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

[Grant R Baker]

It gives your beer a little hint of the scotch used.. not overpowering but just an extra tang on the palette.

It really depends on the whiskey used... nothing 'varnish' recommend the boys here at work. So in the end a 8year old Glenndronich was selected (sherry barrel aged whiskey)

 

Sprint&Fern use to do a Whiskey Porter that was very nice and Mikes does a Whiskey Porter that is also tasty.

I originally made both a Whiskey Porter and a Whiskey Ale... I prefer the Ale, but it was about 60/40 in favour of the Whiskey Porter when I brought some into work for a wee test.

[Crusader-Rob]

Sounds like a winner, when winter comes i might bang a som whiskey in a beer. cheers for the hint.

[Grant R Baker]

Just a wee update.  I just bottled the Whiskey Real Ale into 500ml glass bottles... made up 53 of the lovely brews.  The Wife walks in and and says "That smells damn good!".

So I think we have a winner here.

OG=1.059

FG=1.012   so a littler over 6%. I think the whiskey push the % just a notch higher.

 

Sediment in the secondary vessel was a thin wee cover of which nearly nothing went into the bottles. 

Looking good for the wife's event do.  27th of Feb is sampling day.

[sockmerchant]

I have a Belgian Blonde that's just about ready to keg. 

Tomorrow i am brewing an imperial(ish) oatmeal stout inspired by the Epic coffee and fig.

Then on Monday (yay Auckland anniversary!) I will be brewing a Belgian golden strong

[Hamish Jones]

Just got an Irish red ale mashing a the moment

5.435 kg	GladField Pale Ale (5.5 SRM)
0.165 kg	Caraaroma (130.0 SRM)
0.165 kg	Crystal Malt - 40L
0.118 kg	Biscuit Malt
0.059 kg	Chocolate Malt
36.000 g	Goldings, East Kent - 60.0 min
4.000 g	Amarillo Gold - 40.0 min
10.000 g	Styrian Goldings 15.0 min
0.32 tsp	Irish Moss
10.000 g	Styrian Goldings 0.0 min
1.0 pkg	Irish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1084)

[Peter Smith]

This is not grandpa’s homebrew.

 

I am now a “real” brewer, well real in as much as I get up at 5am to start and start with grains rather then a tin opener.

 

I approached my first all grain brew session with a lot of anticipation, fear and other emotions.  I was spurred onwards by a member here who said you just have to give it a go and what great advice…  onwards   

 

So a quick rundown of my kit

 

I have a 70L kettle, with 2 x 2kw elements in it, each off a 10A socket.  I have a 40L pot with “legs” attached and holes cut in the bottom as per a sieve. A brew bag sits in this with bull clips on the top, so essentially BIAB.   I have no wort chiller something I will discuss later….

 

I had done a few dry, or rather wet, runs to see how long it took to heat to strike (which was a guess anyway for me) how quickly I lost heat, time to boil etc, still there is so much to think about vs opening a can… onwards

 

4:30am and the alarm gores off,  the rationale is that if I get up early I will finish early and have “family” time left in the day,  this was a good idea but after all the banging and crashing in the dark , by 6am I have a 4 and a 5 years old helping me…

 

Water hits my proposed strike temp of 68 degrees after only 35min, great in goes the grains over 3mins slow stir etc, no dry clumps.  Damn the temp drops top 62 mmm    all the advice said 2 degree drop…..  I have no real “idea” of the desried water amounts so run with 37L in the system (going for standard 23L batch).

 

Heaters on and back to 65 PDQ , ok I did a 60min mash temp up at end to 72 and out no sparge, added heat about 4 times so I lose a lot of heat, not sure whats happening here.  After grains are out I have 33.5 of water , I think I mashed a bit below 65 prob 63 ish ned to mash higher. But I am making a blonde so it wont matter too much onwards to boil.

 

30 mins later I have a rolling boil aiming for 60min boil, in go 15g of pacific glade for bittering.

This bit poses no issues, I leave lid off? Condensation starts forming above and its now dripping on me, next time lid partially on, was much discussion at brewerscoop today regarding this….

 

At 10min in go so wai-iti, nel sav and nz cascade and some koppa floc, flamne out comes quickly and now what watch I guess, damn this takes time to cool,   no point even trying to whirlpool till the heat convections stop, there are hops rotating in there by themselves …    after 30 mins I whirlpool and get some satisfaction, syphone out ½ the batch and cool in a portable pool,,   man this is harder then it needs to be…  can see need for wort chiller now…

 

Manage to get all wort to around 45degrees this way in an hour or so, and into a 23L carboy , if this stuff ever cools to 28 I can pitch,   clean up and leave it to cool, take kids cycling on north shore track get home at 5pm, worth still 30 degress, nuts…

 

About 7pm I pitch rehydrated us-05 and hope that nothing ugly has already taken hold, wake up this am to investigate and have a great fermentation going but at 21 degrees… mmm need wort chiller and fermentation fridge….

 

This is addictive but feels good.   OG was 1.045 aiming for 1.055 I did no sparge as per aussie no sparge biab, after todays brewers-coop counseling session (cheaper then normal shrink and with bag of grain thrown in) I am going to try a sparge in my process,  while the bag and sieve sits above kettle.  will start with 21L in the mash going to 17 after mash out, 10L sparge hoping for a 23L batch, also beefed up grain bills due to ameture efficiency results....

Guy -  I hope you dont mind I just copied your IPA  grain bill for a Wednesday brewup (on leave all week)

going to go heavy on us cascade and zyphos hops on the dry hop, will have a wort chiller for this batch

[Crusader-Rob]

Brewing this up on the weekend, via Mini BIAB, with small Sparge step.

Smoke-Stack Porter

Mashing at 69 deg C for 60 mins, would you recommend adding the dark malts at the start for a porter? or add with 15-20mins left??

OG 1.056

FG: 1.014

11litre Batch

aiming for 70% efficiency

1kg maris otter
1kg Smoke Malt
0.5kg Brown Malt

0.2kg Med Crystal
0.15kg Pale Chocolate
0.15kg torrified wheat
50g Black Patent

8g Columbus @ 60

10g willamette @30

10g Willamette @1

Hopefully use Wyeast 1028, if not then it'll be S-04

[Scarrfie]

I usually put them in for 30-45 mins as there is some conversions going on over and above what you get from steeping.

[Crusader-Rob]

right, I'm looking for a good solid Porter, with a good bit of smokiness. if i add at half way, is that ok? It's my first dark AG beer, so i'm thinking 30mins of 60 for darker malts to go in?

[Scarrfie]

yeah that will be fine Rob :-) Even the crystal can join the roast and choc at 30 mins as they have already been converted. 

[Cain Harland]

IPA based on Yeastie boys digital IPA (great recipe thanks Yeasties for open sourcing). Their recipe tasted great in this one I have replaced all the hops.

Wheat ale hopped with lots of zythos and sauvin

[Crusader-Rob]

by the way, does anyone have a rough idea of the hops schedule for the Epic Zythos?