AG#046 - Briars Best

[SiHoltye]

Hello,

Having watered the relatives with light coloured ales over christmas, and brewed a keeping IPA for Easter, I thought it time to return to my fave, copper coloured best bitters. This was the first time I've brewed this recipe with an adjusted alkalinity and mineral additions. The brewday was Sunday, and all went well, no problem chilling it post boil , brass monkeys!

Ingredients
23L @ 85% efficiency, 90min mash 66.5-64.5°C, 90 min boil (x2 ele 10G H&G), Liquor type = Bitter
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.73 kg Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 90.00 %
0.41 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 55L (120.0 EBC) Grain 10.00 %
38.00 gm Challenger [6.67 %] (90 min) Hops 26.1 IBU
15.00 gm Challenger [6.67 %] (15 min) Hops 4.8 IBU
30.00 gm Challenger [6.67 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
2 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile
Measured Original Gravity: 1.048 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.62 %
Bitterness: 30.8 IBU
Est Color: 17.3 EBC

After 36 hours it's down to 1.015 ! Doubling the yeast has had a real impact.

[Hogarth]

Mmm, that looks tasty. Hope it turns out well.

Do you use two packets of Safeale simply to get a faster fermentation, and does it make any difference to the finished beer?

What minerals did you put in?

I'm asking because I fancy doing something with a bit more oomph than my usual 1039 jobbies, and this might be the one.

[SiHoltye]

I used 2 packs of S-04 because GU50+ it's a good idea to, and as this was close (and I want to brew again next weekend) I hoped it would attenuate well and quickly. I've brewed it with one pack before to about 70% attenuation (various less experienced reasons why FG wasn't so good).

1.013 from 1.048 in 48hrs!

Here's my water in Graham's calc, and the bitter profile I went for:


...and the Beersmith recipe construction page:


Tastes full of promise - right from the sample jar. I think this beer meets my palates requirements spot on. I love the residual sweetness from the crystal with the underlyinging bitter touch from the challenger, and the S-04 suits this very well I think. Reckon from what I've read here Whorst should consider this as it's a proper job English Ale that would be well at home in a good country ale house. Tempted to brew next weekend with the same recipe and Notts yeast to see what S-04 is bringing to the party. Also want to later do this with WLP002.

Loving beer, loving brewing at the mo

[Hogarth]

Thanks SiHoltye, lots of usual info there. Including how much it'll cost me!

[haz66]

Might try this one myself as i`m looking for just a simple bitter and i have
some Challenger hops so i`m going to put this on my to do list.
Its also very close to the Conistone Bluebird Bitter i brewed that i really liked.
That recipe was

3290g Maris Otter Pale Malt
170g Crystal
40g Challenger at 90mins
20g Challenger at 15mins

This turned out really good, i now only have 1 bottle left

[spearmint-wino]

Loving beer, loving brewing at the mo

Wish I could say the same, recently lost the inclination somewhat...

[SiHoltye]

1.012 after 72hrs

Wish I could say the same, recently lost the inclination somewhat...

Form is temporary, class is permanent. Something will make you think...I MUST brew this weekend, one of these days.

[Matt]

Inspiring work Si, you are JBK's Mr Motivator

[SiHoltye]

Bottled and kegged today. Tasted urgh at 5°C (been chilled to drop yeast), but then it always does . Can't wait for the end of Feb, this is a beer that really rewards you if you let it mature. Drink it early and you miss out, 5 weeks wait ahead.

[SiHoltye]

Argh! TCP flavour has developed.
Brewed again tonight and noticed a leak on my IC in connection, tap water had been trickling very slowly into the brew whilst cooling.
I've re-bent over the 2 ends of the IC now so that gravity effect works outside the boiler trickling any leaking water away from the cooling wort rather than in, and I'll re-terminate the hose connections before next brew.

[SiHoltye]

Brew ditched unfortunately...the TCP flavour is too much

[pjbiker]

I have had a couple of brews ruined by the chloramine TCP taste. Having searched 'TCP' on the forum and read a few posts about it I have some queries and doubts about my technique. Using VWP sterilising powder, I think I may have not rinsed the fermenter adequately enough once and had to ditch the brew (AG#3). The water used was drawn the day before and campden tablet added, except a few litres which was used to liquor back but a quarter campden was added to that (we kicked over the bucket that was drawn the day before ) Also, my homemade CC chiller was leaking and dripping into the FV as I transferred from the copper, this post made me think of that.
Whatever it was, I'm wondering how much the tap water can affect this because I recently spent a day brewing with a microbrewer at a 5 barrel plant, where he 'liquored back' the brew at the end of the boil using a hosepipe direct from the mains. If this contained chloramine, why doesn't his brew taste of TCP?
This leads me to assume that it is my poor rinsing of sterilised kit that caused the tainting rather than the small amount of untreated water.
The brewer in question uses peracetic acid to sanitise, which doesn't adversely affect the brew but is only available commercially. Think I may go on the scrounge there