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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

LowTech Mild v2

Having recently brewed a couple of strongly bittered APA's followed by a light Blonde ale, it's time to brew a milder, darker alternative for the pipeline.  Brewed relatively soon, I project it to be ready for August, just in time for our family's annual camping trip.  Great timing!

My low gravity Dark Mild recipe relies on a heavy helping of crystal malt for body and WLP023 (Burton Ale Yeast) for character.  Maris Otter provides a solid base, blends of both English crystal and higher kilned malts round out the grist.

For hops, Bramling Cross.  I am intrigued by descriptions of Berries, Lemons, Pears and Black Currants.  I hope they go well in the Mild.  WLP023 is said to have a honey, pear flavour as well... they should match up well.

LowTech Mild v2

OG 1.035/ IBU ~15/ SRM ~ 15/ ~23L

80.0% Muntons MO
13.0% Muntons Medium Crystal 150 (60L)
02.0% Dingemans Special-B (155L)
03.0% TF&S Brown Malt
02.0% Muntons Chocolate Malt

25g of Bramling Cross @ 30 minutes
15g of Bramling Cross @ 5 minutes

WLP023 (Fresh Pitch)

Update June 19th 

Prepared 2L starter from saved (frozen) wort.  After thaw, wort measured 15+ brix, diluted to 9.0 brix (1.035) and boiled for 15 minutes.  Final gravity of starter, 9.8 Brix (1.037).  Chilled in ice bath to room temperature and pitched one vial of Whitelabs WLP023, expiry June 20th, 2013.  Erlenmeyer flask placed on stir plate @ 12 midnight.

Update June 20th

Starter shows light krausen @ 1:40pm, almost blowing off @ 4pm, blow off @ 6pm.  Decanted 1/3 of the starter to a separate mason jar, starter continued to blow off throughout the evening.

Update June 21st

Stir plate shut down this morning.  Starter moved to fridge to await brewday.

Brewed June 22nd

Some weird efficiency numbers.  I had expected around 70% based on my experience with the Blonde Ale.  I ended with 23-24L in the fermenter at a higher than expected gravity  (1.038) and still manage to leave behind 2L in the BK.  By my estimates this would mean the mash efficiency was closer to 80% which is considered quite high for this type of brew system.  Perhaps the increase in efficiency can be attributed to the lower starting gravity target?  Or perhaps it might have something to do with the short, 30m mash "stand" before I started the recirculation?  Mash details below...

Water treated with Campden, 2tsp of Calcium Chloride, 1tsp of Epsom and 1/2tsp of Gypsum for a mash pH of 5.44.

Strike temperature 73c, dough in, mash settled out at 67c.  Added some cold water from the  sparge colume, settled at 66c.  Left at ~2.9L/kg water to grain ratio for 30 minutes before beginning to vorlauf and starting the recirculation.  During the recirc, fired the propane burner, very low heat, to maintain mash temp of 66c.  Began a mash-out at the 45 min mark.  Over 10 minutes I increased the mash temperature until I hit 76c.  Recirculation was stopped and the MLT was allowed to fully drain.  Preboil gravity was higher than I expected so I diluted with 1L of straight water.  Boil for a total of 50m adding hops as above + whirlfloc @ 5 min.  

Chilled to 23c before draining to fermenter.  Fermenter placed in ferm freezer and dropped temps to 16c before pitching my starter.  Decanted about 1L of starter before shaking up into slurry.  Ferm temp controller set to 20c.

Update June 23rd

15hrs since pitch, Mild showing signs of light krausen.  Dirty skim @ 24h from pitch.

Update June 24th

Cropped krausen into pint size mason jar (x2).

Update June 25th

Cropped krausen a 4th time in the last 24hrs.  Krausen has not returned with the same vigor.  Some light patches on the surface and that is all.

Update June 26th

FG measures 1.0122 (3.11°P) 

Update July 3rd 

Kegged.  Pressure set to 12psi.  FG 1.0115 (2.94°P).  Samples from the fermenter are very promising!

Monday, June 10, 2013

LowTech Blonde Ale v4 - Inaugural Two Vessel Brew

Inaugural Run 
My first brew on the two vessel recirculating system.  Wasn't perfectly smooth, requires tuning but otherwise I'd deem it a success.  You can find more information on my trials and tribulations in the Brewery Update post.

LowTech Blonde Ale v4

OG 1.040/ IBU ~25/ SRM ~3/ ~23L

85.0% OiO Domestic 2-Row
10.0% Gambrinus Vienna
05.0% OiO Wheat Malt

10g of Centennial @ 60 minutes
10g of Centennial @ 30 minutes
10g of Cascade @ 10 minutes
10g of Cascade @ 0 minutes

WLP007 Slurry (Used 3x - 4th re-pitch)

Brewed June 9th

Mash @ 66c for 45 min before firing the HLT  raising temperatures to a 76c  mash-out.  Collected 30L pre-boil volume.  

Boiled for 70 minutes adding hops as scheduled above.  Whirlfoc at 1 min remaining in boil (lost track of time messing with my pump).  Gravity measured 1.040.  Chilled to ~20c.  Collected ~23L into the fermenter.  

Pitched 100ml of  WLP007 (from LowTech Pale Ale v4), this will be the yeast's 3rd re-pitch.

1/2 tsp Gypsum, 2  tsp Calcium Chloride, 1 tsp Epsom Salts, 80g Acid malt, added to mash for a pH of 5.50.  Final water numbers: 
Ca 74, Mg 14, Na 18, Cl 98, SO4  108

Update June 12th

Fermenter moved from cold room (~18c) to warmer room (21c).   Strong airlock activity.   Liquid crystal thermometer on the side of the pail reads 18c

Update June 18th

Tested 1.0137 (3.5°P) ~ 67% attenuation (likely due to the cold fermentation). 

Update June 26th

FG Measures 1.0131 (3.34°P), racked to keg.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Christmas in June... Hops!

Just received my semi-annual supply of hops!




  • 1lb Simcoe
  • 1lb Citra
  • 1lb Amarillo
  • 1lb Centennial
  • 1lb Columbus
  • 1lb Challenger
  • 1lb EKG
  • 1lb Bramling Cross
  • 2lb Styrian Goldings
  • 2lb Target
  • 3lb Cascade
...  I've got some brewing to do!  Yeah HOPS!

Friday, June 7, 2013

Tasting - LowTech Pale Ale v4

LowTech Pale Ale v4
For a beer that I considered more or less a failure... it's sure nice!  In case you didn't read, I had big problems with a new hop filter design, it quickly clogged.  I managed to finally transfer the wort into the fermenters via auto-siphon although I lost substantial wort in the process.

Appearance

Pours burnt orange.  The Muntons Crystal 240 is darker than I expected.  It holds up nicely to the high gravity to bitterness ratio.  There is a very faint roastiness although I get more caramel notes than roast. The dense head only sticks around briefly before settling back into a fine lace.  Considerable lacing throughout the pint.  Considering the age of the beer and the lack of cold conditioning, the clarity is superb.  No finings post boil were used, this is all WLP007.  Overall, its certainly at the darker end of the pale ale spectrum.  You might even call it an American Amber Ale.

Aroma

Malty with a definite hop presence.  Not sure I can pick out any one hop, but the combination works.

Taste

For a pale ale, I'd consider the bitterness assertive.  Hop are front and center, surprising when you consider there were only 5oz's in the 40L batch.  Malt sweetness with some toast on the back end.  The body and mouthfeel are adequate, I might increase the crystal slightly.  Carbonated well, finishes dry.

Drinkability

Bitter and hoppy.  Inviting to the eye.  Lower AVB works. Anxious to try the dry-hopped version. 7/10.

Update June 11th

Had some carbonation issues early on, they seem to have been corrected.  Pints are pouring nicely, the ale is developing nicely.  Not sure if it's at it's peak yet but close.

Update June 13th

Wow!  Drinking really nice.  Bitterness has mellowed, malt profile starting to come forward.  Still a hoppy beer but now with a nice balance.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Brewery Update - Coming Soon!

I've been brewing with a cooler MLT for a number of years.  I am on my third cooler, it's worse for wear and is in need of another replacement.  After BSB 2013, I was very intrigued by a 2 vessel setup which, by my calculations, I could put in play with very little capital costs.  Basically, I already have the 2nd vessel and would simply need to build a new mash manifold.

The technique is continuously recirculating, no sparge brewing.
Two vessels, one upper, one lower.
The upper is your MLT, the lower is you HLT and Boil Kettle.

  • To brew, you would fill the lower HLT/BK with the entire amount of brewing water (liquor).
  • I would fire a propane burner on this lower vessel to bring the water to strike temperature.
  • While heating to strike temperature, I would recirculate the water via pump up to my MLT and then gravity feed the hot water back to the HLT.  This would serve to pre-heat the MLT.
  • Once the water reaches strike temperature, the MLT gravity feed to shut off, a portion the hot water is pumped to the MLT to achieve the desired grist to water ratio.  Pump is shut off.
  • Mash is full, water remains in the HLT.
  • Mash is stirred.
  • MLT and HLT valves are opened once more, pump goes on and we recirculate, drawing the entire volume of water through the mash over the course of the hour.
  • Propane burner is fired on the HLT through-out the mash to maintain desired mash temperatures.
  • At the end of the mash the HLT valve and pump is shut off and the MLT is allowed to drain completely.  We now have our pre-boil volume in the HTL (now BK).
Possible complications

  1. Equalizing flow between the MLT and the HLT.  You want to maintain a level of water on top of the grist throughout the entire duration of the mash.
  2. Regulating the propane burner flame to maintain mash temperatures throughout the entire mash.
  3. Possibility of lower mash extraction efficiency
Possible benefits

  1. Smaller brewery footprint
  2. Eliminating cooler from the brewery
  3. No sparge means a shorter brewday
  4. No sparge is said to improve the quality of malt flavours
  5. No chance of tannin extraction from over sparging
  6. Mash pH stability


Update June 4th

I built my new manifold from CPVC and ported my 2nd vessel (MLT) which is the 36qt Turkey Fryer aluminum pot.  I also ported the lid to fit the return feed from my HLT (50L Keggle).

Update June 5th

New MLT and manifold tests completed successfully.  I'd like to give the new system a go this weekend.

Update June 9th


Before brewing, I adjusted my grain mill loosening the crush.  I'd estimate the mill gap is now .040 (previously 0.036).  It looks perfect to me.  New crush tested with malted barley, malted wheat and even malted rye, all seem to crack well.  Minimal husk shedding on the malted barley.

Began the brew by heating the HLT to 60c then started recirculating the hot water through the MLT to pre-heat.  Once temperatures hit 66c, I doughed in.   Almost immediately began recirculating the mash and remaining HLT water (forgetting to vorlauf) and continued to heat the HLT until the mashed temperatures stabilized @ 66c at which point the heat was shut off.   The mash recirculated for 45 minutes.  Three times I fired the HLT briefly (1-2 min), over low heat, to retain a mash temperature of 66c.   The MLT itself might benefit from some type of insulation  in the future.  After 45 min, the HLT was fired over medium heat (still recirculating) raising temperatures to 76c  for mash-out.  Collected 30L pre-boil volume.

Managing the flows of both the MLT and HLT proved to be challenging.  Once during the mash the fluid  dropped below the grain.  I corrected by shutting off the flow from the MLT and continued pumping from the HLT.  Next time I will run the pump wide open and manage flow exiting the MLT.   The good news is the new manifold and crush seem to be lautering very well!

In my brewing software I guessed the new system's brewhouse efficiency @ 70%, I wasn't far off @ 68% with a mash efficiency @ 70% (~26ppg).

I really like the temperature control over the mash.  In the future I may experiment with conducting a more traditional mash and waiting for starch conversion before beginning the re-circulation this may help to improve efficiency a touch.  I suspect the flow rates at which the mash and HLT exchange might also play a role in the systems efficiency. 

Sunday, June 2, 2013

BSB 2013 - IPA

Our gracious sponsors for BSB 2013 provided most of the malt in this recipe.  We used whole leaf flowers for all the late hops.

BSB 2013 - IPA

OG 1.060/ IBU ~83/ SRM ~6/ ~41L

53.0% OiO Domestic 2-Row
42.0% Muntons Maris Otter
03.0% OiO Wheat Malt
02.0% Weyermann Carabohemian

2oz of Warrior @ 60 minutes
1oz of Warrior @ 30 minutes
2oz ea Centennial/Cascade @ 5 minutes
1oz ea Centennial/Cascade @ 0 minutes

WLP007

Brewed June 1st

Mashed in at 150F.  Mashed for 60 minutes before collecting 46L pre-boil volume.  Boiled for 70 minutes adding hops as scheduled above.  Whirlfoc at 5 min remaining in boil.  Gravity measured 1.060.  Chilled to ~80F.  Collected ~32-34L into two fermenters.  Had a bit of an issue with chill water on site, BK sat for 20 min (hot) while waiting for water.

2 tsp Gypsum, 2  tsp Calcium Chloride, 1 tsp Epsom Salts, 150g Acid malt, added to mash for a pH of 5.48.  1tsp Gypsum added to the boil. Final water numbers: 
Ca 89, Mg 10, Na 18, Cl 63, SO4  174

Update June 2nd 

Gave the fermenter a quick shake but most of the aeration was done yesterday while racking the beer to the pail.  Re-pitched WLP007 from one of the LowTech APA v4 carboys.   This is the yeast's 3rd pitch (3rd gen).  Full Krausen within 5hrs.

Update June 3rd

Fermenting strong.  Used my cold room to keep temps down, ambient 18c.

Update June 6th

Ambient in the cold room down to 16c.  I checked on the IPA this morning and it appears to have completely fermented out.  Fermenter has been moved to a warmer room, will give it a few days to clean up before dry hopping.

Update June 8th

Added a whack load of whole leaf dry hops to the primary

Update June 16th

Racked off hops and to secondary for further conditioning .  Gravity measured 1.015.

Update June 18th

Racked to keg, pressure set to 12psi

BSB 2013 - Bohemian Pilsner

Our gracious sponsors for BSB 2013 provided an absurd amount of Saaz as well as a solid amount of Weyermann Pils Malt.

BSB 2013 - Bohemian Pilsner

OG 1.050/ IBU ~42/ SRM ~3/ ~41L

99.0% Weyermann Pils Malt
01.0% Weyermann Melanoidin Malt

1.5oz of Saaz @ 60 minutes
2oz of Saaz @ 30 minutes
2oz of Saaz @ 15 minutes
2oz of Saaz @ 0 minutes

Fermentis SafLager S-23

Brewed June 1st

Mashed in at 152F.  Mashed for 60 minutes before collecting 46L pre-boil volume.  Boiled for 70 minutes adding hops as scheduled above.  Forgot to add Whirlfoc at 5 min remaining in boil.  Gravity measured 1.050.  Chilled to ~80F.  Collected ~36-38L into two fermenters.

tsp Calcium Chloride, 1 tsp Epsom Salts, 120g Acid malt, added to mash for a pH of 5.55.  Final water numbers: 
Ca 44, Mg 9, Na 18, Cl 66, SO4  56

Update June 2nd 

Gave the fermenter a quick shake but most of the aeration was done yesterday while racking the beer to the pail.  Pitched two packets of S-23 @ 18c,  Fermentation freezer set to 16c (60F).

Update June 3rd 

Temperature set to 16c, freezer doing a decent job keeping thing cool.  Cool cycle does tend to over-cool a touch so the wort is bouncing between 15c and 16c.  Pils showing Krausen.

Update June 6th

Temperature steady @ 15-16c.  Pils is full steam ahead.  Will keep my eye on fermentation of the next few days, don't want to miss my chance at a diacetyl  rest.

Update June 9th

It would appear the fermentation is beginning to whine down.  I turned off the temperature controller to allow the wort to free-rise for a Diacetyl rest.

Update June 11th

Temperature has risen to 20c.  I sampled the wort and I like where this is heading.  Bitter and quite dry.  I am not getting any of the dreaded S-23 "Passion Fruit" nor Diacetyl.   FG reading 7% brix which corrects to 1.0137 (3.49°P), 74% attenuation. 

Update June 12th

Temperature down to 3.5c. 

Update June 13th

Temp probe removed from fermenter and placed in a jar of water which had been also sitting in the freezer, this allowed me to snap down the lid of the fermenter.  Not sure if this was necessary or not?  Going to be racking beer to carboy or keg for more lagering. 

Update June 18th

Racked to keg for further lagering.