Notts beers days

[Nottsbeer]

This is a pre-brew day log this time. I've decided to make a Dry Stout, based on the GH recipe (Pg 174) with input from @An Ankoù . As I've been planning to try the famous Parsnip Stout made at the @moto748 brewery, I have decided to make a large bulk batch which I will split before hop additions. My recipe for 23L based on 72% BHE (BIAB method with total water volume from the start):

4.1 Kg MO
0.5 Kg Flaked barley
460 g Roasted barley (I will remember to crush this one )
120g Choc malt

For the mash (70 mins) I'm going to use three steps based on info I found from @Hazelwood Brewery :
1. 64oC for 50 mins (MO and flaked barley)
2. 77oC for 10 mins
3. 77oC for 10 mins (Roasted barley and Choc malt)

After the mash I'm planning to take equivalent liquid to make a 9L Parsnip Stout batch and a 14L Dry Stout batch.
I'm going to hop the dry stout with Bullion (I haven't crunched the numbers yet for this section, but the 23L batch would have 43g) @ 60mins.

For the Parsnip Stout, I'm planning to also hop with Bullion (60 mins) and add 1.5kg roasted Parsnips (roasted in Maple Syrup). I love the flavour of roasted Parsnips, thus I'm hoping to catch some of this. As per moto, I'm going to add the Parsnips to the boil @ 45mins.

Both beers will be fermented using Beoir yeast.

As I finally have a brew day on my own (kids at school..yah) and no work, this should be fun. I need to be organised however as I only have 6 hours. Should be plenty of time if nothing goes wrong (). Time to get my water sorted and in the boiler with a tablet for tomorrow.

 

[Nottsbeer]

Brewfather calculated 29.3l for my mash...having put this into my boiler it's getting quite close to the top. My boiler is supposed to have a capacity of 35l so this will be close once the grain is in. Again, brewfather has this at just over 32l so should be good. Will post pics tomorrow.

 

[moto748]

That sounds interesting, although it won't taste much like mine! But what I would say is that considering the small amount of sugar and spray malt I use (less than a pound of each), clearly the parsnips do add a fair amount of fermentable sugars. What effect the roasting will have, well, we'll have to wait and see!

 

[Nottsbeer]

That sounds interesting, although it won't taste much like mine! But what I would say is that considering the small amount of sugar and spray malt I use (less than a pound of each), clearly the parsnips do add a fair amount of fermentable sugars. What effect the roasting will have, well, we'll have to wait and see!

Yes, I plan to see what the OG is before pitching the yeast, hopefully not too high! Will let you know, could be a disaster or a nice drink

 

[Nottsbeer]

I finally did my Dry Stout brew on Monday, just a week later than planned! A few issues arose last week regarding a bike and a trip to the bike shop!

Anyway, my brewday was both fun and tiring. My mistake for trying to combine two brews. As planned, I started with around 29 l of water for my mash (BIAB with no sparge). As outlined in my last thread, I did a three step mash ( 50 min @64, 10 min @77 and 10 min @,77 with dark grains added). This all went well. I removed my bag and got as much wort out as possible. Adjusted gravity was a couple of points off my target so I was happy. I them took c.11 L aside for the parsnip stout whilst boiling the remainder for the Dru stout. This went well, cooled quickly and just needed a slight top up to hit the OG. I was hoping for 13l but only have about 11.

I then but the reserved wort in the boiler and added 17g Bullion @60 and dry roasted parsnips@45 mins. This all went fine as well. This batch was racked into two plastic demijohns.

I had planned to use Beoir yeast for both batches. However, I was a bit heavy handed on the dry stout and only had enough for one demijohn, so I had to use Muntons Gold for the other. It will be interesting to see if there are any noticeable taste difference between the two.

The beer has been fermenting for 3 days and the Muntons Gold seems to have finished already, the Beoir is still bubbling away. Pic here is the parsnip stout batches. The Dry Stout is happily sitting in my brew fridge

 

[Nottsbeer]

Bottling day...

The stout I brewed recently had 2 weeks in their fermenter vessels. All done and ready for bottles. This was a bit of a slow bottling day as I had 10L in a bucket (Dry Stout) and two separate 4L demijohns with the dry parsnip stout (different yeasts). The highlight, as usual, was tasting the beer whilst bottling. The dry stout tastes fantastic, very smooth. Don't know if this was due to the stepped mash schedule I followed, or just the recipe (or both). I'm really looking forward to having a taste of this over xmas.

The stout that I added parsnips to also taste good. @moto748, I initially noted that I was planning to roast the parsnips in maple syrup. As I kept forgetting to buy some, I ended up just dry roasting them. The batch that was fermented with Beoir yeast tastes drier than the dry stout, in a good way. There was no obvious parsnip flavour/smell to this one. The other batch was fermented with Muntons Gold (only other yeast I had available at the time). This one is also smooth (like the dry stout) and maybe has a hint of parsnip. Again, can't wait to try these after a few weeks in the bottle. After my failed attempt at the oatmeal stout a few months ago, I'm over the moon that these are tasting good. Happy days.

 

[Nottsbeer]

Bottled my cascade bitter yesterday, have 24 bottles conditioning out of sight. Thankfully there was no evidence of contamination from my butt water. This brew is not very bitter at the moment and not sure yet about the taste. Hopefully after a few weeks it'll be a good one. Time to start planning my next brew

Update on this beer....officially named as "Butt beer". This has a nice initial taste, however after a couple of mouthfulls a hint of an off flavour is present. I think this is suffering from the small amout of water that got into the wort prior to pitching the yeast. There is a possibility it may be in my head, but I just can't drink this. Sadly this one is destined for the drain.

On the positive side, I successfully brewed and cooled a batch of stout without adding any butt water . Stupid mistake I made with the first use of my recycled cooling system.

 

[moto748]

Message me your address, Nottsbeer, and I will send you a bottle of, er, 'vanilla' parsnip stout!

I am drinking one right now. It is not so bad!

 

[Nottsbeer]

My final brew of 2021

I decided to finish the year with GH's Cornish Tin Miner's Ale. My plan was to use the Wyeast 1469 I had stored in the fridge, however I failed to remember to get it started over the weekend..luckily I had planned ahead for this eventuality and had a reserve yeast (Four from CML) in stock. Having not been able to souce Caramunich from CML, my changed recipe was:

For 14L batch, BIAB method no sparge:
3 kg MO
250 g Crystal malt (150)
200 g Biscuit malt (50)
First Gold - 28g @ 60min
Bramling cross - 9g @ 10 mins
Bramling cross - 9g @ 0 mins.
IBUs- 45; EBC - 20.5

My preboil gravity target was 1.042. My reading was (temp adjusted) 1.041, thus I was very happy. After boiling my O.G aim was 1.050. However my reading was 1.046. I was a bit stumped at first why i was quite under, especially as I'm usually over by a couple of points. I decanted 12L into my FV and decided for the first time to leave the crud in the boiler. Visually I though there was about 1L of liquid, however upon measuring the liquid when cleaning up I realised I had left about 2.5L. I guess my boil wasn't as good this time, possibly due to the colder weather (brewing outside in a shed) and not having an insulated jacket on the boiler. Something to look in to over the festive period. I had always decanted all of the liquid from the boiler into me FV, leaving me with a think layer of crud after fermentation. I decided to see how things will go if I don't transfer all of it this time, may be something I'll revisit on my next brew . I have also decided that I need to make/invest in a measuring stick to accurately work out my liquid volumes in the boiler.

The yeast is pitched - I was recommended Beirm Four (English Ale) yeast by the nice guys at CML. I'm hoping this works well. I'm excited with this brew as it's also my first use of Bramling cross hops. I've read quite a few good reviews for this one. I bought a nice big pack (100g) so can hunt for another nice recipe in the new year.

Happy brewing everyone, and have a safe and wonderful xmas and New year

 

[Nottsbeer]

Brew #11

I brewed this on the 4th Jan but forgot to update this thread. This brew was a Cream Ale using crystal hops. After looking for recipies I decided on a simple one as I had not brewed this style before.

For 12L (BIAB method)
2.5kg Pilsner Malt
115g Sugar

Crystal (3.6%) 90 g @ 60
Crystal 18g @ 10
Protofloc @ 15mins.

I used CML Kentucky yeast.

Following info I found online, I fermented @ 15oC for 2 days, then increased the temp to about 16
5oC for 2 days, then upped it to 18oC. I cold crashed for 3 days before bottling.

On bottling this was not a great tasting brew. TBH i'm not a fan of lager and this was a bit dissapointing. However, I tasted a bottle lastnight after nearly 2weeks conditioning and this has improved greatly. It is very clear and easy to drink. This would be very nice on a hot summers day. Hopefully the next coupe of weeks will continue to see it improve.

 

[Nottsbeer]

Brew #12 Hansel Dunkel

I've been looking forward to brewing this one for a while. I initially wanted to do a dark style bock but stumbled upon this recipe by CML. As I had a few ingredients already I made my own brew rather than buying the kit from CML. I noticed that GH has a Dunkel recipe using biscuit malt. As I had some of this knocking around I decided at the last minute to add this. My final recipe was:

For 12L BIAB method:

1.5kg Lager malt
647g Munich malt
240g Light crystal (150)
72g Choc malt
100g Biscuit malt

Hersbrucker hops (3%) at 60 (23g), 30 (10g) and 5 (5g) mins.
Profloc at 15mins.

Yeast - CML Hell.

As I have done for a previous brew, I added all light malts for 50 mins @ 64oC. I then upped the temp to 77oC for 10 mins, and then added the choc malt for 10 mins (@77oC).

Preboil gravity was 1.037 (temp adjusted), target was 1.039, and OG was 1.045 (target was 1.047). I got just over 12L in the FV.....thus I need to boil slightly longer or change my method slightly to increase my BHE. Something to look into. However, these figures are good for me at the moment.

Yeast was pitched at 15oC. I'm now going OTT watching the data from my iSPindle....first time using this, having gone overboard calibrating it! Happily its showing 1.045. Can't wait for fermentation to kick in so I can see the changes.

 

[Nottsbeer]

Quick update on my Dunkel brew. This was my first brew using my new ispindle. Fantastic for tracking gravity changes. After 8 days or so I noticed that the gravity had flatlined around 1.014. FG target was 1.010 so I raised the temp from 15 to 18oC and it dropped a couple of points. After sitting stable for 2-3 days I then bottled it. I naturally presumed the ispindle to be a couple of points out, so I took a sample to check whilst bottling (a sample without priming sugar - see pic). I got a bit carried away by wanting to taste it that I ended up not properly recording the gravity . It was around 1.012, but may have been very slightly higher. Tasted great tho . Can't wait to try this one . No plans yet for my next brew.

Interestingly, the ispindle temp was around 0.25-0.5 oC lower than my inkbird set temp. I'm chuffed with this as I always expected a difference (probe on outside of FV under insulation of paper towel). I had planned on the temp difference to be nearer 1oC so chuffed with that.

 

[Nottsbeer]

AG 13 - Trappist V2

Seems I forgot to add this brew from 6th March. I liked the Trappist ale I did previously (AG 7) but wanted to make a slight change to suit my tastes. I decided to swap out the Brown malt I used previously with Special B and used CML Monk in stead of Nottingham (I had intended to split the batch and see the difference between booth yeasts but I couldn't get Nottingham before brewing).

My ingredients were (13.5L BIAB no sparge):
M.O - 3.8kg
Crystal 60 - 0.428kg
Special B- 0.229kg
Dark Eng. crystal - 0.053kg
Candi syrup - 0.053kg (last 10 mins of boil)

Challenger (7.8%AA) - 17.5g @60
Challenger - 17g @ 20
EKG (3.3%AA) - 17g @ 5

I changed my mash schedule from the previous version, mashing at 64oC for 20mins, then at 70oC for 20 min, and 77oC for 20 mins.

OG was 1.068; 38IBU; 35.5 EBC

I think my mash schedule affected my efficiency so I didn't hit my target gravity....however I inadvertently added some dirty water during cooling so I boiled again for an extra 20 mins which helped to hit my target gravity volume was lower than the target of 13.5L).

Fermentation initially went quickly, but after hitting 1.029 (after 24 hrs) it then slowed and took another 7 days to get near FG (1.019). I upped the temp slightyly and finally hit 1.016 after 14 days. Again, I think my mash affected this. I primed using demiera sugar (54g for 10.5L).

After 2 weeks priming this is tasting ok. Def needs a few more weeks/months to peak.

 

[Nottsbeer]

AG 14 - Maori Mingle (CML kit)

I was given this AG kit in Feb for my birthday. Finally found time to run this one .

This kit was for a 15L brew. As my efficiency is around 70% compared to the recommended 75% in the kit instructions, I adjusted water quantities to make a 14L brew (BIAB no sparge). The ingredients were:

Pale Ale - 3.391kg
Munich - 0.313kg
Carapil - 0.147kg
Caramalt - 0.137kg
Wheat malt - 0.114kg

Waimea (15.3%AA) - 16g @ 60
Maori mingle (8.3%) - 16g @ 15
Maori mingle - 16g @ 10
Maori mingle - 23g @ 5
Maori mingle - 16g @ 1
Maori mingle - 82g when yeast is pitched (for a max of 14 days)

OG - 1.060; FG - 1.017; 68 IBU; 11.2EBC
Yeast - CML Clipper

Mash - 60mins @ 68oC.

I'm intrigued by this kit. The hops smelt great...really hoping for some exotic flavours/tastes from this one. Apart from the two kits I did last year I have stayed away from dry hopping so I'm also excited to see how this goes. The amount of hops used is big compared to my previous brews. Really hoping that this is a great testing beer for early summer weather.

Brewing went without any hitches....perfect. It's sat in the fermenter fridge waiting for the yeast to kick in. My only slight concern is that I have 14L of wort in a 15L container.....I will have to keep an eye on this one to ensure it doesn't go into the airlock. I may have to quickly set-up a bubble tube (can't think of the correct term right now!!).

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Brew #12 Hansel Dunkel

I've been looking forward to brewing this one for a while. I initially wanted to do a dark style bock but stumbled upon this recipe by CML. As I had a few ingredients already I made my own brew rather than buying the kit from CML. I noticed that GH has a Dunkel recipe using biscuit malt. As I had some of this knocking around I decided at the last minute to add this. My final recipe was:

For 12L BIAB method:

1.5kg Lager malt
647g Munich malt
240g Light crystal (150)
72g Choc malt
100g Biscuit malt

Hersbrucker hops (3%) at 60 (23g), 30 (10g) and 5 (5g) mins.
Profloc at 15mins.

Yeast - CML Hell.

As I have done for a previous brew, I added all light malts for 50 mins @ 64oC. I then upped the temp to 77oC for 10 mins, and then added the choc malt for 10 mins (@77oC).

Preboil gravity was 1.037 (temp adjusted), target was 1.039, and OG was 1.045 (target was 1.047). I got just over 12L in the FV.....thus I need to boil slightly longer or change my method slightly to increase my BHE. Something to look into. However, these figures are good for me at the moment.

Yeast was pitched at 15oC. I'm now going OTT watching the data from my iSPindle....first time using this, having gone overboard calibrating it! Happily its showing 1.045. Can't wait for fermentation to kick in so I can see the changes.

Hiya mate, how did this one turn out, browsing for recipes and liked the look of this one!

 

[Nottsbeer]

Hiya mate, how did this one turn out, browsing for recipes and liked the look of this one!

Hi, This one turned out quite nice in the end. Initially it lacked a bit of body but that has improved with time - my own fault for playing with a steppped mash. If I was to do this again I'd just mash as normal for 60 mins then maybe mashout higher. I made this one after making a Cream Ale - two larger styles in a row for a non-larger drinker was hard to do, but worth it. Out of the two this was definitely my favorite for making again. I enjoy a dark bock when i can get my hands on one and I was hoping this would be like that. It's close enough now to satisfy me, but definitely more body needed in V2.

I entered it into the Feb comp and got the following feedback from Josh:
Dunkel
Appearance (3): 3
Ruby red, clear, head dissipates fairly quickly with some lacing on the glass
Aroma (12): 10
Sweet malts with some green apple, stewed fruits and floral hints. Very clean
Flavour (20): 15
Fruit flavours hit at first, and quickly give way to a balanced hoppy bitterness and malty finish. There is a complexity as the flavour changes slightly as more is drunk, showing more of the malty flavours, including a pleasant breadiness
Mouthfeel (5): 2
A slightly thicker mouthfeel would take this beer to the next level. A bit thin, mashing slightly higher would help.
Overall Impression (10): 7
Generally a good clean beer which is a pleasure to drink. With a fuller mouthfeel this will be taken to the next level, and more of the malt complexities will come through.
Total Score (50): 37

I do enjoy dunkels and this one didn't disappoint!

I'm happy to send you a bottle if you PM your address - I'm always happy for other opinions .
John

 

[Nottsbeer]

Quick update on the CML Maori Mingle...this has fermented out nicely. My tilt started to record large swings once it got down to 1.025, I'm guessing it's affected by gunk and maybe the hop bag in the fv. Haven't opened the bucket, but when I've opened the fv fridge the bouquet is fantastic. Can't wait to try this one. Have to resist touching it for a few more days, aiming for bottling on Thursday before heading away for Easter

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Could you add the Māori Mingle to the secondary FV?

 

[Nottsbeer]

Could you add the Māori Mingle to the secondary FV?

Hi CC, i don't use a secondary FV. The recipe used alot of these hops during the boil then asked for a large volume (82g) to be added at the start of fermentation, and to leave them for upto 14 days. Really curious about this one.

 

[Nottsbeer]

AG 13 - Trappist V2

Seems I forgot to add this brew from 6th March. I liked the Trappist ale I did previously (AG 7) but wanted to make a slight change to suit my tastes. I decided to swap out the Brown malt I used previously with Special B and used CML Monk in stead of Nottingham (I had intended to split the batch and see the difference between booth yeasts but I couldn't get Nottingham before brewing).

My ingredients were (13.5L BIAB no sparge):
M.O - 3.8kg
Crystal 60 - 0.428kg
Special B- 0.229kg
Dark Eng. crystal - 0.053kg
Candi syrup - 0.053kg (last 10 mins of boil)

Challenger (7.8%AA) - 17.5g @60
Challenger - 17g @ 20
EKG (3.3%AA) - 17g @ 5

I changed my mash schedule from the previous version, mashing at 64oC for 20mins, then at 70oC for 20 min, and 77oC for 20 mins.

OG was 1.068; 38IBU; 35.5 EBC

I think my mash schedule affected my efficiency so I didn't hit my target gravity....however I inadvertently added some dirty water during cooling so I boiled again for an extra 20 mins which helped to hit my target gravity volume was lower than the target of 13.5L).

Fermentation initially went quickly, but after hitting 1.029 (after 24 hrs) it then slowed and took another 7 days to get near FG (1.019). I upped the temp slightyly and finally hit 1.016 after 14 days. Again, I think my mash affected this. I primed using demiera sugar (54g for 10.5L).

After 2 weeks priming this is tasting ok. Def needs a few more weeks/months to peak.

Update on this brew.

This was bottled on the 20/3. I had a bottle lastnight (21/4) and it was fantastic. Smoother than V1, had a nice head and not too strong with the clover taste. Perfect for my liking . Just to make sure that was not a one-off, I had another bottle tonight. Great again. I've definitely hit a nice recipe. Will sort out my mash issues next time and maybe see if using Nottingham yeast makes much difference.