Home Brew Forum

Brown and Sticky - brewing again today because I want to test out my new Mesh-Hop-Stopper after yesterday's fiasco with my US-Brown Ale, so today I'm doing another American Brown and throwing a shed load of Columbus at it again and a further shed load of pellet hops just to try and screw it up. This could lead to another crappy end to an otherwise good brewday, we shall see... fingers crossed!

I'm worried that the stainless mesh resting on the base of the Gas-fired copper is going to have a damping effect on the rolling action of the boil, it certainly does when tested with boiling water, so this brew is also to see if it kills the roll with wort too.

Seeing as this is a very impromptu brewday I might even throw in 2 packs Safelager W-34/70 and make it a Steam Beer, so instead of being called 'Brown & Sticky' it would be 'Steaming Brown & Sticky' I quite like the latter naming option Its obviously going to be rather a cross-over style American Brown vs Steam Beer.

Fermentables:
Lager Malt - 74%
Flaked Barley - 10%
Caramalt - 9%
Crystal Malt, Extra Dark - 3%
Chocolate Malt - 2%
Chocolate Wheat Malt - 1%
Chocolate Malt, Pale - 1%

Hops:
Columbus (Tomahawk) Whole - 16.5 % @ 60 mins - 10g (First Wort Hop)
Columbus (Tomahawk) Whole - 16.5 % @ 30 mins - 25g
Chinook Pellet - 12.9 % @ 0 mins - 20g
Cascade Pellet - 5.9 % @ 0 mins - 20g
Columbus (Tomahawk) Whole - 16.5 % @ 0 mins - 80g
Rakau (Organic) Pellet - 11.5 % @ 0 mins - 89g (all Late hops will have a 20-30min steep)

Dry Hops:
Maybe...

Final Volume: 23 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.045
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol Content: 4.3% ABV
Total Liquor: 33.4 Litres
Mash Liquor: 12.3 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 70 % (reduced as I only just hit 75% yesterday)
Bitterness: 47 EBU (25% Utilisation)
Colour: 75 EBC

Malt & Temp:

Lots of Pellet hops:

New mesh Hop-Stopper:


First batch spargings running onto the new Hop-stopper and First Wort Columbus hops:

Its an altered boil alright, it rumbles around to its self and splatters occasionally, seems active enough:

In go 80g of Whole Columbus and 129g of Pellet hops:

1043/44, Refractometer said I was right on the money at 1045:

Torch held at the back of the trial jar, wort was nice and clear:

Loads of sludge in the copper, the new Mesh Hop-Stopper worked a treat and drained right down:

Maybe not the nicest looking soldering but it blooming well worked:

AG#76 - Brown & Sticky by pdtnc, on Flickr

The Mash was on at 12:25 and I was all cleaned up by about 17:00, it all went rather smoothly Maybe its time to start using my Plate Chiller as leedsbrew suggested! 2 packs of Saflager W34/70 Yeast pitched at 19-20c I'll leave it on the cold garage floor to cool down overnight and let it go from there.

hate them days were everything goes well until run-off. then you seem to lose the plot as everything seems to go shit and the run off completly stops then its down to stirrring the crap away from the hop stopper, syphoning off, pouring it out. it can lead to 10 hour days and a right naggy other half saying your taking the piss in the kitchen you been in there all DAY!... but you still end up with beer and then its all forget when your getting pissed on it!!!!

Well fingers crossed its performing admirably today

Todays yeast is http://www.fermentis.com/fo/pdf/HB/EN/S ... 470_HB.pdf

Not being daft but please explain the below?????

Seeing as this is a very impromptu brewday I might even throw in 2 packs Safelager W-34/70 and make it a Steam Beer.

Cheers

Kev

Unplanned brewday, testing new Hop-stopper by throwing everything sludgy and pellety at it to try and make it clog up... so why not experiment a little more with some Lager Yeast that needed using up.

is a steam beer a lager brewed @ ale temps???

Its lager yeast used at Ale temperatures. re: Anchor Steam.

Small world. I've had a starter of that yeast underway for two days. Never used it before. Sloooooow start at 12c. Finally got some action after 40 hrs and stepped up to one litre.

Was thinking of putting it in an Oktoberfest. Decoction mashed. Vienna and a touch of Munich.

My first ever lager!

Well you are beating me to the lager, I keep saying I'll have to try one but I think I'll have to get some Boho Pils malt and do it right!

pdtnc wrote:Its lager yeast used at Ale temperatures. re: Anchor Steam.

That's what i meant!!!

Currently sat at 16c on the garage floor and fermenting well

1037 @ 15c tastes mega fruity!

Hi!
This looks good!
I'm thinking of making a US Brown Ale as my 'firstbrew' after my summer lay off (From June to the end of August I conxcentrate on the drinking of my beer!) in September...

Is it too early to detect the erm... 'herbal' quality from the Chinook that I hear so much about? OT does the fruityness over power it?


Guy

It's a bit early to tell, the fruitiness is backed by a lot of sweetness from the unfermented wort, I think I could have been a bit more liberal with the choc malt but it might come out more with a bit of time in the bottle.
Herbal-wise it only had a little chinook in there so I couldn't comment.
I'm hoping these may be bottled for the 31st

pdtnc wrote: I'm hoping these may be bottled for the 31st

Cool!


While we are on the subject will you be bringing any of the Northdown IPA?


Cheeky get aren't I...?




Guy