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Final recipe:

Meersbrook Blonde (Blonde Ale)

Original Gravity (OG): 1.039 (°P): 9.8
Final Gravity (FG): 1.008 (°P): 2.1
Alcohol (ABV): 4.09 %
Colour (SRM): 4.6 (EBC): 9.1
Bitterness (IBU): 27.3 (Average)

72.95% Maris Otter Malt
19.34% Pilsner
2.76% Munich I
2.76% Torrified Wheat
2.19% Wheat Malt

1.4 g/L Citra (15% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil)
0.8 g/L Citra (15% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)
1.8 g/L Citra (15% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)


Single step Infusion at 68°C for 90 Minutes. Boil for 60 Minutes

Fermented at 18°C with Safale US-05


Recipe Generated with BrewMate

Brewed this on Friday, finally got round to posting it up. Really smooth and quick brewday this time, almost no spillage so no sticky mess to clean up after. Nailed the water treatment so got the right mash pH and an extra 5% efficiency, so OG came out at 1.042. The sparge arm decided to work this time, whereas it didn't want to spin the first couple of times I used it. Also tried the "move the chiller" technique - really works! SG yesterday was 1.022 so still a way off FG.

Nice clear mash run-off


By skittlebrau666 at 2012-05-01


Motion shot of sparge


By skittlebrau666 at 2012-05-01

Foamy stuff forming as we come up to the boil


By skittlebrau666 at 2012-05-01


Start of boil - love the way it breaks the surface and pushes the foam to the edge... always looks like something from a disaster movie to me.

By skittlebrau666 at 2012-05-01


Citra weighed and ready!


By skittlebrau666 at 2012-05-01


Hops and chiller in!


By skittlebrau666 at 2012-05-01


Into the FV


By skittlebrau666 at 2012-05-01


Mucky picture


By skittlebrau666 at 2012-05-01

Looks cracking, I'll be doing something similar next up.

Just to clarify, the foam that you're describing as hot break, isn't! Have a read here to learn more

Tested yesterday at 1.016 and tasting awesome already!

PS. Cheers oz, post corrected accordingly!

I really want to try a sample of this!

I take great comfort in having a 90 min bittering hop addition and it just seems plain WRONG not to have one. I might be too stuck in my ways not to throw a few hops at the start of the boil It will be me next brew so not long to decide!

I'll let you know how it's tasting once primary is finished. When I tasted the wort there was plenty of bitterness there. I say go with it! Trust the IBUs.

Down to 1.010 now. Don't know if it's going to get lower than that - we'll see what the 68 C mash has managed to achieve. It's dried up nicely and is tasting really nice. It's a beer I think I'm going to be quite proud of when it's matured a bit!

Hey, I live in Meersbrook! And I'm brewing now

It's the place to be!

Definitely stopped at 1010 so that's okay by me. Taste test at FG suggests that it could be a *bit* more bittererer, but the hop flavour is huge and the taste is pretty great overall. If I brewed again I'd probably move some of the hops from the 5 mins to 15 mins to up it by 7 or 8 IBUs. Oz - don't be afraid of not having a 60 or 90 minute addition, just give it a few more IBUs than I did!

This has been carbed up now and tastes like Five Alive! Conclusion: Citra is an absolutely amazing hop. If you haven't brewed with it yet, you should!

Just waiting for a BrewLab slant to arrive to try as an alternative to US05 and I'll be getting a brew on.

Tried this out on some friends last night. There's a growing consensus that it tastes like either Five Alive or Um Bongo...