My Brewdays

[Moe]

The stout has come out really nice, the colour is fine and it’s quite smooth.

I made a bitter last week, that’s just gone into keg:

4kg Minch pale malt
230g crystal 150
170g wheat malt
140g crystal 100
20g roasted barley (I used all the choc malt in my stout)

Mashed at 68C for one hour.

30 minute boil:

30g Bramling Cross (7%) @30
25g EKG (4.1%) @15, and a protofloc
25g each EKG & Bramling cross @5

fermented at 19C with CML Beior.

OG was 1.042
Should be 32IBU, 21EBC

FG was 1.012 making it a sessionabe 3.9%

Its been in the FV for 10 days and came out looking really clear.

I’ve set my regulator to 10PSI, I don’t want this dead fizzy.

 

[Moe]

Best Bitter v2
Brewed this yesterday.
My last bitter has come out quite nice, so I have brewed it again, but trying Jester & Olicana this time.

Same malt bill as my last one, but with different hops and yeast:

4kg Minch pale malt
230g crystal 150
170g wheat malt
140g crystal 100
20g roasted barley

Mashed for one hour at 68C

The Jester was labelled as 15% AA, which I think is wrong, so I’ve set it as 8% in Brewfather to try and aim for 32 IBU again


30 minute boil:
10g Jester @30
25g Olicana (6.9%) @ 15
20g Jester @15
25g Olicana @5
10g Jester @5

OG was 1.042
IBU:32 ish
EBC: 21

Set to ferment @19C with CML Clipper

 

[Moe]

Had a taste of this, it’s ready to keg, will probably do so tomorrow.

The bitterness is fine so it was the correct choice to question the labelled AA of the Jester

 

[Moe]

Just put in an order for a load of grain which should see me through the summer.

I’ve got a sack of planet malt, a selection of Cara malts and crystal malts, Wheat, chocolate malt and roasted barley, along with 100g EKG

I’ve got a few packs of yeast and a load of hops to work through. I’ll order more from CML as I need them.

 

[Moe]

Managed to get a brew on this afternoon, a pale ale with CML US C Hop mix

Tried for a slightly larger batch of 25L into the FV, to hopefully give me 23l packaged. I have just bought a 5L mini keg in the Brew Keg Tap sale, so hopefully I can fill this and a Corny.

4kg Minch Malt
410g wheat malt
100g Cara red.

Mashed at 65C for an hour,

Hops: all CML US C Hop mix
17g@ 30
30g for a whirlpool addition
55g dry hop

Brewfather predicted a pre boil volume of 30L at 1.038, and an OG of 1.040

I got 30L at 1.031 which is shocking.

I have raided the baking cupboard and added 300g of soft brown sugar, which has added 4 points, and I am letting it boil for an extra half an hour before adding any hops, which should gain me an extra 2 points.

Fingers crossed it will hit 1.038 OG, to give a 3.8-4.0% session beer.

Will ferment with CML five

 

[Moe]

OG was 1.040, so dead on what it should be.

Hopefully the sugar doesn’t ruin it

 

[Moe]

I have just taken a sample of this beer.

It has finished at 1.008, just in range for the style, so the sugar hasn’t done it much harm.

I had a taste and it is delicious.

I have set it to chill, I then plan on transferring 5L into my mini keg to drink using my beer engine, and the rest will go in a keg

 

[.John.]

I’m gearing up for my first brewing session and can’t wait to get started.

 

[Nottsbeer]

I have just taken a sample of this beer.

It has finished at 1.008, just in range for the style, so the sugar hasn’t done it much harm.

I had a taste and it is delicious.

I have set it to chill, I then plan on transferring 5L into my mini keg to drink using my beer engine, and the rest will go in a keg

Hi, I'm looking at minikegs (5l) - just wondering what set up you have? Cheers.

 

[Moe]

Hi, I'm looking at minikegs (5l) - just wondering what set up you have? Cheers.

Haven’t actually used it yet, I didn’t end up putting my last beer in there. I fermented in the pressure fermenter and just drank the beer straight out of that

But I brought these in the Brewkegtap sale, for £40 + P&P:

https://brewkegtap.co.uk/products/low-profile-minikeg-ball-lock-lid

https://brewkegtap.co.uk/products/5l-kegland-minikeg-growler

Should work the same as a corny keg. The idea is that it willl save me bottling, and I am hoping to hook it up to my beer engine. I can drink 5L over a weekend, and won’t have to worry about it spoiling

 

[Moe]

Managed to get a brew on this afternoon, a pale ale with CML US C Hop mix

Tried for a slightly larger batch of 25L into the FV, to hopefully give me 23l packaged. I have just bought a 5L mini keg in the Brew Keg Tap sale, so hopefully I can fill this and a Corny.

4kg Minch Malt
410g wheat malt
100g Cara red.

Mashed at 65C for an hour,

Hops: all CML US C Hop mix
17g@ 30
30g for a whirlpool addition
55g dry hop

Brewfather predicted a pre boil volume of 30L at 1.038, and an OG of 1.040

I got 30L at 1.031 which is shocking.

I have raided the baking cupboard and added 300g of soft brown sugar, which has added 4 points, and I am letting it boil for an extra half an hour before adding any hops, which should gain me an extra 2 points.

Fingers crossed it will hit 1.038 OG, to give a 3.8-4.0% session beer.

Will ferment with CML five

As an update:

As mentioned earlier, I ended up putting the FV into the kegerator and using it as a keg, so the beer should have had zero oxygen exposure since I sealed the FV.

I have made this beer quite a few times now, keeping the malt bill the same and playing with hops and yeast.

This beer was definitely different, but I am not sure how much of this is down to actual differences in the beer, and how much is due to my perceptions being influenced by knowledge of the process, but:

The hops definitely popped more in this beer than similar ones I’ve brewed in the past. Zero oxygen exposure, or placebo effect?

To me it tasted a bit thin, it finished at 1.008, and I have had beers without the sugar addition finish at this FG before, but it tasted thin all the same. Placebo or sugar?

All in all though, a light easy drinking hoppy pale was just the medicine whilst I was digging out the garden in the heatwave of last week.

I’d make it again, but without the sugar.