PilgrimHudds Brewdays

[Cheshire Cat]

I'll be interested to see what FG you get with the Firm.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

I'll be interested to see what FG you get with the Firm.

Yes, I'm thinking (hoping) high teens, you used it before?

I guess I'll have some idea when I bottle my stout this week as I used it there too.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Oatmeal Stout brewed today! GH's recipe, just tweaked a touch.

5kg Pale Malt
200g Dark Crystal
200g Chocolate
100g Roast Barley

Mashed at 68 for 4-5 hours this morning/afternoon, giving it a stir I didn't think that it was going to be dark enough so I added 50g of black malt an hour or 2 in.

35g Target @60
10g Target @flameout
25g Goldings @flameout

OG 1062, with about 17l in the FV so added another 2l water to make it 19l at 1055.

Pitched CML 'The Firm'.

Gravity check! Hmmm.... sitting at 1020...18 at a push, was hoping for low teens. It's been in the fv for 12 days, was planning to bottle on monday but may warm it up a bit and leave it to wednesday and check gravity again.

 

[matt76]

Gravity check! Hmmm.... sitting at 1020...18 at a push, was hoping for low teens. It's been in the fv for 12 days, was planning to bottle on monday but may warm it up a bit and leave it to wednesday and check gravity again.

Yeah that does seem low.

My Stouts and Porters finish around 1.020 but then I have a lower proportion of base malt and much higher proportion (30%+) of unfermentable dark malts.

You've only got 13% dark malts and oats so I'd have thought it would go lower

Main question mark for me is whether The Firm is a particularly low attenuator.

Not a bad idea to warm it up a bit I think and rose the yeast. I'd also go by what your taste buds tell you - does it taste "done"?

 

[pilgrimhudd]

The packet says 70-75% so by my reckoning should finish anywhere from 1012-1017 ish so it could be that it's near... just might need little push to get that extra couple of points. Had a little taste, it was very yeasty, not unexpectedly. It was also not very dark which is disappointing, more porter than stout. All in all looks like a great success!

Yeah that does seem low.

My Stouts and Porters finish around 1.020 but then I have a lower proportion of base malt and much higher proportion (30%+) of unfermentable dark malts.

You've only got 13% dark malts and oats so I'd have thought it would go lower

Main question mark for me is whether The Firm is a particularly low attenuator.

Not a bad idea to warm it up a bit I think and rose the yeast. I'd also go by what your taste buds tell you - does it taste "done"?

 

[matt76]

The packet says 70-75% so by my reckoning should finish anywhere from 1012-1017 ish so it could be that it's near... just might need little push to get that extra couple of points. Had a little taste, it was very yeasty, not unexpectedly. It was also not very dark which is disappointing, more porter than stout. All in all looks like a great success!

If it's yeasty then definitely leave it - it could be like Pia which I always found would do the first 99% fermentation really quickly but then maddeningly take ages to nibble down those last few points!

 

[matt76]

Not sure about Beersmith (that's what you use right?) but Brewer's Friend overestimates the fermentability of dark malts...

I think your dark malts are giving you 5 unfermentable gravity points. Without these your OG would have been 1.050.

75% attenuation brings you down from 1.050 to 1.012.

Now add back your 5 unfermentable gravity points...

I reckon you're shooting for an FG around 1.017

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Not sure about Beersmith (that's what you use right?) but Brewer's Friend overestimates the fermentability of dark malts...

I think your dark malts are giving you 5 unfermentable gravity points. Without these your OG would have been 1.050.

75% attenuation brings you down from 1.050 to 1.012.

Now add back your 5 unfermentable gravity points...

I reckon you're shooting for an FG around 1.017

Yeah beersmith, yep that's around where I thought, though I reckon I can get 1015 . I've just given it a little swirl and stuck it in the brewfridge at 22c.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Bottled my V2 Belgian Ale last night. This one I think will be better, lovely and clear, almost coffee aroma, finished at 1017 which was a bit higher than I expected, then took a 2nd look at the yeast and saw the attenuation....seems about right. Taste was sweet with a dark fruity aftertaste, didnt get that with the other xmas ale so possibly the yeast getting in there.

ABV will be around 6.4% which again was a little lower than hoped but I think I must have got the yeast confused.

Anyway.... 40 odd bottles, my usual 100g sugar in 200mls of water 3mls in my 330ml bottles and 5ml in the 500's .

Will check my oatmeal stout later, I have to say I think it'll be a disappointment, almost tempted to ditch it without bottling if it is. It just doesnt seem right, not dark enough, tastes a bit odd, not off just odd and possibly will end up too sweet. We'll see.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Ok so took another gravity sample from the oatmeal stout and it's definitely moved a couple of points, around 1016-17 now. The sample, whilst not exactly mind blowing tasted just about ok to bottle so will do that tomorrow evening I think.

 

[matt76]

Ok so took another gravity sample from the oatmeal stout and it's definitely moved a couple of points, around 1016-17 now. The sample, whilst not exactly mind blowing tasted just about ok to bottle so will do that tomorrow evening I think.

Just label it as a Brown Ale with adjuncts

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Just label it as a Brown Ale with adjuncts

Haha that's an idea

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Busy and productive day today, bottled my oatmeal stout which finished at 1016. This makes it a tidy 5%, it may turn out ok, but its not what i expected at all. Anyway, I got around 30 bottles so we'll see.

To get over this disappointment and having the whole day to myself I decided to get another brew on... this one an apa. This time using El Dorado and Galaxy, two new hops for me. This one finished at 1060 with 17l approx in the fv, so I liquored back with 1l of water to make 1056. Yeast was MJ Hophead M66, another first for me. All being well it should ferment to 1012 ish and be around 5.5%.

I used El Dorado to bitter rather than Magnum, 8g @60.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

.

Not as dark as I'd like but looks better in bottle.

 

[moto748]

Most of my stouts have been either reddish-brown or a dark ruby colour.

I bottled a oatmeal stout a week or so ago, do you want to do a swap? But I'm not going to make the mistake I made with the last comp, and send a bottle to anyone before I've tried it first! Maybe in three weeks or so?

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Most of my stouts have been either reddish-brown or a dark ruby colour.

I bottled a oatmeal stout a week or so ago, do you want to do a swap? But I'm not going to make the mistake I made with the last comp, and send a bottle to anyone before I've tried it first! Maybe in three weeks or so?

Yeah cool, up for that, i fear that it isn't my best effort though, just warning you!

 

[Scrattajack]

There's always brewers' caramel if you don't think the beer's dark enough...

 

[pilgrimhudd]

There's always brewers' caramel if you don't think the beer's dark enough...

I'd never heard of it!

 

[Scrattajack]

This stuff. Not sure how much to stick in, but I've got some for situations like yours. Won't make it taste any better though.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

This stuff. Not sure how much to stick in, but I've got some for situations like yours. Won't make it taste any better though.

Yes I think colour is the least of my worries with this one!