What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[Stu McKinlay]

To an extent...



Some beers go from definite ideas to homebrew to yeastie boys, with a little tweak or two here or there.

That beer was (and still is) a pretty fluid idea that I used some homebrews to develop further... you tasted the very first split first batch (Achouffe v Chimay), which led me down to picking the yeast (Achouffe). I then brewed a couple of pales and bruins with it... the bruin has gone off on its own but the pale ended up back close to the first one was (with a little more malt and a little less alcohol - and a better boil+ferment! props to Steve Nally there). I guess Plan K is still is evolving... Sam and I both loved it and decided to switch our original intended US-style amber ale into a Belgian Amber (Return to Magenta, a little more alcohol and hops than the K. Less dark malt). So, essentially, I looked at everything that had come before and adapted it to suit more hops. I could see it having another incarnation in a year or two. I love where it is now and where it might be headed. I'm almost tempted to bottle it but, to be honest, I'm not really interested in bottling 5% beers. Sam might convince me one day...

[Sam Possenniskie (TGM)]

take note that Stu likes to blame me for his indecision ;)

[Stu McKinlay]

no, just the decisions.

[Llew Bardecki]

Had a big day brewing-wise yesterday.

Bottled my Sorachi Ace American Wheat.

My Feijoa Wit was done its primary fermentation, so I racked it onto the fruit (ended up going with 100g of feijoa flesh per litre of beer.)

And brewed this:
20L batch size

3.00kg Malteruop Pilsner
0.30kg Melanoiden
0.25kg Caramunich II
0.20kg Raw Wheat
0.05kg Carafa Special II

Mashed at 68C

60 minute boil
14g Pacific Jade @ 60 (31 IBU)
25g Fuggles @ 20 (5 IBU)
25g Fuggles @ 0

36 IBU total
1.043 OG
Fermenting with US-05 (some washed yeast from the American Wheat. I usually just throw beer in on top of a partial yeast cake, but that thing had so much trub I pretty much had to wash it.)

I first brewed this recipe to get rid of and/or try out various ingredients, but it turned out so well that I decided to make it again. This time I used raw wheat instead of wheat malt (none left), cut down on the base malt a bit and mashed 0.5 degrees higher

It isn't really any style in particular. It tastes and looks most like a best bitter, though the yeast and some of the grains (melanoiden?!) don't really fit with that. Either way it's tasty. I quite like Fuggles and they really seem to shine with this grain bill.

[Stu McKinlay]

Eastie Boys "Red Angel Dragnet"

GP, Caramalt, Carmunich II, CaraAroma, White Sugar
Sauvin and Pacifica
67c mash
1.070, 48ibu
Chimay yeast, 2nd Gen


just kegged my Triple B Belgian Mild... 4% with hints of spicy banana cake crust... tastes like it is going to be a cracking session beer.

[David McKenzie]

Brewing a dry stout, 1.042OG, 41IBU

I've just overshot my preboil gravity by 7 points. Got 1.042 from both the well stirred samples that i took.

If i was to dilute my wort will that impact the roastiness at all?

I know i could make a bigger beer by upping the IBUs but i really wanted a lower strength version.

[David McKenzie]

Heating up to the boil now, have decided not to dilute it and up the IBU to 45 instead.

Usually my efficiency is in the low 70's but this time was around 85%

Original recipe was out of brewing classic styles;
3.15kg pearl pale ale
0.9kg flaked barley
0.45kg roasted barley
41IBU Target 10.2AA @ 60min

Mashed in at 49C for 15min, increased to 64C for 60min
Batch sparge with 76C water and collected 27L

[Patrick]

Just went and got the ingredients for tomorrows brew, a Munich/Amarillo smash. Cheers to Reviled for the tips!

Brewers coop have some hops on special, NZ cascade for $4 per 100gms, Super Alpha for $2.20, and one other (I think sticklebract?) at $4

I grabbed 200gms of cascade for my next beer, might do another smash - maybe vienna/nz cascade or something.

So get in there you aucklanders and support brewers coop!

[Bambule]

Brewing this tomorrow with my new grain crusher (thanks Studio 1)

The true wheel Saison

3.5kg Golden Promise
2kg Gladfield Organic Pils
0.5kg Weyermann Organic Wheat
0.2kg Weyermann Caramunich II
30IBUs with Nelson Sauvin and Stryian Goldings, maybe some coriander seeds if I'm in the mood
3711
OG 1.060

[Richard Deeble]

Started brewing my first beer today with some friends. Decided to go for Pale Aleish sort of brew after heading out to Brewer's World in the Hutt and buying our gear. We were slightly restricted in our choice of hops but I think we have a combo that should work for a kiwi pale ale, ended up aiming for quite a floral, winey sort of hop character.

Waiapu Pale Ale

23 Litres
3.6kg kg of Muntons Light Malt Extract
250g of Light DME

Boiled 1 Can of extract and the DME for 35 minutes, then added the last can and boiled for 25 mins.

Hopping: 7g of Southern Cross at 60 mins
10 g of Sauvin, 10g of NZ Hallertau at 20mins
10g of Sauvin, 10g of NZ Hallertau at 15 mins
10 g of Sauvin, 10 g, of NZ Hallertau at 10mins
10 g of Sauvin, 10 g of NZ Hallertau, 10g of Southern Cross at 5 mins
10 g of Sauvin, 10 g of NZ Hallertau, 10g of Southern Cross at 0 mins
According to my software its 36 IBU's, but due to my method of boiling the extract it will likely be just over 40. The beer smells fantastic.

OG 1.052

Pitched US-05 at 22 C. I rehydrated the yeast as recommended by John Palmer but had to leave it for longer than I would have liked, as the temperature in the fermenter didn't drop. We used an ice bath to chill the wort, which we got down to 23 degrees in about 30 minutes, but I didn't leave enough time to chill the boiled water I had added to the fermenter before brewing. When I added the wort to the water in the fermenter it was about 30 degrees. Hence I left it to wait from 3 till 11:30 this evening to pitch the yeast...I'm hoping its going to be ok! Next time I will thoroughly chill the boiled water.

[James P]

That's an awesome looking first brew Richard and very good hopping schedule IMHO.

The time lapse for cooling shouldn't be too much of an issue if you were clean and sanitary for your brewing, and ensured your fermenter was sanitised.

If you are adding water to get your volume I would recommend you heat it the night before, and ensure you splash it around a bit just before you add to the fermenter as this will help increase the O2 content to ensure a healthy ferment.

Welcome to the addiction!

[Christian]

Trying something a bit different from my usual Pale Ale's today. Not quite sure what style it is - I'm thinking NZ Bitter, hopefully a bit like Sassy Red.

1.7Kg Mac's Pale Ale LME
1.8Kg Munton's Light LME
50gm Chocolate grain
100gm Brown grain
250gm Crystal grain
Bittering: 50gm Motueka pellets @ 45 mins
Additions: 25gm Motueka pellets @ 30, 15 & 0 mins
Dry hop: 20gm Motueka flowers for 7 days
US-05 yeast
21 Litres