AG #137 Solstice Old Ale

[greenxpaddy]

I'm up at the crack of dawn today so I thought I would brew a cheeky unplanned special brew. What could be more appropriate than an Old English Ale?

This barley wine I am intending to condition and enjoy every year on the Morn of the Summer Solstice. For a bit of a historical lean I am using rauchmalt to give a subtle wood smoked flavour which hopefully won't diminish too much with age and Boadicea hops are being used as homage to the Welsh stone in Stonehenge.

If only for the above reasons I will ensure I enjoy drinking it for many years to come!

I expect lower mash efficiency due to the viscosity of the mash. From experience I would expect to have to aerate the ferment every day for the first 3-4 days even with the amount of yeast I am using. Otherwise this OG of beer can stick annoyingly at 50 ish.

Solstice Old Ale
Date: 06-06-2014


Pale Malt Golden Promise 5 EBC 48 lbs. 0.2 oz 21780 grams 77.2%
Rauchmalt 5 EBC 4 lbs. 9.1 oz 2070 grams 7.4%
Crystal Malt, Pale 60 EBC 5 lbs. 0.5 oz 2280 grams 8.1%
Sugar Invert No.1 Syrup 30 EBC 4 lbs. 9.1 oz 2070 grams 7.4%


Boadicea 7.1 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 7.0 oz 200 grams 43.5%
Fuggle 2013 5.6 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 9.1 oz 260 grams 56.5%


Final Volume: 65 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.098
Final Gravity: 1.017
Alcohol Content: 10.8% ABV
Total Liquor: 110 Litres
Mash Liquor: 65 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 70 %
Bitterness: 71 IBU
Colour: 37 EBC

DRY Pale water treatment

Brew schedule

Mash temp 63 Mash ph
Mash density 2.5L/kg
Increased to 3.5L/kg at 45 mins using 75c water
Mash duration 60
Total boil time 90
Steep temp NA
Steep duration NA
Yeast strain
Yeast req'd 600ml
Yeast density
Yeast age 2 days
Yeast cropped from
Top
Acid washed? N
Generation 5
Ferm temp 25c
Rouse daily

PS I'm not late hopping this one but may dry hop with Fuggles before bottling

[greenxpaddy]

Just been weighing out the grain and I don't have any rauchmalt left....so I've subbed biscuit malt, upped the pale crystal to normal (would have used dark crystal but haven't got any of that either!) and added 0.5% pale choc malt to see if that will add a slight smokiness. Didn't want it too rough which is why I haven't used roast barley.

So, not the beer I wanted to make but as with all good intentions....we have to adjust to the randomness of life....

Now I've shoved this into the software it says its going to be a red colour....I suppose that is quite Celtic then. May take a few years to soften though......

[greenxpaddy]

Update:

If anyone doubts you never stop learning in brewing this proves it.

I don't brew these triple strength beers very often. And it shows. I totally underestimated how quick this thing would get going. The yeast was one day fresh. There was signs of kreusen already after 3 hrs.

I was hoping to produce a BIG beer here. Loads of fruity esters. None of this namby pamby fermentation at 18c-22c as recommended by Wyeast. Trialling whether my yeast could tolerate a Belgianesque ferment at 24.5c. Overnight it had monstered to 28.5c. So now in damage limitation.

There's a little hope. Westvleteren let ferment reach that kind of temperature, but it will be yeast dependent. I'm hoping I won't get too much fusel alcohol/diacetyl production in this short space of time so early in the ferment (12-18hrs). I'm fanning the fermenter right now to gently reduce the temp back and lower to 20c. The theory of this is to average out fusel alcohol and diacetly over the first 3-4 days ferment period. Am hoping this will equal an average temp of 24c. To be cautious I will definitely be performing a thorough diacetly rest. After day 4 I will slowly rise the temperature back to 28c. This is my general rule of thumb. DR to be performed at or higher than the initial/peak ferment temp.

I'd be more concerned if it was a bigger batch!