Nicks90's Brewdays

[Nicks90]

And now the hallertau lager is bottled too!
It's been steady for about 5 days, so it got transferred to my office for 3 days and then back into the cellar for the last 2.
Lovely and clear considering I didn't use any Irish moss for this brew (ran out) and I don't have a brew fridge for cold crashing.
Let's see what this is like in a few weeks.

 

[Nicks90]

AG number 76
Sorachi Saison

Its Saison time!!! Will be using a 'new to me' hop for this one, Sorachi Ace. Apparently its got lots of lemon and lemon curd flavours, with some dill and other herby coriander notes, I think this will work well in a Saison. Ditching the belle saison yeast this time in favour of MJs French Saison yeast M29

1.5kg pale malt
2kg Pilsne malt

20l mash at 66C for 90mins followed by a 4l jug sparge and a good bag squeeze
Leaving 21l wort for a 60 minute boil and 18l in the FV

Hops
15g sorachi ace @30 min
25 g sorachi ace @5 min


Yeast
Mangrove Jacks French Saison yeast M29. Whilst my office stays resolutely at 20c the whole time, I'm going to pitch it at room temp, but give the fv a partial wrap up in a fleece, so that as fermentation kicks off, it can free rise to much higher temperatures, as apparently this likes 26-32c!!!

Expecting 4srm, 30ibu and 5% and should be a nice refreshing lemony sour pint out in the garden!

 

[Nicks90]

And first taste test of mushroom stout.
It's rich and velvety and definitely has an earthy undertone. No mushroom flavour at all!!!! But it is much more 'more' than a standard stout.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Umami stout maybe?

 

[DocAnna]

And first taste test of mushroom stout.
It's rich and velvety and definitely has an earthy undertone. No mushroom flavour at all!!!! But it is much more 'more' than a standard stout.

Oh that's just a gift of a beer name 'Velvet underground' - sounds rather a fine stout indeed.

 

[Nicks90]

Love it, Velvet Underground it is!

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Track 8 is my all time favourite (but not that version )

 

[Nicks90]

Forgot to mention, whilst this was brewed with a saison yeast - and it is dry on the finish - you wouldn't know it unless someone told you.
Interesting.

 

[moto748]

Track 8 is my all time favourite (but not that version )

That'll be the Rock and Roll Animal live version, I'll be thinking! Best guitar interplay evah!

 

[Nicks90]

I know it's early days, but not that keen on the lager. It's a bit sulphurous.
Aftertaste is distinctly tainted with sulphur
Will this dissipate with time?

 

[Nicks90]

After 2 weeks away, all my beers have been doing their thing in their bottles.
The lager is not as sulphury as it was and is settling down in to a very pleasant pint, and my saison is carb'd up!

NOMNOMNOMNOMNOM
sorachi hops and French saison yeast are a win!
It's bloody goooooorgeous. Sharp, peppery and citrus with a really good saison lip smacking finish.
After only 2 weeks in the bottle, it's beautifully clear and really well carbd. Again my stupid phone and oak worktop makes it look darker than it really is, but it's a new 'my favourite beer'

 

[Nicks90]

AG number 77
El Dorado IPA

You know me, swings and roundabouts between traditional Yorkshire ales and all that foreign muck. And as I absolutely love el dorado, its time for another IPA with this magnificent hop

3.2kg Maris Otter
200gm Rolled oats
100gm crystal 113ebc

20l mash at 66C for 90mins followed by a 4l dunk sparge and a good bag squeeze
Leaving 21l wort for a 60 minute boil and 17l in the FV

Hops
25gm centennial @20min
25gm El Dorado @5mins
25gm centennial @5min
25gm El dorado dry hop on day 5


Yeast
Lallemand Verdant IPA from the previous ag75 brew

Expecting 7srm, 50ibu and 5%. Depending on how well the dry hop goes, this should be a fruit bomb.

 

[Nicks90]

My office is awash with the smell of fermenting malt and hops!. Its gone like sh!7 off a shovel, really aggressive. HUGE krausen and even though I only got 16.5l or thereabouts of wort in the FV, it's nearly up to the top of my 23l bucket...
But the smell is great. Just made me think about beer all day long. Now finished work and having another scientific taste test of my 'velvet underground' mushroom stout.

I reckon this'll be ready to dry hop Thursday and bottle week after.

 

[moto748]

I am belatedly having a go at your #68, Nick, which I have planned to do for a while now. All good so far, on the hop boil now. Did you do any dry-hopping?

 

[Nicks90]

I've done it with and without a dry hop.
Iirc ag68 was just additions in the boil and it was lovely
But chucking an additional 25gm of both centennial and cascade as a dry hop would make it a real hop bomb. Beware hop burn though....

 

[moto748]

Thanks! As there are already a lot of late additions, perhaps I'll leave well alone for now. Although, thinking aloud, as my normal practice is to transfer from bucket to three demi-johns after a few days, I also have the option to try just dry-hopping one demi-john; I've done that kind of thing in the past.

 

[Nicks90]

After 4 days away for a disney stay cation cruise, time for an ice cold sorachi saison in my new mug

 

[Nicks90]

Ag77 bottled after being dry hopped for 7 days with more el Dorado.
Smells amazing and a sample taster was pure hop. Great hopes for this one.

Anyway, after a successful bottling session, nothing says relax like a pint of sorachi saison! Gratuitous pic opportunity

 

[Nicks90]

AG number 78
Nicks bitter revisited

I've done many iterations of this recipe now, all slightly tweaked but not vastly different. This time I'm using some carafa111 for colouring, but it's essentially my progress hopped ale. Why progress and not fuggles? I actually prefer progress even though they are quite similar.

3.5kg Maris Otter
20gm carafa111
150gm crystal 113ebc

20l mash at 66C for 90mins followed by a 4l dunk sparge and a good bag squeeze
Leaving 21l wort for a 60 minute boil and 17l in the FV

Hops
10gm target @60min
25gm progress @5min

Yeast
Brand new pack (last of the big spenders) Nottingham yeast

Expecting 11srm, 30ibu and 4.5%.
Should be a typical quaffable ale.

 

[Nicks90]

AG number 79
Sorachi Saison (Duplicate)

Basically doing a carbon copy of AG76 - as its a brilliant saison. Sharp and peppery with a big citrus smack. Saves some yeast from the previous brew, so doing it again, but only with MO this time and i have run out of pilsner malt.

3.5kg pale malt

20l mash at 66C for 90mins followed by a 4l jug sparge and a good bag squeeze
Leaving 21l wort for a 60 minute boil and 18l in the FV

Hops
15g sorachi ace @30 min
25 g sorachi ace @5 min


Yeast
Mangrove Jacks French Saison yeast M29 second generation from previous brew.

Expecting 4srm, 30ibu and 5% and should be a nice refreshing lemony sour pint out in the garden!