but also building on recent efforts I also wanted to experiment a bit more with using crystal malts (instead of just chucking in a bag of base malt and a ton of hops and calling it an IPA as I would normally do). The key here seems to be to find the right balance between the bitterness, the hoppiness and the sweetness from the crystal malt.

15L tap water, 10ml CRS, 2g gypsum, half a Campden tablet.

1530g Lager Malt
395g Golden Promise
200g Vienna malt
75g Munich malt
125g Crystal malt
100g Victory malt
TOTAL 2.43kg

60min full-volume no-sparge mash @ 65degC

Boil 30mins:
15g Magnum 11% 30mins
10g Cascade (NZ) 7% 10mins
10g Centennial 9.7% 10mins
1g Irish Moss powder 10mins
10g Cascade (NZ) 7% 5mins
10g Centennial 9.7% 5mins

(also plan to dry hop with 10-20g each Cascade & Centennial)

12L crystal clear wort into the FV.

Pitched 5g MJ M36

OG 1.042 (a couple of points shy of the target)
Should end up around 4.4% ABV
48 IBUs
7.2 SRM

On paper, that is going to be so drinkable.

 

[matt76]

Bottling and Avoiding Clogged Bottling Wand

N.B. I got this idea from @Keruso so big up to him for the top tip - nice work fella!

(And since you were asking @pilgrimhudd )

This is the technique I use when syphoning beer from the FV to the bottling bucket. N.B. I only use this after I've dry hopped loose in the FV - it works great and prevents hops being transferred over to the bottling bucket and then clogging either the syphon tube or the bottling wand getting clogged with hop debris (if you're like me and don't like using hop bags - pros and cons to everything!).

My secrect weapon - you can get "hop spiders" like this from e-bay in various sizes (not exactly the right name but search on e-bay and you'll find one). It comes with a lid that I don't use. In my case the supplier sent the wrong size so I've worked around that issue.

Here's the setup: I clip the hop spider/filter to the side of the FV with a box clip. The red plastic clip holds the syphon tube in place while I start the syphon. Crucially the syphon tube is inside the filter, pushed to the bottom.

Once I've started the syphon I release the clips and gradually lower the filter and syphon tube towards the bottom of the FV. Since the filter has a large area for the modest flow rate there isn't really much suction to suck hop bits through the filter or otherwise clog it. I think this is the benefit of this approach compared to smaller filters I believe others use.

All done! You can see all the hop crud at the bottom of the FV, pulled in towards the sides of the filter but none actually makes it through. Now I'm ready to go ahead and bottle as normal.

 

[matt76]

Update: AG#43 Hoppy Pale Session Ale

Really weird but I checked the gravity at the weekend and after 2 weeks in the FV it was down to 1.008 as predicted by Brewer's Friend. Checked it again this evening and it's dropped another point. It's not a problem as such but strange it's still going (albeit slowly) afteralmost 3 weeks in the FV. The airlock is still bubbling every now and then too. Otherwise it seems absolutely fine so I just need to be a bit more patient.

I got caught out recently by AG#40 where I got a bit cocky and assumed it was done so I added the dry hop - too soon as it turned out and there wasn't much hoppy aroma left by the time I bottled. My plan this time is to cold crash and then add the dry hop for just 1 day, inspired by this Scott Janish article (I have the book but not read it yet):
A Case for Short And Cool Dry Hopping - Scott Janish

 

[matt76]

AG#44 "Podium" IPA

If I have a signature beer then this is it, so called because there are 3 types of hops in it. I've brewed it twice before way back in AG#5 and AG#15, but made some changes this time as I've learned a whole lot more since then.

Instead of just Maris Otter for the base malt I've now added some Munich and Caramunich malts as I like what these have done in some of my other recent efforts and something I want to experiment more with - so in addition to the 3 hops it now also has 3 malts, which I kinda like!

It's always been a late hopped recipe with the first addition not being until 20mins left in the boil. I've previously used Citra in this recipe but swapped it out this time for some Cascade I had in stock. I've also added some whirlpool hops, inspired by the Scott Janish book I'm reading at the moment.

16L tap water, 10ml CRS, 2g gypsum, half a Campden tablet.

3000g Maris Otter
250g Caramunich 1
250g Munich 1
TOTAL 3.5kg

60min full-volume no-sparge mash @ 65degC

Boil 30mins:
15g Simcoe 11.2% 20mins
15gAmarillo 8.6% 10mins
15g Cascade 7.0% 10mins
15g Simcoe 11.2% 10mins
15gAmarillo 8.6% 5mins
15g Cascade 7.0% 5mins
1g Irish Moss powder 5mins
Whirlpool: 15g Amarillo + 15g Cascade 7.0% @ 95degC for 5 mins

(Also plan to dry hop with 30g Amarillo + 15g Cascade)

10.5L crystal clear wort into the FV. Pitched 5g CML "Pia"

9.0 SRM - Nice golden colour

OG 1.057, should end up around 6.0% ABV - a couple of points shy of target, but I kinds expected this with a bigger grain bill than normal so the bag squeeze is a bit harder!

50 IBUs Rager - I'm gonna experiment with Rager as I'd swear I don't get the bitterness predicted using Tinseth

 

[matt76]

Bottling: AG#43 APA

Inspired by a Scott Janish article I cold crashed first and then added my dry hop (16g Centennial + 20g Cascade) for a mere 36 hours.

Bottled this evening:

FG 1.007
ABV = 4.6%
SRM = 7
IBU = 51

Yield = 21 x 500ml bottles
1.9 vols CO2

Colour = Amber, possibly a tad darker than the 7 SRM predicted by Brewer's Friend.
Aroma = Not intense, maybe a bit floral or herbal
Taste = Not mega hoppy. There's a definite grapefruit-like bitterness though no obvious grapefruit flavour. Dry finish.

One thing for sure from my recent brews is I see now exactly what the crystal malt is bringing to the party - in this case maybe sweet tea kind of flavour.

It's nice but there's no obvious or pronounced fruity hop flavour - that said I don't know if Cascade is as intense as some more modern hops? Centennial more so perhaps? Meh, maybe I'll have a better idea once I'm drinking a fully carbonated pint rather than a 90ml hydrometer sample!

 

[samale]

Bottling: AG#43 APA

Inspired by a Scott Janish article I cold crashed first and then added my dry hop (16g Centennial + 20g Cascade) for a mere 36 hours.

Bottled this evening:

FG 1.007
ABV = 4.6%
SRM = 7
IBU = 51

Yield = 21 x 500ml bottles
1.9 vols CO2

Colour = Amber, possibly a tad darker than the 7 SRM predicted by Brewer's Friend.
Aroma = Not intense, maybe a bit floral or herbal
Taste = Not mega hoppy. There's a definite grapefruit-like bitterness though no obvious grapefruit flavour. Dry finish.

One thing for sure from my recent brews is I see now exactly what the crystal malt is bringing to the party - in this case maybe sweet tea kind of flavour.

It's nice but there's no obvious or pronounced fruity hop flavour - that said I don't know if Cascade is as intense as some more modern hops? Centennial more so perhaps? Meh, maybe I'll have a better idea once I'm drinking a fully carbonated pint rather than a 90ml hydrometer sample!

I find the sample you take to measure the final gravity never tastes like the finished beer. Doesn't stop me trying it

 

[Pennine]

agreed about the centennial and cascade lacking in fruitiness. i dont even get much grapefruit from them anymore. its more herbal, grassy and floral from the combo. i did a similar recipe like yours and dry hopped and keg hopped and was quite under whelmed with the results. im pretty sure citra, mosaic, galaxy and even simcoe and columbus ruined these older school hops.

 

[matt76]

agreed about the centennial and cascade lacking in fruitiness. i dont even get much grapefruit from them anymore. its more herbal, grassy and floral from the combo. i did a similar recipe like yours and dry hopped and keg hopped and was quite under whelmed with the results. im pretty sure citra, mosaic, galaxy and even simcoe and columbus ruined these older school hops.

The truth is I've not used Centennial and Cascade enough to know that for sure, but yes that was precisely the conclusion I was coming to.

Mosaic and Galaxy I've not used either, but I had them in mind to test out this theory...

But Simcoe and Citra, plus I'd also add Amarillo to your list, absolutely Though I have to say, my own experience with Columbus was a bit underwhelming

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Great, just bought a load of centennial and cascade for another planned neipa! At least I've got apollo, citra, amarillo and simcoe too!

 

[matt76]

Great, just bought a load of centennial and cascade for another planned neipa! At least I've got apollo, citra, amarillo and simcoe too!

Well I'm reserving final judgement until I try I carbonated pint...

But don't get me wrong, I think it'll be a nice beer - but it's more of an old school AIPA which is bitter and hoppy but doesn't have the pronounced fruity-hop bomb we've come to expect from the most modern interpretations/today's fashion.

So to sum it up, it'll still make beer, it'll get you there on a Friday night

 

[matt76]

First Tasting: AG#42 "Don't Panic!" Black IPA

Yep, I reckon that's just about carbonated now

It's actually not mega fizzy, just that although I stopped using flaked barley (for head retention) a while back, all my hoppy beers seem very foam positive.

Nice hoppy aroma as soon as I opened the bottle. Decent mouthfeel. There's a distinct grapefruit-like bitterness.

The taste is ok, it's good enough and a nice enough beer but as I knew at bottling the roast is too prominent.

It's a definite thumbs up from me for chocolate rye malt, based on this and a couple of other beers I used it in - but in this one I was a bonehead and used more than I should have as I was thinking too much about colour and not enough about the impact on flavour.

It's not a disaster, just another lesson to keep in mind for the future. Overall I'm happy enough with this one

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Did you make the chocolate rye malt yourself?

 

[matt76]

Did you make the chocolate rye malt yourself?

No, I just bought it from my LHBS a few months ago

 

[samale]

First Tasting: AG#42 "Don't Panic!" Black IPA

View attachment 25574

Yep, I reckon that's just about carbonated now

It's actually not mega fizzy, just that although I stopped using flaked barley (for head retention) a while back, all my hoppy beers seem very foam positive.

Nice hoppy aroma as soon as I opened the bottle. Decent mouthfeel. There's a distinct grapefruit-like bitterness.

The taste is ok, it's good enough and a nice enough beer but as I knew at bottling the roast is too prominent.

It's a definite thumbs up from me for chocolate rye malt, based on this and a couple of other beers I used it in - but in this one I was a bonehead and used more than I should have as I was thinking too much about colour and not enough about the impact on flavour.

It's not a disaster, just another lesson to keep in mind for the future. Overall I'm happy enough with this one

Did you cold steep or mash the dark grain. I currently have one in the fermentor I just dry hopped with Simcoe and mosiac. Looking forward to trying it as I haven't brewed one before.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Did you cold steep or mash the dark grain. I currently have one in the fermentor I just dry hopped with Simcoe and mosiac. Looking forward to trying it as I haven't brewed one before.

I could of course google, but wheres the fun in that, what's the deal with cold steeping rather than mashing?

 

[samale]

There was another thread on black IPA which I don't know how to link, a few other members recommend cold steeping to extract colour and not the roast taste that you would associated with roasted grain. I will let you know in about 3 weeks if it's successful

 

[pilgrimhudd]

There was another thread on black IPA which I don't know how to link, a few other members recommend cold steeping to extract colour and not the roast taste that you would associated with roasted grain. I will let you know in about 3 weeks if it's successful

Ahhh, Completely losing the roast taste?

 

[samale]

Ahhh, Completely losing the roast taste?

Someone also recommend using midnight wheat which I didn't have. I went with 500g of carafa 3 plus 100g of carafa 1 steeped in 2 litres of cold water for 4 or so hrs. The liquid was then added to the boil

 

[matt76]

Did you cold steep or mash the dark grain. I currently have one in the fermentor I just dry hopped with Simcoe and mosiac. Looking forward to trying it as I haven't brewed one before.

Mash - as @pilgrimhudd says, where the fun in cold steeping!

I'm well aware of the technique, but to be 100% clear the issue here is I was a dummy and added more then I should have.

I've made a black IPA twice before but using chocolate malt. For me I don't want a regular AIPA except black - what would be the point of that.

Instead I want the dark malt flavour to be noticeable, there in the background, but not prominent or intrusive - so I personally wouldn't cold steep for that reason.