AG#2 - EKG Sunray - 24/4/08 (new photos)

[fivetide]

If all goes well, this is the plan of action for tonight:

EKG Sunray
Brew Type: All Grain
Date: 23/04/2008
Style: English Special
Brewer: Fivetide
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Assistant Brewer: BBC 6Music
Boil Volume: 32.00 L
Boil Time: 120 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0 %
Equipment: Burco 32L and Cooler 23L

Ingredients
4.50 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC) Grain 94.7 %
0.25 kg Wheat, Torrified (3.3 EBC) Grain 5.3 %

65.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.60%] (120 min) Hops 38.6 IBU
35.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.60%] (15 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)

1.22 items Whirlfloc Tablet (15 min)
1 Pkgs SafAle US (Fermentis #US-05) Yeast

Batch Sparge
Mash Grain Weight: 4.75 kg Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Grain Temperature: 13.0 C
Mash In Add 11.75 L of water at 75.0 C 65.6 C 90 min
Step Add 9.95 L of water at 80.1 C 71.6 C 10 min
Step Add 16.00 L of water at 80.1 C 75.0 C 10 min

Beer Profile
Estimated Original Gravity: 1.043 SG (1.039-1.045 SG)
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.013 SG (1.009-1.014 SG)
Estimated Color: 8.9 EBC (11.8-27.6 EBC)
Bitterness: 38.6 IBU (20.0-45.0 IBU)
Alpha Acid Units: 1.7 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 4.0 % (3.7-4.8 %)

Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2)
Kegging Temperature: 13.0 C
Age for: 4.0 Weeks
Storage Temperature: 11.0 C

[Matt]

That looks like a nice one Fivetide. Have a good brew-evening, hope it goes well.

Matt

[ni9e]

Can I ask why you will boil this for 2 hrs?

I am gonna try this one after the bank holiday

[fivetide]

No reason other than Marc Ollosson reccomends so in his similar recipes like Premium Pale, 100% Satisfaction and Styrian Stunner and I like his book a lot

Also I'm not fussed about saving the extra half hour.

Mash will go on at about 5:31 hopefully! I've been waiting for aaaages to brew again. Fingers crossed no cock-ups!

[Vossy1]

Can I ask why you will boil this for 2 hrs?

It is believed that a longer boil means the beer will give the beer better keeping qualities, quite important in barley wines etc, but not so important in low gravity ales that get supped quickly

Tis a great recipe book alright ft.

Have a great brew night

[fivetide]

Actually I may have to do a two hour mash too... ...is that a problem?

[Vossy1]

No
Some folks mash overnight

[ni9e]

Is the book Real Ales for the Home Brewer ?

[Wez]

Have a great brew night five

[stevezx7r]

Yes, enjoy yourself.

Must get another on the go...

[prodigal2]

Enjoy this one 5, 100% EKG beers are a joy

[fivetide]

Couple of non-brewing delays earlier on have meant I'm only now cooling! Thanks for your posts - wish me luck on the hop straining this time!

[Gurgeh]

hope the hop straining went okay 5, how's it looking this morning?

[fivetide]

Morning! Ah, it went very well actually, although it was a bit epic!

I managed to collect 24 litres of good looking wort at 1.044 with no mishaps, so I'm really pleased, and the boiler worked just perfectly with the new element and hop strainer despite a lot of seeds.

Fermentation is only just beginning but I'm not surprised, it hasn't had much chance yet.

I'll post a proper report and some photos later on.

[fivetide]

Righto. The evening started off less than ideally when the car broke down about five miles away. I had to rescue the family in my car then wait an hour and a half for the AA to rescue me (I was helpfully told the car's 'brain' had gone wrong, the fella obviously thought I was either 8 or 80).

Anyway I started late, basically, but otherwise all was well.

Boiler full of treated water and up to temperature, I gathered the info I needed from JBK and BrewSmith.


The grain bill filled a bucket and more - lovely floury pale malt and torrified wheat from BarleyBottom.


Weighed out the East Kent Goldings, the only hops in this recipe.


Got my music and JBK hooked up in the 'sterile', 'tidy', 'organised', 'brewery'.


Filled the pre-heated mash tun with half the mash water at 75 degress, doughed in, added the rest of the mash water. Filled the HLT with remainder and boiled up some more water.


Today I used batch sparging, draining the mash water before two batch steps via the sparge manifold, returning runnings at each stage. Once the boiler was at its limit though, I still had a little liquor left which I added during the boil to top up evaporation.

The mash.


A batch.


A mid-brew pint of Crusader (the best kit I've ever hopped - yum).


First runnings...


...returned.


Sweet wort into the boiler with its new element and hop strainer.




Once the boil started rolling the 65g bittering hops went in.




Boiling smelled great and stayed green for nearly half an hour before browning.


Threw in the 35g aroma hops, whirlflock tablet for last 15 minutes of the boil...


...along with the immersion cooler. Check out those seeds.


It took 45 minutes to cool and settle, but tapped into the fermenter beautifully, much to my relief.


It left a lot of hop leaf (and a heck of a lot of seed) in the boiler. I can't lie, it's all still there, no energy to clear up last night!


The bitter wort was pale as you like. Seemed clearer than this at the time! I was very pleased though and managed to get 24 litres in the FV at 1.044, with a target of 23 litres at 1.043. Not bad, I'm happy with that and didn't dilute the extra point out.


Pitched rehydrated US-05 yeast and aerated.


Safe and sound in a fermenter...


...in the bag!