matt76's Brewdays

[matt76]

AG#49 Small Baltic Beer

Experiment using essentially the second runnings of my Baltic Porter. Went wrong on two counts:

1. Re-mashed with 15L water - 5 or 10 would have been better.
2. Tried boiling in old tea urn but it wouldn't maintain a rolling boil so didn't get the boil of needed.

15L tap water, 5ml lactic acid 80%, 1g CaCl, half a Campden tablet.

Re-mashed for 2-3 hours at 62degC yielding about 14L wort

BG a disappointing 1.010 so opted for a 90 min boil, but as noted didn't get the boil off required (about 2L rather than the 6L desired!)

5g Northern Brewer 6.10% 90mins
5g Northern Brewer 6.10% 60mins
10g Northern Brewer 6.10% 30mins
10g Northern Brewer 6.10% 5mins
¼tsp Irish Moss powder 5mins

Chilled in 3 mins to 40degC as using Kweik for the first time..... Simply tipped the lot into the FV through a large sanitised fine weave grain bag and pitched 1g (one gram) CML Voss Kweik at 38degC. Placed FV in Brewer's Corner on a polystyrene block wrapped in two fleeces.

Hard to say exactly what kind of beer this is but it's dark, OG only 1.025 and around 27 IBUs according to Brewer's Friend. Hopefully it'll make something drinkable but nothing ventured nothing gained if not.

Very impressed and stunned with the Kweik - it was bubbling away by bedtime and going like the clappers this morning, seems to be holding temperature fairly well at around 32degC.

 

[foxbat]

Although I don't do second runnings brews I do keep a bag of Dextrose around for when the gravity needs a leg-up. Might be a stretch to add enough to get 1.025 up to something reasonable though without creating a very thin beer.

 

[matt76]

Although I don't do second runnings brews I do keep a bag of Dextrose around for when the gravity needs a leg-up. Might be a stretch to add enough to get 1.025 up to something reasonable though without creating a very thin beer.

Yeah it's a good tip, thanks @foxbat - now you mention it I have a bit of DME knocking around somewhere which I could have considered. To be honest in this case it was a rare experiment with second runnings on a free evening when I was already brewing so not much to lose besides a few hours of my spare time.

And if nothing else I've just built a massive Kweik starter just as we come into a hot spell!

 

[matt76]

Updates:

AG#45 Citra SMASH: Confession time - I realised the other night this was ready to drink so stuck a bottle in the fridge to chill. Unfortunately it's got a really nasty phenolic taste. I suppose it might condition out with more time but I'm not optimistic. I think the mistake was pitching harvested M36 slurry - I know it can work but my whole reason for moving to dry yeast was to avoid previous issues that I suspect were down to reusing yeast.

AG#47 "Get Even" IPA: Took my time to let it finish dropping the last couple of points before dry hopping last night with 30g each Simcoe and Chinook. Really pleased so far how this is tasting, piney & resiney with a slight fruity backnote and a dry bitter finish exactly what I was after - just hope I can avoid screwing it up from here!

AG#48 Baltic Porter: It took its time to get going, probably due to being a bit cool. I ended up taking it out of the fridge overnight which got it going, it's now bubbling away happily back in the fridge somewhere around 14degC.

AG#49 Small Baltic Beer: This was made from the second runnings of the Baltic Porter. Well for sure the Kweik did its job and ripped through it in a couple of days. Unfortunately as I kinda suspected from the very low OG (1.025) although it tastes OK, kinda woody and dry, it's also very thin tasting and I'm not sure I want to drink it! Not a huge loss, it was an experiment with second runnings and I know what I'd do different next time.

 

[cushyno]

I think the mistake was pitching harvested M36 slurry - I know it can work but my whole reason for moving to dry yeast was to avoid previous issues that I suspect were down to reusing yeast.

That's interesting. I stopped using M36 because of this. I do like to repitch my yeast and tend to make 2 or 3 batches from one original sachet of dried yeast.
at the end of 2018 I used M36 for a series of four batches. First was and ESB which while ok needed lots of conditioning. The second a Brown Ale using the first repitch was excellent and had some expected M36 fruitiness. The third and fourth repitches into a bitter and another Brown Ale were poor and had that nasty band-aid phenolic taste or twang that wouldn't fully go away.
I suspect that M36 is sensitive to being pitched in the right quantity and being stored and treated well between batches. If I recall the first repitch was cooled fresh wort straight into a FV with full yeast cake that had been bottled only 30 minutes before, with plenty aeration and splashing too. The other two repitches were after storing slurry in a fridge for a few days.

 

[matt76]

That's interesting. I stopped using M36 because of this. I do like to repitch my yeast and tend to make 2 or 3 batches from one original sachet of dried yeast.
at the end of 2018 I used M36 for a series of four batches. First was and ESB which while ok needed lots of conditioning. The second a Brown Ale using the first repitch was excellent and had some expected M36 fruitiness. The third and fourth repitches into a bitter and another Brown Ale were poor and had that nasty band-aid phenolic taste or twang that wouldn't fully go away.
I suspect that M36 is sensitive to being pitched in the right quantity and being stored and treated well between batches. If I recall the first repitch was cooled fresh wort straight into a FV with full yeast cake that had been bottled only 30 minutes before, with plenty aeration and splashing too. The other two repitches were after storing slurry in a fridge for a few days.

Hmm... okay... yeah... interesting...

This was 1-2 tablespoons of slurry that had been in the fridge a couple of days - I'd have to check my notes exactly how much and how long but you could have a good point there.

The annoying thing is I was on the fence anyway about reusing it and I had plenty of other dry yeast options in the fridge.

I genuinely don't think this one would have been my best brew ever, but I'd like to think it would at least have been better then drain cleaner!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

A question matt, I'm planning to bottle my Baltic Porter on Wednesday and wondered if I should up the fv temp tonight to give it a diacetyl rest, did you do that on the last one?

 

[matt76]

A question matt, I'm planning to bottle my Baltic Porter on Wednesday and wondered if I should up the fv temp tonight to give it a diacetyl rest, did you do that on the last one?

Hold on while I check my spreadsheet of big words...

In that case actually I didn't but I fermented with WY2124 around 18degC using a water bath and freezer blocks for temp control - so I either didn't think to do it at all or I decided it wasn't necessary.

But generally now with lagers that I ferment cold in the fridge - and certainly with the Baltic Porter I'm fermenting now (CML Hell) - then yes once fermentation is winding down I personally would bring it to room temp to let it finish off and clean up after itself. I think you're supposed to do it roughly 80% of the way to FG but I usually just wait until the airlock calms down rather then constantly measuring.

I checked my notes the other day actually for the various lagers I've done - it seems like I typically do about 1 week cold, 1 week room temp and then cold crash before packaging.

 

[matt76]

Bottling: AG#47 "Get Even" IPA

I dry hopped for 3 days with 30g each Simcoe pellets and Chinook leaf. My Baltic Porter is occupying the fridge so no chance to cold crash or experiment again with dry hopping cold, hence I had to dry hop this slightly above room temp thanks to the recent hot weather!

FG = 1.009
ABV = 5.8%
SRM = 8
IBU = 58 (Rager)

Colour = Deep golden to amber
Aroma = Hoppy
Taste = Hoppy and bitter

Yield = 19 x 500ml bottles

Little disappointed not to get 20 bottles but this is why I'd ideally not dry hop with leaf hops. On the flip side I used my usual hop spider based filtering when I transferred to the bottling bucket so I've at least minimised crud transfer and not had problems due to blocked equipment.

Only used 40g sugar to batch prime which should give about 1.9vols CO2. I've been experimenting recently with reducing the priming sugar in my hoppy beers as they always seem very foamy (and a little too gassy for me), I suspect due to hop creep. My experiments so far suggest I'm heading in the right direction

As you'd expect the dry hop has taken the pleasant hoppiness and really turbocharged it. From the small sample I had at bottling I don't get much specific fruitiness hence describing it as generically hoppy - which is not to say it's bland or dull. There's a huge bitter punch exactly as intended and I'm definitely getting something pineappley or grapefruity. Really can't wait now to try this as soon as it's carbonated!

Pic below: This is why I don't like dry hopping with leaf hops!

 

[matt76]

AG#50 Styrian Wolf Session IPA

Struggling to think of a more catchy name that isn't a total cliche so this'll have to do for now. This is basically my go-to grist I've used previously for Helles, Pilsners and a few hoppy IPA beers too - only change is the addition of a bit of Carapils, an experiment based on my recent Scott Janish reading who says it may help with clarity.

A bit of Simcoe up front for bittering, and then it's Styrian Wolf hops all the way. The latter are totally new to me - I picked them up from CML, on a whim really, based on the descriptor ("intense floral and fruity notes") when I was looking for a more economical alternative to more pricey hops like Citra.

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

2.0kg Lager Malt
250g Carapils
200g Vienna Malt
50g Victory Malt
2.5kg Total

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

Boil 30mins:
10g Simcoe 12.0% 30mins
15g Styrian Wolf 12.4% 10mins
15g Styrian Wolf 12.4% 5mins
1/4tsp Irish Moss powder 5mins

Whirlpool 10mins @ 85degC:
30g Styrian Wolf 12.4%

Plan to dry hop with the remaining 40g Styrian Wolf the end of fermentation (would happily up this to 60g if I had the extra, maybe I'll order another pack).

10L crystal clear wort into the FV + 2L more crud in bottles to settle out and top up the FV, expect to end up with 11-12L in total.

Pitched 5g CML "Pia" around 20degC but put the FV in the fridge to chill it down some more and stop temperatures getting too carried away during early fermentation.

3.5 SRM - very pale!
44 IBUs Rager
OG 1.045, should end up around 4.6% ABV - efficiency actually a tiny bit higher than expected which is always nice.

I'm really pleased how this brewday went, no surprises and everything went to plan. I actually made a couple of process changes:

Towards the end of the mash I tried recirculating manually with a jug - I'm not sure it made any difference in terms of clarity of the wort, but interesting to try nevertheless. Maybe more prolonged recirculation with a pump would make more difference, I don't know.

After chilling I normally I let the crud settle in the kettle 1-2 hours before draining the clear wort to the FV and then filtering the crud out of the remainder to reclaim a few litres. This time I tipped the lot into the FV straight after chilling then rigged up a large fine mesh nylon grain bag in the kettle to act as a filter. Then I poured the lot back into the kettle through the filter which removed all the hop sludge. When I finally drained the kettle there was just a bit of break material left at the bottom, but no hop sludge.

I'm not sure it's made much difference to the amount or clarity of the wort I'll get into the FV in the long run, but I'm pretty sure a bit of extra work rinsing and sanitising cut a useul amount of time off my brew day.

Anyhoo, I'm very interested to see how this Styrian Wolf turns out and how well it measures up to the desciption!

 

[Tim Wilkes]

AG#50 Styrian Wolf Session IPA

Struggling to think of a more catchy name that isn't a total cliche so this'll have to do for now. This is basically my go-to grist I've used previously for Helles, Pilsners and a few hoppy IPA beers too - only change is the addition of a bit of Carapils, an experiment based on my recent Scott Janish reading who says it may help with clarity.

A bit of Simcoe up front for bittering, and then it's Styrian Wolf hops all the way. The latter are totally new to me - I picked them up from CML, on a whim really, based on the descriptor ("intense floral and fruity notes") when I was looking for a more economical alternative to more pricey hops like Citra.

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

2.0kg Lager Malt
250g Carapils
200g Vienna Malt
50g Victory Malt
2.5kg Total

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

Boil 30mins:
10g Simcoe 12.0% 30mins
15g Styrian Wolf 12.4% 10mins
15g Styrian Wolf 12.4% 5mins
1/4tsp Irish Moss powder 5mins

Whirlpool 10mins @ 85degC:
30g Styrian Wolf 12.4%

Plan to dry hop with the remaining 40g Styrian Wolf the end of fermentation (would happily up this to 60g if I had the extra, maybe I'll order another pack).

10L crystal clear wort into the FV + 2L more crud in bottles to settle out and top up the FV, expect to end up with 11-12L in total.

Pitched 5g CML "Pia" around 20degC but put the FV in the fridge to chill it down some more and stop temperatures getting too carried away during early fermentation.

3.5 SRM - very pale!
44 IBUs Rager
OG 1.045, should end up around 4.6% ABV - efficiency actually a tiny bit higher than expected which is always nice.

I'm really pleased how this brewday went, no surprises and everything went to plan. I actually made a couple of process changes:

Towards the end of the mash I tried recirculating manually with a jug - I'm not sure it made any difference in terms of clarity of the wort, but interesting to try nevertheless. Maybe more prolonged recirculation with a pump would make more difference, I don't know.

After chilling I normally I let the crud settle in the kettle 1-2 hours before draining the clear wort to the FV and then filtering the crud out of the remainder to reclaim a few litres. This time I tipped the lot into the FV straight after chilling then rigged up a large fine mesh nylon grain bag in the kettle to act as a filter. Then I poured the lot back into the kettle through the filter which removed all the hop sludge. When I finally drained the kettle there was just a bit of break material left at the bottom, but no hop sludge.

I'm not sure it's made much difference to the amount or clarity of the wort I'll get into the FV in the long run, but I'm pretty sure a bit of extra work rinsing and sanitising cut a useul amount of time off my brew day.

Anyhoo, I'm very interested to see how this Styrian Wolf turns out and how well it measures up to the desciption!

In my (limited) experience, Styrian Wolf is a lovely hop. Nothing like Citra but definitely floral with a delicate hint of violet. Hope you enjoy it - I did!

 

[foxbat]

Is there any reason why you don't bag your hops in the boil? I use a large 5 gallon mesh bag for mine so they get the free run of the kettle but I can just lift them out (with a good squeeze) after the chill.

 

[matt76]

In my (limited) experience, Styrian Wolf is a lovely hop. Nothing like Citra but definitely floral with a delicate hint of violet. Hope you enjoy it - I did!

Good to know, thanks I'm certainly not expecting a Citra substitute, rather that I'm just searching for an alternative "hoppy" hop and looking to try something new. Really looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

 

[matt76]

Is there any reason why you don't bag your hops in the boil? I use a large 5 gallon mesh bag for mine so they get the free run of the kettle but I can just lift them out (with a good squeeze) after the chill.

Yeah, I just like making life difficult for myself

This thought had occurred to me already actually. I've tried small hop bags before but they were just too much faff.

I think there's a few reasons why I've not used my larger bag in the boil, including diffusion, also some concerns about will the heater melt the bag. Is also a kind of folds-flat/flat tea-bag shape so strange for my kettle very well.

But for a few quid you might be right, maybe it's worth investing in a more cylindrical shaped bag that fits the kettle nicely - it's worth an experiment and if successful would save a bit of to & fro and remove some contamination risk

 

[foxbat]

Yeah, I just like making life difficult for myself

This thought had occurred to me already actually. I've tried small hop bags before but they were just too much faff.

I think there's a few reasons why I've not used my larger bag in the boil, including diffusion, also some concerns about will the heater melt the bag. Is also a kind of folds-flat/flat tea-bag shape so strange for my kettle very well.

But for a few quid you might be right, maybe it's worth investing in a more cylindrical shaped bag that fits the kettle nicely - it's worth an experiment and if successful would save a bit of to & fro and remove some contamination risk

I was never happy with the little bags either, used them once and never again. With a large draw-string bag I can tip the hops in when I need to and tie the string to one of the kettle handles to keep the mouth of the bag above the wort. The force of the boil keeps the bag away from the element.

 

[matt76]

AG#51 Munich Helles

Let me start with double kudos to @foxbat right off the bat:

1. First up he brewed a Pilsner not too long ago using Hersbrucker hops and I thought I'll have to give that a whirl myself;
2. Second, we were talking the other day and he suggested using a large mesh bag in the boil to contain the hops in the boil - hardly revolutionary and it's not like I haven't heard of it before but I was very pleased to find it worked far better then I had expected.

Anyhoo... Lately all I want to brew is IPAs but I know I'll enjoy drinking the Helles so I kinda made myself get it done if only to maintain a bit of variety, plus my current Pilsner stocks won't last forever.

I've made it twice before - first time I did it "properly" with Pilsner malt, Mittelfruh hops and WY2206 yeast. Second time I cheated using lager malt, crystal hops and an ale yeast! And to tell you the truth, both were very enjoyable and really very similar.

I start with my go-to very-pale-beer grist, plus a bit of Carapils I'm experimenting with at the moment - my hoppy beers have plenty of head but my lagers could use a little help. A gentle hand with the Hersbrucker hops - just enough IBUs but not so much that it becomes a Pilsner. Then we finish off with CML "Hell" yeast which I've only used once before in my Baltic porter but seems to get good reviews.

15L tap water, 5ml lactic acid 80q, 1g CaCl, half a Campden tablet.

2.0kg Lager Malt
250g Carapils
250g Vienna Malt
50g Victory Malt
2.55kg Total

60min full-volume no-sparge mash @ 67degC

Boil 30mins:
30g Hersbrucker 3.4% 30mins
20g Hersbrucker 3.4% 15mins
1/4tsp Irish Moss powder 5mins

9.5L crystal clear wort into the FV + 3.5L more crud in bottles to settle out and top up the FV, expect to end up with 11-12L in total.

Pitched a pack of CML "Hell" around 21degC and put the FV in the fridge to chill it down some more to keep fermentation temperature in the happy zone.

3.65 SRM - very pale!
17 IBUs (Rager)
OG 1.047, should end up around 5% ABV - efficiency a tiny bit higher again than expected.

As hinted above, I bought myself a new large grain/hop bag from BJ Filters on eBay. I've tried little hop bags in the past but found them just too much faff. The weave on the new one is not as fine as I'd expected and I was sceptical it would tap all the hop gunk.

But, once I'd finished chilling I just lifted the bag out, tipped it back and forth for a couple of minutes to drain the wort, a gentle squeeze and job jobbed. The bag did the job perfectly and kept all the hop gunk behind.

Then I just left the kettle as usual for an hour for the hot & cold break material to settle out before draining the crystal clear wort to the FV.

This is a really cheap and simple process tweak but I have to say I'm really pleased with the result. As I found on my previous brew where I tried something similar, the end result isn't actually much different - what it really does is saves time and reduces the amount of faffing about required. End result - a shorter and more enjoyable brew day

Still very pleased with the Klarstein

Low cost, low-tech tweak - great results

Hop gunk in the bag... and not in my Helles

 

[matt76]

First Tasting: AG#47 "Get Even" IPA

After just over 2 weeks in the bottle I couldn't wait any longer to try this beer - and I'm very happy

This brew originated from an idea to make something hoppy using Simcoe & Chinook, combined with my frustration at a string of disappointing or lacklustre beers.

The colour, like many of my beers is a bit murky and muddy, a combination of hop haze from a generous dry hop plus my usual chill haze. But otherwise I'm happy with the amber hue.

There's a generic hoppy aroma but nothing that screams a particular fruit. Mouthfeel is sufficient without being too over the top, as is carbonation - I've been cutting back the priming sugar lately to combat hop creep. Head retention is ok but lacing on the glass is spot on.

Taste wise it's a lovely piney-resiney flavour, with maybe just a suggestion of grapefruit in there. Despite the aggressive hopping I don't actually find it that bitter, and the finish has just enough sweetness to say "go on, have another swig", without coming anywhere close to being cloying. It's certainly very drinkable to say the least!

Very happy with this brew, makes me feel I've got my mojo back a little. There's room in my life for a more fruity IPA than this but this one will for the bill very nicely at the moment. My only issue is I only made 19 bottles, with just 18 left to go!

 

[cushyno]

I have a Helles conditioning at the mo', though I tried to stick close to the GH recipe. Very light in colour and mild in the hop department, however I'm loving the Hersbrücker hop aroma! MJ Bohemian yeast is doing the business so far. Not carbonated yet but promises to be a good one.

If it turns out ok do you fancy a swap?

 

[matt76]

I have a Helles conditioning at the mo', though I tried to stick close to the GH recipe. Very light in colour and mild in the hop department, however I'm loving the Hersbrücker hop aroma! MJ Bohemian yeast is doing the business so far. Not carbonated yet but promises to be a good one.

If it turns out ok do you fancy a swap?

Sorry @cushyno , just realised I never answered this - sure, why not! Fermentation has taken ages to finish the last couple of points so I've only just put the Helles in to cold crash so it'll be a while yet, but yes I'm up for a swap

 

[matt76]

AG#52 "Chocks Away" ESB

I was planning to brew this weekend but seeing as all the cool kids seem to be doing overnight mashes I thought I'd have a bash myself then get up early doors and get my brewday done early. This is normally the point where I say something about the best laid plans but actually it worked great.

Following some advice from a forum expert I was expecting maybe "a tiny bit of extra efficiency". Well I never bother taking a BG reading these days, but I did this time due to the uncertainty of the overnight mash - I assumed I must have made some sort of mistake and figured I'll know for sure where I'm at once I take my OG reading at the end. Once all was said and done I was genuinely gobsmacked to find out my efficiency had jumped from around 68-70% expected to 80% and my OG 8 points higher!

One thing I will say is obviously I have no idea what the mash temp was doing overnight - I expect there was some variation either side of my target of 65degC as the mash cooled and the Klarstein's thermostat kicked in, and also of course you can get pretty much whatever temperature you like depending where in the mash you stick the thermometer! But overall I'm never going to complain to see an efficiency improvement, especially since it didn't involve any extra work from me.

This is essentially a re-brew of my AG#18 - I found the brown malt really gave it something extra. I've tweaked the grain bill a teeny bit, mainly based on what I have in stock. I've also tweaked the hopping a bit, swapping out the Fuggles for Willamette and also adding in some Celia/Styrian Goldings. I couldn't decide on yeast so I increased the volume by a couple of litres and split the batch between "Midland" and "Beoir", both from CML.

17L tap water, 20ml CRS, 3g Gypsum, 0.3g table salt, half a Campden tablet. This gets me pretty darn close to a suggested target profile for bitter:
150 calcium
250 sulphate
130 chloride
35 alkalinity

[Edit: I used the forum calculator for the first time, in conjunction with the usual Brewer's Friend water calculator - the former recommended a bit more CRS and Gypsum than I'd usually have added, plus that tiny bit of table salt. Will be interesting to carry on trying this to see what difference it makes long term.]

Grain Bill:
2500g Golden Promise
500g Munich Malt
250g Carared Malt
225g Brown Malt
TOTAL 3.475kg

Overnight (8.5hrs) full-volume no-sparge mash @ 65degC

Boil 30mins:
20g Simcoe 12% 30mins
10g EKG 4.84% 10mins
10g Willamette 4.7% 10mins
10g Celia 2.5% 5mins
10g EKG 4.84% 5mins
10g Willamette 4.7% 5mins
1/4tsp Irish Moss powder 5mins

Whirlpool 10mins @ 90degC:
10g Celia 2.5%
10g EKG 4.84%
10g Willamette 4.7%

Plan to dry hop with 20g each Celia, EKG and Willamette at the end of fermentation.

2 x 5L crystal clear wort into each FV. Pitched 4g CML "Midland" into one and CML "Beoir" into the other. Also collected 2 x 2L crud to settle out and top up the FVs, expect to end up with ~6L in each.

11 SRM - Nice amber-bronze colour
40 IBUs Rager
OG 1.058 - Efficiency, and hence OG, considerably higher than expected (was expecting ~1.050) which means the ABV will be more like 6% instead of 5.3%. I assume this is simply down to the overnight mash. I considered liquoring back but decided, nah, let's roll with it.

But due to the uncertainty around the mash temperature, and throw in two different yeasts, it's anyone's guess where the FG of each one will end up. But I'm looking forward to finding out!