AG #1 - Summer Lightning

[crookedeyeboy]

Looking good!! Just made this last weekend, came out with nearly 24 litres @ 1052!!! Should be about 5.2% when Im finished...oh well

I put all my beers into a seconary vessel at the end of fermentation with some auxiliary finings and then a little later some isinglass hours later its ready for bottling and lovely and bright.

[pantsmachine]

All bottled up this evening:

It's still a bit cloudy, but I have an earlier bottled one that's done one week at room temp and one week in the fridge and it's not got more of a haze like a wheat beer.

Liking the levitating bottle, i'm gonna master that trick one day!
on the first AG

[Mike8578]

We actually added some finings when we put it into secondary, but oddly it looks no clearer than the 2 we bottled after primary.

Counting down the days now to try it on Friday night!

[crookedeyeboy]

My FV is looking very blond and lovely! Cant wait to get it bottled and drunk! Let us all know how it goes

[Mike8578]

My FV is looking very blond and lovely! Cant wait to get it bottled and drunk! Let us all know how it goes

Is yours that pale as well then? I don;t remember SL being that pale. I obviously need to buy one ready for a side by side comparison.

[crookedeyeboy]

I had one a couple of months back and it was very very pale from what i remember, thats why Ive made it as I love this style..

Even though it was very pale I seem to remember it being very bitter...we shall see tomorrow when I bottle it....brewers treat and all that

[befuggled]

Definitely very pale, we've got some bottles (wife likes it!) and I had one the night before last.
I would say its quite bitter, great for long hot summer evenings (wot a surprise from it's name )
I did this on Sunday 18th, thought I would aim for 25L to give 5.5%. Bit of a cockup as usual, got 23L at 1068.....
I am probably going to rack off later this morning and then leave at garage temperature for a week, add some finings if it looks like it needs it.

[Mike8578]

I shall take some side by side pics when poured. Ours should definitely be more bitter.

[befuggled]

I've just racked mine and put it in the cooler garage, added some auxiliary finings.
It tastes just how I had hoped, the tangy bitterness of Summer Lighting but a bit more body and fullness in the mouth.
I would say that your levitating bottle is a very similar colour to what I have here and to the usual SL both bottled and draught.
Mine is destined for a cornie plus some bottles or a mini keg (whatever turns out the quickest and easiest combination!!).

If they both end up the way it looks, we should all be very happy and the wife will get all silly (again...).

[Mike8578]

Top O'Th 'Ill's P.N.B. (Pale Northern Bitter)





Hop Back Summer Lightning





Very impressed with the colour and clarity, particularly the latter given the lack of Irish Moss.

As for taste: PNB is a little more bitter and stronger alcoholically, as expected. Could do with a touch more fizz in my view, but it was far from flat. It doesn't have the soft, rounded edge of the SL though. There's a slightly sharp edge to it but that's made more prominent by a yeasty aroma and flavour. The Wife, who's got a better set of taste buds, reckons it's not actually that far off the real thing.

I'll now be intrigued to see what the main batch is like. The bottle I had tonight was straight from the FV, whereas the rest was in 2ndary for a couple of weeks prior to bottling.

[crookedeyeboy]

Just bottled mine after a 5 day fermentation. Loking very good indeed and tasting it too, although due to the fact I am using up some old samples of hops I think it may be a little lacking in the 'bite' department. Saying that I managed to get it to around 5.3% ish!!!

[Mike8578]

I'm beginning to wonder 2 things about AG#1.

1: Maybe it's still a bit young - hence the yeastiness

2: I think the fermentation tmep might have been too high - hence the sharp strong alcohol taste.

[farmhousekeg]

Were do you get those big bottles? That would save a lot of washing and rinsing!!

[yashicamat]

Were do you get those big bottles? That would save a lot of washing and rinsing!!

That was the first thing that went through my mind too!

That looks a cracking brew.

[Mike8578]

Were do you get those big bottles? That would save a lot of washing and rinsing!!

It certainly took some bottling!