TETB’s Brewdays

[Agentgonzo]

96% brewhouse efficiency sounds too high. Maybe it's mash efficiency it's calculated for you?

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

96% brewhouse efficiency sounds too high. Maybe it's mash efficiency it's calculated for you?

I agree: that's a silly number. It does seem to think it's BHE though, and the grain types are exactly as per what I used (even down to them being Weyermann).
I have read that the Weyermann Bohemian floor malted can vary within quite a wide range, so perhaps that's it?

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

From https://www.weyermann.de/wp-content...alted_Bohemian_Pilsner_Malt_Specification.pdf
That's a crazy wide variation on the Kolbach and Hartong indices

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Just plugged the numbers from yesterday's brew into the @BF efficiency calc - 22.3L at 1.048 (hydrometer @20ºc).

96% BHE... surely that can't be right?

View attachment 83175

No, it’s not right. The points per pound per gallon number is wrong. Weyermann Pilsner is 38 and makes up nearly all of your grist so 37 or 38 would be more correct than 33.4.

If it were 38 you would have an efficiency of about 88%. Still very good

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

No, it’s not right. The points per pound per gallon number is wrong. Weyermann Pilsner is 38 and makes up nearly all of your grist so 37 or 38 would be more correct than 33.4.

If it were 38 you would have an efficiency of about 88%. Still very good

Thanks! Yes, 88% is much more like what I'd expect when I do a step-mash

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

No, it’s not right. The points per pound per gallon number is wrong. Weyermann Pilsner is 38 and makes up nearly all of your grist so 37 or 38 would be more correct than 33.4.

If it were 38 you would have an efficiency of about 88%. Still very good

Is that the same thing as the "Potential PPG" on the malt data sheet?

Weyermann Floor-Malted Bohemian Pilsner 55 lb Sack | Bull City Homebrew

 

[Agentgonzo]

Potential PPG... they surely should abbreviate that to PPPG!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Is that the same thing as the "Potential PPG" on the malt data sheet?

Weyermann Floor-Malted Bohemian Pilsner 55 lb Sack | Bull City Homebrew
View attachment 83182

Yes that’s right, use the points (37) in the calculation.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

Nice! I think you’re right: measuring the temp at different locations can definitely gIve you more insight into what goes on, even if it’s a point-measurement rather than a continuous plot.
What sensors do you use? Personally I like the little encapsulated digital sensors (ds18b20): cheap as chips and you can ‘daisy chain’ as many of them as you like into a single controller.

I recall @Hazelwood Brewery saying something like the basis of managing anything is good reliable data ;-)

On the mash temp sensors I'm using NTC 10K 1% beta 3954 temperature probe M6 thread and the same but non threaded on a long cable that I can put in other thermowells. I have these on the same channel but with a switch, I had to fit a diode in the circuit to get them reading accurately.
The other channel that I could use for HLT control I use a dsb1820.
As you say more information is informative.
But prior to all the extra info I lived in smug satisfaction that the one number on the display panel was the temperature.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Trying a Fast Ferment Test on a sample of the Pils/Vienna lager.
Not heard of it before but the idea is to get a better idea of the FG for the main batch.
That'll tell me when to start the temperature ramp - but also it seemed like a fun thing to do while the main brew is ticking away in the fridge :-)

• Drain a few 100ml from the main brew into a sterilised flask and put it on the stir plate.
• tip from Bräukaiser: use a sterilised racking cane to get some sediment in there: hold your thumb over the open end while pushing it down to the bottom. Then lift your thumb off and let the sediment laden beer rush in. Replace your thumb, lift out the cane and let it drain into the flask.
• Give it a couple of days to fully ferment out then pour some out for a hydrometer test.
• Cold-crash, decant the spent beer and add DME to the dregs to make a starter for your next brew!

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Meanwhile the gravity on the main brew at 12ºC seems to be coming down nicely

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

The temperature ramp is all done for the Vienna/Munich lager and it seems to have finished at the about the right gravity :-)
It‘s currently sitting at 19°c, I’ll probably give it another day to be on the safe side then cold crash, fine and keg.
Very impressed with the ‘fast lager’ fermentation schedule - all done in under a fortnight and no ‘off’ flavours AFAIK

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

First glass of the Vienna Pils: not properly carbonated yet, but crystal clear and a lovely clean malt finish with almost a note of honey to it. Very happy with this and thanks again to @Cheshire Cat for finding the recipe.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Incidentally I know I drone on about this, but I never fail to be surprised how much stuff the finings precipitate out of an already reasonably clear beer - this is just the stuff at the back of the FV where the level is lowest: all the base of it has this very fine sediment after adding 2-part finings last night

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Incidentally I know I drone on about this, but

Checked yourself there TETB?

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Checked yourself there TETB?

heh - im going to claim that was a pause for dramatic effect !!

 

[Gingerbrews]

What finings are you using?
I've never used any but am willing to give it a whirl to compare

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

What finings are you using?
I've never used any but am willing to give it a whirl to compare

This stuff: Clear IT Wine & Beer Finings Sufficient for 30-60 Gallons (also available from Amazon etc).
Pretty simple to use:

• transfer the brew to a clean bucket
• add 10ml of liquid 'A' (kieselsol) stir well and leave for an hour
• repeat with liquid 'B' (gelatine) and leave overnight.

To be fair this is the only stuff I've tried: picked it up on impulse in the shop, but it really does work.
In some ways it's not ideal: wouldn't suit vegetarians, and the label claims it should be used within a month of opening (but it's got preservatives in it, so I just keep it in the fridge) - so I might try some different stuff once this is used up.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Some claim that using finings can "strip flavour out of the beer" but I think that's a very dubious claim.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

I took the Vienna lager to a friend's party at the weekend - first time using a Sodastream bottle to make a mobile dispensing rig.
All a bit "Dr Franken-keg" but OK hidden behind the bar and did the trick. I chilled the beer down to about 4º before I left and the camping mat did a pretty good job of keeping it cool.

Beer itself went down extremely well... but it's all gone! I'd better get my act together and brew some more...