Yellowbelly Burst

[SiHoltye]

Hello,

Brewday Thursday and I intend to make my recipe below. I have calculated and aged the hops (recent lack of bitterness problem) based on age and storage conditions using Beersmith, and am adding them in quantities so that each variety imparts the same IBU's at each addition.

I do love challenger but when I put the numbers in it looked like the higher AA hop might take over a bit so I thought I'd give them equal opportunity to tussle with each other. Balance and an appreciation of each would be nice.

Ingredients

25L, 60min Mash, 60min Boil

Amount Item Type % or IBU

4.06 kg Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 85.00 %
0.48 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 55L (120.0 EBC) Grain 10.00 %
0.24 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (2.8 EBC) Grain 5.00 %

12.27 gm Challenger [6.40 %] (60 min) Hops 7.2 IBU
23.08 gm Styrian Goldings [3.40 %] (60 min) Hops 7.2 IBU
18.31 gm Cascade [4.30 %] (60 min) Hops 7.2 IBU

14.30 gm Styrian Goldings [3.40 %] (30 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
11.33 gm Cascade [4.30 %] (30 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
7.70 gm Challenger [6.40 %] (30 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -

14.12 gm Challenger [6.40 %] (15 min) Hops 4.1 IBU
26.30 gm Styrian Goldings [3.40 %] (15 min) Hops 4.1 IBU
20.94 gm Cascade [4.30 %] (15 min) Hops 4.1 IBU

1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.045 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.33 %
Bitterness: 33.8 IBU
Est Color: 17.9 EBC

Any thoughts/oversights gladly received.

[Martin the fish]

Glad to see not everyones panicking about the hop shortage-in fact it seems the opposite. Everyone's using hops like they are ten a penny.

Live for the day, thats what i say.

I'd love to have a slurp of that brew SH

[Vossy1]

Hope all goes swell tomorrow SH

[spearmint-wino]

All the best for the brew

[Stonechat]

My thought on seeing the Styrians with the Challenger and Cascade is that they will be completely overwhelmed by the bitterness of the Challenger and the stronger flavour of the Cascade.
I know from reading your posts on hop aging you are keen to use up your old stock and this brew will probably be a real Bramah, but I'd use the Styrians in another brew where there characteristics can come through and up the other two hops for extra bittering.
If you have weighed up already, sorry this post is late and hope the brew goes well tomorrow.

[Gurgeh]

what are the thoughts on the hop rates in Dark Star Sunburst (which I guess you are cloning?)

[SiHoltye]

Yesiree, I love Dark Star Sunburst and would love to produce something like it. The bottle claims these 3 hops and the taste is mostly of bitter grapefruit (guessing Challenger and Cascade). These are all new 2007 hops.

I really don't know how to achieve a bit of each hop in this brew and recommendations are welcome, although perhaps Darkstar have also lost the Styrians. Can't say they're obvious to me.

I've realised I'm brewing Friday, not tomorrow. All thoughts welcome.

[SiHoltye]

Reading again the description of characteristics each hops can impart, it's tempting to move to Challenger for 60 (30IBU), Cascade for 15(8IBU), and Sty or Cascade for Steeping(20g).

Certainly be easier to weigh out!

[Whorst]

10% of 120L crystal seems way too much. You may even get some astringent flavors from it.

[SiHoltye]

Sorry if I have misled through my laziness. My crystal is 120EBC. I think that's around 55L, I just picked the correct EBC from my brewing software when I really should have altered the Lovibond figure before selecting it.

Good spot Whorst, I'll change my software now.

[SiHoltye]

Early tasting suggests not quite the bitter zingyness of Sunburst, thought the bitter flavour is reminiscent of it Perhaps this'll change during maturity, or perhaps a more attenuative yeast might make it drier tasting next time.

[SiHoltye]

These are the notes I've made on this keg so far:

Got false preboil reading of 1.042 @ 62.5°C, (1.058) so rashly added 25g more challenger to balance (not wanting another under hopped brew) reading must've been wrong. Challenger overpowers everything with too bitter and spicy tones (20/06/08.)

Not sure this will improve significantly for another couple of months. BU:GU was over 1. Even when/if the bitterness subsides (will it?) It's all about challenger.

[SiHoltye]

Yes it appears still to be all about the challenger, but not a bad brew. The harshness has rounded out but it's nothing like Darkstar Sunburst. Most like a Challenger hopped S-04 copper coloured bitter. You wouldn't complain about a pint of it but it's a bit dull.