No Sparge Mosaic APA

[Matt in Birdham]

Just kicked this one off - will update with a few pics throughout the process:

Recipe: MOSIC Pale Ale 23L NO SPARGE TYPE: All Grain
Style: American Pale Ale
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 12.3 EBC SRM RANGE: 9.8-27.6 EBC
IBU: 35.6 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 30.0-45.0 IBUs
OG: 1.054 SG OG RANGE: 1.045-1.060 SG
FG: 1.013 SG FG RANGE: 1.010-1.015 SG
BU:GU: 0.654 Calories: 494.4 kcal/l Est ABV: 5.5 %
EE%: 80.00 % Batch: 25.00 l Boil: 29.50 l BT: 60 Mins

---WATER CHEMISTRY ADDITIONS----------------


Total Grain Weight: 5.45 kg Total Hops: 100.00 g oz.
---MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5.20 ------
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5.00 kg Pale Malt, Golden Promise (Thomas Fawcet Grain 1 91.7 %
0.40 kg Caramalt (Thomas Fawcett) (29.6 EBC) Grain 2 7.3 %
0.05 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (118.2 EBC) Grain 3 0.9 %


Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 34.83 l of water at 70.9 C 66.5 C 60 min
Mash Out Heat to 75.6 C over 7 min 75.6 C 10 min

---SPARGE PROCESS---
>>>>>>>>>>-RECYCLE FIRST RUNNINGS & VERIFY GRAIN/MLT TEMPS: 22.2 C/22.2 C
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD BOIL CHEMICALS BEFORE FWH
If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
5.00 g Magnum [12.50 %] - First Wort 60.0 min Hop 4 7.2 IBUs

---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG Est OG: 1.054 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
10.00 g Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Boil 30.0 m Hop 5 9.9 IBUs
1.04 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 6 -
25.00 g Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Boil 10.0 m Hop 7 11.6 IBUs

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
30.00 g Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Steep/Whirl Hop 8 0.0 IBUs
30.00 g Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Steep/Whirl Hop 9 7.0 IBUs

[Matt in Birdham]

Decided to try a "no sparge" mash for this one as an experiment:

* Better handle on the numbers - the SG in the mash is the SG in the kettle, mash efficiency losses are due entirely to liquor lost to the grain, assuming a near 100% conversion efficiency.
* No risk of oversparging - some of my recent beers have been a little astringent recently. I don't know if this is the cause, but it would be nice to rule it out.
* Better HERMS circulation with an extremely thin mash (6L per KG!).
* "Higher quality wort, with a maltier finished beer". Allegedly - will report back on this one. Malt flavour has also been a little lacking in recent beers.
* Cuts about 20-30 minutes off the brewday, which has got to be a win, and means I don't have to heat the sparge water in a separate vessel.

All 34.83 litres of strike water were raised to temp using the HERMS coil, which did a decent job - 1.15 from 12C.

Mashin a little hairy with such a higher volume - MLT was nearly full:

[Matt in Birdham]

Boil on:


Got the exact volume (29.5 litres) with an SG of 1.044 (vs 1.046 predicted). As far as I can tell, BS estimates a 100% conversion efficiency and mine works out at 93%. Could do better, perhaps - Kai seems to think anything significantly less than 100 is a problem - but my crush is fine (0.7mm conditioned), mash ph is good and temp control is also good. Interesting to note that after 60 mins my SG was 1.042, so it wasn't done yet. This no sparge brew is really helping me get a handle on my numbers already.. also interesting to note that I am running a "no loss" profile in BS now, with no MLT losses or kettle losses factored in - and I still got the predicted amount in the kettle (had been getting too much before). This can only be grain absorption, but I should be able to dial that in a bit better now..

edit to add: I have extended the boil to 90 mins to compensate for the slightly lower SG, and moved the magnum FWH to 60 mins. Also, on a whim, I have decided to move the 30 min mosaic addition to 20 mins and increase it to 20g.

[Jocky]

Looks good. I'd like to make something similar soon.

[Matt in Birdham]

First hopstand of 30g mosaic at flameout is underway. Looks like a 1.056 post-boil FG, if the refractometer is to be believed (will do a hydro reading after chilling) - boil off a little more than anticipated so will dial that in.
Second hopstand to take place at 77c with another 30g mosaic for 20 mins or so. I haven't tried mosaic yet, but I think I should know what it tastes like after this beer is done

[Matt in Birdham]

Decanted most of the wort off a 1.5l WLP002 starter and now warming it up - trying to break up some of the yeast on the stir-plate which looks like chunks of concrete at the moment..

[itsclinto]

Did something myself last month. Used just mosaic, with 100g in the boil with the majority towards the end and dry hopped with 100g also. It really is a tasty drop that lingers on your tongue for a while. Makes me want to crack open another bottle

[Matt in Birdham]

100g dry hop - wow I still haven't decided if I am going to DH this one yet, but I probably will..

[Matt in Birdham]

All done and cleaned up, WLP002 pitched at 18.5C and fermentor set for 19C. I kept aside a litre of trubby wort which is now fermenting on my stir plate with the dregs of the WLP002 to do a forced ferment test - should be quite interesting to see what this one hits, as I got 78%AA from my first use of this yeast, albeit at a lower mash temp than today.

Turns out I hit my 1.054 SG exactly, which was nice, so my boil off calcs were OK.
My general feeling after my first "no sparge" brew is that I like it. Less fussing around during mash, much better control of the numbers (I was able to spot and correct a low pre-boil SG easily with a slightly longer boil). It wouldn't work for a bigger beer than this, though, at least not in my current MLT. Also nice to see how well my refractometer is matching with the hydro, but still having some small issues with hot temp readings.

Cold break:


hydro:

[rui]

looks lovely!!!
i also like mosaic, specially with el dorado and cascade!!
cheers

[itsclinto]

[quote="Matt in Birdham"]100g dry hop - wow I still haven't decided if I am going to DH this one yet, but I probably will..[/quote]

Even if you split the batch and dry hop half. You'd have a pale ale and proper hoppy apa! Best of both worlds

[Matt in Birdham]

Forced ferment of this one is down to 1.011 already.. second use of WLP002 and so far I'm not seeing any signs of low attenuation - first beer I got 78% AA mashed at 65c, this beer I went a bit higher on the mash (66.5) but if I achieve the AA of the forced ferment that will be 80% AA.. I'm guessing it probably won't get quite as low as that, but still..