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

[Mike Neilson]

I cant believe I missed out by $5!! I thought it was going to go for more hence why I stopped bidding, probably a good thing though one of us would of end up paying more!! congrats anyway I will still have to keep dreaming of it!!

[Stu McKinlay]

I didn't realise it was you bidding Mike... only name I noticed was Lorelei who came along to a couple of SOBA nights last year. and that Hamilton guy who dropped out earlier ;-)

[Stu McKinlay]

You should be saving your pennies for the upgrade to 10 gallons anyway.

[Mike Neilson]

If I had won it would of forced me to get a bigger system. I forgot to ask yesterday what the least amount of grist you have mashed with your 10 gal cooler? Im off to Palmy on Tuesday to get a cooler. Im think im flogging a dead horse trying to brew big beers with the 5 gal. Hey at least the Fermenter is in very capable hands!! I bet its going to make some great beer!! For me it screams a big clean Schwarzbier it would of been the first one in there If I won the auction. damit

[Stu McKinlay]

I've got a couple of things in mind but won't be doing any lagers just yet... I've got two or three pale English beers in mind first.

p.s I'll sort your grain today too. Pick up anytime this week. Will drop you a line. If I'd known I could have sorted it Friday night, for your Saturday visit.

[Mike Neilson]

Nah thats cool, anytime as I wont be Brewing till the following monday as Im in Auckland on the weekend. Whats the least amount of grist you have mashed with your 10 gal cooler?

[Stu McKinlay]

3.67kg - on 26/08/2006 - for an excellent Ordinary Bitter.

3.26kg Pale Malt
0.28kg Crystal
0.13kg Amber

Mashed at 67c.

100% NZ Goldings 25g @ 60min, 17g @ 30min, 17g @ 0min
Wyeast 1099

It was one of the last 20L batches I did...

Thanks for asking... it reminded me how good this beer was... I'm going to brew it again soon.

[JoKing]

"The Earwig Landlord"

3.7kg Golden Promise Malt
.45kg of invert sugar
15g Challenger 6mins
26g Styrian Goldings 45min
26g Styrian Glodings 5min

2 hour boil, 35ibu, 4.3 %abv WyEast 1469

visit here for more detail

[Martin Bridges]

Heh - sounds like one of my brew days. I'm planning to get my Landlord on next weekend so we'l see if I can manage it without the earwigs.

If you don't mind me asking, what made you go for a 2-hour boil?

[JoKing]

I did heaps of research on Landlord, and about 90% of the recipes say to do a 2hr boil. I think it gives the wort a bit more caramelisation and colour. The wort is cooling as I write this, and I had a taste from the hydrometer sample (1.045 dammit!): there is a definate caramel in there that I dont normally have (I did a 100% Golden Promise Summer Blonde Ale a fortnight ago). The colour is quite dark too.

Overall, I'm happy - Styrian Golding makes the wort smell like sweet orange peel.

[JoKing]

Here is the resulting colour. Looks like there is Crystal in it, but there's not - I promise! The photo is of the unfermented wort with my yeast in the background. The clone is supposed to be from the bottled version - but it looks like I'm gonna be getting 4,5% abv.

[Martin Bridges]

That colour looks pretty accurate. Might have to consider a 2-hour boil myself. I'd no doubt need to add some water afterwards - I use a 2-pot stovetop boil technique (until I get around to converting the 50L keg I have sitting in the garage), so the boiloff would be pretty high.

Although to be honest I'm not too worried about cloning it too accurately. It's as much of a SMaSH experiment for me as an attempt to hit (draught) Landlord bang on.