So on Sunday I brewed this porter, my first attempt, and I'm just getting round to finishing off the fermentation, and adding the rum.
Based on recent success of good water, even though there's nothing wrong with my tap stuff, I've been using ashbeck water. Seems to be quite consistent.
Got the Bewzilla up to temp and got about cleaning out the buckets etc, I noticed that the machine was way over temp, then I realised I had asked it to use the RAPT wifi thermometer. Of course it only reads the temperature of the surroundings, and it was sitting on the worktop. Leaving the water to cool, which only took 20mins, outside with the lid on.
I mixed the rum and vanilla pods at this stage, leaving them in the bottle to blend.
Added all of the light malt, andmixed it well, didnt seem to clump, which is alwas good. Began adding the darker malt and things got interesting. I must have knocked the removable base of the malt pipe, as the pump started sounding odd, and a load of grain came through the recirc. Stopping it and panicing a little I removed the circ arm, and pulled the malt pipe out. I noticed the base was crooked and that there was grain coming out of it. Anyway, this went straight into the fermentation bucket, which had been sanitised already. I got to work sieving the grain out of the Brewzilla and clearing the recirc and pump.
Back to normal service. Back up to temp, back recircing and an amazing dark wort appeared. i mixed it in a little more, then put the dlid back on and opened a beer.
Mash out at 77 and added about 8 litres through sparge.
At this point I had hoped to use my new condenser, but in my rush to get everything sorted I realised that I didnt have any of the correct size hose, or anything that would fit. So back to outside boiling it is.
Sat and watched it from the back door, going out a few times to check for the hot break, and sure enough, when it hit, it was as foamy and messy as I could have hoped. I'm glad I didnt do this in the kitchen, like last time.
Added the brambling cross via a spider, and then waited. 50 mins later, more hops and the maltodextrin, 5 mins later, some protoflac.
End of boil, whirlpool arm goes in, and whats left of the hops in a muslin bag for a hopstand of 20mins
I left it overnight to cool down in a fermenter to 30c which is the pitch temp for Mango Madness ( let me tell you, this is well named yeast )
Next day my Kegerator/ fermenter set up at 30 via inkbird, and in the yeast went. It was at this point I added the ispindle, and took a sample for SG. Guide says 1.060, and on my hydrometer it was just above, at 1.065, but the ispindle reporting 1.030. Might be the temp difference thats causing this? So ignoring the ispindle, I left it to ferment. came dowwn next morning and the krausen had breached the airlock, so the yeast is indeed "madness".
So here is where I've got to. Tonight I've measured a sample, as the SG has been stable since yesterday morning. Its now at 1.018. Should be 6%, but looks like this is coming out a little higher, with a little less yield.
I'm currently cooling a sample and have just added the rum, to settle for a few days.
Question is, do I now drop the temp, or leave it here it is? I'm a bit reluctant to leave it at this high temp, and am thinking it should now be dropping.
I'll update on taste etc...
Based on recent success of good water, even though there's nothing wrong with my tap stuff, I've been using ashbeck water. Seems to be quite consistent.
Got the Bewzilla up to temp and got about cleaning out the buckets etc, I noticed that the machine was way over temp, then I realised I had asked it to use the RAPT wifi thermometer. Of course it only reads the temperature of the surroundings, and it was sitting on the worktop. Leaving the water to cool, which only took 20mins, outside with the lid on.
I mixed the rum and vanilla pods at this stage, leaving them in the bottle to blend.
Added all of the light malt, andmixed it well, didnt seem to clump, which is alwas good. Began adding the darker malt and things got interesting. I must have knocked the removable base of the malt pipe, as the pump started sounding odd, and a load of grain came through the recirc. Stopping it and panicing a little I removed the circ arm, and pulled the malt pipe out. I noticed the base was crooked and that there was grain coming out of it. Anyway, this went straight into the fermentation bucket, which had been sanitised already. I got to work sieving the grain out of the Brewzilla and clearing the recirc and pump.
Back to normal service. Back up to temp, back recircing and an amazing dark wort appeared. i mixed it in a little more, then put the dlid back on and opened a beer.
Mash out at 77 and added about 8 litres through sparge.
At this point I had hoped to use my new condenser, but in my rush to get everything sorted I realised that I didnt have any of the correct size hose, or anything that would fit. So back to outside boiling it is.
Sat and watched it from the back door, going out a few times to check for the hot break, and sure enough, when it hit, it was as foamy and messy as I could have hoped. I'm glad I didnt do this in the kitchen, like last time.
Added the brambling cross via a spider, and then waited. 50 mins later, more hops and the maltodextrin, 5 mins later, some protoflac.
End of boil, whirlpool arm goes in, and whats left of the hops in a muslin bag for a hopstand of 20mins
I left it overnight to cool down in a fermenter to 30c which is the pitch temp for Mango Madness ( let me tell you, this is well named yeast )
Next day my Kegerator/ fermenter set up at 30 via inkbird, and in the yeast went. It was at this point I added the ispindle, and took a sample for SG. Guide says 1.060, and on my hydrometer it was just above, at 1.065, but the ispindle reporting 1.030. Might be the temp difference thats causing this? So ignoring the ispindle, I left it to ferment. came dowwn next morning and the krausen had breached the airlock, so the yeast is indeed "madness".
So here is where I've got to. Tonight I've measured a sample, as the SG has been stable since yesterday morning. Its now at 1.018. Should be 6%, but looks like this is coming out a little higher, with a little less yield.
I'm currently cooling a sample and have just added the rum, to settle for a few days.
Question is, do I now drop the temp, or leave it here it is? I'm a bit reluctant to leave it at this high temp, and am thinking it should now be dropping.
I'll update on taste etc...
