Double brew day - Wherry & Hobgoblin

[crow_flies]

I've decided I need to brew even though the shiny isnt here yet, so am going to kick my sone out of his pit and he can help finish the Wherry kit he bought at uni (he thought it just magically turned into a barrel of Wherry on exposure to water). I am also doing an AG Hobgoblin, though as I've not brewed for a while it will have to be a bit of a compromise. Its based on Orfys clone:

Hobgoblin II (Orfys Clone)
Brew Type: All Grain Date: 24/09/2007
Style: English Old Ale Brewer: Robert Franklin
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Volume: 27.79 L Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 73.0 % Equipment: 23 litres

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.80 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.0 EBC) Grain 91.6 %
0.20 kg Cara-Pils/Dextrine (5.0 EBC) Grain 3.2 %
0.20 kg Crystal Malt (120.0 EBC) Grain 3.2 %
0.10 kg Chocolate Malt (500.0 EBC) Grain 1.6 %
0.03 kg Black (Patent) Malt (1100.0 EBC) Grain 0.5 %
20.00 gm Progress [5.80%] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 11.0 IBU
20.00 gm Styrian Goldings [3.80%] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 7.3 IBU
15.00 gm Fuggles [4.50%] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 6.5 IBU
20.00 gm Styrian Goldings [3.80%] (30 min) Hops 3.2 IBU
15.00 gm Fuggles [4.50%] (30 min) Hops 3.1 IBU
15.00 gm Fuggles [4.50%] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
20.00 gm Styrian Goldings [3.80%] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Gervin English Ale Yeast [Starter 100 ml] Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.060 SG (1.060-1.100 SG)
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.017 SG (1.015-1.025 SG)
Estimated Color: 26.9 EBC (23.6-31.5 EBC) Color
Bitterness: 31.2 IBU (30.0-60.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 2.3 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 5.6 % (6.0-10.0 %)


I have a few bits missing - like I dont have any black - any thoughts on what i can do to get round this chaps? I've got some liquid caramel or I could quickly roast some chocolate?????

I also am missing progress, but I will substitute a mix of fuggle & Kent goldings (according to hopunion paper I have these are good substitutes.

thoughts chaps?

filtered water for the Wherry is heating (I like to boil it all), have added a tab to get rid of any chlorine. I'll also chuck in a handfull of Styrians at the end to give it back some aroma..

I'm off to fire up big bertha on the gas for AG......

Do we want pics?

/CF

[AT]

Of course we want pics

Have a good brewday

[prodigal2]

yes pics would be great CF.

So a Wherry kit, that now ups your clone attempts does it not CF?

[crow_flies]

thanks guys.... well bit of a disaster - well almost on the wherry front - my plastic boiler started leaking as I added the malt - thinks....why did the power just go off, hmmm won't stay on...hmm what's that dripping at my feet. - aghhhhh!!!

anyhow it was just below the boil, and fortunately had already steralised the FV, so just had to xfer into it -I'll just seal it and leave to cool till tonight. Being a day for cock ups, i also forgot to tie the muslin bag in my panic with the leaking boiler, so I've also got a few loose hops in there.

Back to the new garage brewery....big bertha is on the gas and filling with water..... another job - the bloody tap leaks in the garage, hence the bucket catching the water!


Big Bertha!


bloody tap!

/CF

[Vossy1]

Sounds like a hassel free brew day
Hope it gets better

[crow_flies]

So a Wherry kit, that now ups your clone attempts does it not CF?

I've not given up the quest.....I have a ready supply at the Fisherman's return all of 2 mins walk away - so expect the clone to get closer!

Actually I noticed my first bitter brewed here, with fuggles and goldings was not a million miles from the taste - must be the water!

/CF

[crow_flies]

Just who said I liked wherry anyway???





/CF

[prolix]

Sounds like you are having fun, glad you have trip switches

[crow_flies]

mashed at 65c, couple of pics: -


grain mixed and ready to go


mash tun cooling to strike temp...

more later
/cf

[crow_flies]

All done! - decided to batch sparge - just cos its simple. unfortunately as feared I was just short of volume in the FV due to the size of the boiler - it seems to evap a lot off. I topped up with some kettle boiled, filtered, CRS treated water.

I amazed at the clarity of the beer i can brew here - the beer came out of the Boiler absolutely crystal clear, I showed a glass of it my son and he remarked 'its like the finished product'. Colour is looking spot on for Hobgoblin, will have to do a side/side comparison once its ready. I measured the SG and its just about spot on 1060 - so all in all things have gone well after the hiccups at the start

here is a picture of the kids tucked up in bed.



/CF

[crow_flies]

Just bottled the hobgoblin - been on secondary for a week, completely clear. One concern though - when I bottled it I saw it was fizzing, panic - checked the gravit and it was around 1012. What I decided to do, was go ahead and bottle it without adding any sugars to the bottles. I'm hoping the fermentation with finish off now and carbonate the bottles. anyone ever taken this approach.

I would have left it, but anyone that's spent 2 hrs washing, scrubbing and rinsing 40+ bottles will tell you what a PITA it is.....

I guess there can be 3 outcomes

1) I'm right and it will be delicious and fizzy
2) I'm wrong and it will be flat - guess that can be rectified by uncapping and adding sugar later
3) I'm wrong and it will still overcarbonate and BOOM!

/CF

[crow_flies]

cheers daab, think i will do what you say....

on the slab, that is history now - big bertha had her first leccy element fitted along with sight tubes as part ofhte crowflies brewery refit.

Still lots to do, but hope to have it all completed by the end of the summer. No doubt will do a brew half way - using manumatic procedures if the brwery is finished!

/CF

[crow_flies]

good idea - what would be the best yeast to use? I have some nottingham, some s04 and a pack of lager yeast.....

[crow_flies]

well I went with the lager yeast, one thing I hadnt reckoned on was the sugar solution releasing all the CO2 in solution, that was fun! - had to flick a little out of each bottle, then get the new cap ready, squirt, on, push quick..... as the swell of fizz could be seen rising up each bottle

ah well wait and see now i guess - I can vouch for its strength - i drank one and used half the other one to mix the sugar and yeast. I was carbonated in the bottle, but still quite sweet - about as carbonated as a hand pump pint - maybe a little less.

I can definitely feel my head swimming.....
/CF

[crow_flies]

darn, my grass got my shots worth.... yes I did mix sugar and yeast in beer from a bottle I opened - drank half - half for the mix.

Well now I have 40 bottles of flatter cloudy beer - fingers crossed it will solve it.

At least the lager yeast mean it should ferment even at the 16c/17c in the garage - if I remember the lager yeast doesnt really get that excited in the wort, so little evidence of it working until there is carbonation and yeast crud at the bottom of the bottle I guess.

cheers for the advice Daab.

/CF