What did you brew today?

[MashBag]

Ad Gefrin. Really nice crowd. Smashing.

They mash 5000 L everyday. 5 kilo of yeast.

 

[Cheyne_brewer]

Back to AG for me - yay! First brew on my new 35l BZ Gen 4. Wards Best Bitter from WHS. Great brew day, although the cleaning up is a pain as I’m confined to brewing outside by SWMBO. If the beer tastes as good as the wort it’s going to be a very good pint

 

[foxy]

I learned that when buying glass thermometers and hydrometers to buy at least 2 at a time. I strongly believe (having dropped a hydrometer onto a concrete floor and it bounced) that they only break if they are the only one you have.

I've got one of those portable induction hobs, its used mainly to heat up sparge water these days but also useful for doing short run brews.

There are some really clever hobs now. I like the look of the ones that don't have rings, they sense where you have put a pan and that becomes a virtual ring. You can then move the pan to another part of the hob and the ring follows it . (Don't show the other half this post ).

I have a duplicate of everything, kettle, stir plate, pH meter, thermometer, and hydrometer nearly had a spare Aircon, last night turned it on using a different socket and it worked! Still puzzling how it started then stopped and an E1 fault popped up on its original socket.

 

[dlowe1992]

I learned that when buying glass thermometers and hydrometers to buy at least 2 at a time. I strongly believe (having dropped a hydrometer onto a concrete floor and it bounced) that they only break if they are the only one you have.

I've got one of those portable induction hobs, its used mainly to heat up sparge water these days but also useful for doing short run brews.

There are some really clever hobs now. I like the look of the ones that don't have rings, they sense where you have put a pan and that becomes a virtual ring. You can then move the pan to another part of the hob and the ring follows it . (Don't show the other half this post ).

Happy in pairs, kamikaze on their own, sounds about right. Which reminds me, I really should get a spare hydrometer.
I have backups for temp and pH but nothing for gravity…

Good job she doesn’t look on here really! I’d guess it could get me in trouble but not to the tune of a new hob…

Doesn’t sound good though (promptly Google’s said hobs)

 

[Cheyne_brewer]

That’s one benefit of a refractometer - they bounce!

I was using my trusty brewing thermometer to calibrate my new BZ a few days back and caught it a slight tap against the side. Off came the bulb .

Before it departed this life it did at least show the Bluetooth Rapt thermometer was as accurate as it was.

 

[Twostage]

Making the Poe's Boston Bitter as recommended by @foxy . Using the BZ with a full brew profile. Working fine so far. Mash...

Temperature stable...

 

[dlowe1992]

That’s one benefit of a refractometer - they bounce!

I was using my trusty brewing thermometer to calibrate my new BZ a few days back and caught it a slight tap against the side. Off came the bulb .

Before it departed this life it did at least show the Bluetooth Rapt thermometer was as accurate as it was.

Think a refractometer will be the next bit of kit I buy. Will they take an accurate reading at mash temps?
I.e. sample straight from the mash vessel at c. 65-70 degrees?
or does the fact it's such a small sample negate temp worries as it'll soon cool?

 

[Twostage]

Making the Poe's Boston Bitter as recommended by @foxy . Using the BZ with a full brew profile. Working fine so far. Mash...

View attachment 97998

Temperature stable...

View attachment 97999

As per the 'dead smack pack?' thread I had to part ways with the recipe on the yeast front. So instead of Wyeast London its off and running with Verdant IPA. Yes, I know, not the ideal yeast, I was sure I had some MJ Empire which would have been closer. I'm sure it will be beer though.

Lesson learned, have a good stock of yeast.

 

[stubrewworx]

Almost a smash, golden promise and some torrefied wheat. UK Cascade and us 05.

First pale ale in my FIK set-up. Toying with dryhopping but concerned with sanitation of hop bags and kinda like to leave things alone until bottling day.

 

[foxy]

Making the Poe's Boston Bitter as recommended by @foxy . Using the BZ with a full brew profile. Working fine so far. Mash...

View attachment 97998

Temperature stable...

View attachment 97999

Snap! 40 litres of Poes Boston Bitter, as mine in the past has exceeded, or come out with a higher ABV I mashed at 68C. Still came out higher than predicted. Got the big guns out for this, 8kg of base malt

Dough in and settled out nicely, 17 minutes, and top temperature is aligned with probe temperature. Variations no more than 0.4C

Nothing like living dangerously, full volume open on the return pipe.

Mash out and add the none fermentable grain.

After the boil is over, looking for 1,038 a tab over 1,042. Will leave it at that.

40 litres in the fermenters, clear wort through the Foxinator and I have 2 litres of wort left to bottle for starters.

 

[Twostage]

Snap! 40 litres of Poes Boston Bitter, as mine in the past has exceeded, or come out with a higher ABV I mashed at 68C. Still came out higher than predicted. Got the big guns out for this, 8kg of base malt
View attachment 98111
Dough in and settled out nicely, 17 minutes, and top temperature is aligned with probe temperature. Variations no more than 0.4C
View attachment 98112
Nothing like living dangerously, full volume open on the return pipe.
View attachment 98113
Mash out and add the none fermentable grain.
View attachment 98114
After the boil is over, looking for 1,038 a tab over 1,042. Will leave it at that.
View attachment 98115
40 litres in the fermenters, clear wort through the Foxinator and I have 2 litres of wort left to bottle for starters.
View attachment 98116

The recipe says wait for fermentation to finish, leave for 2 days, rack to secondary (which I never do) and dry hop for a week. What's your dry hop schedule ?

 

[Twostage]

Asks question, waits for the earth to rotate a full cycle .

 

[Twostage]

ooo, no, just spotted your online. Baited breath.

 

[foxy]

The recipe says wait for fermentation to finish, leave for 2 days, rack to secondary (which I never do) and dry hop for a week. What's your dry hop schedule ?

I don't dry hop anymore I do the hop stand, less messy and for the same result, seemingly.

 

[Twostage]

I don't dry hop anymore I do the hop stand, less messy and for the same result, seemingly.

Saves a faff and keeps it cleaner. I'll skip it too. The yeast was a 90 degree left turn so its no harm.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Think a refractometer will be the next bit of kit I buy. Will they take an accurate reading at mash temps?
I.e. sample straight from the mash vessel at c. 65-70 degrees?
or does the fact it's such a small sample negate temp worries as it'll soon cool?

They are pretty good, and yes a few drops of wort soon comes to the same temp as the business end of the refractometer... but even so I seem to get a more accurate reading if I let the sample come to something a bit more like 20ºC first.

Where the refractometer really come into its own is looking for changes in gravity rather than absolute readings - it's very good for checking when you're getting near the end of the sparge for example :-)

 

[dlowe1992]

They are pretty good, and yes a few drops of wort soon comes to the same temp as the business end of the refractometer... but even so I seem to get a more accurate reading if I let the sample come to something a bit more like 20ºC first.

Where the refractometer really come into its own is looking for changes in gravity rather than absolute readings - it's very good for checking when you're getting near the end of the sparge for example :-)

Cheers, useful to know
Definitely get one ordered for next brew day I think..
Just need a pH meter that reads accurately at mash temps now and I’m away

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Cheers, useful to know
Definitely get one ordered for next brew day I think..
Just need a pH meter that reads accurately at mash temps now and I’m away

Bear in mind that pH varies according to temperature (At 65°C, the pH of the wort is approximately 0.35pH lower than ambient temperature and 0.45pH lower at 78°C).
I have a meter but honestly I find these simpler to use and less hassle:

 

[Twostage]

Cheers, useful to know
Definitely get one ordered for next brew day I think..
Just need a pH meter that reads accurately at mash temps now and I’m away

Shame you don't live local, I've got 2 refractometers (used to work away and did some stove top brewing). I could have dropped you one off.

 

[dlowe1992]

Bear in mind that pH varies according to temperature (At 65°C, the pH of the wort is approximately 0.35pH lower than ambient temperature and 0.45pH lower at 78°C).
I have a meter but honestly I find these simpler to use and less hassle:

View attachment 98170

I’ve got some of the strips, must admit to finding them harder to gauge than I really should!
Generally use them alongside pH meter to know I’m in the right ball park