Light Pilsner with smoked malt

[Cheshire-cheese]

Yesterday morning I started brewing. Got up early to get the water heating up, then went back to bed.
Got up raring to go, feeling smug at being prepared, only to find that I couldn't lay my hands on the tap for my mash tun
So my early start was scuppered and by the time I found my taps (in the glove box of my car, naturally) the early start was pointless.

3kg Pilsner Malt
500g Smoked Malt (Rauchmalz)
13 litres water
3-4ml lactic acid 80%

perhaps overdid the acid but it's an experiment so I may as well take it to the extreme to see the result (ok, ok, I was a little heavy handed)

New sparging thingy design:


Very light on the hops:




Slightly over the intended OG 0f 1.046:

So watered down to the right strength.

Now in the garage with a thermostatic heater immersed in the beer.

[Cheshire-cheese]

Other facts and figures for future reference:

90 minute mash @ 65C
90 minute boil
38g Hallertau Hersbrucker hops 2.2% alpha acids
Small teaspoon of protafloc used 15 mins from the end of the boil
Post boil volume: 14 litres OG 1.054
Made up to 16.5 litres
Yeast: Brewferm Lager yeast.
Fermentation thermostat set to 14-15C

[Cheshire-cheese]

Yeastcam:

[WishboneBrewery]

Check out the magic levitating sieve!!!

[Cheshire-cheese]

Check out the magic levitating sieve!!!

I now for my next trick...

Spoon, jar, jar spoon

[Tony01]

I can't see any of the images, is this an issue at my end?

[Cheshire-cheese]

I can't see any of the images, is this an issue at my end?

I assume so.


Diacetyl rest starts now.

[Cheshire-cheese]

I'll be racking into secondary with gelatine finings this weekend. Took a sneaky taste last night and it's shaping up: clean, crisp, light and a subtle smokiness.

[Cheshire-cheese]

In secondary now, with 2 tsp gelatine in 100ml hot water with 1 tsp white sugar and transferred to the garage with no heating.

[Cheshire-cheese]

In a cornie and in the fridge now

[Cheshire-cheese]

Crystal clear and no polyclar added this time, still needs longer to carbonate. It's just lively at the moment, needs some fizz to make up for the lower alcohol IMO

[Cheshire-cheese]

Still needs to be much fizzier. I wonder if my fridge is cold enough

[Cheshire-cheese]

I don't understand it. It's been in the fridge for a good while now ramped up to 40psi at 3 degrees C. When poured, even after releasing much of the pressure, I get a couple of mm of clear beer then a pint of foam. When it all settles to a clear beer, it's still only lively at best. I'm aiming for a really fizzy pint.

[mysterio]

You need longer and thinner beer line, CC.

3/16 id beer line around 4 - 5 feet is about what you need for a lager, you won't need to drop the pressure every time you want to serve either. It will pour out like a pub lager tap.

[Cheshire-cheese]

What fitting do you use to join it with the 10mm beer line?