D-Day Is Here!!! (Drink-Day)

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Well guys here is some of my thoughts on my first taste of my beer, and photos.

First I have to say I am very happy with the way it turned out!! room for improvement of course particular with taste unfortunately. It has a slight grassy or vegetal flavour after taste, not so unpleasant it's not drinkable, I bottle down 37 to go haha. clarity surprisingly very good. I did use Irish Moss, wort chiller and cold crashing. carbonated well too effervescent  to the last drop!! So why did it have these slight off flavours? I only used Cascade hops and did a dry hop too no hop bag, and cold crashed 2 days after adding the dry hops. Still I give myself a solid 6 or 7 out of 10.

Proud Daza.

[Craig Howard]

Just a thought about conditioning Daza

 We all take a lot of care and attention to temps during early brewing stages, well I do anyway.  

But its a little more difficult to do the same for conditioning temps because of storage location, volume and quantity once bottled. Keggers obviously have this sorted. Its a really important part of the process and reflects in the taste and feel of the brew from my experience.

I intend to build-in a dedicated conditioning space at my next house ( workshop).  It will have heating and STC control.  I already have built the heater (PTC enclosure element) and the second STC is standing by for this. Changing house is work in progress and happening soon.

Will be aiming for 20 degrees stable and storage for 8- 10 dozen x 750ml or quart bottles. (a 1.5 cubic metre space)

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Ok, when you say you take a lot of care of temperature while at brewing stage, I am assuming this you this is the mash, and to a lesser point the boil. The mash is hard for me to maintain a constant temp, and I guess that's why I have read there is a optimum temp range for what you are wanting to get from your mash, be it body or abv...etc. How can i keep a steady temp to avoid it going to high or low? I heat my strike water with a gas burner, kill the temp at 71.5C them wrap pillows and sleeping bags around it, and still it drops? is this the method you use? and what can i do  to keep this as accurate as I can?

Cheers.

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Thanks for the parts mate arrived today! the tubing and grommets are really good mate. Cheers.

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

I keep my bottles in the cardboard box they came in, just in case one explodes!! it is a good room for...room temp.
Do you do kegging and bottling ? I'd love to build a room off garage as my brewing room, sounds like you are making a cool temp enclosure...pics when finished.

Daza.

[Nathan]

It will be fine mate...Its actually rather hard to make shit(undrinkable)beer...Ive done it once but still drank it. As the old saying goes Doctors bury there mistakes and Brewers drink them....

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Thanks Nathan, classic line too haha.

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Just wondering if the taste I got was from drinking some of the sediment? when I poured it out got too close to the bottom, and second bottle not as far....would that make any difference to the taste?

[Grant R Baker]

Brilliant... well done.

Too much dry hop can add a grassy taste, some hops more than others. It might be DMS as already mentioned.

 

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Thanks mate, My recipe called for 42g of cascade pellets. I had them in 2 days then cold crash for 3 after that, had only been bottle condition for 13 days when I tried it.

[Grant R Baker]

42g is on the high end. 25g is about normal... but I have done worse myself (and what is normal to a homebrewer? lol) 

Put it on your list to try out of time/brews.... some with less or more Dry Hops to see if how it goes.

 

Amazed you got it that clear with all that dry hop.

[Sam DT]

If I was you I'd try for at least 5 days of dry hop while warm next time - technically two should be fine but a few extra days wouldn't hurt, once it's cooled you're probably going to get less oils into solution.

On the amount front I wouldn't be afraid of going higher myself, Epic PA, Behemoth Chur and Deebles PA all have in excess of 100g. You probably wouldn't want to do it with straight Nelson Sauvin or Citra but for Cascade, Mot, Riwaka etc. I think you'd be ok - does depend on your style and personal tastes tho - NZ PA tends to be at the extreme end of dry hopping..

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

The 42g cascade was on recipe from brewshop for the dry hop it has s fairly low alpha acid percentage and recommend 5 to 7 days I went with the 5 days but cold crashed after 2 days. On a side note how long should I be fermenting for? Total time in fermenter?