The Chaos that is a Buffers Brewery brew day

[Cheshire Cat]

What yeast did you use?

 

[Buffers brewery]

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Brewing Properties
In Lallemand’s Standard Conditions Wort at 20°C (68°F) London yeast exhibits:

• Vigorous fermentation that can be completed in 3 days.
• Medium attenuation and Low flocculation.
• Neutral to slightly fruity and estery flavor and aroma, allowing malt aromas and flavors to shine through.
• The optimal temperature range for London yeast when producing traditional styles is 18°C(65°F) to 22°C(72°F).
• London does not utilize the sugar maltotriose (a molecule composed of 3 glucose units). Maltotriose comprises an average of 10-15% of total sugar in all-malt worts. The result will be fuller body and residual sweetness in the beer. Be advised to adjust gravities and mash temperatures according to desired result.

 

[Scrattajack]

I think Lallemand London has previous in this regard. I used it in a mild and it still hadn't got where it was going after 21 days so it went into the keg anyway and finished off in there. Maybe pitch a different yeast to finish it off quicker?

 

[Buffers brewery]

Thanks for that @Cheshire Cat

Fermentation fridge was set to 20C……..
Fermentation started within 1 day and lasted 3 days……
Fermentation fridge temperature raised to 22C after bucket was given a swirl..
From memory mash temperature was within the range 63C to 65C for an hour.
Can only assume there’s more maltotriose in the wort?

It’s been cold crashing for a couple of days now @Scrattajack (got a bit impatient - I’m on a deadline) so will transfer to PB tomorrow and see what happens. I had a taste of the last test sample (as you do) and it’s ok. As there were no hop additions until flame out it was going to be a “sweet” rather than “bitter” beer. It’s 4%ABV. Could be alright as it is, just wrong numbers?

 

[Buffers brewery]

Started the day with a leak test on my PB before sanitising...

..all Ok so PB sanitised and filled with fermentation gas as standard then brew in the fermentation bucket primed with sugar solution (4 oz's granulated white sugar and 10 fl. ozs of water boiled and cooled) and closed transferred to PB and put in the fridge set at 20C. See what happens.
Now to clean the 300 grams of spent hops out of the bucket ..

The dry hop hopper appears to have worked and dispensed all the hop pellets into the beer.

The tide mark indicates half the hopper was submerged under the top of the brew and hop debris has settled back during cold crash. Happy with that. Just needs a good clean now.
I'm on a bit of a deadline as I'm hoping to visit my daughter and her family in Oz in just over 2 weeks time (covid permitting ) and I'm squeezing a brew day in tomorrow hoping it will be ready to transfer to a PB before I go. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes

 

[DocAnna]

Well, this brew is NOT going to plan. Gravity measured on day 10 and 12. 1.019!

..smells lovely….but 1.019!?
Oh well, I’ve started cold crashing and will transfer to a PB and prime with some sugar solution on Sunday and hope it springs back into life .

Ah I see, I suspect it will fall given a bit of time, but I'd be a wee bit worried about exploding bottles if priming with sugar and it then ferments a whole lot lower. Even from the sample tube photo it looks lush though with that super dry hop

 

[Buffers brewery]

Ah I see, I suspect it will fall given a bit of time, but I'd be a wee bit worried about exploding bottles if priming with sugar and it then ferments a whole lot lower. Even from the sample tube photo it looks lush though with that super dry hop

It's all tucked up in a PB with a pressure relief valve connected so any excesses (I wish) will be released

 

[Buffers brewery]

So, I think I might have identified the reason for my “stuck” fermentation.
I prepared for my brew day today, as usual, the day before. However, I have made a recent change to my process where I measure and treat all the water then transfer it all to my mash tun. I plug the extension lead I use into a timer in a socket in the garage so the water heats up (while I’m still in bed) using the HERMS tank.
When I went out this morning, everything was steaming away at a nice 68C
Three gallons (my strike water) was pumped into the (cold) kettle, the rest going into empty bucket for sparge later. By the time I’d poured the grain into the (warm) mash tun the strike water had cooled to 60C so heated it to my usual strike temperature of 72C.
Well, after transferring the strike water to the mash tun and giving it a stir the mash temperature was 69C! Added some cold water to get the temperature down to 65C and carried on as usual.
So I’m wondering, with my previous “troublesome” brew, if the initial high mash temperature (that I didn’t notice) could have effected the alpha/beta activity?

 

[Buffers brewery]

Checked on the PB with the “troublesome” brew. Signs of life already…

 

[Buffers brewery]

Back to todays brew day. Repeat of a simcoe/amarillo pale ale I made a couple of brews ago. I enjoyed it (so did my two sons who demolished half a PB’s worth over last weekend!) so decided to do it again.
4.5 kg maris otter
0.45 kg caraplis
Mashed at 65C for an hour (with 4 stirs). Did iodine test….

..think that’s what it’s supposed to look like? No blue.
Just mashing out now..

 

[DocAnna]

Back to todays brew day. Repeat of a simcoe/amarillo pale ale I made a couple of brews ago. I enjoyed it (so did my two sons who demolished half a
PB’s worth over last weekend!) so decided to do it again.
4.5 kg maris otter
0.45 kg caraplis
Mashed at 65C for an hour (with 4 stirs). Did iodine test….
View attachment 65165
..think that’s what it’s supposed to look like? No blue.
Just mashing out now..

I haven't done an iodine starch test since I was at school, but from memory the reaction changes it to almost black very quickly, so yes that looks very negative - which is a good thing

 

[Buffers brewery]

Just a little under 7 gallons of wort weighing in at 1.043…

..in the kettle, boiling with hop additions..
10 grms each simcoe and amarillo at 30 minutes
15 grms each of simcoe and amarillo at 15 minutes with half a protofloc tablet, crushed.
15 grms each of simcoe and amarillo at flame out.

Mash tun and pump and HERMS tank cleaned and drying in the sunshine.

 

[Buffers brewery]

That’s another brew day done and dusted. Mash tun nicely dry from the afternoon sunshine..

..a little over 5 gallons of wort in the fermentation bucket…

..and the verdant IPA yeast scattered across the surface…

The PB with my previous beer in it to carbonate has been moved out of the fridge to make room for the new beer and so I can connect my depleted brewloons tomorrow to collect some gas..

OG finished dead on my target of 1.053

..gives me a brewhouse efficiency of a little over 80%. Happy with that. Let’s hope it behaves and ferments out as planned, and in time for me to transfer to a PB before I leave for Oz

 

[Bolsover Brewer]

So, I think I might have identified the reason for my “stuck” fermentation.
I prepared for my brew day today, as usual, the day before. However, I have made a recent change to my process where I measure and treat all the water then transfer it all to my mash tun. I plug the extension lead I use into a timer in a socket in the garage so the water heats up (while I’m still in bed) using the HERMS tank.
When I went out this morning, everything was steaming away at a nice 68C
Three gallons (my strike water) was pumped into the (cold) kettle, the rest going into empty bucket for sparge later. By the time I’d poured the grain into the (warm) mash tun the strike water had cooled to 60C so heated it to my usual strike temperature of 72C.
Well, after transferring the strike water to the mash tun and giving it a stir the mash temperature was 69C! Added some cold water to get the temperature down to 65C and carried on as usual.
So I’m wondering, with my previous “troublesome” brew, if the initial high mash temperature (that I didn’t notice) could have effected the alpha/beta activity?

There is one other possibility you could add to that, the Goldilocks factor of the grain crush. I don't know if you crush your own grain but the milling has to be just right. To fine and it will form a gluey porridge before it can be converted. To big and the starch will not be attacked by the enzymes. the milling has to be just right for optimal outcome. Ignore if you mill your own.

 

[Buffers brewery]

There is one other possibility you could add to that, the Goldilocks factor of the grain crush. I don't know if you crush your own grain but the milling has to be just right. To fine and it will form a gluey porridge before it can be converted. To big and the starch will not be attacked by the enzymes. the milling has to be just right for optimal outcome. Ignore if you mill your own.

Good point @Bolsover Brewer . I don't mill my own grain but I buy milled base malt in 25kg bags. So I've used the same batch of malts on previous brews without any problems.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Good point @Bolsover Brewer . I don't mill my own grain but I buy milled base malt in 25kg bags. So I've used the same batch of malts on previous brews without any problems.

The other possibility is wheat. When I use wheat malt in a recipe, my efficiency drops 10%. Could that also effect the fermentables even though OG was on target(ish).

 

[Bolsover Brewer]

The other possibility is wheat. When I use wheat malt in a recipe, my efficiency drops 10%. Could that also effect the fermentables even though OG was on target(ish).

No, the wheat malt should help not hinder. It is more likely what you suggested with the temperatures.

 

[foxy]

That’s another brew day done and dusted. Mash tun nicely dry from the afternoon sunshine..
View attachment 65173
..a little over 5 gallons of wort in the fermentation bucket…
View attachment 65174
..and the verdant IPA yeast scattered across the surface…
View attachment 65175
The PB with my previous beer in it to carbonate has been moved out of the fridge to make room for the new beer and so I can connect my depleted brewloons tomorrow to collect some gas..
View attachment 65176
OG finished dead on my target of 1.053
View attachment 65178
..gives me a brewhouse efficiency of a little over 80%. Happy with that. Let’s hope it behaves and ferments out as planned, and in time for me to transfer to a PB before I leave for Oz

You do know mate, we do have beer over here. You don't have to bring it with you.

 

[Buffers brewery]

You do know mate, we do have beer over here. You don't have to bring it with you.

Ha ha! I do in deed @foxy . It's for when I get back!
My daughter tells me a couple of micro-breweries have started up local to her so will be checking them out hopefully.