A day spent crouching 16/08/08

[Toast]

Hello chaps.
Today I shall be mostly brewing!

Toast's Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold:

19L Estimated OG 1.041

3.33kg MO
.17kg Torrified wheat
23g Brewer's Gold @ 90
17g Brewer's Gold @ 30
50g Brewer's Gold @ 15
35g Brewer's Gold @ 0
Nottingham yeast

Went to the North Hants brewers meet up and Sarah (hello Sarah) produced a bottle or two of Brewer's Gold that she'd made. Inspired to have a go since hers was sublime.

Then:

Toast's Crouch Vale Best

19L Estimated OG 1.047

3.28kg MO
.07kg Roasted barley
32g Challenger @ 90
18g Challenger @ 15
...and probably chuck another 20g in at flame out
SO4 yeast

Why this one? Because I've got all the ingredients and it seemed right to do two Crouching beers!

Water's on, grains weighed things sterilising (did cornys last night - bought two more, SO says that's it no more kit!) just waiting for strike temp.

[Toast]

Mashed in on the Gold, 25 mins to sparge.
Can't help wandering whether there was something I should have done! Why is that? flicking the bits of grass out of the HLT keeps me amused at least...

[maxashton]

Did you remember the hop strainer, mate?

[Jim]

Two brews in one day! You're keen!

Hope all goes well.

[Toast]

Haha that cheeky hop strainer! Good call but no.
I store the thing in the boiler to prevent that issue occuring.
Running off now to check the HLT temp - it was at 850C so will have to add some cold water methinks.

[Toast]

Two brews in one day! You're keen!

Well I've sort of...drunk everything...oops. And I'm learning and all!

[maxashton]

Careful, adding cold water to superheated water could cause an explosion!



All you forgot is pics!
Piiiiics!

[Toast]

OK here's one

Mashing best on the left boiling gold on the right!
Gotta add some hops now!

[Toast]

50 odd grammes of hops in plus IC...not long till done. 50 mins till other mash complete...should all come together nicely...I hope!

[Toast]

Boiling gold

Managed to stop it boiling over too...I put less in (genius eh?)

[Toast]

Brewer's gold in FV, yeast in and in the shed. Let it rain!
Best is boiling furiously 15min to ic in.
I'm well knackered. My knees really hurt!

[smp465]

Interested in the Brewers Gold, had it on my shortlist since a recent beer festival. Is that recipe the one that made the beer you tasted?

[Toast]

Is that recipe the one that made the beer you tasted?

Yep. sarah handed me her Promash printout so it was a piece of cake sticking it into Beersmith and scaling it.
BTW, the FV smells EXTREMELY hoppy and lovely indeed!
The Best is all done too, washed up and finished at 7pm having started at 10am not pm [edit]
The sample I tried of the BG had a lovely Blackcurrant and grapefruit nose with hints of Turkish Delight.

[Toast]

Cock ups to learn from this time:
Forgot to take the OG on the BG before chucking in the hops. Subsequent reading was deffo suspicious.
Fuse went in the extension lead when sparging the Best and the sparge water temp dropped to 71 from 75.6. Stopped. replaced with other extension lead which has poofy trip switch which tripped again and again. Searched for fuse, nicked one from toaster and carried on...Live and learn!

[Andy]

Nice one toast! Will bump into you at a NH brewers metting soon hopefully (or a cheeky session at the FFF pub in aldershot )