Home Brew Forum

Got a brewday in on the 31st.

I've a lot of Family events coming up this year and want to get a Blonde ale nailed before them.
Also a bit of a bags end user upper so a bit of a strange grain bill.

Lager Malt 2.5 EBC 2000 grams 42.1%
Pale Malt 5 EBC 2 lbs. 1000 grams 21.1%
Munich Malt 20 EBC 1000 grams 21.1%
Wheat Malt 3.5 EBC 250 grams 5.3%
Caramalt 30 EBC 250 grams 5.3%
Sugar, light demerra 250 grams 5.3%


East Kent Golding Whole 6.8 % 60 mins 35 grams 46.7%
East Kent Golding Whole 6.8 % 20 mins 20 grams 26.7%
Cascade Whole 5.7 % 5 mins 20 grams 26.7%

Final Volume: 20 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.055
Final Gravity: 1.011
Alcohol Content: 5.7% ABV
Total Liquor: 29.5 Litres
Mash Liquor: 11.3 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 38 EBU
Colour: 14 EBC

I want to finish pretty dry with this so mashed low at 64.5 and added the sugar.
I'm also using Nottingham yeast which has eventully started almost 2 full days after pitching.
Got the ferment going at 20 deg and have now knocked it back to 17 deg trying for a clean taste.
I think I'll dry hop as well with a few cascade's, not over the top though.

I'm hoping for crisp, dry( as I said) slightly hoppy pale ale that I'll carbonate fairly well.

I have a few pics that I'll stick up when I get batteries for the camera

Also a first attempt at ghetto fly sparging, it went well and I'll try it again but I didnt see an improvment in efficency!

Be interesting to see what the FG is on this! I reckon you'll get the dry beer you're after.

I'd agree with Floyd, plenty dry, should be tasty though.

Bottled today after 14 days in primery and 5 days in secondry with 20g of cascade.

FG ended up at 1005 which is exactly what I was looking for.
Tasted quiet bitter going into the bottles, a little bit of condition and I reckon she's a good'un.

Now whats next

Sounds like a crowd pleaser but one an ale drinker can appreciate too The goldings should be a winner I reckon.

I had a similar lag problem with nottingham with my last brew it was really annoying but the brew turned out alright, an amber bitter with mittlefruh hops, yum...

Had a bottle of his last night, coming on nicely.
A little harsh still so I'll leave it for another while.
I think I need to start looking at my water, my dark beers seem to come out better than the pale ones, or come round quicker anyway.

Building up a bit of a stock now though, so I can let stuff age a bit anyway, fed up drinking the last bottle of a brew and it being by far the nicest one

Spud395 wrote: fed up drinking the last bottle of a brew and it being by far the nicest one

bane of my brewing career! lol

I have almost 0 self control! Although I do have a crate of 14 month old RIS

14 months
I reckon my only hope is to brew faster than I can drink, which is not allways easy
At the minute I'm getting a brew on every 2-3 weeks and starting to get ahead.
I've maybe 150 bottles full and if I could double that I should get some decent conditioning time.

Saying that I'm having a few more of these tonight, nice pint now

A little update on this...
Very happy now, my 1st pale ale that I'm happy with, nice Cascade aroma and good hoppy flavour without being in your face!