Normally I prefer wlp002 (or wlp001), but here I'm trying Mangrove Jack's M44 West Coast yeast for the first time; supposedly it works well for hops and I'm not looking for any great yeast character so it should be OK. But its a fairly high attenuator for my taste, so I've used more Munich and have mashed warm in order to (hopefully) balance the hops with a beer of better body and maltyness.65L APA: OG=1.051, IBU=45, Estimated 5.5%ABV
Maris Otter 13kg (75%)
Caramalt 1.5kg (8.7%)
Munich Malt 1.5kg (8.7%)
Wheat Malt 0.9kg (5.2%)
Crystal Malt 0.35kg (2%)
90mins Magnum 100g 10.2%AA (32 IBUs)
15mins Cascade 66g 8.3%AA (8 IBUs)
15mins Willamette 50g 5.5%AA (4 IBUs)
80c Steep Cascade 66g 8.3%AA
80c Steep Willamette 50g 5.5%AA
Dry Hop @ 24hrs Centennial 50g 9.2%AA
Dry Hop @ 24hrs Cascade 33g 8.3%AA
Dry Hop >FG Centennial 50g 9.2%AA
Dry Hop >FG Cascade 33g 8.3%AA
CRS (to achieve the alkalinity)
Gypsum/Calcium-Sulphate (to achieve calcium and sulphate levels)
Calcium Chloride (to achieve calcium and chloride levels)
Brewbrite kettle finings
Yeast 3x sachets of Mangrove Jacks M44 West Coast (rehydrated)
The current flat's kitchen is a bit small for the brewing kit, so it gets entirely taken over for the day.
By the sink is the CFC, the kettle is on the floor at the back, the HLT is in front of it (and gets wheeled away after sparging), the MT is up on the left and the black thing just peeking into the bottom left of the picture is the FV, stationed partly behind the door.
HLT heating the mash liquor, Alkalinity 50ppm (as CaCO3), Calcium 214ppm, Sulphate 220ppm, Chloride 220ppm:
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The mash at 69c for 90mins @ 2.5L/kg:
(a lid was put on after the photo)
Measuring the pH at 15mins in and 20c; it looks like pH 5.42 but was really about pH 5.27, as I'd not calibrated the meter :
Batch sparging, 2x batches run off, of equal amounts. Sparge liquor was at 77c, Alkalinity 15ppm (as CaCO3), Calcium 140ppm, Sulphate 157ppm, Chloride 157ppm
Recirculation of the first runnings to clear (I recirculated about a dozen jug loads for each batch, before redirecting to the kettle):
(a pump is planned for the future!)
The boil starting. Boiled for 90mins with hops at 90mins, 15mins and 80c. Also brewbrite finings at 10mins
Meanwhile, some residual sugars were rinsed out of the mash - I often do this to make wort for future starters:
Running through the CFC en-route to the conical fermenter (the CFC had previously been disinfected by recirculating boiling wort through it for 30mins):
The bits of string on the kettle are just holding the hop bags; I prefer whole hops in the kettle, but had some pellets to use up on this brew.
There was extra wort allowed, to compensate for dumping and sampling etc, so about 68L went into the FV. Its quite full so a blow-off tube will be used in case of spills:
The M44 yeast were rehydrated and pitched before closing.
The efficiency was better than predicted, so the post-boil wort was liquored back to the intended gravity of 1.051:
Which meant a few litres extra. The additional runnings I took (intending them for starters) were rendered down - darkening them considerably in the process - and combined to make enough for another 8L. It won't be such good quality as the main batch, but waste not want not and all that. I'm also trying windsor in this one:
So that was it, bar all the cleaning up and putting away. Seemed to go quite well on the whole. Activity has started fairly convincingly in the FV, so fingers crossed it will be ready for christmas.