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

[Matthew]

Efficiency way up on this one. Normally hitting 65 but today was 77%. Lovely orange tinge to the wort too. Maybe from the Dingemanns and munich?

[jt]

Any ideas why the improvement, any changes to brew day

And how about the taste ?

[Matthew]

Not sure. Possibly due to a slighty smaller grain bill. Only 4kg today. I had been aiming for 1.044 with 19L and got 21L at 1.050. I used a smaller chilli bin mash tun, temps were spot on. Mash out and sparge all hit their temps and volumes. Maybe it all just fell into place today??

Taste was good. Hints of toffee coming through. Good bitterness from the chinook bit I'll save my review until I've had a few of those sneaky hydro samples.

[jt]

Mash & sparge ratios ?

[Stu McKinlay]

Everyone's been saying that the distilling malt is really intense and that you shouldn't use more than 5%... so I thought I'd put that theory to the test. No point mucking about with 6%, or even 10%...


Rex Attitude (inspired by drinking Bowmore and listening to Laurent Garnier)

100% Peated Distilling Malt (60min mash, 60min boil to 1.065
NZ Willamette @ 60, 30 and 15min to 45ibu
US05 fermented low 16c overnight and I'll keep it low for another 36 hours or so.


Brewing on Friday sure beats working...

Managed to sneak out during the mash for some Wigram Imperial Stout through the Modus Hopperandus. Lovely smooth beer. I could go another. Makes me want the Malthouse to put Her Majesty through the modus... but what to put in there... Saveloys?

[Bambule]

>drinking Bowmore and listening to Laurent Garnier

Thats great, sounds like a fusion cooking recipe. Scottish single malt vrs French Techno. I think they called it the Auld alliance.

[Mike Neilson]

Corgis??

[Stu McKinlay]

I actually tried getting one in there but it bit me (little shit)

[Martin Bridges]

I was lucky enough to try John Golics' 100% peated malt beer about 12 months ago, after it had been in the bottle for about 5 years. It was glorious. Not sure I could wait that long for a beer though - I'd probably lose the bottles in the meantime.

I'm disappointed you didn't use Belgian yeast on this one Stu! Maybe that should be my January beer project?!

[Stu McKinlay]

I thought the clash of phenolics might be just a little too much...

Funnily enough, sniffing the mash gave me a hangover flashback. I almost chickened out at the point. But then I thought "Rex Attitude" and continued on. The cask strength Laphroaig in the airlock has just started bubbling.

I think John's was 95% heavy peated... He entered it at the homebrew comp a few years back and although I don't think it medalled, it was easily my star of the leftovers.

[Stu McKinlay]

Kegging this beer tonight as I'm off to Australia for three weeks tomorrow... would have preferred another day or two in the fermenter but don't really want to leave it 3 weeks.

I'm quite excited about it going on my tastes from the fermenter. It has reaffirmed my suspicion about the accuracy of my hydrometer (i've not take a final reading for a year or two but I did for this one... it tastes like it is about 1.014 but my hydrometer reading was 1.004!!).

[Stu McKinlay]

this beer ain't going to last long

and I reckon it'll be available for purchase in the near future... if we don't make it 8 Wired might!