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

[Nick T]

With the recent discussions about Flaked Maize, etc , can we assume that corn flakes (eg kellogs) is roughly equivalent to flaked maize? Or not? I am going to brew a special bitter, the recipe calls for 0.5kg of flaked maize. Doesn't seem to be available in Christchurch, so I have 0.5kg of coarse polenta to use instead - however I am not sure if I can be arsed doing a separate parallel cereal mash for this, and therefore would be happy to hear that cornies is a suitable substitute in the main mash. Any thoughts? Or is there another substitute altogether that is useable?

[Nick T]

Yep, did it ever, trying to get it to stop now! Its down to 1004, I hope it does not have an infection - though I guess that when it sort of stalled in the high 20's there would have been enough alcohol by then to ward off any other beasties. I understand that anything down to 1002 is 'normal' for a saison, but it does taste a bit tart, don't know if this is right or not. Just making up some finings now to throw in before crash cooling it tonight. And waiting for my year-old harvested1968 yeast to get going in a starter I put down Monday morning.....(optimist that I am...)..

[Nick T]

I chucked in a rehydrated sachet of US-05, perhaps I should have used half that. It took a couple of days to get going, but then it really took off!
Will make up some more starter wort now....

[jt]

No problem with a sticky mash with the braid obviously ?

[Doublehoppy]

Interesting, I suppose it's effectively the same as using Torrified wheat or wheat malt. I use 250gm wheat malt per 23L brew pretty much in everything for head retention. Very happy with results.

[Mike Neilson]

I wouldnt worry about wheetbix but I would be worried about the 5g of Calcium Carbonate in the mash!!! What mash ph you aiming for?

[Tony]

Not so much for the ph, Mike. We have very 'soft' water here, with very little hardness or mineral content. I am simply trying to harden or 'Burtonise' the water a little to give some character and boost the hops a little. I would go for cornflakes or wheatbix before Torrified or wheat malt, Brett. Simply because it's cheaper and acheives the same result, probably with less. I use 6 wheatbix or 120 g, which is more than enough. In this lat beer, I only used 3. I was trying to acheive a Dortmund/NZ style lager.

[Mike Neilson]

To Burtonise the water your trying to recreate the waters found in Burton on Trent. The water found in these wells percolates through beds of gypsum and epsom salts. To acheive this at home, you would add these minerals: Calcium Sulphate and Magnesium Sulphate having calcium and magnesium in the water is what hardens your water. I'm not having a go at you, but other people read this forum, and it's better to not misinform them. If you added Gypsum into your mash instead of chalk you would acheive greater mash efficiency, better enzyme activity and lower mash pH. When you are adding chalk to your mash you are actually creating a problem for yourself by increasing the alkalinty of the mash (increase in mash ph), leading to extraction of tanins and phenols in the malt.

Better info can be found here: http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15.html

[Tony]

Thanks Mike, good advice. It should have been gypsum

[Mike Neilson]

Next up for the handpull

English IPA

93.6% Bairds Maris Otter
4% Thomas Fawcett Light Crystal
2% Bairds Medium Crystal
.4% Bairds Chocolate

67 Degree Mash

20g Styrian Goldings @ 60
30g Styrian Goldings @ 20
60g Styrian Goldings @ 10
50g Styrian Goldings dryhop for 5 Days

1.050 - 1.012 5% Abv
40 Ibu
Wyeast 1318
Served Flat in a bag!!

[Bambule]

Looks good Mike, I have a thing for styrian goldings lately. Must get on to having another crack at english styles again

Just brewed this today
3kg Gladfield Organic Pilsner
2kg Weyermann Organic Vienna
0.2kg 80L Crystal
25 g NZ cascade 60
50 g NZ cascade 10
25g NZ cascade 0
Wyeast 1450- First time with this one.

OG was 1.054

[Mike Neilson]

I was actually thinking about the 2010 NZ Cascade at the moment and thinking it would be so so good with it!! I thought I would be on the NZ hop find out its nuts and bolts campaign but going by this years hops it would be a waste of time, this years hops are so so much diffrent than last years!! anyone else agree? these hops just seem so pungent and Higher in AA Pungent in a way that say if you you used green bullet as a early gift bitterer it would come through as a flavour addition than a bitterer? And that may not be a good thing if you wernt shooting for it, Its not a good thing nor a bad thing, im just wondering if it would be a waste of time devoting a lot of brewing if they were going to change again so quickly