Are Northdown virtually the same as Northern Brewer's (UK - 8%) ?
I adulterated a Birkby Bitter kit with a bit of crystal steeped then boiled with some northern brewers for a few IBU's then steeped a slack handful as well.
The aroma seems quite fine, sort of a muted lemony niff.
Would work well with Styrians I reckon.
Springhead Bitter - 2nd May
-
SteveD
Just read your post on the supping tonight thread, and it's interesting that you noticed the difference in quality in the beer having done a reduced sparge. I definitely think it makes a difference.
There is an easy way to take the guesswork out of reduced sparging, well, sparging in general - a refractometer. First use the sugar point calculation to know how much sugar you need to extract from the mash to get your desired OG and voume.
I don't know if you know this, and forgive me if you do, but sugar points is simply the last 2 digits of OG x volume of required wort in Litres (post boil if you don't want to mess about topping up the FV with water). so say 26L at OG 1041 = 26x41 = 1066 sugar points.
Once you know the sugar point value, you simply monitor the SG and volume of the collected wort in the boiler as the wort is running in, and stop sparging when you hit the sugar points required. Then, top up the boiler to the preboil volume you want to get the required post boil volume, and you're home and dry. The refractometer makes gravity monitoring quick and easy, and you'll hit your target gravities every time because during the boil, you can also monitor the increase in gravity towards the end of the boil time, and switch off just before you hit target gravity.
With batch sparging you note the sugar points from the first run off, then make the second addition, which will be less than half preboil volume if you're going for reduced sparge - how much less is hard to calculate, and I just judge it from experience, but for 36L preboil you'd normally add 18L, but when I go for 70% efficiency, the second add is 13-14L. Record the gravity of that in the mashtun, and then you can work out how many litres of second run you need to hit the total sugar points you need in the boiler.
Easy, innit.
I didn't know about the sugar point thing until I was at Seveneer's for a brewday, and he was using it. Dead simple.
There is an easy way to take the guesswork out of reduced sparging, well, sparging in general - a refractometer. First use the sugar point calculation to know how much sugar you need to extract from the mash to get your desired OG and voume.
I don't know if you know this, and forgive me if you do, but sugar points is simply the last 2 digits of OG x volume of required wort in Litres (post boil if you don't want to mess about topping up the FV with water). so say 26L at OG 1041 = 26x41 = 1066 sugar points.
Once you know the sugar point value, you simply monitor the SG and volume of the collected wort in the boiler as the wort is running in, and stop sparging when you hit the sugar points required. Then, top up the boiler to the preboil volume you want to get the required post boil volume, and you're home and dry. The refractometer makes gravity monitoring quick and easy, and you'll hit your target gravities every time because during the boil, you can also monitor the increase in gravity towards the end of the boil time, and switch off just before you hit target gravity.
With batch sparging you note the sugar points from the first run off, then make the second addition, which will be less than half preboil volume if you're going for reduced sparge - how much less is hard to calculate, and I just judge it from experience, but for 36L preboil you'd normally add 18L, but when I go for 70% efficiency, the second add is 13-14L. Record the gravity of that in the mashtun, and then you can work out how many litres of second run you need to hit the total sugar points you need in the boiler.
Easy, innit.
I didn't know about the sugar point thing until I was at Seveneer's for a brewday, and he was using it. Dead simple.
Last edited by SteveD on Fri May 16, 2008 11:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
Vossy1
-
SteveD
-
Wez
Cheers for the informative post Steve 
the difference is very noticable both to me and Mrs Wez, although I suspected that previous brews were on the thin side and could have used a bit more body I didn't anticipate such a big difference with such a small change to the process, this is definately all-round a 'better beer'.
Thanks for the PM I'll try to get my head around a few calculations based on what you've said on sugar point calculations and will be in touch
the difference is very noticable both to me and Mrs Wez, although I suspected that previous brews were on the thin side and could have used a bit more body I didn't anticipate such a big difference with such a small change to the process, this is definately all-round a 'better beer'.Thanks for the PM I'll try to get my head around a few calculations based on what you've said on sugar point calculations and will be in touch
Gonna run some figures in here in a minute
No I'm not..it's too late
-
SteveD
Cheers Wez,Wez wrote:Cheers for the informative post Steve
Thanks for the PM I'll try to get my head around a few calculations based on what you've said on sugar point calculations and will be in touch
Gonna run some figures in here in a minute
No I'm not..it's too late
Bear in mind - so far your test sample size is 1. One brew alone doth not a sea change in the process make, but I think you might find it's a trend. It does seem simple, doesn't it - chuck a bit more malt in, run a bit less off = better beer!
The thing is it only works if your mashing and sparging technique is good to start with.