What did you brew today?

[Cheshire Cat]

22L of a Leffe Brune clone

3500g Lager malt
1000g Munich light
1000g Abbey Malt
300g Special B
250g brown sugar
250g golden syrup
15g Northern Brewer @ 60m
25g EKG @ 15m
25g Saaz @5m
MJ M47 yeast
OG 1064

 

[moto748]

Really pleased with my Grey Sheep, so much clearer now in the test jars since I refined my technique a bit. Looks good and tastes good at the this stage, what can possibly go wrong?

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Really pleased with my Grey Sheep, so much clearer now in the test jars since I refined my technique a bit. Looks good and tastes good at the this stage, what can possibly go wrong?

View attachment 53976

Looks good. What did you do to refine your technique?

 

[moto748]

Looks good. What did you do to refine your technique?

Well, one thing was the simple but obvious thing of not emptying the boiler straight into the FV as soon as the boil was finished, as I'd been on the habit of doing, but rather, giving the wort a good stir, then leaving it for half an hour before opening the tap, and hey presto, much clearer beer, and excess sediment/residue left in the bottom of the boiler. That, plus regular bag-prodding and I'm finding I am comfortably making target OG figures these days. Also, after reading debate on the subject here, I have moved any protofloc from -10 minutes to -5 minutes.

For the Grey Sheep I have gone with Verdant yeast; we'll see how this goes.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Well, one thing was the simple but obvious thing of not emptying the boiler straight into the FV as soon as the boil was finished, as I'd been on the habit of doing, but rather, giving the wort a good stir, then leaving it for half an hour before opening the tap, and hey presto, much clearer beer, and excess sediment/residue left in the bottom of the boiler. That, plus regular bag-prodding and I'm finding I am comfortably making target OG figures these days. Also, after reading debate on the subject here, I have moved any protofloc from -10 minutes to -5 minutes.

For the Grey Sheep I have gone with Verdant yeast; we'll see how this goes.

Yes, I now always leave in the kettle for at least 30 minutes before it goes into the FV. Works a charm. I’m still using protofloc at 10 mins. It goes in as I put the chiller in, and anything else I want sanitised, before it’s turned off. I fear if I change now I’ll just forget it altogether
Ive only use Lallemand Verdant once. It was in an NEIPA. If I recall correctly it left a really thick layer of creamy stuff on the top of the beer which fortunately dropped in the cold crash. Beer turned out really nice.

 

[moto748]

Ive only use Lallemand Verdant once. It was in an NEIPA. If I recall correctly it left a really thick layer of creamy stuff on the top of the beer which fortunately dropped in the cold crash. Beer turned out really nice.

Yes, me too in a NEIPA, which also turned out fine.

 

[moto748]

Looking good!

 

[jayk34]

20.5 litres of an Oatmeal Stout that is supposed to be for Christmas.....we will see if it lasts until then

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

View attachment 54016

Looking good!

Did someone drink it already?

 

[moto748]

Heh! Bit of an optical illusion; the bucket is about half-full. I only do 15 litre batches max these days.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Heh! Bit of an optical illusion; the bucket is about half-full. I only do 15 litre batches max these days.

I grudgingly make 20 litre batches because of the limitation of corny kegs. I’ve thought about 30 litre and 50 litre kegs but they’re heavy to shift around. I may at some point return to thinking about 30 litre kegs.

 

[moto748]

It's a health and safety thing as much as anything else for me! I'm wary of having to manipulate heavy liquid-sodden boiling-hot bags of grains. Better safe than sorry. Also, as I bottle everything, it makes bottling a batch a bit less of a mission.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

It's a health and safety thing as much as anything else for me! I'm wary of having to manipulate heavy liquid-sodden boiling-hot bags of grains. Better safe than sorry. Also, as I bottle everything, it makes bottling a batch a bit less of a mission.

Understood. I hate bottling, it’s so laborious.

 

[samale]

Belgian Trappist single
4.5 kg castle pilsner
250g biscuit malt
200g sugar @ 10 mins

20g hallertau FWH
15g hallertau @10mins
30g Styrian gold @flameout

Good healthy starter of WLP 550

Sample is cooling, this is the first beer using this yeast. Dubbel and tripel will follow all going well

 

[NormanHurst]

Belgian Trappist single
4.5 kg castle pilsner
250g biscuit malt
200g sugar @ 10 mins

20g hallertau FWH
15g hallertau @10mins
30g Styrian gold @flameout

Good healthy starter of WLP 550

Sample is cooling, this is the first beer using this yeast. Dubbel and tripel will follow all going well

Nice. What was the OG (and expected FG)?

 

[samale]

Nice. What was the OG (and expected FG)?

Nice. What was the OG (and expected FG)?

I don't use online calculator's. The OG was 1.060 which is higher that I wanted but I will roll with it. I got 20 litres, this is my first time using this yeast but I am looking to finish around 1.008. I will ferment at 20 then rise to 22 at the end

 

[mrhardware]

Brewed a chocolate milk stout on Wednesday for Christmas. OG came out higher than expected at 1.060 expected 1.056. Its gone off like a steam train. Cocoa nibs going in on day 4.

 

[moto748]

Understood. I hate bottling, it’s so laborious.

I quite like, it actually. I don't mind at all that brewing involves a lot of routine work, like bottling, or washing and refurbishing hop and grain bags. It's all part of the process, grasshopper! And having the beer in demi-johns under locks means that having started bottling a batch, I'm not obliged to do the lot all in one go if I don't feel like it.

But then again, I have plenty of leisure time. Different folks will have different strokes.

 

[kimosabby]

22L of a Leffe Brune clone

3500g Lager malt
1000g Munich light
1000g Abbey Malt
300g Special B
250g brown sugar
250g golden syrup
15g Northern Brewer @ 60m
25g EKG @ 15m
25g Saaz @5m
MJ M47 yeast
OG 1064

Have you done this one before? Love Brune. Did a blonde clone but used lacrosse sugar to make it more like the Nectar. What’s the mash time and temp?

 

[The Cat]

Finally got around to using my Brewzilla today for my first all grain brew - had a Doom Bar clone from Malt Miller.

Overall it went better than expected with me braving my first sparge which was the bit I was nervous about.

I did notice it came out maybe 1-2l short but not sure how - will investigate that one. OG was 1 point above so I think as I had to put it all through Brewfather for water volumes maybe I need to revisit my settings perhaps.

Overall though delighted will be much more comfortable next time - also when the cooler was in the pump seemed to block for maybe 15 mins but it sorted itself out, was perhaps from using hop pellets.

It took longer than I expected which is fine and it had a 1 hour hop stand which I won't do very often. Was the first time I've used the immersion chiller as well and see no need to try no chill if I plan things properly.

Onwards and upwards! Thanks as always for all the advice on here.