Aurora May

[arturobandini]

Brew on today to use up the last of my Marris Otter and what's left of my Aurora from Paul at http://www.barleybottom.com

Recipe - 23litres
Style - Pale/Golden Ale??

4.225g Marris Otter
400g Wheat Malt
40g Aurora (5.8% AA) 60 minute addition
Protofloc 1/2 Tablet - 15 minute addition
30g Aurora (5.8% AA) 80c Hop Steep
Yeast - Danstar Nottingham
26.5 EBU
Anticipated OG 1.045

Probably not the best time to brew as I've left my mashtun copper strainer at my Dad's whilst we butcher it to fit a Stainless Steel Keg. It does give me a chance to try the BIAB (Brew in a bag) method pioneered by our Antipodean cousins. This is how I originally saw myself kicking off all grain but I wimped out and built a copper manifold so today it's a no sparge brewday. The mash went on at 9.45am I was a bit miffed as it was 63c instead of the usual 66c but I haven't had a drop in temperature over a 90minute mash yet so I'm optimistic.

First time I've used Nottingham and that too was a last minute change from the tried and trusted S-04. Nottingham , so i've read on here!, has good attenuation so produces a dry beer with little yeast character which should bring the hops to the fore and as Aurora is a delicious beast I'm pretty hopeful. This Beer is intended for a party on the 12th of May for my girlfriend's birthday so I wanted to brew something I could chill down for the peasants which was lightly hoppy and pale so as not to offend their simple palates.

Edit- 60 minute brewday in the end as I wanted to continue the experimenting instead of what I usually do.

[adm]

Have fun! Let us know how you get on with the brew in a bag method!

[arturobandini]

Boil is on and all going well thus far.

BIAB is extremely simple but it's frightening me for some reason, too far out of my copper manifold batch sparging comfort zone. It's a little confusing as it all seems far too easy.

[arturobandini]

A very clear wort from this one, ended up with less fermentable wort than anticipated due to an absurdly vigorous boil from my soon to be retired single element boiler. Diluted with some treated water it came out at 1.040 for the 23 litres which is what I was after in truth.

Thoughts on BIAB? It was very easy to do but you'll need a big mashtun in order to mash enough liquor for your boil being as you have no means to sparge and the grains will obviously retain liquor as well. The grain bag I used held back everything very well but the run off provided to the boiler was considerably murkier than what I've had batch sparging with a copper manifold. That said I over compensated and tossed in a whole protofloc tablet with 15 minutes of the boil left and the result was a remarkbly crystal clear pale wort. I don't think I'd use BIAB again as i'm going to be building a 10gallon mashtun complete with copper manifold/false bottom so it was a one shot deal.

Just to add this is slightly different to putting a grain bag in your mashtun as you just hoist your grains out bag and all once the mash is finished rather than batch sparge/fly sparge using a grain bag in place of a filter/manifold.

It was a decent Brewday and my first since the baby was born so good to know I can still get them in even with a demanding infant to tend to.

Nottingham was pitched and it's time for the clean up which looks decidely messier than usual unfortunately...

[arturobandini]

Nottingham is already buzzing around the FV. Uploaded a few photos took during the Brewday, never as many as you think and of course they're probably identical to all the other threads!

[kevron]

nice brew day, great cold break, those aurora hops are real nice Ive never tried using a brew bag, I always thought it would stop the hops from releasing there full flavour, let us know how it tastes,

just a question, how did you put your pics in your thread I am going to include some pics of a brew day but I dont know how

[arturobandini]

Hey Kevron,

The bag is only for the grain mashing section then it's all graining as per usual. It's a no sparge method of mashing I tried out on a whim as I had intended to ease into All Grain via this method but changed my mind.

Upload your photos to photobucket or whatever, find the direct link, copy and paste it in your post, highlight it and click the image button. Works for me, I got all that information from a post by , I think , DaaB in the Tap Room stickies.

The Aurora hops smelled delicious during the boil and the steeping stages. I'm not convinced by hop bags in the boil either though I'm not adverse to dry hopping with them.

[arturobandini]

Fermented in the Brewing Cupboard and it already looks to have finished. 1006 two days running and smelling quite tasty already. I've heard Nottingham ferments out quickly but this is some going.

[andysmok]

I've never got my gravity down less than 1010, I have used Nottingham and s04. Do you do all that rehydrating mallarky or just throw it in straight from the packet.

[arturobandini]

I sterilise a glass and add cooled boiled water and rehydrate the yeast in it. I put that in the cupboard where I ferment the beer about the start of the boil and when everyhing is ready for pitching it's usually trying to break out. I pitched it at around 5.30pm and there was a balm on top about 3hrs later. Nothing special done on this brew except the no sparge method.

[DarloDave]

Looks like it should be a nice beer!

[arturobandini]

This has been quite the pioneer brew. It's my first brew using a "no sparge" method, first with a pub cylinder of gas and the first used in conjunction with my flash cooler.

Had a few sneaky tasters as it has progressed and today I decided to just cut to the chase and pull a pint off it via the cooler. I warmed up (cooled down!) the cooler for about 20 minutes and the beer came flooding out into my glass nicely chilled and with a good northern head. Hops , as expected, are very much to the fore and the bitterness is spot on for the style in my opinion. I'm dispensing with the keg at about 1bar and it's coming through the dalex tap like something from a handpull (very light bubbles and creamy head) which is unexpectedly good...total fluke which I'm hoping to replicate.

Next step is to fiddle with the thermostat on the cooler as there is no markings as to which side of the dial is coolest.