AG #3: Kamikaze (With Pics)

[Grahame]

Hi guys,

Just started my third AG this morning. I have learned a lot from my first two brews and consequently have made a few modifications to my equipment - hopefully the day will go smooth, anyway recipe is as follows:

Brew Length: 21L

90 Minute mash @ 65C:
3.67Kg Halcyon Pale Malt
440g Wheat Malt
440g Caramalt

90 Minute boil:
19g Fuggles (4% AA) for 90 mins
21g Northdown (8.4% AA) for 90 mins
19g Bobek (3% AA) for 15 mins

Yeast will be SO4

Pictures of my progress so far are below, I will update as the day progresses...

Ingredients removed from store


Grain weighed out and ready


Hops (From left to right, fuggles, northdown, bobek)


Dough in @ 65C


pH somewhere between 5.2 and 5.5, with no special water treatment


All wrapped up and mashing



G.

[Duncndisorderly]

Good post, love the piccies

[jonnyv]

Looks great - good luck with the rest of the day

[booldawg]

Wish I was that organised! My brew days are chaotic with kit all over the place. Hope all goes well, enjoy the day and dont forget to crack open a beer once the boil is underway

[flytact]

Looks great!
What are you planning on getting from the Bobek?

[Grahame]

Quick update of progress so far and to answer questions.

The brew is currently boiling and the modifications I made to my kit have worked wonders. My two main problems were sticking mashes, and boil overs. I sawed about twice the amount of slits in the mash tun manifold and it ran off beautifully, without a hint of slow down, so well happy. By reducing the brew length from 23L to 21L, I have eliminated the boil over issue and will end up with just the right amount to fill a corny.

flytact, I think I am right in believing bobek are a copy of styrian hops? If so, I am hoping for a slightly "citrusy" taste in the final product. Hope that is right!

Anyway, pics so far:

First batch of water in


Collecting first runnings...


... And recirculating


Nice clear run off


Spent grain


Hot break forming


Boil started and first hops in


Boiling away nicely


As per booldawgs advice, a pint of AG #2. Still a bit cloudy but tastes bloody marvellous


Cheers guys

G.

[Vossy1]

Looking good Q

[Stringy Bob]

Great pics - quick question (Im sure Ive read the answer somewhere on here but I cant remember) - why do you lay the tin foil on the grains when recirculating the runnings?

[maxashton]

It's to stop the lautering from digging trenches in your grain bed. Helps with efficiency. I personally don't bother, mainly out of laziness

[Grahame]

That's me all finished, cleaned and tidied. Collected 21L at 1.044 (was expecting 1.048 @ 75% efficiency so my efficiency has dropped a bit to 69% for this brew, I think next time I will calculate my ingredients for 70% to be safe).

Pics of the rest of the day:

Last hops, IC, & Whirlfloc tablet in


IC doing it's thing


Collecting the cooled wort in the fermenter


Nicely Aerated


G.

[adm]

Nice job. Love the head on the FV!

[maxashton]

Haha that's one hell of a lot of foam there. Nice one.

[ECR]

Looks like you had a great day

[coatesg]

Good show - your kitchen looks far too tidy for a brewday!

[Grahame]

Good show - your kitchen looks far too tidy for a brewday!

Unfortunately I am a bit anal about being tidy, I find I spend most of my time waiting on the mash and boil to finish cleaning up and making the final clean easier

The beer has a lovely thick head on it this morning, cant wait until this one is ready!

G.