Brew Day - 7/7/07

[steve_flack]

The mash is nearly done so a quick post

A beer inspired by Duvel - called Seven - a bit of an evil film and also because of the date. The OG will be 1.070. Expected ABV 7.8%. 28 IBU.

For 20L

Lager Malt 5.65kg
Munich Malt 130g
Wheat Malt 130g

Mash at 64C

In the Copper

NZ Green Bullet (12%) 20g - at start
Saaz (3.2%) 40g - 20 from end
Saaz (3.2%) 10g - at turn off

Sugar 660g added 10 minutes from end.

Ferment with Wyeast 1388

[DRB]

Nice and strong,something to warm you up in the winter.
Have a good one .

[steve_flack]

First one for a while? Any mods to the system?

Yeah...first one for a while....I had no room in the freezer for any more!

No mods this time but it's the first time in a long while that I've used Wyeast and I've been playing with making up yeast slants/slopes for long term storage.

[notassuch]

Good looking brew there, Steve.
Enjoy your brewday.

[steve_flack]

Brewlab will sell you blank slants as well as various other bits of kit.

[Garth]

Have a good brewday Steve,

sorry OT, also can you post or redirect me to your Mild recipe, I can't seem to find it anymore. Probably going to do it tomorrow, Thanks

[steve_flack]

The mild's here

Just cooling the wort now. I had to do a 2 hour boil as I got too much wort (good efficiency though). Should be all wrapped soon.

[J_P]

Sounds like everything went smoothly there Steve. The brew will certainly warm your cockles at nearly 8% ABV

[steve_flack]

I didn't aim for higher but its just that to get my recirculation to work I need a thin mash....and I put too much in the second sparge. So it was mostly my own fault

Batch Sparging is predictable if you actually put the right volumes in

On the plus side the Wyeast is going great guns. I had bubbling in the airlock in under two hours and it was thrashing away in under 8. I had a 1.2L starter.

The brewlabs yeast supplies are the least advertised thing in the world. I dunno how much they charge for a blank slant but I know they do sell them - my guess is about £1.50-£2 though. They do about a dozen British ale yeasts on slants and two lager strains. They charge £3.50 per slant with yeast on it.

If you email them they'll send you a list. You could try ringing but you'll probably get the answerphone

Brewlab Ltd, Darwin Annexe, University of Sunderland, Chester Road, Sunderland, SR1 3SD

Tel: 0191 515 2535
email: info@brewlab.co.uk

[mixbrewery]

I've only ever used dried yeast, what's all this -

yeast slants/slopes

[steve_flack]

Dried Yeast = Dessicated yeast in packet. Advantages - cheap, good cell counts, easy to use. Disadvantages - Limited range of yeasts and flavours.

Liquid Yeasts = Wyeast and White Labs. Advantages - wide range of interesting yeasts for varied flavours and styles. Disadvantages - cost, need to make starter. Not as easy to use. Poor shelf life compared to dried.

Slopes (UK)/Slants (US)= Live yeast sitting on solid agar medium in a tube. Generally used by advanced homebrewers as a way to make liquid yeasts more economical. With a bit of skill and good luck with sanitation you can make one pack of wyeast last forever by reculturing every so often. Brewlabs sell their strains in this format. Shelf life in fridge 4-6 months but can be recultured onto fresh agar. In use similar advantages and diadvantages to liquid yeasts. In essence a slope is a bit like a miniture petri dish but in a test tube format.

[mixbrewery]

Thanks for that Steve - I guess having your lab background helps you get into this more technical aspect a bit easier.

[steve_flack]

I'm not a biologist though....

I've generally buggered up every biological assay I've tried to do. I can make a slant in my pressure cooker without getting bugs in it though.

[maxashton]

Some of the chemistry skills transfer very well.
I almost went to uni for biochemistry, but this was long before my brewing hobby.

Even now i'm considering doing a course. My local 'tec has some rudimentary brewing curricula.

[maxashton]

Slants are little tubes filled with Agar or suitable medium. They're sterile. The idea is you put your yeast sample in there, and can store it long-term knowing its in an otherwise sterile environment.

When you come to use it, you make a starter up based on the slant, until you have a sufficient quantity of viable yeast to pitch into yout wort.