AG #53 Mild (or bitter)

[BrewerBen]

I'm not sure whether this recipe would be classified as a mild or bitter so i'm going to call it a mild unless told otherwise. Its a use up some grains and hops I've had laying around for a while type beer but i'm also trying out the Gales yeast i got from Brewlab so aimed for a English ale. Its probably a slightly higher gravity and too hoppy for a mild but maybe a little do dark and roasty for a bitter. Either way i'm hoping for a full flavored easy drinking session ale.
As i think the yeast is quite a low attenuator the main mash temp was kept low at 64C, i was tempted to add around 5% sugar as well but wanted to keep the gravity quite low so left it out. I'd also normally up the volume a little to max out the fermenter but i suspect this yeast could do with a little more head space then the usual dried yeasts.

Target Gravity is 1.042 for 25L

3000g Maris Otter 66.77 %
760g Pilsner 16.92 %
250g Wheat Malt 5.56 %
220gCrystal Malt 4.90 %
110g Chocolate Malt 2.45 %
110g Dark Crystal Malt 2.45 %
43g Black Malt 0.96 %

36g Fuggles [4.10 %] (90 min) Hops 15.0 IBU
9g Challenger [7.49 %] (90 min) Hops 6.8 IBU
15g Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (15 min) Hops 3.5 IBU
1g Fuggles [4.50 %] (15 min) Hops 2.4 IBU
19g Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)
10g Fuggles [4.50 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)

Mash Schedule
Mash in 30L at 38C
Step 1: 75 Mins @ 64C
Step 2: 10 Mins @ 78C


Grain Shot:


Mash in
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Pumps on:


Hops:


Mash all done:


Yeast starter hopefully ready to go:


Wort cooled and hop bags draining:


Wort run off:


Break material. At this point i tryed stuffing a hob bad in front of the tap outlet in a attempt to filter out the breaj material. It didnt work, all i did is disturbed it all and probably ended up with more in the fermenter than i would have done.


Gravity reading on backup hydrometer after breaking my second SR thermometer

[seymour]

Call it what you want, it sounds delicious to me! What kind of yeast is that?

[Goulders]

As per top of the post, it is Brewlab's Gales strain

[seymour]

As per top of the post, it is Brewlab's Gales strain

You're totally right, I skimmed right over that the first time. Well, now I'm even more sure it'll be a winner.

[BrewerBen]

It seems to be happily fermenting away despite me letting the temp drop more than i'd have liked. I'm pretty excited about this brew, i've had a few issues with water treatment errors, beers finishing at a high gravity creating rather lively beers in the bottle. Then the one beer i did want really fizzy i seemed to have under primed. I am hoping to turn a corner with this brew. One problem is i change quite alot from brew to brew one of them being yeasts so starting with this brew i'm going to be brewing with just the gales yeast for a few batches and keep the gravity's similar so i can work on consistency.

[BrewerBen]

Job done and i'm very happy with the result. It definitely has a hint of HSB about it from the yeast and also reminds me of some hobgoblin i had from a minikeg. I'm terrible at describing flavour's so i'll leave it at that. Its served via my crusader keg and has come out pleasingly clear. Next time i do this i'll simplify the grain bill a little by dropping the pilsner and maybe replace the medium with more dark crystal and adjust the black malt down to get the same colour. I may even finish with some styrian goldings. I've also changed my mind about it being a mild as i'm getting more hops than expected so probably more towards a bitter.

[seymour]

That looks great, and I like your Adnams glass. Nice work.

[bochgoch]

What mash tun / pump combo is that you're using? Looks interesting...

[BrewerBen]

Its a Braumeister 50L - a single vessel brewing system

[YeastFace Brew Co.]

Lovely-looking pint

[BrewerBen]

Thanks, Its been slipping down far to easily and is almost gone now, i will have to get another one on soon.