AG#3 Colonial Pale Ale

Final Volume (l): 20 (actual 17)
Original Gravity (OG): 1.064 (actual 1059)
Final Gravity (FG): 1.013
Alcohol (ABV): 6.7% (will be 6% assuming above FG)
Bitterness (EBU): 54

4000 g (73%) Maris Otter Pale Malt
1000 g (18%) Munich
500 (9%) Dark Crystal 


20g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @60 minutes from the end (boil)
10g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @20 minutes from the end (boil)
10g UK hop (13% Alpha) @20 minutes from the end (boil)
10g NZ hop (6.6% Alpha) @20 minutes from the end (boil)
15g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @5 minutes from the end (boil)
10g UK hop (13% Alpha) @5 minutes from the end (boil)
20g NZ hop(6.6% Alpha) @5 minutes from the end (boil)
15g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @0 minutes from the end (boil)
15g NZ hop (6.6% Alpha) @0 minutes from the end (boil)
 
Yeast: US05
Water treatments: Campden tablet
Finings: Irish moss at 5 min.

For my third AG brew I decided to continue my hop experiment and refine the hop schedule of AG#2 (http://www.aleandstuff.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/ag2-amicitra.html) with the addition of a third aroma hop, I also added a flame out addition to increase the hop profile.  The grain bill remains the same as AG#1 and #2.  

The UK and NZ hops have been selected to fit into the American Pale Ale guidelines (usually a moderate to high hop flavour, often showing a citrusy American hop character).  

I added 26l of water to the HLT and raised this to a strike temp of 70°C.  With the grain added there isn't a lot of room in the HLT.  The mash was set for 90 minutes and stayed at 65°C for the duration.  I removed the bag from the HLT and placed it in a spare fermenter to sparge the bag, this gave me a few extra litres of wort and at the start of boil I had 22.5l at 1059.  

Preboil reading (1059)

 At the time I failed to realise that 22.5l would mean I would miss my target volume (assuming 2-3l lost to evaporation in a 90 minute boil and 2-3l in trub, equals ~17-18l).  In the end I missed my target by some distance and only transferred 15l to the fermenter (a loss of 7.5l).  I quickly boiled 2l of water and cooled it to add to the total.  This isn't going to be a great issue as I also overshot my OG by some distance (at 1067) however adding the water brought it down to 1059.  I hope all the messing around boiling and cooling water did not lead to any contamination issues, I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

 Lessons from AG#3;

1. Using www.brewersfriend.com I calculate that my mash efficiency was 77% with a ppg of 28.8.
2. Taking measurements shows that I am loosing around 7.5l to trub and evaporation on my set up.  
3. I am missing my predicted targets by some way (the predicted values are calculated using Beer Engine), if I had achieved 20l my OG would have been around 1050.  
4. Overall brewhouse efficiency was 58.5%.

 I would appreciated any comments on the above.  

AG#2 Am.I.Citra

This brew is a partial rebrew of AG#1 with some hop alterations.  The grain bill is the same however I am using both Citra and Amarillo hops, the brew length is also increased to 20l.  

Recipe details

Final Volume (l): 20

Original Gravity (OG): 1.060
Final Gravity (FG): 1.010
Alcohol (ABV): 6.0%

Bitterness (EBU): 50.0 

4000g Maris Otter Pale Malt
1000g Munich
250g Crystal 

250g Dark Crystal

20g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @60 minutes from the end (boil)

15g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @20 minutes from the end (boil)

15g Citra (14.8% Alpha) @20 minutes from the end (boil)

20g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @5 minutes from the end (boil)

20g Citra (14.8% Alpha) @5 minutes from the end (boil)

Yeast: US05

Water treatments: A crushed Campden tablet

 

To end up with 20l into the fermenter I added 30l of water to the HLT, raised this to mash temp +5°C. i.e. a strike temp of 70°C.  This is a higher than usual strike temp but for AG#1 using 70°C (by accident) worked well because you loose at lot with this technique when adding the bag and breaking up clumps.  This time the 'mash tun' was insulated with 2 large fleece blankets.  Using my new thermometer allows me to take temp readings without opening the mash tun but I have only listed 30, 60 and 90 minutes here;

Strike temp = 70°C
Mash start = 65°C
After 30 mins = 65°C

After 60 mins = 66°C

After 90 mins = 65°C

End of mash temp

I held my mash temp for the full 90 minutes which is an improvement on the last time where I dropped 3°C.  The boil was set for 90 minutes with the first hop addition of 20g Amarillo at 60 mins. Pre-boil gravity was measured as 1049 giving around 70% mash efficiency, which is the same as AG#1. 

Pre-boil reading

To rectify the chilling issues I had in my first brew I had made my own immersion chiller from 10m of 10mm microbore copper pipe.  The IC was placed in the kettle 15 mins from flame out, after the usual messing around at the start it took about 45 minutes to chill down to 24°C, a significant improvement on 3 hours sat in water in the sink.   

IC added

Taking an hydrometer reading at the end gave 1056 (against a predicted 1060). I also only transferred 17.5l rather than 20l, I assume I'm loosing more water to trub than expected, to compensate I could up the water volume but this would lead to a much lower OG unless I also up the grain bill.  These results seem to concur with the general opinion that BIAB results in lower efficiency than the 3V system. 

OG reading of 1056

Lessons from AG#2;

1. Need to amend calculations on evaporation losses, loss to trub, etc (this was an issue in AG#1, I should have achieved 1060 but only managed 1056).

AG#1 Amarillo Pale Ale

For my first AG brew I decided to use the Brew in a Bag method described in detail on the www.biabrewer.info and http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk websites.  To cut a long story short it is when a single vessel (and a bag) are used as a hot liquor tun, mash tun and kettle.  
The method is a full-volume method of mashing and sparging, all water required for the brew is added at once instead of in stages. BIAB is a no-sparge method of brewing as the grain bill is in contact with all liquor for the entire mashing period.  There are variants using mash out and sparge techniques but as this was my first go I wanted to keep it simple, there are already enough opportunities for me to screw it up!

Recipe details

Final Volume (l): 11

Original Gravity (OG): 1.050
Final Gravity (FG): 1.010
Alcohol (ABV): 5.0%

Bitterness (IBU): 42.0

2000g Maris Otter Pale Malt
500g Munich
250g Crystal

Grain bill

10g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @60 minutes from the end (boil)
15g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @20 minutes from the end (boil)

20g Amarillo (10.9% Alpha) @5 minutes from the end (boil)

First addition of Amarillo at 60 mins

Yeast: US05

Water treatments: Half a Campden tablet

Finings: Irish moss at 10 min.

 

To end up with 11l into the fermenter I added 21l of water to the HLT, raised this to mash temp +3°C. i.e. a strike temp of 68°C.  As soon the water reached 68°C (which was actually closer to 70°C) the bag was secured firmly around the rim of the pot.  The grain bill was slowly, "rained in," while gently stirring the mash to submerge and prevent clumping, at the start of the mash the temp was 66.2°C.  The 'mash tun' was insulated with a large fleece blanket, temp readings were taken at 30, 60 and 90 minutes giving;

Strike temp = 70°C
Mash start = 66.2°C
After 30 mins = 64°C

After 60 mins = 63.7°C

After 90 mins = 62.9°C

Start of mash temp

Mash temp after 60 mins

The calculated available fermentables produced a potential gravity of 1047, the measured pre-boil gravity was 1032 giving around 70% mash efficiency.

Pre-boil gravity reading

The boil was set for 90 minutes with the first hop addition of 10g Amarillo at 60 mins.  Taking a hydrometer reading at the end of the boil showed a low reading of 1039 (against a predicted 1050), the volume in the kettle seemed higher than the calculated volume of 14l suggesting that losses due to evaporation were lower than expected.  As you can see from the picture my hydrometer isn't the easiest to read so there could also be errors there.  

The chilling method certainly needs some refinement because it took nearly 3 hours sat in water in the sink to reach 20°C.   12l were transfered to the FV (rather than 11l), I'm hoping that 3 hours sat around waiting to pitch the yeast didn't cause any problems given that the final ABV and IBU will already be lower than intended. 

Lessons learnt;

1. More insulation is required to maintain mash temp.
2. A better method of chilling than cold water in the sink is required.
3. Need a clearer to read hydrometer, my hydrometer also seemed to like the side of the trial jar.
4. Need to amend calculations on evaporation losses.

   

   Insulated 'mash tun'.

Golden Pint Awards 2012

Houblon Chouffe at t'Poatersgat, Brugge.

• Best UK Draught (Cask or Keg) Beer
  Axe Edge - Buxton Brewery, had this at the North Bar and liked it so much I took 2 pints home with me in the tetrapak marvel.
  Double SCCANS - Kernal, had this at North Bar's 15th birthday party, as it was busy I ordered two halves, this and Sierra Nevada's Solar Storm.  Sipping both alternately was an eye opener, the SCCANS blew Solar Storm away and rendered it almost bland. 
• Best UK Bottled or Canned Beer
  Kernal - SCCANS
• Best Overseas Draught Beer
  Schneider Weisse Tap X Mein Nelson Sauvin
• Best Overseas Bottled or Canned Beer
  La Chouffe, Houblon Dobbelen IPA Triple
• Best Overall Beer
  Axe Edge.
• Best Pumpclip or Label
  I really like the simplicity of the Redwillow labels, the willow tree motif is instantly recognisable and the colour coding makes the range stand out.  Smokeless was very close to being my best UK bottled beer too.
• Best UK Brewery
  Buxton Brewey.  Axe Edge, Blonde, Moor Top, Tsar, shall I go on?
• Best Overseas Brewery
  Would it be dull to pick Rochefort?  Maybe but are they many better breweries?
• Pub/Bar of the Year
  North Bar. 
• Beer Festival of the Year
  Not attended any this year.
• Supermarket of the Year
  None of them are particularly good. 
• Independent Retailer of the Year
  Beer Ritz.
• Online Retailer of the Year
  Beermerchants.
• Best Beer Book or Magazine
  The only beer book I brought this year was the Oxford Companion but given the controversy around that I can hardly say it's the best. 
• Best Beer Blog or Website
  Jim's Beer Kit, it's a homebrew thing...