Home Brew Forum

yesterday i had a bit of free time, so i decided to brew something. i received the day before some hops, from the brewshop, so i brewed a best bitter with some northern brewer hops. They smelled lovely!!

i took the oportunity, to use up some old malt that i had around. My efficiency dropped a bit because of that, but hope will be a nice Pint for christmas!!

here's the recipe:


bITTER 11/2016
Special/Best/Premium Bitter

Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 16.5
Total Grain (kg): 3.920
Total Hops (g): 54.00
Original Gravity (OG): 1.046 (°P): 11.4
Final Gravity (FG): 1.012 (°P): 3.1
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.52 %
Colour (SRM): 11.1 (EBC): 21.8
Bitterness (IBU): 35.9 (Average)
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 62
Boil Time (Minutes): 90

Grain Bill
----------------
3.700 kg Pale Ale Malt (94.39%)
0.160 kg Crystal 60 (4.08%)
0.030 kg Acidulated Malt (0.77%)
0.030 kg Roasted Wheat malt (0.77%)

Hop Bill
----------------
26.0 g Northern Brewer Pellet (6% Alpha) @ 75 Minutes (Boil) (1.6 g/L)
28.0 g Northern Brewer Pellet (6% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil) (1.7 g/L)

Misc Bill
----------------
3.0 g Irish Moss @ 15 Minutes (Boil)

Single step Infusion at 67°C for 75 Minutes.
Fermented at 20°C with Safale S-04

cheers

acidulated malt? not heard of it. Please enlighten......

comicbrew wrote:acidulated malt? not heard of it. Please enlighten......

Americans love it because it allows them to reduce their mash pH without risking life and limb, and, well total armageddon, if you use something like sulphuric or hydrochloric acid.

orlando wrote:

comicbrew wrote:acidulated malt? not heard of it. Please enlighten......

Americans love it because it allows them to reduce their mash pH without risking life and limb, and, well total armageddon, if you use something like sulphuric or hydrochloric acid.

Yes, I've got half a kilo that I bought a couple of years ago. Never used it and likely never will. Destined for the bin I think.

orlando wrote:

comicbrew wrote:acidulated malt? not heard of it. Please enlighten......

Americans love it because it allows them to reduce their mash pH without risking life and limb, and, well total armageddon, if you use something like sulphuric or hydrochloric acid.

i used to ph correction, as i dont do water treatment yet. And I use tap water, which has at the moment, the pH a bit higher for the mash.

British brewers use it too (often called enzymic/enzymatic malt) and of course the germans do too . Not much point for homebrewers though when you can use acid which would be more accurate at the levels we use

During the mash i notest that was a bit to warm, 68.9ºC instead of 67ºC.... yesterday i took a gravity reading after 12 days, and still has 1017....a bit higher of whaat I was expecting......the airlock has no activity...i think that the higher temp of the mash with the cooler temp of fermentation (16ºC) were not helping!
Today i will put in a water bath with a heater and increase temp untill 20ºC, because i would like to bottle it at the weenkend.
I tried the sample, and tasted lovely, i am realy happy with this....i realy have good expectations with this batch.

comicbrew wrote:acidulated malt? not heard of it. Please enlighten......

It's pale malt coated with lactic acid. I believe it was developed in Germany to allow them to hit pH values, whilst remaining within reinheitsgebot.

So, sunday i kegged this bacth!! Ended up with a FG of 1016, thats the main reason that i kegged instead of bottling. And the other reason is that i expect to have my kegerator ready for christmas!!

heres a foto of kegging!!


cheers

orlando wrote:

comicbrew wrote:acidulated malt? not heard of it. Please enlighten......

Americans love it because it allows them to reduce their mash pH without risking life and limb

We do?

Just a quick question. I dont see why you boiled for 90 min,
but only put the first hops in 75 min from the end.

goodolpete wrote:Just a quick question. I dont see why you boiled for 90 min,
but only put the first hops in 75 min from the end.

maybe a volume issue? a bit high pre-boil?

cerbera84 wrote:

goodolpete wrote:Just a quick question. I dont see why you boiled for 90 min,
but only put the first hops in 75 min from the end.

maybe a volume issue? a bit high pre-boil?

yes, was a volume issue!! tried yesterday to check carbonation.....one of my best pints that brewed recently!!
Later, after i leave work i will take a foto of it!!

cheers