What did you brew today?

[Baldylocks Brewery]

How the best intentions don't always work. Going away tomorrow and before I went wanted to get a Coopers Sparkling clone into the fermenter. The weather here at the moment is hot. The high thirties even to 40C not really the best clime for culturing yeast.
Tried to salvage the yeast from Coopers sparkling, twice!

In the fermenting room, not the best place due to spillage, sugar attracts the undesirables not wanted in this environment.
Making the yeast nutrient, best you can get.
View attachment 96744

I have decided when I get back the starter will be made in the bathroom. Despite what the wife has to say

Hi Foxy, are you really using Vegemite as the yeast nutrient? I’ve got a jar , how do you use it?

 

[YeastFace]

I’ve had a couple of pints of Time & Tides Spratwaffler so decided to try something similar. Says it’s Citra led but doesn’t mention the other hops so used Simcoe 50/50. Not really experimented with fruity hopped beers much but decided to use CML Pia yeast.
Brewfather said my PH was 6.14 which isn’t ideal but it was too late and came in with an OG of 1.04 which was supposed to be 1.043 but hey ho!
Waiting for SS hop diffuser for the dry hop as my last attempt was a disaster
Any thoughts welcome as usual from the more experienced members.
View attachment 97307

Looks as thought it may be all Citra. However, I still think you will end up with something very nice.

Key info for Spratwaffler - ABV: 3.7% | IBU: 37 | EBC: 7 | Malts: Maris Otter, Caramalt, Flaked Barley, Oats | Hops: Citra

 

[Baldylocks Brewery]

Looks as thought it may be all Citra. However, I still think you will end up with something very nice.

Key info for Spratwaffler - ABV: 3.7% | IBU: 37 | EBC: 7 | Malts: Maris Otter, Caramalt, Flaked Barley, Oats | Hops: Citra

Thanks YF, not sure what difference the wheat instead of barley and oats will make but time will tell?

 

[MashBag]

Hi Foxy, are you really using Vegemite as the yeast nutrient? I’ve got a jar , how do you use it?

I bet. I use marmite occasionally (not sure if the differences). It is packed with vitamin b, potassium and dead yeast. Superb nutrition.

Next question..... Half a teaspoon.

 

[Baldylocks Brewery]

I bet. I use marmite occasionally (not sure if the differences). It is packed with vitamin b, potassium and dead yeast. Superb nutrition.

Next question..... Half a teaspoon.

Thanks MB, You took the words right out of my keyboard

 

[foxy]

Hi Foxy, are you really using Vegemite as the yeast nutrient? I’ve got a jar , how do you use it?

About a 1/3 of a teaspoon in hot water to dissolve it when cool add to the starter. Marmite will work as well.

 

[MashBag]

About a 1/3 of a teaspoon in hot water to dissolve it when cool add to the starter. Marmite will work as well.

I missed that bit.

Tbh I have thrown the spoon in before now, let the yeast do the work.

Washing out a "finished" jar with boiling water is also about ½ teaspoon.

 

[MashBag]

Anyone what to guess the benefit of putting oyster shells in your brew?

 

[Baldylocks Brewery]

Anyone what to guess the benefit of putting oyster shells in your brew?

Is it to do with getting frisky

 

[samale]

Anyone what to guess the benefit of putting oyster shells in your brew?

As a filtering agent, not sure if it adds any flavour. Local brewery had a oyster stout, It wasn't great

 

[Sadfield]

I'm not sure there's a brewing reason to add oysters or shells to a stout. If for filtering, surely it'd be used on all beer not just stout? The connection of oysters and stout, is they were often served together as working class foods. And latterly in beer, post war as a result of this association. Shucking large quantities of oysters on a regular basis would become tiresome very quickly.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.anspachandhobday.com/blog/porter-history?format=amp

 

[MashBag]

.... As a source of calcium for the yeast. Works well.

 

[Sadfield]

And people moan about chalk being hard to dissolve.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Hi Foxy, are you really using Vegemite as the yeast nutrient? I’ve got a jar , how do you use it?

@Baldylocks Brewery

Struggling to get hold of some Yeast Nutrient, any household alternatives?​

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...st-nutrient-any-household-alternatives.87370/

​

.

 

[foxy]

Anyone what to guess the benefit of putting oyster shells in your brew?

Oysters are full of zinc, I doubt the shells are but. I can't see anything being extracted from a shell during the boil. Zinc is good for the yeast so a galvanised nut and bolt thrown into the boil would work better. Oyster shells ground up are good in stock feed for the calcium. Chinese use ground oyster shells in their traditional medicine for osteo problems. Works too if you go to Chinese park on a Sunday and see the oldies playing jianzi.

 

[foxy]

Foreign Extra Stout.
OG 1,065 FG 1,015 ABV 6,.6% IBU 58,1 SRM 34,2 Mash pH 5.5
6,2 kg Veloria Schooner
0,75 kg Flaked Barley
0,32 kg Roast Barley late addition mash
Hops 45g Target
5g Gypsum & 5g Calcium Chloride
Mash 64C 20 minutes 68C 40 mins Mash water 32 litres

Dough in.

Iodine test shows no starch.

Mash out and making it into a stout. Roast Barley added.

After the boil was over. 1,068 OG

21 litres into fermenter and will be adding 3 litres of sour beer to get the original FES twang

Wrapping up the day with I can't believe it's not Beamish

 

[foxy]

Summing up the Foreign Extra Stout, it isn't something I would like to be making too often. The mash thickness was 4.5 litres/kg I had to stir the mash continually for 1.25 hours. There were 4C swings in temperature when not stirring, which were only 150- 200 ml apart.
Then another dilemma, would the pH drop too low when adding 3 litres of sour beer? My concerns were unfounded, finally pitched the yeast about 16 hours after filling the fermenter, and this morning a robust ferment was taking place.
I could have added the sour after fermentation but I would have to have been sure there were no fermentable sugars left in the sour causing over carbing of the bottles.

 

[Sadfield]

Early start watching Ronde van Vlaanderen and brewing a Tripel with Callista Hops.


Batch - 16L
OG -1.071
IBUs - 35
EBC - 8
ABV - 9%ish

Water

Ca-79 Mg-6 Na-11 Co3-40 SO4-90 Cl-60

Mash - 50' @ 65c then 20' @ 72c

Extra Pale Planet - 76%
Munich Malt - 8%
Demarera (Boil) - 11%
Dextrose (Boil) - 5%
Aurora - 33g
Lactic Acid - 2g

Boil - 60'

Callista - 30g @ FW
Callista - 10g @ 30'
Protofloc - 0.3g @10'
Callista - 10g @ 10'


Fermented with Safale K-97 and MJ47 Belgian Abbey.

 

[Sadfield]

Checking in on the Tripel this morning. Fluffy.

 

[brewhaha]

Back in the saddle after an inadvertent 4 months hiatus. Bramling Cross ESB today, pushing the limit of my kit to get 30 litres so I can fill a corny & 2 X mini kegs to serve through my beer engine.

Hitting the numbers so far!