AG#041 - Yellowbelly Best

[SiHoltye]

Hello,

Have considered maturation time between now and Xmas and switched my planned Mild for a Best today. The quicker maturation of the mild means I can do it next and it'll still be ready, whereas the best with higher ABV and hop rate needs the extra couple of weeks, organised aren't I???

Anyway, it's basically Briars Best with a small elderflower addition. This will be only my 2nd pale brew with the alkalinity adjusted to 25 CaCO3 ppm and having target liquor minerals added.

Ingredients
25L, 90min mash @ 68°C, 90 min boil, ferment @ 19°C, Water profile: Bitter
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.63 kg Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 90.00 %
0.40 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 55L (120.0 EBC) Grain 10.00 %
45.00 gm Challenger [6.32 %] (90 min) Hops 28.0 IBU
15.00 gm Challenger [6.32 %] (15 min) Hops 4.3 IBU
30.00 gm Challenger [6.32 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
10.00 gm Elderflower (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.043 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.13 %
Bitterness: 32.3 IBU
Est Color: 16.0 EBC

Am using S04 and not choosing a tasty liquid yeast because, this'll be the first use of S04 having treated the water correctly and so my first experience of how the yeast is intended to participate. Nothing new in procedure/technique, just hoping for a calm sneeky midweek brewday

[Matt]

Sounds good, have a smooth brewday Si.

Matt

[SiHoltye]

Cheers Matt,

After sparging I topped up the boiler cos I was 1L short on predicted, then took the pre-boil gravity reading. It was under gravity by a dilution factor of +1L . Boil coming to an end now so keen to see what OG is. Re-hydrating S04 is such a doddle, and lets you brew at the drop of a hat. Hope this tastes good, I could get used to not making starters for a while

Nice quiet brewday

[SiHoltye]

26L @ 1.040, all tucked in now. Just the clearing up left to do

[Matt]

Nice one.

Was the Elderflower your own?

[SiHoltye]

No. Purchased dried from H&G.
Down to 1.028 in 24hrs, drop of 12 points . Love S-04 for that and it's sedimenting.

[Matt]

I foresee a graph

I need to get brewing myself, I discovered last night that my batch with home grown hops is infected

[SiHoltye]

Oh no what a bummer Matt.

graph

[SiHoltye]

Kick on S-04! 1.013 after 48hrs.

[SiHoltye]

The FG has come out a little high. I'd wanted it down at 1.010. I'm thinking that's down to operator error . When i checked the temp at the end of the mash it was 68°C, now I reckon to lose a degree+abit over a 90 min mash so conducting the mash so high I've extracted more of the big long hard for yeast to break down sugars(66-69), and less of the smaller more readily available sugars(62-65). Those bracketted figures are my in head references for achieving a more full bodied beer or a drier beer. Lesson learned - don't rush the dough in temp test

[SiHoltye]

Sneaky pre-christmas sample tonight, really really pleased, best best bitter with elderflower influence I've made. Better than the stiff squirrel thingy, down to water treatment probably. Really pleased. Recommended by me