Brewday 15th June - Old Precipitation

[SteveD]

Bonkers...Showers forecast, but here we go.

Old Precipitation

7.76kg Pale Malt
765g Wheat Malt
191g Roast Barley
117g Chocolate Malt
110g Fuggles *3.2% aa 90 mins
86g Goldings *3.2% aa 90 mins
43g Fuggles just after switch off.
1 tsp Protofloc 15 mins
44g Nottingham yeast - prepared as per pack instructions

* pack aa values were 4.5 for fuggles and 4.6 for goldings but for the 2005 harvest.....21 month old hops, so using promash and guessing at 10c storage temp I gave them a value of 3.2aa (slightly up on promash..to err on the safe side)

OG 1070 Vol 24.5L...ish
EBU 65 (who knows! )
Extraction Efiiciency 75%
Brewhouse Efficiency 65%.....ish

Usual prep: 25ml CRS in 52L liquor to PH 6.3 ish. 5g DLS in grist.

Mash liquor:21L by underletting.
Strike Heat 74.5c
Initial Heat 66.6c
Mash PH 5.2
Mash Time 90 mins
End heat 66c

Sparge Liquor treated to PH 5.2ish with 1.5ml lactic acid.

Batch Sparge:
1st addition 6L at 85c. Mash bed 70c. 18L run off at G1083
2nd addition 12L at 85c. mash bed 76c. 11.6L run off at G1042
Extract: 29.6L at G1067 - 75% efficiency Note: second addition smaller in order to deliberately under extract.

This took a while what with recirculation, checking gravity...about an hour.

Topped to 38L preboil...it's started to rain, again, and we're outside. Electrics protected in plastic bag.

Boil 90 mins..to..dunno, what with chiller and a load of hops in to confuse the issue. Stopped boil when G1070 reached.

Now when things have to happen, it's started to really lag down so fetch waterproof coat.

Set up Chiller. Now we're into something new. Pics below.


My usual wort chiller is sitting in the mashtun in a bath of ice & water to pre-chill the none too cold mains water supply before it hits the chiller sitting in the wort. (which I made to supplement the first chiller when I did a 50L brew. It seemed to work ok, Knocked about 45 mins off the cooling time. (27 litre-ish)

Then............Oh Christ NOT AGAIN!!!! THE SODDING HOP STRAINER!!!! I DIDN'T FIT THE SODDING HOP STRAINER!!!! PILLOCK! PILLOCK! PILLOCK!!

I couldn't be arsed to decant it into my lauter tun (Atilla the Tun), so I did what I used to do, just gently crack the tap, recirculate a jug or two, and it runs off fine. 21c into the FV, to about 24.5L. (new FV forgot to calibrate it.)

Aeration took 4 minutes, with O2 through a 2 micron S/S stone

Hmm prep the yeast by rehydration, and temperature equalisation with wort....... better use enough though, it's a 1070 brew


I had a peek a bit before posting this.... yeast head there in 3hrs.


About to bung it in the beer fridge set to 17c to gently bring it down to fermentation temp.

Over to you, Wez

[Wez]

Nice work SteveD

Game on!


(Can i ring in sick)?

[Andy]

Then............Oh Christ NOT AGAIN!!!! THE SODDING HOP STRAINER!!!! I DIDN'T FIT THE SODDING HOP STRAINER!!!! PILLOCK! PILLOCK! PILLOCK!!

[Wez]

Nice work SteveD

Game on!


(Can i ring in sick)?

pussy

No No, i'm up for the challenge, with TBC min photo action!

[Vossy1]

Nice one SD

[Seveneer]

Good work Steve

/Phil.

[SteveD]

Thanks chaps. It's in the fridge. Rocky head already and blooping for England. Fridge was at 11c to drop the yeast out of BSB, but, as needs must, back to 17c for OP. Two cornies displaced into the shed proper, which isn't really cool enough, ah well.

Once converted with a wood collar (9") between freezer and lid, it will have enough depth to hold 2 extra cornies (on the higher shelf above the compressor) so it'll take 6 cornies or 3 cornies and 2 FV's.

[Vossy1]

so it'll take 6 cornies or 3 cornies and 2 FV's.

Light weight

I wish I had a fridge freezer for the same use

[SteveD]

so it'll take 6 cornies or 3 cornies and 2 FV's.

Light weight

I wish I had a fridge freezer for the same use

For the moment.... There's 4 king kegs too. But, there are more cornies on the horizon....and I need another fridge or freezer so that one's used for fermenting the other for conditioning & dispense.

What's stopping you getting a fridge?

[Vossy1]

What's stopping you getting a fridge?

Space

In our back bedroom I have a bait freezer for my fishing exploits which now seems to have become a hop freezer for some strange reason and a kegerator for my ales

The under stairs cupboard has been converted to hold my fv's with a son of chiller and if a freezer appears in the front room so will the divorce papers.....

Can't have it all...not yet anyway...I need to move

[SteveD]

What's stopping you getting a fridge?

Space

In our back bedroom I have a bait freezer for my fishing exploits which now seems to have become a hop freezer for some strange reason and a kegerator for my ales

The under stairs cupboard has been converted to hold my fv's with a son of chiller and if a freezer appears in the front room so will the divorce papers.....

Can't have it all...not yet anyway...I need to move

I sympathise with your plight. I tested the 'new freezer' water with the Memsahib....the look would have turned a stone into more even stone

[Vossy1]

I sympathise with your plight. I tested the 'new freezer' water with the Memsahib....the look would have turned a stone into more even stone

[Seveneer]

I sympathise with your plight. I tested the 'new freezer' water with the Memsahib....the look would have turned a stone into more even stone

I know what you mean. I was looking at commercial fridges big enough for the conical the other night. Only 400 quid new. SWMBO was not impressed as she's just given up work and is more careful with money than I am.

But then, would you believe it, I got home from work yesterday to find her wearing a new pair of shoes that she'd bought that day for 15 pounds! Double standards

/Phil.

[SteveD]

I sympathise with your plight. I tested the 'new freezer' water with the Memsahib....the look would have turned a stone into more even stone

I know what you mean. I was looking at commercial fridges big enough for the conical the other night. Only 400 quid new. SWMBO was not impressed as she's just given up work and is more careful with money than I am.

But then, would you believe it, I got home from work yesterday to find her wearing a new pair of shoes that she'd bought that day for 15 pounds! Double standards

/Phil.

Yeah! How unreasonable is that!!!!

Is she pregnant?

BTW, the yeast is busy blowing off....filling my 5 litre blow off jug.

[Scooby]

* pack aa values were 4.5 for fuggles and 4.6 for goldings but for the 2005 harvest.....21 month old hops, so using promash and guessing at 10c storage temp I gave them a value of 3.2aa (slightly up on promash..to err on the safe side)

Interesting, I needed some So4 so popped in to the nearest HB shop and glancing at the hops thought about some cascade, all the hops were 2005 harverst so gave it a miss. How do you work out the drop in AA, is it in Promash?

The So4 was use by 01/08 as well

BTW a rep was with the owner, Youngs I think, he was pushing a cornie with a chrome tap conversion the same as Norm has, I eaves dropped their conversation and the rep was saying that the keg could be force carbonated with a keg charger and that 1 maybe 2 cylinders would do the job and dispense a full cornie keg and tap £100