Well the beer has been sat there for two weeks, allegedly fermenting. And that's kind of the problem.
It started looking good, nice head and trub on the beer after 2 days. After 5 days, I took a gravity and skimmed and roused well. 1026. Ok, some to go.
After 9 days, the gravity had plummeted all of 2 points, and it has remained there for the rest of the fortnight I let the beer ferment for. I am a bit nervous kegging at such a high gravity, but nothing o could do seemed to shift it, so I wonder if it was done. If this is the case, then the high mash temperatures really screwed this up. I have invested in a digital in situ thermometer, so it is easier to regulate temperature next time.
But what about the beer? Well, it now sits at just under 3%, perhaps it might make 3% on conditioning?!! But it is nowhere near as thin as I had feared...perhaps those high mash temperatures did do something after all. It is not sweet exactly, as my hop bill was relatively high as my extractions were expected to be higher with Hopville's (now defunct) calculator. In fact, where as I had designed it to be about the same bitterness as the last extract brew I made, it was, in fact, twice as bitter. Still, it is not over whelming, so I am happy to wait a fortnight or so, and drink on. At 3% one might be shifting a lot of this in one evening :-}
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Moving on up to All Grain!
Well, the time had come to start thinking about doing this brewing malarkey properly. And that, friends, means mashing.
No more malt extract, just the pure grain. It's kind of tricky, because, it appears, temperature and pH control is pretty crucial. I'll be honest, I left the pH thing alone. There were lots of other things to worry about, and I was pretty secure that my pH ranges were not way out because of the bottled water I use...and pH movement would come from the grain. Ah, well, I thought give it a go.
But I have no mash tun. Fear not, though, for a found an alternative, the brew in a bag method (BIAB). Again, thank the Lord for t'internet. I know that a few purists get a bit sniffy about extracting into largish volumes of water etc., but this is still experimental stuff for me, so I decided to give it a bash. The basic principles are the same, add grain to water at a certain temperature, and leave at that temperature for about 90 minutes. As I only do small brews this meant that I could do the whole thing in my boiler (just) without the need to sparge (wash) the grains afterwards - another potential difficulty.
Well, it went ok.....just need to practice controlling the temperature better. Many BIABers tend to mash in a pot and insulate it, a la many of the mash tuns you can buy, but I went for the tweak the thermostat option on the boiler. All I can say is that I overshot the temperature quite a lot - all that means is that I extract more non-fermentable sugars, so I end up with a fuller beer, sweeter, but lower in alcohol. As it was an oatmeal stout, not really an issue [Conversely, mashing at too low a temperature liberates lots of fermentables, giving higher alcohol but thinner tasting beer]. Anyway, the recipe is here.
One problem I did have was the bloody OG again. It was WAY under that predicted from the recipe. Those nice folk at BIAB.info had given me a handy calculator for scaling recipes, but I had a devil of a job understanding it. A few posts, and I've cracked it. The efficiency on Hopville is incorrectly defined....that calculates my 'Efficiency into bottle' and you lose loads. It assumes 75%, when in reality I get 55%!! Sorry, this is sounding technical now, but simply put, if you define the terms properly, I would NEVER get the gravities I had hoped for (and thus, not the strengths). By recalculating on the basis of this Damascene moment, I realised I was short on my grain bill by about a third!! DOH
This revelation also explains why all of my recipes have been coming up short on the OG readings, apart from my first brew that was extract only!![so doesn't suffer from extraction issues!]....So back to Hopville to reprogramme all my recipes :-{
However, apart from all of this, operationally the process wasn't too bad...felt quite realistic in a way. OK, so this time my stout comes out a 4% not 5%, but that shouldn't be an issue. Just waiting to see what it tastes like now...thinking of kegging this.
As the days get longer, and warmer, thoughts now turning to a lighter, Dalley-esque, beer, with a nice pale malt. J wants me to try a weißbier after sharing my bottle of Schneider Weisser Tap 5....a wapping 8% but UTTERLY GLORIOUS......mmmm, that might have to wait!
No more malt extract, just the pure grain. It's kind of tricky, because, it appears, temperature and pH control is pretty crucial. I'll be honest, I left the pH thing alone. There were lots of other things to worry about, and I was pretty secure that my pH ranges were not way out because of the bottled water I use...and pH movement would come from the grain. Ah, well, I thought give it a go.
But I have no mash tun. Fear not, though, for a found an alternative, the brew in a bag method (BIAB). Again, thank the Lord for t'internet. I know that a few purists get a bit sniffy about extracting into largish volumes of water etc., but this is still experimental stuff for me, so I decided to give it a bash. The basic principles are the same, add grain to water at a certain temperature, and leave at that temperature for about 90 minutes. As I only do small brews this meant that I could do the whole thing in my boiler (just) without the need to sparge (wash) the grains afterwards - another potential difficulty.
Well, it went ok.....just need to practice controlling the temperature better. Many BIABers tend to mash in a pot and insulate it, a la many of the mash tuns you can buy, but I went for the tweak the thermostat option on the boiler. All I can say is that I overshot the temperature quite a lot - all that means is that I extract more non-fermentable sugars, so I end up with a fuller beer, sweeter, but lower in alcohol. As it was an oatmeal stout, not really an issue [Conversely, mashing at too low a temperature liberates lots of fermentables, giving higher alcohol but thinner tasting beer]. Anyway, the recipe is here.
One problem I did have was the bloody OG again. It was WAY under that predicted from the recipe. Those nice folk at BIAB.info had given me a handy calculator for scaling recipes, but I had a devil of a job understanding it. A few posts, and I've cracked it. The efficiency on Hopville is incorrectly defined....that calculates my 'Efficiency into bottle' and you lose loads. It assumes 75%, when in reality I get 55%!! Sorry, this is sounding technical now, but simply put, if you define the terms properly, I would NEVER get the gravities I had hoped for (and thus, not the strengths). By recalculating on the basis of this Damascene moment, I realised I was short on my grain bill by about a third!! DOH
This revelation also explains why all of my recipes have been coming up short on the OG readings, apart from my first brew that was extract only!![so doesn't suffer from extraction issues!]....So back to Hopville to reprogramme all my recipes :-{
However, apart from all of this, operationally the process wasn't too bad...felt quite realistic in a way. OK, so this time my stout comes out a 4% not 5%, but that shouldn't be an issue. Just waiting to see what it tastes like now...thinking of kegging this.
As the days get longer, and warmer, thoughts now turning to a lighter, Dalley-esque, beer, with a nice pale malt. J wants me to try a weißbier after sharing my bottle of Schneider Weisser Tap 5....a wapping 8% but UTTERLY GLORIOUS......mmmm, that might have to wait!
Saturday, 5 March 2011
All quiet on the brewing front?
Yes, I realise it has been some time since the last post. Indeed, I have been a bit pre-occupied, but that does not mean that brewing has stopped.
First, the Ginger Tom. Well, what can I say....erm, well, bottling seems to be successful...that's kind of it. It's drinkable, but the lack of hops just does nothing for the character of the drink, and lemon juice just tastes odd. That's strange, because the old home recipe from a ginger plant has loads of lemon juice in it....but then the sugar never quite ferments out, so it sweetness counteracts it. Having the occasional one, but I suspect the rest of it will get chucked as a failed experiment.
Recently, however, I have been working on another brew, but a Birthday Special. I had designed it to come in at 5.0%, but I just cannot get this starting gravity thing to work....so it's more like 4.0%. The recipe is here, and, tasting it from the fermenter, it tastes great...proper beer.
I upped the technique count too. I warm steeped the crystal as before, but tried to do that in a pan, which I insulated, rather than leave to the vagaries of the boiler. Think I'll go back to the boiler! I suspect this is one reason why I did not get great efficiency, the crystal did not steep as well in the cooling water. But my new technique was a 24 hour cold steep of the chocolate malt. It certainly gave a nice smooth, coffee-ish wort.
That brew has fermented now, and has been in bottles a week. One week for a test, and then the ceremonious handing over to the birthday boy. I am hoping that a few labels might get printed to, just to finish the bottle off.
In the meantime, I have been going back to the recipe, and tweaking it for a new technique, where I move onto something akin to a full mash - boil in a bag. The yeast starter is on, so I'll report back later!
First, the Ginger Tom. Well, what can I say....erm, well, bottling seems to be successful...that's kind of it. It's drinkable, but the lack of hops just does nothing for the character of the drink, and lemon juice just tastes odd. That's strange, because the old home recipe from a ginger plant has loads of lemon juice in it....but then the sugar never quite ferments out, so it sweetness counteracts it. Having the occasional one, but I suspect the rest of it will get chucked as a failed experiment.
Recently, however, I have been working on another brew, but a Birthday Special. I had designed it to come in at 5.0%, but I just cannot get this starting gravity thing to work....so it's more like 4.0%. The recipe is here, and, tasting it from the fermenter, it tastes great...proper beer.
I upped the technique count too. I warm steeped the crystal as before, but tried to do that in a pan, which I insulated, rather than leave to the vagaries of the boiler. Think I'll go back to the boiler! I suspect this is one reason why I did not get great efficiency, the crystal did not steep as well in the cooling water. But my new technique was a 24 hour cold steep of the chocolate malt. It certainly gave a nice smooth, coffee-ish wort.
That brew has fermented now, and has been in bottles a week. One week for a test, and then the ceremonious handing over to the birthday boy. I am hoping that a few labels might get printed to, just to finish the bottle off.
In the meantime, I have been going back to the recipe, and tweaking it for a new technique, where I move onto something akin to a full mash - boil in a bag. The yeast starter is on, so I'll report back later!
Saturday, 22 January 2011
When will I learn?
Although a week early, I decided to try a bottle of the Ginger Tom. Must admit, I was more interested in the carbonation and settling out more than anything. I thought the beer tasted crap....certainly did when I bottled it!
Well. One week. Just a week. A different beer. The sour lemony taste had gone. There is still a tang but this compliments rather than dominating. Clearly lots of malt....but wait, what's that warming burn I feel at the back of the throat??? Ginger!! This has actually turned out to be not a bad beer at all. I need to learn to have patience, and trust the technique.
Carbonation was good...if not a bit too bright. Settling.....well, it could do with more, as the photo suggests. But bottling seem a success. No astringency either, which means this comes from over hopping, or, more likely, extracting tannins from the grain - which I eliminated by steeping. Could be a success!
Well. One week. Just a week. A different beer. The sour lemony taste had gone. There is still a tang but this compliments rather than dominating. Clearly lots of malt....but wait, what's that warming burn I feel at the back of the throat??? Ginger!! This has actually turned out to be not a bad beer at all. I need to learn to have patience, and trust the technique.
Carbonation was good...if not a bit too bright. Settling.....well, it could do with more, as the photo suggests. But bottling seem a success. No astringency either, which means this comes from over hopping, or, more likely, extracting tannins from the grain - which I eliminated by steeping. Could be a success!
Sunday, 9 January 2011
The Ginger Tom is brewed
Eventually, I got my arse in gear today to start another brew. I had looked at a Ginger Beer recipe before, so decided to give it a go, and bottle it!
I changed a few things this time around. I steeped the crystal, rather than boiled it. I am hoping that might get rid of a few of the more astringent tastes I sometime get (possibly from tannins extracted by boiling grains). Problem was maintaining the steeping temperature at 70C...what a bitch, so let's say this was an 'average'! I am also unsure whether the crystal was as light as I was expecting, so I have adjusted the recipe for a darker colour.
I froze, defrosted, and grated the ginger, into the boiler, and also added sliced ginger and sultanas to the FV. Expected it to be uber-gingery.....mmm, not quite. First taste I got a slight warmth. To be honest, a bit of a let down.
Well, let's see how fermentation goes, shall we?
I changed a few things this time around. I steeped the crystal, rather than boiled it. I am hoping that might get rid of a few of the more astringent tastes I sometime get (possibly from tannins extracted by boiling grains). Problem was maintaining the steeping temperature at 70C...what a bitch, so let's say this was an 'average'! I am also unsure whether the crystal was as light as I was expecting, so I have adjusted the recipe for a darker colour.
I froze, defrosted, and grated the ginger, into the boiler, and also added sliced ginger and sultanas to the FV. Expected it to be uber-gingery.....mmm, not quite. First taste I got a slight warmth. To be honest, a bit of a let down.
Well, let's see how fermentation goes, shall we?
Your friendly neighbourhood brewshop?
What is about some real ale folk? They seem to take a bit of an aggressive pleasure in telling you you're wrong...and implying you're a bit of a prat. You get it working at beer festivals too, where you're made to feel like you've never drunk a pint in your life. Perhaps these people are crap at everything else, and it boosts their ego to demonstrate their expertise in something relatively arcane. No wonder some people find us weird! I just hate people who talk to you in such a condescending manner thtat you feel you don't want to persue your interest....rather than the hundreds of really interested CAMRA folk, who are so in to it, all they want to do is take you by the hand and get you to taste and experience as much as possible.....that's more like it!
And so it was that this week I happened to pop into the only brewshop for miles. I couldn't get what I needed in Holland & Barrett, and I didn't want to pay the P&P from the VERY HELPFUL and NOT POMPOUS folk at Hop and Grape.
Wasn't I put in my place?! I excused myself by saying that what I had read is...., to which I was told...'That's Wheeler. He's an idiot'....thanks, kind of implies I must be one too. I then got subjected to 15 minutes of being told what to do in a voice not unlike they probably use to foreign waiters: 'We call that the wort, that's WORT...' etc. etc.
Thank God there are people like H&G, and the always enthusiastic, knowledgable, but friendly peeps at Bitter Virtue...they never make not knowing seem like a crime. On their virtues will the rise of real ale drinking continue. Wish I could say the same for those at the brew shop!
And so it was that this week I happened to pop into the only brewshop for miles. I couldn't get what I needed in Holland & Barrett, and I didn't want to pay the P&P from the VERY HELPFUL and NOT POMPOUS folk at Hop and Grape.
Wasn't I put in my place?! I excused myself by saying that what I had read is...., to which I was told...'That's Wheeler. He's an idiot'....thanks, kind of implies I must be one too. I then got subjected to 15 minutes of being told what to do in a voice not unlike they probably use to foreign waiters: 'We call that the wort, that's WORT...' etc. etc.
Thank God there are people like H&G, and the always enthusiastic, knowledgable, but friendly peeps at Bitter Virtue...they never make not knowing seem like a crime. On their virtues will the rise of real ale drinking continue. Wish I could say the same for those at the brew shop!
Christmas Crawl
A bit late on this report, but what a splendid day was had 29th December 2010. Closing the year with a few beers around the Capital has become a bit of a tradition, especially if we plan to go to a few different places! We concentrated on the Clerkenwell area, and dropped down towards Smithfield. Not a bad part of town.
We started the afternoon at the Betsey Trotwood. Lovely one roomed, corner pub. It does live music and such, but I quite liked the one bar set up, reminded me of a proper boozer. They missed a trick that day - they decided NOT to open the kitchen, and they could have done a dozen covers just whilst we sat and enoyed our first pint. Beer selection was a bit basic, but the Spitfire was well kept....and the organic pork pie rather tasty!
Not getting grub there, we moved onto the Crown Inn on Clerkenwell Green. Downstairs was busy (a lot of people who asked for lunch in the BT were spotted here!). It looked touch and go as to whether we could get seats, but then we found the upstairs room. What a great place. Food not bad, and the Black Horse Porter (White Horse Bewery) was superb! There were a few other guests on, and a range of international brews too...would definitely return.
Post lunch, we moved on to the Jerusalem Tavern, which was, sadly, closed. Shame, I fancied a pint of St. Peter's beer, and the pub looks a nice spot in a very quiet part of town. So we carried ever onwards towards Smithfield Market, and dropped in on the Fox and Anchor.
Passable pint in there...nice place, lots of little alcoves. My major gripes were that the barman tried to serve me a pre-pulled beer, and everyone in the front of the pub seemed to drink wine. I suspect it is a tad pretentious. Still a nice pint of Pere Ubu, and an interesting pint of Nethergate christmas offering.
Walking back towards Farringdon, we decided against the brushed metal and rather lagery feel of Smiths of Smithfield, and instead opted to go straight to Ye Olde Mitre. What a pub this is! Been several times, keep going back. It's like a secret bit of London. Great beer, never a wide choice, but well kept. Two pints of Seafarers in there, and round the corner to the Scotch Malt Whiskey Tasting Rooms for a night-cap before hitting the trains!
Top day.........now to start planning next/this years!!!!
We started the afternoon at the Betsey Trotwood. Lovely one roomed, corner pub. It does live music and such, but I quite liked the one bar set up, reminded me of a proper boozer. They missed a trick that day - they decided NOT to open the kitchen, and they could have done a dozen covers just whilst we sat and enoyed our first pint. Beer selection was a bit basic, but the Spitfire was well kept....and the organic pork pie rather tasty!
Not getting grub there, we moved onto the Crown Inn on Clerkenwell Green. Downstairs was busy (a lot of people who asked for lunch in the BT were spotted here!). It looked touch and go as to whether we could get seats, but then we found the upstairs room. What a great place. Food not bad, and the Black Horse Porter (White Horse Bewery) was superb! There were a few other guests on, and a range of international brews too...would definitely return.
Post lunch, we moved on to the Jerusalem Tavern, which was, sadly, closed. Shame, I fancied a pint of St. Peter's beer, and the pub looks a nice spot in a very quiet part of town. So we carried ever onwards towards Smithfield Market, and dropped in on the Fox and Anchor.
Passable pint in there...nice place, lots of little alcoves. My major gripes were that the barman tried to serve me a pre-pulled beer, and everyone in the front of the pub seemed to drink wine. I suspect it is a tad pretentious. Still a nice pint of Pere Ubu, and an interesting pint of Nethergate christmas offering.
Walking back towards Farringdon, we decided against the brushed metal and rather lagery feel of Smiths of Smithfield, and instead opted to go straight to Ye Olde Mitre. What a pub this is! Been several times, keep going back. It's like a secret bit of London. Great beer, never a wide choice, but well kept. Two pints of Seafarers in there, and round the corner to the Scotch Malt Whiskey Tasting Rooms for a night-cap before hitting the trains!
Top day.........now to start planning next/this years!!!!
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