MyQul's Brewday

[MyQul]

Great channel and George knows his stuff.

I'll watch this, this eve

 

[ryderkellan]

Lil' Oats - Oatmeal Stout/Mild 10L

Original Gravity (OG): 1.038 (°P): 9.5
Final Gravity (FG): 1.010 (°P): 2.6
Alcohol (ABV): 3.73 %
Colour (SRM): 18.6 (EBC): 36.6
Bitterness (IBU): 23.4 (Average)

1.6kg Pale Malt
95g Flaked Oats
87g Roasted Barley
78g Crystal 60

25g Challenger (8.5% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 70°C for 30 Minutes. Boil for 15 Minutes

Fermented at 17°C - 18C with Gales strain


The grain bill is basically the oatmeal stout from my GH book. I dont have any choccy malt so I just just replaced it with more R.barley. I also lowered proportionally the girst to hit my preferred OG

I'm trying out a couple of new things with this brew this eve. Firstly I've been cold steeping the R.Barley. Basically I just put it in some cold water and left it for 24 hours at room temp. I will then add this to the boil at 10min. Cold steeping is supposed to mellow out the harshness that can come from highly kilned malts like RB and black malt (apparently you can also cold steep coffee for similar results - might have a go one day). I did read you need to put 3x the amount of highly kilned malt that you usually use as cold steeping can subdue the flavours somewhat. Seeing as this is my first go at it I decided to keep the dark grains the same.

Secondly I'm not sure how much time I will have later on to brew. I normally do a 40 min mash (at 70C) and 60 min boil with these lower OG beers to help get some extra body into the beer so will cut the mash back to 30mins. I've done 30 min mashes a number of times and they dont seem to effect my normal efficiency (66%) at all. What I havent done before is a 15min boil. I've done 30 mins a few times but never as short as 15.
If I find I have enough time later on I'll just do my normal 40min mash and 60 min boil and adjust the hops accordingly. I might even add a later flavour addition not just a bittering addition

how did it turn out? I'm interested in trying cold steeping. I've also found wheat malt good for counteracting harshness

 

[MyQul]

how did it turn out? I'm interested in trying cold steeping. I've also found wheat malt good for counteracting harshness

Iirc, it was ok I suppose. I seem to remember not being that impressed. Cold steeping definately mellows any harshness out . Not sure Id do it again though. I like strong flavours and prefer any harshness

 

[matt76]

The blonde brut sounds really interesting. Couple of questions:

1. Do the Rice Krispies and amylase go hand in hand or could they be used independently is one another?

2. Is this the stuff you're talking about? (I notice the label of this one seems to say 1tsp/4.5L, maybe different makes vary? )

Main points of interest for me are I have a few lagers on my to brew list, plus no matter what I do I still seem to struggle with chill haze (except in my supposed-to-be-cloudy beers which are crystal clear!)

 

[MyQul]

The blonde brut sounds really interesting. Couple of questions:

1. Do the Rice Krispies and amylase go hand in hand or could they be used independently is one another?

2. Is this the stuff you're talking about? (I notice the label of this one seems to say 1tsp/4.5L, maybe different makes vary? )

Main points of interest for me are I have a few lagers on my to brew list, plus no matter what I do I still seem to struggle with chill haze (except in my supposed-to-be-cloudy beers which are crystal clear!)

1. You dont have to use them together. The rice crispies are a bit like sugar and makes the wort very fermentable. The Amylase then cranks the FG down to 1.000. You can mash low and long and use a highly attenuative yeast to get a similar effect
2. Yes. That's exactly the same stuff I used (even the same brand).

However for your 'point of interest', this wont work for any lager. This is just for this one type, this is a very light beer, with almost no body. It's almost like (and I dont want to put anyone off) a bud/coors/millar type beer but with more flavour from the hops. This wouldnt work for say, a malty German type lager. The amylse serves a very specific purpose

 

[MyQul]

Fairly simple blonde ale today


Blonde ale

Original Gravity (OG): 1.042 (°P): 10.5
Final Gravity (FG): 1.009 (°P): 2.3
Alcohol (ABV): 4.29 %
Colour (SRM): 3.5 (EBC): 6.9
Bitterness (IBU): 21.3 (Average)

2.5kg Pale Malt

4g Magnum (11.1% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
10g Cascade (7% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
10g Centennial (8% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
10g Cascade (7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
10g Centennial (8% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)


Single step Infusion at 67°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 23°C with Safale US-05

 

[MyQul]

Now the weather is cooling down, time to get some bitters on. I bought the last bottle of Youngs Special Ale in ASDA today and will culture up the yeast starting tomorrow. Wyeast 1318 London ale III is supposed to be the Youngs strain. A true top cropper too

Made a 5L bitter today which I will use some MJ Liberty Bell yeast

 

[matt76]

I've been culturing up some yeast of my own actually (with a nod to your process for doing so), albeit from one of my own bottled beers - it really is remarkable that you can grow it starting from such a tiny amount!

I can't comment on the heritage of 1318 but having used it a couple of times, yeah, you're right it certainly is a top cropper!

(As I mentioned the other day somewhere, I've just harvested a load of 1318 actually, 3 x 50ml tubes of very clean looking yeast)

 

[MyQul]

Ive also cultured up from my own bottles - when I wanted a strain but didnt keep any slurry

 

[MyQul]

Now the weather is cooling down, time to get some bitters on. I bought the last bottle of Youngs Special Ale in ASDA today and will culture up the yeast starting tomorrow. Wyeast 1318 London ale III is supposed to be the Youngs strain. A true top cropper too

Made a 5L bitter today which I will use some MJ Liberty Bell yeast

The Youngs strain aint half vigorous. I put the dregs in 200ml of 1.038 starter and the amount of of gassing when I shake the jar to areate is loads. Much more yeast had grown in the jar this morning than I expected for one bottle of beer. Must have had quite a lot of yeast in the bottle of Special Ale

 

[foxbat]

The Youngs strain aint half vigorous. I put the dregs in 200ml of 1.038 starter and the amount of of gassing when I shake the jar to areate is loads. Much more yeast had grown in the jar this morning than I expected for one bottle of beer. Must have had quite a lot of yeast in the bottle of Special Ale

Following this with interest to see if it turns out to be a good candidate for an ESB yeast.

 

[matt76]

Following this with interest to see if it turns out to be a good candidate for an ESB yeast.

If, as MyQul alluded to above, the Young's strain is the same as Wyeast 1318 then I can tell you yes it is - I used 1318 in my ESB, very nice, just the right amount of character

 

[foxbat]

If, as MyQul alluded to above, the Young's strain is the same as Wyeast 1318 then I can tell you yes it is - I used 1318 in my ESB, very nice, just the right amount of character

The old rumour was that 1318 was Boddington's but that's been discredited by recent DNA sequencing. 1318 is in there amongst very good company in the same family tree as others derived from Whitbread II. No idea where Young's yeast fits into that tree but I wouldn't be surprised at all to find it's also a Whitbread derivative.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Fairly simple blonde ale today


Blonde ale

Original Gravity (OG): 1.042 (°P): 10.5
Final Gravity (FG): 1.009 (°P): 2.3
Alcohol (ABV): 4.29 %
Colour (SRM): 3.5 (EBC): 6.9
Bitterness (IBU): 21.3 (Average)

2.5kg Pale Malt

4g Magnum (11.1% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)
10g Cascade (7% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
10g Centennial (8% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)
10g Cascade (7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)
10g Centennial (8% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Boil)


Single step Infusion at 67°C for 60 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 23°C with Safale US-05

Hi MyQul, this blonde ale sounds right up my street for my daughter who does not like hoppy ales, she asked me to brew a coors miller light type beer awhile back , I have my attempt in the fv at the moment what size batch did you do if you don't mind telling me, I will give it ago

 

[MyQul]

Interesting. Thanks for that. The Gales yeast I was using previously was a Whitbread derivative, and I really liked that. So if the Youngs strain is another whitbread strain I think I going to get on with it well. The smell off the starter when I off gas it is lovely (and fruity)

 

[MyQul]

Hi MyQul, this blonde ale sounds right up my street for my daughter who does not like hoppy ales, she asked me to brew a coors miller light type beer awhile back , I have my attempt in the fv at the moment what size batch did you do if you don't mind telling me, I will give it ago

12L I think. Stick it in a recipe calc just to make sure.

The Blonde Brut I did a few months back was very, coors/miller lite like. Just a bit tastier. You might want to have a look at that. The only downside is it takes about 2 months to condition but because the grain bill is so small you can easily make double the amount to offset the wait

 

[Rodcx500z]

12L I think. Stick it in a recipe calc just to make sure.

The Blonde Brut I did a few months back was very, coors/miller lite like. Just a bit tastier. You might want to have a look at that. The only downside is it takes about 2 months to condition but because the grain bill is so small you can easily make double the amount to offset the wait

Thank you MyQul, will look it up, there is only me in the family who likes real ale, my 86 year old mother in law likes a good hop forward ipa

 

[MyQul]

The Youngs culture smelt sulphurous this morning. I think I started the dregs on too big a starter (200ml 1.038) and stressed the yeast a bit. I was going to step it up to 700ml but I think I'll step up to 500ml instead

 

[prog99]

I got a much better "efficiency" and had to dilute a further 2.2L. I suspect though that extra efficiency came from sugar in the rice crispies. There was 88g in the 1kg I used.

This is such a cheap brew, 2.3kg of grain for 23L, plus a massive 3g of bittering hops! Next time I make this I'm going to make it even cheaper by just using cooked rice instead of rice crispies as they cost me £2.50

Knocking this out tonight. Will update on progress.
I got deluxe sainsbury's ones (its easier to get to on my way home from work so they cost 3quid and seem to have malt extract in them as well).

 

[Rodcx500z]

Hi MyQul, don,t know if you have seen this but he uses rice, , looks a good beer