Pliny the Elder Extract Clone Brew Day

[KiaOraBrew]

Saturday before last I set out on my first ever brew day with a Pliny the Elder partial mash brew.
Recipe as follows:

Steeping Grains:
285g Carapils
170g Carastan

Extract & Additional:
1.8kg Pilsen DME
2.7kg Pilsen LME
225g Dextrose

Brew Hops:
40g Centennial
100g Simcoe
28g Columbus
7g Amarillo
10ml Hop Extract

Dry Hops:
57g Columbus
7g Centennial

Yeast:
2 x Safale US05 Packets

My brew came in at 1.078OG and as of 1 week of fermentation is sitting at 1.040 (I'm guessing its around 1.020 now). Target FG of 1.015.

Went really well - my kit however is quite restricting in that I only have a 6.5g fermenter bucket. This recipe calls for a 6gal capacity. I wasn't prepared to chance the likelyhood of a airlock blowout with massive krausen so I reduced the water top up to only 5gal without scaling the recipe so I have a feeling the IBUs are the through the roof. We'll see. I may water it down by 0.5-1gal 2 or so days before bottling.

Really enjoyed it and am tempted to go all grain with an all in one solution like Robobrew.

Cheers lads!

 

[LeeH]

I had my first bottle of Pliny last week.

Good luck with the brew.

 

[KiaOraBrew]

I had my first bottle of Pliny last week.

Good luck with the brew.

And what a beer it is. I hope I can do it justice!

 

[LeeH]

Yep, superb. Shame you cannot buy it here.

 

[KiaOraBrew]

My gravity hasn't changed from 1.041~ since Saturday (5 or so days) do you think hats just an inaccurate refractometer reading and it's actually lower than that or?

Seems like fermentation has ended though..?

 

[phildo79]

Refractometers are not that accurate. Use a hydrometer.

2 packets of yeast is 23 grams (I think), which is plenty. I definitely think using a different piece of kit to take a gravity reading should be your first port of call.

 

[phildo79]

BTW, thumbs up on going large for your first brew. Most peeps start out with bog standard kits that you just add sugar and water to. Kudos!

 

[KiaOraBrew]

BTW, thumbs up on going large for your first brew. Most peeps start out with bog standard kits that you just add sugar and water to. Kudos!

Cheers mate

 

[Bradders]

Will be interesting to hear how this turns out!
Always wanted to try a bottle of pliny but never been able to get hold of it so may try an AG clone at some point.

 

[LeeH]

It’s a great beer, super hoppy but super smooth.

 

[MmmBeer]

Went really well - my kit however is quite restricting in that I only have a 6.5g fermenter bucket. This recipe calls for a 6gal capacity. I wasn't prepared to chance the likelyhood of a airlock blowout with massive krausen so I reduced the water top up to only 5gal without scaling the recipe so I have a feeling the IBUs are the through the roof. We'll see. I may water it down by 0.5-1gal 2 or so days before bottling.

I suspect this is quoted in US gallons, which ironically is 5 imperial gallons or 22.7 litres, so you got it spot on.

 

[KiaOraBrew]

Oh I didn't think of that..

I've dry hopped it on Wednesday no bag and there's quite a bit of floating hop debris. Will this sink eventually? I've got another charge to put in on Tuesday so hoping it will drop out before bottling day?

 

[phildo79]

It probably won't fully sink into the yeast cake on the bottom. But surely you'll be transferring to a second FV before bottling?

 

[KiaOraBrew]

Nope I've just extended primary by a week.

I might just grain bag the end of the siphon when transferring to the bottling bucket.

 

[LeeH]

Even if you cold crash you’ll most probably still have some floaty bits.

 

[KiaOraBrew]

Even if you cold crash you’ll most probably still have some floaty bits.

Do you think? Even with a strainer bag over the wand?

 

[LeeH]

I meant some usually stay in suspension even after cold crashing.

 

[KiaOraBrew]

I meant some usually stay in suspension even after cold crashing.

Ah I get ya. I don't mind some hop haze really.

 

[LeeH]

Not haze as much just they don’t seem to settle out like the cones do.

 

[KiaOraBrew]

I just took a hydro reading and it's just under 1.020. Refractometer gives 1.041. Big difference! Is that safe to bottle in about 5 or 6 days time? Don't think it's fermenting anymore.

Also can I safely assume the difference between my refractometer FG and hydrometer reading FG apply to the OG too? I took that with the Refractometer..