AG#21 Hand Bomber.

[Kyle_T]

Hello all,

I have recently ordered a couple of 4 1/2 gallon casks from Crusader that are due in next week so it's time for me to get a brew on for my first cask experience.

I have already started doing a step up starter of WLP022, will measure the FG of the first step to give me an idea of attenuation before stepping up.

I'm doing a part authentic, part use it up and part competition guided brew and for those that may not know, hand bomber is an old nautical term for a steam ship powered by coal fired boilers shovelled by hand.

An easy going recipe to have a go at brewers caramel and casking:

Captain Ted's 'Hand Bomber' Dark Mild

All Grain: 23 Litres.
Style: 13A. Dark Mild.
OG: 1.035
FG: 1.009
IBU: 18
EBC: 41.8 (49 Post Boil).
SRM: 21.3 (24.9 Post Boil).
ABV: 3.4%
Balance: 0.52

Grain Bill:

2,952g Mild Malt (82%)
360g Crystal Malt - Dark (10%)
180g Chocolate Malt (5%)
108g Torrified Wheat (3%)

Hop Schedule:

13g Fuggles Leaf 4.9% AA @ 60 Mins: IBU: 7
12g Goldings Leaf 5.2% AA @ 60 Mins: IBU: 6
8g Challenger Leaf 11.5% AA @ 10 Mins: IBU: 5
10g Goldings Leaf 5.2% AA @ Cask (Dry Hop): IBU: 0

Boil Additions:

5ml Brewers Caramel @ 15 Mins.
3g Irish Moss @ 10 Mins.

Yeast:

WLP022 - Essex Ale Yeast

Mash: 90 Mins @ 67 Deg/C.
Boil: 90 Mins.

Notes:

Cask conditioned for 2 weeks @ 12 Deg/C.
Carbonate and dispense @ 1 Volume CO2.
Dispense from Cask/Beer Engine.

I have gone slightly higher on the IBU balance as I dug out an old chocolate bitter from last year using a similar amount of chocolate malt and I'm hoping it will balance out some of the roast from it.

I will also be putting the 10g Dry Hop in as loose leaves into the cask when racking, this will remain there for the duration.

Haven't used Torrified Wheat before but it seems to appear in a lot of the beers from historical local brewers in Essex/Suffolk.

Any thoughts?