AG#05 - SNAP!

[cerbera84]

23/10/2015 - time for AG numero 5, a clone of SNPA, albeit with a lower ABV to make it more a session beer.

Recipe:
10kg MO pale malt
1kg Crystal (I have 150EBC)
500g flaked barley (first time using this adjunct, looking for increased head retention)

14g Magnum 60mins
55g Perle 60mins
80g Cascade 15mins + Irish moss (first time for irish moss too)
60g Cascade 0mins
60g Cascade dry hop

Aimed for a 55 litre batch into my new addition:
Untitled by Ben Southall, on Flickr

I drilled the lid for a rubber bung and airlock, but it would seem that the barrel doesn't seal anyway. I had no airlock activity after 48hours, so I took the lid off to find that there was plenty going on, just not venting through the airlock! Smelt amazing though.

Untitled by Ben Southall, on Flickr

Hit 66 mash temp ok, dropped to 63 during mash - not too bad since it was about 12 degrees outside.

Untitled by Ben Southall, on Flickr

Never had the pot so full, was hard to keep it under control and the dog's fur still has a bit of wort in it.

Untitled by Ben Southall, on Flickr

Untitled by Ben Southall, on Flickr

Lovely stuff. But yet again, despite my attempts to make a false bottom for the boiler, it still got blocked with hops. Need to make a hop filter that works for the next brew. Already braved IKEA and picked up two of these http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30131716/ will try and fashion something.

Still havent got an accurate way to measure volumes yet - I guestimated that the boiler had about 45 litres post boil (topped up during boil), hydrometer was reading 1.062, so I liquored back with 15 litres, which should get me around 1.047. Need to add a sight gauge to the fermenter, and make a dowel type measuring stick for the HLT and boiler.

Fermenter is currently in the shed in some water with a fish tank heater - need to make a larger chamber to hold this new fermenter but might be moving house soon so will have to make do for the moment. At least the cold weather might help me cold crash it. Looking to keg 38 litres of it, bottle some then maybe use my old king keg and try to produce a cask conditioned version too - would need to get hold of a beer engine though.

Ben

[Piscator]

Grahams BeerEngine has a volume calculation tool called "vessel gauging" that let's you work out the fill height for a given volume. Nice brewday - love your helper!

Cheers
Steve

[cerbera84]

cheers Steve, will have a look at the beer engine software, never used that. Simba the brewdog is always nearby on brewday, he seems totally unaware that above him is 50 litres of boiling wort!

[cerbera84]

just nipped to the wet shed - fermentation has calmed right down and its now reading 1.016, so dry hopped with the cascade. First time dry hopping, just dropped all the leaf hops in as I don't have any nylon bags or similar. currently looking at a 4.1% beer unless it drops any more points.

[cerbera84]

Beer got down to 1.012, so kegged and bottled.

Untitled by Ben Southall, on Flickr

Added gelatin to both kegs, and added some to my bottling bucket too, then left the bucket for 24 hours before bottling. Filled two 19L cornys, 12 x 500ml bottles and 4 x 750ml bottles - a grand total of 47 litres. Lots of yeasty slurry left in bottling bucket so hopefully it will be a clear beer with minimal sediment.

Untitled by Ben Southall, on Flickr