13/03/2010 - Scotch Bluebird

[coatesg]

Quick brew up today to use the load of WLP028 (Edinburgh) that I've just grown up (just finished a batch of 80/- that I intended to use it for, so I'll have a go later with the couple of vials I saved in the fridge). Inspired by pdtnc's version, I plumped for a beer in the style of Coniston Bluebird with Challenger through and through (yum!)

3.4kg Pale malt
180g Crystal 120EBC
Mash 67C

40g Challenger 6.4% - 60min
20g Challenger 6.4% - 10min
10g Challenger - 80C Steep 15min

1tsp Irish Moss 15min, cool with IC.

Yeast: 1.5L starter WLP028.

[coatesg]

23L @ 1035 so only a point under the target. Beer Engine says 35 IBU, so a nice hoppy one, though hoping to balance that with the yeast contributions.

[WishboneBrewery]

Yep, my first bluebird-esque clone was with Edinburgh Ale yeast and it turned out to be a cracker
Its a yeast I'll gladly be using again

[pantsmachine]

I'll have to try that yeast.

[coatesg]

Spent starter wort was actually pretty tasty, even unhopped - I could almost have drunk that

Fermentation appears to be on the go - not a fantastically explosive start, but I'm wary of letting the temperature get away from me on this one.

[mysterio]

So what's your take on the Edinburgh yeast, Graeme?

I got a lot of stone fruit esters from it, did any of the sulphur you were talking about persist into the finished beer?

[coatesg]

So what's your take on the Edinburgh yeast, Graeme?

I'll let you know when it's done - but from the starter I tried, there's certainly a lot of strong fruity, malty contributions from the yeast. Just hoping these don't get drowned too much by the late hopping.

[coatesg]

Just racked this one into a keg and 6 pints - FG 1008 and dropping quite clear. From the sample, for theoretical 35IBU, there's not much bitterness here at the moment. It's quite yeasty too - this definitely needs a bit of time to condition...

[WishboneBrewery]

Mine was good after 2 weeks bottled and improved for about a month then changed and mellowed losing a bit of the hop freshness. Still good drinking after this though

[coatesg]

I was a little disappointed in the amount of hop character in this one when I sampled - though I'm hoping the character will develop a little in the next week or two. Otherwise, I'd happily up both the bittering and late hop additions - I brewed an all challenger a while ago with 15g more bittering hops and the same flavour addition (but no aroma) and used Nottingham, and that had an amazing hop flavour compared to this one.

I'll try this yeast again in something like a 70/-, I think that the contributions from the yeast will work will in a beer with some roast/caramel character.