PilgrimHudds Brewdays

[pilgrimhudd]

Erm..... 3.5 volumes of CO2? Well it certainly ought to be fizzy!

I've overdone it again haven't I... ffs..

 

[matt76]

I've overdone it again haven't I... ffs..

Well like you say, it's in line with a German wheat beer - I've drunk make of those in my time and I wouldn't describe it as being especially fizzy.

Fizziness is a weird thing though - somehow big bubbles seem more fizzy to me, more aggressive (like when I've over carbonated bitter!), whereas smaller bubbles (which is what I somehow get in my IPAs, and what weizen seems like to me) is gentler. So you never know, it might be fine.

Worst case, pour it aggressively into a jug to knock the gas out of it, then pour into your glass

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Well my last few have been seemingly undercarbed for the amount of priming sugar I've put in so I upped it this time but I keep forgetting I'm doing 10l brews not my usual 17l... hence why my scratch dunkel ended up at 8% not 5% ish....

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Busy afternoon, bottled up my 'welsh doom' ipa, fg 1014, quite high but hasn't changed in 2 days... Anyway 16x 500ml bottles. Looks brown, like doom bar, taste is not bitter at all, quite fragrant, floral, nice, tastes sweet. I wonder if mash temp was too high? Primed with 3kgs of sugar in 200mls water.

I got a brew on too, this one a fisherman's stout.

2kg maris otter
200g special b
80g crystal
80g caramalt
60g flaked barley
60g choc malt

12g centennial at 60
200g brown sugar and protofloc at 10.

Pitched at 20c us05.

Way off on the og, coming in at 1050, not sure what happened here.

24.9 ibu.

 

[marshbrewer]

Primed with 3kgs of sugar in 200mls water.

Surely a typo?

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Surely a typo?

Took ages to dissolve it.....

 

[matt76]

Took ages to dissolve it.....

I'm sure that's just a running joke - how much did you actually use?

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I'm sure that's just a running joke - how much did you actually use?

70g...

 

[matt76]

70g...

I don't think 1.014 is that high for FG, though it depends a bit on the yeast...

I sometimes mash at 70degC to keep the ABV more modest so you tend to see an FG maybe around 1.014-1.016...

And also my hydrometer is a bit out and reads around 1.003 in water - yet for some reason every time I measure FG my initial reaction is still "ooh, that seems a bit high"

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Haha, I think perhaps mash temp is the culprit this time. Tasted nice though, that's the main thing.

More disappointed with my horrible efficiency with the stout, totally perplexed with that!! Did nothing different, most of the pale malt was from the bottom of a 20kg bag, don't know if that had anything to do with it.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Had all the fine powdery stuff settled in the bottom of the bag, that would do it

 

[foxy]

Haha, I think perhaps mash temp is the culprit this time. Tasted nice though, that's the main thing.

More disappointed with my horrible efficiency with the stout, totally perplexed with that!! Did nothing different, most of the pale malt was from the bottom of a 20kg bag, don't know if that had anything to do with it.

What exactly did you do with the stout? I brewed a Guinness clone last week, first brew in the Guten with new screen and control panel stopped fermenting at 1,o14, wasn't expecting that checked my temperature calibration today and it was low so I mashed to low and only a 1 hour mash.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Had all the fine powdery stuff settled in the bottom of the bag, that would do it

There was a lot of powder yep.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

What exactly did you do with the stout? I brewed a Guinness clone last week, first brew in the Guten with new screen and control panel stopped fermenting at 1,o14, wasn't expecting that checked my temperature calibration today and it was low so I mashed to low and only a 1 hour mash.

I mashed for an hour, mashed in at 70 but turned it down to 68 after 10 mins or so. Full volume 16l, thinking about it I didnt stir the sugar after adding, could it have all got lumped in at the bottom, usually leave 1 litre of gunk in the bottom of the kettle after chilling.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

A busy day brewing whilst clearing out the garage and sheds. Managed to get 2 brewed in 8 hours!

Stealing a recipe off @matt76 and tweaking it to what I had.

Brew 1,

2kg lager
200g vienna
250g marris otter
50g biscuit

Mashed for an hour at 66c

12g chinook @60
10g @5
15g @ flameout

Ibu 39, shooting for og of 1050, got 1044. Cooled quickly to 22c and pitched cml 'hell' put in the brew fridge at 21, it was going like the clippers after only 4 hours!!

2nd brew...

2kg lager
200g vienna
350g otter
50g biscuit

Mashed in at 66 for an hour.

12g Chinook @ 60
5g.chinook @5
10g motueka @5
5g chinook @flameout
10g motueka@flameout

Ibu 33 shooting for an og of 1052 and came in at 1044, **** efficiency again. Cooled whilst I picked up older sprog from school, was going to pitch another cml hell but I must have misplaced it when I picked up the first one, looked everywhere, no good. Pitched CML 'four' instead. Bit annoying as I wanted to compare the two beers with less variables.

They both tasted nice, the second one was more bitter despite coming in with less ibu than the first. Now to think up two names!

 

[matt76]

How much water did you use? Mid 40's is about the OG I'd expect for 2.5kg grain bill with about 70% efficiency - I start with 15L and usually end up with 10-11L in the FV.

And I wouldn't sweat it about efficiency, it's just a number - much more important that it's consistent and predicable rather than high IMHO

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I improved my efficiency significantly by changing my sparging routine. I used to sparge using a small watering can and this was giving me efficiencies of 53-55%. I now batch sparge in two hits each of 8 litres at 75c for ten minutes. I've also reduced mash time from 90 to 60 minutes. I'm now getting 68-69%. I never measured BHE until I came on this forum so I never knew why I got low OG. I also stir the mash now but never used to because GW instructions said don't do it.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

How much water did you use? Mid 40's is about the OG I'd expect for 2.5kg grain bill with about 70% efficiency - I start with 15L and usually end up with 10-11L in the FV.

Yeah I guess it is at least consistent at the mo, but it was better with the tea urn! 15l ish is what i start with yep, I did have more wort left in the kettle 2nd time round so obviously boil off wasnt so great for whatever reason. May just have to add more grain next time.

And I wouldn't sweat it about efficiency, it's just a number - much more important that it's consistent and predicable rather than high IMHO

 

[pilgrimhudd]

How odd.....

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I improved my efficiency significantly by changing my sparging routine. I used to sparge using a small watering can and this was giving me efficiencies of 53-55%. I now batch sparge in two hits each of 8 litres at 75c for ten minutes. I've also reduced mash time from 90 to 60 minutes. I'm now getting 68-69%. I never measured BHE until I came on this forum so I never knew why I got low OG. I also stir the mash now but never used to because GW instructions said don't do it.

Thanks mate, may have to look at a few things and see if I can improve it a bit!