Badger Best

[Scooby]

Was going to brew Gales HSB but found I was short of a few ingredients so decided to go for Badger Best, DL of course.

In an effort to improve my brews I spent a tenner on a water filter, Andy and DaaB mentioned them in recent posts, and to lower my mash ph used Phosphoric acid as per Steve flack's recommendation. What a relief, no boiling and racking plus for the first time a ph of 5.3 with the addition of 7.5ml phosphoric acid never got lower than 5.6-5.7 before.

I also feel that my brews lack hop aroma, so I cobbled together a hop back to see if that will help rectify things

Bit of a pigs ear but it worked with no leaks, if the results are positive I will try to improve it, a hop filter in place of the nylon bag for a start.

The day went well, efficiency in the low 80s, just wating for signs of activity from WLP002 and see how it compares with the Wyeast, it was just a unspectacular in the starter.

[eskimobob]

Intereting looking device Scooby. Any chance of a picture of it exploded (as it were)...

[Scooby]

Sure thing EB, I will get some pics tomorrow.

[SteveD]

Was going to brew Gales HSB but found I was short of a few ingredients so decided to go for Badger Best, DL of course.

Both nice pints! Where do you live? Interesting looking device. I'm curious too.

HSB is a toughie. It's got a mature complex sour note to it and I think it's a blend of their weaker BBB bitter (or BB, not quite sure) and their Prize Old Ale, which would give it its strong ale complexity. I'd imagine it would be quite hard to replicate using one conventional mash.

I think Gale's has been bought out by Hall & Woodhouse. The cynics in the know are waiting for brewing to stop and the brewery demolished to make way for flats

[Vossy1]

Nice hop back scoobs

I too have been thinking about making one of these for my pale ales

Will be interesting to hear your results

[moorsd]

[quote="SteveD"][quote="Scooby"]
I think Gale's has been bought out by Hall & Woodhouse.

I live in Hampshire (where Gales once was!) and it's actually Fullers that have taken them over....much to my disappointment a local once Gales owned pub has now stopped serving HSB and BB and started offering London pride and Golden Glory or something I've stopped drinking in there....just not the same

[SteveD]

I think Gale's has been bought out by Hall & Woodhouse.

I live in Hampshire (where Gales once was!) and it's actually Fullers that have taken them over....much to my disappointment a local once Gales owned pub has now stopped serving HSB and BB and started offering London pride and Golden Glory or something I've stopped drinking in there....just not the same

Sorry, my mistake. The mention of Badger got Hall & Woodhouse into my head. As much as Fullers has good beers, they should stick to London...Isn't that a big enough market??!! Leave the regionals alone.

[Scooby]

I think the reason for that DaaB is the amount of beers they brew, 4 seasonal cask ales and 11 others some only available in bottles some draught and bottles. They seem to have something to suit every taste and occasion

[Scooby]

I've got some pics of the hop back, I don't claim that it is the last word in sophistication, all the bits where found in the garage or kitchen cupboard but it did the job.

I'm sure most of you know the theory of the hop back, but for those of you who are unsure here is why I decided to try it.

Hops require a long boil to extract all their bittering qualities, unfortunately aroma oils are driven off and evaporate with the water.

Most brewers add hops towards the end or at the end of the boil, or dry hop to counteract this.

The idea of the hop back is that the hops in my case 10g Goldings are placed in the hop back, a sealed container, (I used a nylon bag but some kind if manifold, braid filter or pan scrubber would be better) with the in feed from the boiler and the out flow to a CFC.

As the hot wort flows through it infuses with the hops and extracts the aroma oils, as it is sealed there is no evaporation, the wort flows out and on through the CFC so the aroma oils are 'sealed in' so to speak.

[steve_flack]

Last time I was in Somerfield's they were doing Badger Original for a quid a bottle. It's quite nice. I usually find their beers a bit too sweet but this one actually had a nice bit of hops in it.

[Scooby]

Check this out Steve;

http://www.hall-woodhouse.co.uk/beers/compare/index.asp

It's an interesting site

[Scooby]

Checked to see how the brew was progressing, sg, sniff and quick slurp etc, it's early days but seem to be noticeable differences from my other brews, they all had a predominantly malty nose with hops in the background, this one has a much more floral nose albeit very soft and mild with a more fruity malt in the background

It must be said that I did incorporate other changes that will have their own effect, the water filter, phosphoric acid to lower ph and more importantly WLP002 but it looks promising

Have made a mod to the hop back and will be posting that in equipment.

[Scooby]

Just racked into secondary and things seem to be shaping up well, a definite improvement in hop aroma and flavour. I added aux to the primary 3 days ago and was crystal clear on racking, still added isinglass though.

One of the reasons I rack to secondary is because I like the results of aux/isinglass and they can't be used together, I agree with DaaB regarding the advantages of longer in primary and no secondary, and imo for me conical is the way to go. SS is just to pricey, the Minibrew plastic one www.minibrew.com is £100 from the States but shipping doubles that. They tell me a guy called Simon Scott has a HB store here and is considering importing them, will probally still be too pricey though.

[Garth]

Scooby, great link, those plastic conicals look the biz, still think they are too pricey, after all it's just plastic, if I had £600+ lying around I would be getting a stainless, but I haven't, but would consider one of those placcy ones if the price came down, wonder if H&G have considered getting them in?

nice hopback BTW, I feel my brews although really good, also lack hop aroma, gonna try dry hopping on the next brew and see what that does.

I find some of Badgers brews to be floral, 'something' Glory, didn't like that one and they do a one called Blanford Fly, to be honest I found it disgusting, full of spice taste, not my cup of tea at all. which is strange as I enjoy drinking all other decent beer styles

[Scooby]

£600 is pricey for something that is just stainless after all

Plastic is fine Garth

I always dry hop but so far it looks like the hop back beats it hands down adding flavour as well.

Golden glory has extract of peach to give a peachy/melon aroma. With Blanford fly its ginger. Badger seem to have attacked the supermarket shelves with a huge variety of bottled beers. I really like their cask brews.

http://www.hall-woodhouse.co.uk/beers/b ... /index.asp