What did you brew today?

[cushyno]

Got this mashing at the minute, pH was a bit high again at 5.7. I've noticed that (in my experience at least) Munich malt doesn't seem to be as acidic as the calculators say, the predicted pH was 5.4 which is quite a big difference. That's the third time I've seen this in Munich based brews and something I'll have to keep in mind in future.

Which brand of Munich are you using? It could be variations in the way the Munich is kilned. It would be interesting to sample a variety of Munich malts from different maltsters side by side, with and without decotion mash. One for @Drunkula to have a go at

 

[strange-steve]

Which brand of Munich are you using? It could be variations in the way the Munich is kilned.

It could well be, I only ever use Weyermann Munich so I have no comparison.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

10L Cwtch clone
2000g MO
500g Red X
500g Munich light
50g Dark Crystal
30g Carafa 3
20g Citra @ 60m
20g Citra @ 10m
CML Five
OG 1062
Will dry hop with 20g Galaxy

 

[strange-steve]

@Cheshire Cat how often do you brew? I'm lucky if I can get one brew a month

 

[samale]

@Cheshire Cat how often do you brew? I'm lucky if I can get one brew a month

Is once a month enough to keep you going Steve... My biggest problem is giving the beer enough time to condition.

 

[strange-steve]

Is once a month enough to keep you going Steve... My biggest problem is giving the beer enough time to condition.

Yeah I'm not a huge drinker, one most nights, occasionally two or three, but I seem to always have plenty in stock.

 

[marshbrewer]

Woot woot, I managed to get a 25kg sack of Maris Otter from a local micro brewery, so I can crack on with normal brews and stop eeking out my diminishing malt supplies with flaked corn and invert! £35 but beggars can't be choosers.

So I was straight in with a Kolsch sort of thing using CML Pia yeast and hallertau blanc hops.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

@Cheshire Cat how often do you brew? I'm lucky if I can get one brew a month

I used to brew once a month but now weekly and this week twice. I hate to see empty bottles and kegs lol.

 

[strange-steve]

I hate to see empty bottles and kegs lol.

Good man.

 

[samale]

Winter Saison ( more or less the recipe on homebrew association )

5.5kg Vienna
120g chocolate
120g special W
120g carafa 2
120g roasted barley cold steeped then added to the boil
20 g Magnum @60 mins
500g dried prunes soaked in red wine@ day 14

Yeast WLP 670 farmhouse Brett Saison.
This will be aged for 12 weeks before bottling.

 

[Pennine]

Winter Saison ( more or less the recipe on homebrew association )

5.5kg Vienna
120g chocolate
120g special W
120g carafa 2
120g roasted barley cold steeped then added to the boil
20 g Magnum @60 mins
500g dried prunes soaked in red wine@ day 14

Yeast WLP 670 farmhouse Brett Saison.
This will be aged for 12 weeks before bottling.

sounds very interesting.

 

[samale]

sounds very interesting.

I will get a bottle your way when it's ready

 

[strange-steve]

Winter Saison ( more or less the recipe on homebrew association )

5.5kg Vienna
120g chocolate
120g special W
120g carafa 2
120g roasted barley cold steeped then added to the boil
20 g Magnum @60 mins
500g dried prunes soaked in red wine@ day 14

Yeast WLP 670 farmhouse Brett Saison.
This will be aged for 12 weeks before bottling.

Good luck with this. I toyed with the idea of a dark saison once and dosed a glassful of standard saison with a little homemade sinamar as a tester, but it was horrible. Obviously that method isn't a very good analogue for brewing it properly as you've done though.

 

[samale]

Good luck with this. I toyed with the idea of a dark saison once and dosed a glassful of standard saison with a little homemade sinamar as a tester, but it was horrible. Obviously that method isn't a very good analogue for brewing it properly as you've done though.

I have never tasted one, the recipe caught my eye when I was doing some research. The Brett beer you sent me got me interested. I have a few recipes I would like to try. If I wanted to reuse this yeast, what is the best method.
I will send you up a bottle as well when it's done

 

[samale]

By the way I have never even brewed a Saison before so I am working in reverse

 

[strange-steve]

I have never tasted one, the recipe caught my eye when I was doing some research. The Brett beer you sent me got me interested. I have a few recipes I would like to try. If I wanted to reuse this yeast, what is the best method.
I will send you up a bottle as well when it's done

Thanks mate, I'd be interested in trying that. In my opinion the easiest way of reusing liquid yeast is to overbuild. In other words make a bigger starter than you need and keep save some of it after it has fermented out.

 

[samale]

Thanks mate, I'd be interested in trying that. In my opinion the easiest way of reusing liquid yeast is to overbuild. In other words make a bigger starter than you need and keep save some of it after it has fermented out.

I have a 2 litre starter already made. Not unless I save half a litre and use it to rebuild.

 

[strange-steve]

I have a 2 litre starter already made. Not unless I save half a litre and use it to rebuild.

Ah OK. In that case just go ahead and use it as you planned then save some of the trub in a sanitised bottle or mason jar when you rack or bottle. Stick it in the fridge and make a starter for it a couple of days before you need it. It's not the best method for reusing yeast but I've done it successfully loads of times.

 

[samale]

@strange-steve @Pennine or anyone who can help. When using wlp670 you have to age to bring out the Brett character. Could I also use this strain to make a normal Saison. Bottle after two weeks and drink young or will the Brett continue to ferment in the bottle resulting in over carbonated beer.

 

[strange-steve]

@strange-steve @Pennine or anyone who can help. When using wlp670 you have to age to bring out the Brett character. Could I also use this strain to make a normal Saison. Bottle after two weeks and drink young or will the Brett continue to ferment in the bottle resulting in over carbonated beer.

Yep the brett would continue to work in the bottle. This is actually what the Orval brewers do, they add the brett just before bottling and allow it to work over several months to carbonate the beer (and develop flavours). The difference is though, you have no way of knowing exactly how the brett will act, how far the SG will drop, how high the carbonation will get etc. so it would be risky move and not something that I personally would ever attempt.