What are you drinking tonight 2024.

[Beer Elzibub]

A pint (ok, maybe two) of Loweswater Gold at the Kings Head Thirlmere. Suitable reward for a successful conquest of Helvellyn today. A superb day for walking.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Just nipped out to Waitrose for a couple of bits and bought myself a treat or four

 

[531Man]

My Camden Amber ale.
Not it's true colour, that's the sunset doing it.
A day up steps in the garage retrieving garden swing frame.
And the rest!
Garden furniture out too.
The lawn is still squidgy though.

 

[Stu]

Trying to help a fellow homebrewer out with a recipe, whilst enjoying a rather lovely hazelnut brown ale. Just back from the pub and this is so much nicer than the shyte that was on offer there. Never ceases to amaze me how that is even possible.
View attachment 97093

I never read signatures, but just spotted that you're currently brewing a NEIPA with El Dorado and Azacca, exactly the same as my current recipe.

It went horribly wrong a couple of weeks back and got badly infected. Fortunately, I've got a pile of the hops so having another go.

Current recipe is.....
3.5kg pale malt
1kg oats
500g torrified wheat

Lallemand Verdant yeast.

Starting OG was 1.046 (which weirdly, was higher than the previous one which was 1.040 - I don't think I rinsed it enough)

I'd be interested to see how you end up. I'm struggling with NEIPAs because I don't have a pressurised setup (yet - have to save some pennies) but desperately doing everything to avoid oxidisation (including adding absorbic acid as someone else mentioned).
Doing everything I can to keep oxygen away and 5 days in, it's very much still a pale yellow.

 

[531Man]

I never read signatures, but just spotted that you're currently brewing a NEIPA with El Dorado and Azacca, exactly the same as my current recipe.

It went horribly wrong a couple of weeks back and got badly infected. Fortunately, I've got a pile of the hops so having another go.

Current recipe is.....
3.5kg pale malt
1kg oats
500g torrified wheat

Lallemand Verdant yeast.

Starting OG was 1.046 (which weirdly, was higher than the previous one which was 1.040 - I don't think I rinsed it enough)

I'd be interested to see how you end up. I'm struggling with NEIPAs because I don't have a pressurised setup (yet - have to save some pennies) but desperately doing everything to avoid oxidisation (including adding absorbic acid as someone else mentioned).
Doing everything I can to keep oxygen away and 5 days in, it's very much still a pale yellow.

I expect that's a typo/predictive error there, "including adding absorbic acid",
but I think it's a truly funny (or clever) condensed compound of 'Absorb it', as in to absorb Oxygen, and Ascorbic acid.
I'm about to do the same today, dry hopping a Bitter, started on 3rd.
I'll be using Absorbic acid too,
I just love it.

 

[Stu]

I expect that's a typo/predictive error there, "including adding absorbic acid",
but I think it's a truly funny (or clever) condensed compound of 'Absorb it', as in to absorb Oxygen, and Ascorbic acid.
I'm about to do the same today, dry hopping a Bitter, started on 3rd.
I'll be using Absorbic acid too,
I just love it.

Lol, you're right. Normally my autocorrect would have fixed that.

Do you have a pressurised setup, or a way of emptying air out of the bottles?

And are you cold crashing after dry hopping?

 

[phildo79]

I never read signatures, but just spotted that you're currently brewing a NEIPA with El Dorado and Azacca, exactly the same as my current recipe.

It went horribly wrong a couple of weeks back and got badly infected. Fortunately, I've got a pile of the hops so having another go.

Current recipe is.....
3.5kg pale malt
1kg oats
500g torrified wheat

Lallemand Verdant yeast.

Starting OG was 1.046 (which weirdly, was higher than the previous one which was 1.040 - I don't think I rinsed it enough)

I'd be interested to see how you end up. I'm struggling with NEIPAs because I don't have a pressurised setup (yet - have to save some pennies) but desperately doing everything to avoid oxidisation (including adding absorbic acid as someone else mentioned).
Doing everything I can to keep oxygen away and 5 days in, it's very much still a pale yellow.

That wasn't a NEIPA, just a pale ale. Which turned out well. Haven't made a NEIPA in years. I have gone completely off the style due to far too many of them tasting like fruit juice. I believe the last NEIPA I made was a clone of one of the Alchemist beers; either Heady Topper or Focal Banger. It turned out really well but that was one of the original NEIPAs, I believe, and actually tasted like beer. And I made it back in the day, when I didn't have a closed system. I can try and dig out the recipe for you, if you want?

 

[Stu]

That wasn't a NEIPA, just a pale ale. Which turned out well. Haven't made a NEIPA in years. I have gone completely off the style due to far too many of them tasting like fruit juice. I believe the last NEIPA I made was a clone of one of the Alchemist beers; either Heady Topper or Focal Banger. It turned out really well but that was one of the original NEIPAs, I believe, and actually tasted like beer. And I made it back in the day, when I didn't have a closed system. I can try and dig out the recipe for you, if you want?

Absolutely would appreciate. I would have thought using those American hops though, it'll not turn out like a traditional pale?
They're both proper tropical.

 

[phildo79]

The original recipe was 100% El Dorado. Turned out great, with a nice candied orange aroma/taste. The second version with Azacca turned out much the same. Perhaps I should have fiddled around with the quantities.

 

[531Man]

Lol, you're right. Normally my autocorrect would have fixed that.

Do you have a pressurised setup, or a way of emptying air out of the bottles?

And are you cold crashing after dry hopping?

I'm pretty low tech. and don't attempt NEIPAs, so 'no' to most of that.
My brews are mostly stored /served from the brewery type polypins in boxes kept in the North corner of the garage.
I only bottle it when it won't pour by gravity anymore, trying for the foam-at-the-top-of-the-neck air exclusion method.
I use pumped transfer to reduce air contact where possible, ie from brew vessel to the serving cask, using the Hopcat pump that has been modified to have externalised connections.
Then press I just down to remove all air out of the tap after the cap is tightened down.
Sorry not to be more helpful,
Others on here have the experience to guide you, possibly more help available by posting your thirst for information on a brewing thread rather than the drinking it thread?
Best of luck,

 

[phildo79]

Here is the clone for Focal Banger from BYO.com but I don't think this is the one I used.

(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.063 FG = 1.011
IBU = 80 SRM = 5 ABV = 7%

While the recipe for Focal Banger has been known to change over the years, the Citra®/Mosaic® hop combo has been one thing that hasn’t changed. Pilsner malt has been known to be part of the grain bill, so feel free to substitute in some for the Pearl malt.

Ingredients
12 lbs. (5.4 kg) Thomas Fawcett Pearl malt
1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) corn sugar (15 min.)
4 mL HopShot™ (60 min.)
1.5 oz. (43 g) Citra® hops (0 min.)
2.5 oz. (71 g) Mosaic® hops (0 min.)
2.5 oz. (71 g) Citra® hops (dry hop)
1.5 oz. (43 g) Mosaic® hops (dry hop)
The Yeast Bay (Vermont Ale), East Coast Yeast ECY29 (North East Ale), Omega Yeast Labs (DIPA Ale), or LalBrew New England Ale yeast
3/4 cups (150 g) dextrose (if priming)

Step by Step
This recipe is designed for homebrewers to achieve 5.5 gallons (21 L) wort in their fermenter on brew day. This will help offset the loss of volume to the heavy hopping rate of this beer. Build your water profile, starting with either very soft water or RO water. Target a water profile of 250:100 PPM sulfate: chloride. Crush the malt and add to 4 gallons (15 L) strike water to achieve a stable mash temperature at 154 °F (68 °C). Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Raise to mash out at 168 °F (76 °C) and begin to vorlauf. Collect about 7 gallons (26.5 L) of wort in your kettle and bring to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the HopShot™ addition after the wort comes to a boil and the corn sugar with 15 minutes left in the boil. After you turn off the heat, add the final addition of hops, then stir the wort and let settle for 30 minutes with the lid on before cooling to yeast pitching temperature. Ferment at 68 °F (20 °C). As fermentation nears completion, transfer the beer to a keg and add the dry hops and attach a spunding valve. Let the beer sit on the hops for 3–4 days, then transfer to a serving keg or bottling bucket. Bottle with priming sugar or force carbonate the serving keg to 2.4 volumes CO2.

Extract with grains option:
Substitute the Thomas Fawcett Pearl malt in the all-grain recipe with 6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract and 1.2 lbs. (0.54 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract. Heat 5 gallons (19 L) soft or reverse osmosis water up to boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove from heat and stir in the liquid and dried malt extracts. Stir until all the extract is dissolved then return the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes. Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.

 

[phildo79]

This is the one I used, from The American Homebrewers Association.

Focal Point (Inspired by The Alchemist’s Focal Banger) 100/100

INGREDIENTS
For 5.5 gallons (20.8 L)
9 lb (4.08 kg) Pearl malt
4.8 lb (2.18 kg) Pilsner malt
6-7 mL CO2 hop extract (6o min)
1 oz (28 g) Mosaic hops, 12.25% a.a. (10 min)
1 oz (28 g) Mosaic hops, 12.25% a.a. (5 min)
1 oz (28 g) Mosaic hops, 12.25% a.a. (whirlpool)
4 oz (113 g) Citra hops, 12% a.a. (dry)

White Labs WLP095 Burlington Ale Yeast, Omega Yeast Labs DIPA, GigaYeast Double IPA, The Yeast Bay Vermont Ale, or Imperial Organic Yeast Barbarian

SPECIFICATIONS
Original Gravity: 1.064 (15.6* P)
Final Gravity: 1.012 (3.2* P)
ABV: 7%
IBU: 80
SRM: 5

DIRECTIONS

Mash at 150° F (66° C) for 75 minutes, collect wort, and boil for 60 minutes. If you don’t have the equipment to conduct a whirlpool at the end of the boil, simply conduct a hop stand by steeping the final addition of Mosaic in the hot wort for 10 minutes before chilling. Add dry hops for 3 days, prior to packaging.

Extract Version

Substitute 6.3 lb (2.86 kg) Maris Otter liquid malt extract and 3.4 lb (1.54 kg) Pilsner liquid malt extract for the Pearl malt and Pilsner malt, and proceed with boil. If boiling a concentrated wort, you may need to increase the 60-minute addition of hop extract to make up for utilization loss.

 

[Stu]

This is the one I used, from The American Homebrewers Association.

Thank you for both of these!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

It’s surely too warm to not have a beer so I’m starting with a bitter. This is the new Amber Alert which I left on tap because it’s nice - it might even be a contender in the Norwich Homebrew Comp.

 

[Caramel Ox]

To continue yesterday’s theme of a Beer and a Bouncer: Utopian Bohemian and Bernese.

 

[dave_77]

Not a fan of Northern Monk supermarket beers at the moment, this is pretty nice though. not as good as Five Points Best for me..

 

[Beer Elzibub]

I’ve taken some of my beer on holiday with me. This stout is just from a kit but dare I say it’s better than the bottle of G**n***s I also brought.

 

[dave_77]

Altbier for first half of Madrid v Munich

 

[dave_77]

Belgian pale hopped with Motueka and Celeia for the second half

 

[Vordus]

Drinking a Tyskie beer.