this weeks brew....

[PD]

Overnight mash tonight for a brew day tomorrow...

Have decided to re make my very popular Black Sheeps Ale brew, the last brew of which has gone far too quickly

This brew has been awarded the name.......Blacksheeps Piddle.

Recipe is the same as before ( taken from Wheelers book ) with an abv aimed at 4.6% for a 20 litre brew length.
The bitterness has been knocked back a couple of points to 34 units
I'm alo thinking about ( after a few discussions with Jeltz ) to alter the mash schedule a little.
I batch sparge in a large 80 litre thermopot so lots of room in there.
I'm going to try and do a big first batch with approximately 2 thirds of the total water for the strike water ( instead of the usual 2.5 water to grain ratio )
This will entail using about 25 litres of water at mashing temp of 66c in this case.
Mash for 90 mins then give it a darned good stir. The grain bed left to rest and settle for 30 mins and the whole lot drained off and recirculated back into the mash tun.
A further short rest will be given before its drained off to the boiler.
Sparge water at 80C will then be run through a rested grain bed until the desired amount is collected. That then added to the boiler.
My usual 60 min boil I'm extending to 75 mins
What if any difference this will make I will no doubt find out !

Fingers crossed for a result like the last time.

 

[Baldbrewer]

Good luck Brian , look forward to your findings re the mash schedule. :

 

[PD]

I'm rather nervous about attempting it actually in case I totally alter the beer...... :pray:

 

[Baldbrewer]

Probably come out with more fermentables , just watch the back end for tannins? Bit confused as you mention an overnight mash and mashing for 90 mins in same post?

I guess the 75 min boil will add some more colour and caramelisation?

Hope it goes well :thumb:

 

[morethanworts]

Bit confused as you mention an overnight mash and mashing for 90 mins in same post?

I think he brews so much, he only has time for 90 minutes sleep per night

 

[PD]

yes my mistake...sky internet went down during my typing and I'd cut and pasted my original post to notepad, starting up again after broadband resumed.
I will be doing an o/night mash tonight with most of the mash water added. Tomorrow I'll drain recirculate and then rinse through with higher temp mash water to get final amount....
Sorry for the error.......darned Sky.
( second time in 2 days its gone t*ts uppards.)

 

[PD]

I've done a 75 min boil last time without any problems,
It made sure the hot break had formed......



fingers crossed for sky internet working..... :?

 

[PD]

yeaaaa.

 

[PD]

well this post has been a pigs ear......lol

I've now bottled out of the No sparge test, and will leave that for another time.......

So, back to the normality of a straight forward overnight mash with the Strike water. and a batch sparge tomorrow morning before the boil.

One of the reasons I am brewing this beer so soon again is to see if I can get a bit of consistence into my beer brewing..... altering the method so much will effect that test. I not yet convinced of a no sparge brew so will do a bit more research on the matter.

Apologise for all the messing about...

Mash tun being prewarmed and strile water heating up....

 

[PD]

well finally got the mash on and the grains tucked away o/night. Hit my mash temp spot on 66C with brewmates suggested amount of water. Roll on tomorrow.

ISP been down again ...can anyone say anything good re Sky broadband ?

 

[PD]

well a better morning today cool crip and a blue sky

Mash completed without problem and I managed to hit my Mash out temperature of 80C, which is a novelty for me. Had to raise the water temp to 95C to reach it.
Have 34 litres getting up to boil temperature as I type, I've taken a sample to test the gravity, and thats cooling down in a water bath at the moment..
Coffe and a bun time before the boil.... yea looks like a pre lunch time finish ....

 

[PD]

Brew almost finished, in the latter stages of cooling down.
Grains all cleaned up and everything washed and put away ( apart from boiler of course )
My gravity reading ( just for fun ) taken pre boil was 1039 from a target of 1041.

edit

forgot to say ...also put my last brew ( Big Kenny ) into a corny during the boill

 

[PD]

all done ended up with 22 litres at 1048 ( temp corrected ), should have boiled a bit longer really, but hey ho.

Should be around 4.8%

 

[pittsy]

Good 1 pd , question on overnight mashing . Because i'm into step mashing i've read a lot about what happens at different mash temps and the results from that . Now mashing at 62c is thinner (short chain molecules are made to make this )and 71c is fuller (long chain molecules) that's why 66c is often used , and if i was to mash at 63c for 20 mins then raise to 71c for another 45 mins then i'd get both dry and full bodied beer , however if i mashed at 63c for 20 mins then raised to 71c and kept the mash there for a few hours or so ( maintaining 71c) The longer chain molecules will get cut into short chain molecules and i would end up with a more fermentable drier beer and less bodied beer than was planned for .
So my question is when overnight mashing at 66c (medium dry some body) do you find you have a thinner beer and possibly dry ? That could easily explain your increased efficiency , simply more fermentable sugars and if so mashing at 62/63c for 60 to 90 mins would probably be the same . :ugeek: :hmm:

 

[PD]

all I can say is....I've yet to have a thin tasting beer. Whether I do a normal 90 min mash or an overnight mash. I've failed to hit my gravities on a few occaisions, but the beers have remained quite full bodied as I do like malty ales and not wheaty hoppy drinks. No offence intended its just my taste.
The people who do their hermes brews and ultra temperature controlled mashes ( yourself included ) will understand and appreciate how much temps control the fullness of a beer, more than I will.
My mashes are more..............pot luck.... ...but close enough.
My brews might be made in Piddles brewery...but they are far from thin piddle like beers I assure you.
I guess we all have out own tastes and styles of beers and we end up brewing towards that....by design or good fortune
Overnight mashes suit me very well, they fit in with my home life better, they are easier to do and less ( relatively ) hard work.

I'm still looking into the possibility of no sparge mashes and intent to do one soon, if thats the case I might revert from o/nighters back to all in one day brewing with one big seep of grains.....er who shouted BIAB !
I bow to you and others more experience than I. I'm just making good beers that suit me.

 

[Baldbrewer]

+1 re thin beer from overnight mash, I did an overnight mash on my old 3 v system , was a citra gold 7.3% lovely pint not thin in the slightest.
:

 

[pittsy]

well that seems to clear that up , maybe it would only be thinner if a high mash temp was kept like 71c for an overnight mash if it does change at all that is .

 

[PD]

oooooh.....



the brew seems to have finished fermenting today, 7 days since it was started

and the FG is..............






1004....

thats the lowest ever I've had yeast go down to.....thats an attenuation of 91%.
Malt Millers NBS West Coast Style dried yeast if you remember I was trialling...not bad for £1.99p !
Unfortunately it gives me a Blacksheeps Piddle of 5.48%abv. Oh dear what a pity...

 

[PD]

into corny today at 10c for a few days and then to be gassed...tastes and looks very nice.

 

[morethanworts]

Glad it's worked out. :