4th brew started, bit of an experiment based on existing recipe

[amberfiend]

ok then, trying to keep the momentum going with this home brew thing i launched into my fourth brew today. it is a bit of a deviation on a recipe i found in the recipes section here yeah. the recipe im refering to the the shark attack xpa recipe.

https://www.diybeer.com/au/recipe/shark-attack-xpa.html

some of the ingredients i have substituted based on stuff i had laying around in the kitchen,

for example i used the muntons 1.5kg cerveza extract instead of the 1.7kg coopers cerveza

and substituted the coopers dry malt with the kegking brand (same amount -500grams)

i used galaxy hops as a replacement for the recommended citra hops, and i also added another 12.5 grams of amarillo to the wort making process

on top of this i added an extra 300 grams of dextrose and also an extra 200 grams of the muntons brew enhancer alongside the coopers brew enhancer3

also i upped the complete liquid volume to 23.5 litres in total (an extra 500ml for hydrometer readings and enough left over to fill 30 x 750ml bottles)

on top of the original muntons cerveza kit yeast which i couldnt find any information on ? i also added a pack of safale us-05 yeast, both yeasts were sprinkled onto the wort at 21 degrees mainly because i couldnt be assed waiting for the wort to drop to 18 degrees lol

tbh i kind of intentionally went in a bit blind on this because of my lack of experience i just figured it might be good to live dangerously and potentially make some mistakes im not sure what more experienced brewers here will think about this experiment but i would love to know what your predictions are ?

the og reading before adding yeast was 1048 and the taste i took from the tube tasted sweet with a hoppy , slightly bitter edge, which made me feel optimistic that this might actually be pretty drinkable ?

anyway look forward to any predictions or insights into what i may have did right or wrong ? cheers fellow brewers

 

[Lab Cat]

It'll be fine. You used the recipe as a guide and stuck to its basic principles, even if you switched some fermentables and hops. I do this all the time as many hops specified aren't available locally.. You'll get a hoppy pale.

[amberfiend]

3 minutes ago, Lab Cat said:

It'll be fine. You used the recipe as a guide and stuck to its basic principles, even if you switched some fermentables and hops. I do this all the time as many hops specified aren't available locally.. You'll get a hoppy pale.

there will be no complaints from me then *im thinking i could have potentially used just a little more hops, maybe when i introduce the dry hops in 8 or so days i will up the amount a touch ?

[Norris!]

37 minutes ago, amberfiend said:

ok then, trying to keep the momentum going with this home brew thing i launched into my fourth brew today. it is a bit of a deviation on a recipe i found in the recipes section here yeah. the recipe im refering to the the shark attack xpa recipe.

https://www.diybeer.com/au/recipe/shark-attack-xpa.html

some of the ingredients i have substituted based on stuff i had laying around in the kitchen,

for example i used the muntons 1.5kg cerveza extract instead of the 1.7kg coopers cerveza

and substituted the coopers dry malt with the kegking brand (same amount -500grams)

i used galaxy hops as a replacement for the recommended citra hops, and i also added another 12.5 grams of amarillo to the wort making process

on top of this i added an extra 300 grams of dextrose and also an extra 200 grams of the muntons brew enhancer alongside the coopers brew enhancer3

also i upped the complete liquid volume to 23.5 litres in total (an extra 500ml for hydrometer readings and enough left over to fill 30 x 750ml bottles)

on top of the original muntons cerveza kit yeast which i couldnt find any information on ? i also added a pack of safale us-05 yeast, both yeasts were sprinkled onto the wort at 21 degrees mainly because i couldnt be assed waiting for the wort to drop to 18 degrees lol

tbh i kind of intentionally went in a bit blind on this because of my lack of experience i just figured it might be good to live dangerously and potentially make some mistakes im not sure what more experienced brewers here will think about this experiment but i would love to know what your predictions are ?

the og reading before adding yeast was 1048 and the taste i took from the tube tasted sweet with a hoppy , slightly bitter edge, which made me feel optimistic that this might actually be pretty drinkable ?

anyway look forward to any predictions or insights into what i may have did right or wrong ? cheers fellow brewers

 

I used to make a lot of brews with the cerveza very similar to the shark attack XPA, I think you will have a nice brew. Upping the dry hop on a pale is never a bad thing....unless the recipe already called for 16g/L, then we are talking about diminishing returns, hahahha. Centennial, galaxy and amarillo? All day!!!  Great combo. This is going to be a good brew, it should be clean and crisp and pretty hoppy.

Good brewing

Norris

[Stickers]

1 hour ago, amberfiend said:

ok then, trying to keep the momentum going with this home brew thing i launched into my fourth brew today.

i'm finding i'm keeping the momentum going by not having to go to the shop to buy beer aside from my first batch which i try not to think about too much, i'm enjoying the process and the learning.. and like there's a few extra $ in the old bank account at the end of every pay cycle which also is helping given the only haircut i've had since march has been on the pay front!

that recipe looks a lot of fun

[Malter White]

10 minutes ago, Stickers said:

 the only haircut i've had since march has been on the pay front!

Hahahaaa.
I've been fortunate enough to have kept working through Covid but I wish I could have a haircut. 

[Stickers]

1 minute ago, MUZZY said:

Hahahaaa.
I've been fortunate enough to have kept working through Covid but I wish I could have a haircut. 

still working but reduced hours.. kind of wanted a slower paced working year but not like this

[Malter White]

@amberfiend Going by your substitution regimen, I imagine you are the type who willingly says, "Yes," when the pharmacist asks if a generic brand will do for your prescription.  LOL

[Malter White]

1 minute ago, Stickers said:

still working but reduced hours.. kind of wanted a slower paced working year but not like this

Yeah it sucks when someone else is calling the shots on your work/life balance.

[amberfiend]

34 minutes ago, Stickers said:

"my first batch which i try not to think about too much,"

lol, im nearly a third of the way through my first batch now.  want not, waste not eh lol

[amberfiend]

18 minutes ago, MUZZY said:

@amberfiend Going by your substitution regimen, I imagine you are the type who willingly says, "Yes," when the pharmacist asks if a generic brand will do for your prescription.  LOL

haha is it that obvious ?

[Stickers]

4 minutes ago, amberfiend said:

lol, im nearly a third of the way through my first batch now.  want not, waste not eh lol

really enjoying my third though.. learned a lot in a month (a lot of it via this forum)

[amberfiend]

2 minutes ago, Stickers said:

really enjoying my third though.. learned a lot in a month (a lot of it via this forum)

i just bottled a hoppy ale last monday, it was my second brew and it tasted decent during the bottling process etc so im expecting good things

the third brew ive got going currently also is a belgian kit beer which at this point i have no idea what to expect to be honest ? lol

[Malter White]

2 minutes ago, Stickers said:

really enjoying my third though.. learned a lot in a month (a lot of it via this forum)

There's some very knowledgeable folks on this forum and it's great they are so generous to share that knowledge with us lesser lights. There also seems to be less flogs on here than on other HB forums I've visited. 

[amberfiend]

quick little update..

the two yeasts seemed to be at war for the first few days, everytime i took a close look at the FV it was like a snow storm going on inside. yesterday it all seemed to have died down and the foam up top was thinning out a bit. i also noticed the top centimetre or so was starting to look a little clear.

when i got up today and went and had a look you could really start to see the clear layer up top had started to grow as the heavier particles suspended in the brew start to crash.

i havent took a gravity reading since i started. the recipe its based upon suggests it will take about 12 days and also recommends i do my dry hop on day eight which is another 4 days off (thursday). i expect a lot of the suspended stuff will have settled to the bottom by then ? things that makes me curious at this point is it seems like the yeast has pretty much done its job? (still need to do a gravity check yet) but could it still be working at a more subtle level still even though it all seems to have died down ?

anyway, two shitty pics that show the clear layer growing at the top of the FV to illustrate my report, enjoy *also found my little weather monitor so now have a proper idea of the ambient temp where i keep my fermenters

 

 

Edited September 13, 2020 by amberfiend

[Shamus O'Sean]

On 9/13/2020 at 9:27 PM, amberfiend said:

but could it still be working at a more subtle level still even though it all seems to have died down ?

Yes it will be doing more benefit.  Tidying up after itself.

There is no need to rush the process.  Weeks and weeks for a stage might be an issue.  However, a few extra days is likely to be more beneficial.  Looks good so far.

The yeast activity sounds great.  Lots of movement.  Not fighting against each other, but probably working toward the same goal.

[amberfiend]

9 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

Yes it will be doing more benefit.  Tidying up after itself.

There is no need to rush the process.  Weeks and weeks for a stage might be an issue.  However, a few extra days is likely to be more beneficial.  Looks good so far.

The yeast activity sounds great.  Lots of movement.  Not fighting against each other, but probably working toward the same goal.

theres a very slow gradual change in the visual gradient as things appear to be settling towards the trub, it seems like it might even take longer than anticipated ?

i was planning on adding the dry hops tomorrow but maybe i should delay it another day or so ? untill more of the suspended particles drop lower into the wort ?

also regarding the dry hop ? would there be any harm in lifting it out of the wort after 3 days if the beer is still kind of doing its thing ? or is it beter just to leave it hanging in there until i bottle ?

*pic of how it looks this morning

 

Edited September 15, 2020 by amberfiend

[Shamus O'Sean]

3 hours ago, amberfiend said:

theres a very slow gradual change in the visual gradient as things appear to be settling towards the trub, it seems like it might even take longer than anticipated ?

i was planning on adding the dry hops tomorrow but maybe i should delay it another day or so ? untill more of the suspended particles drop lower into the wort ?

also regarding the dry hop ? would there be any harm in lifting it out of the wort after 3 days if the beer is still kind of doing its thing ? or is it beter just to leave it hanging in there until i bottle ?

It will be fine to add your dry hops now.  You do not have to wait for the yeast to settle.  Generally dry hop once your SG falls below 1.020.  You can dry hop at different times in the ferment, but but look into that later.

• Wrap the hops in a Chux cloth pulled straight from the packet. 
• Cut a strip off the end of the Chux to tie up the parcel. 
• Cut a 1 metre length of fishing line.  Sanitise it and tie it to the Chux. 
• Dunk the parcel into the beer, leaving the end of the fishing line outside the fermenter.
• After three days, use the line to remove the parcel from the brew.
• Let the parcel drain into the fermenter.
• Dry hop done.
• Allow a day for the hop liquid to disperse then bottle.

In time, you will add some refinements to this process.  This will get you through for now.

[amberfiend]

1 hour ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

It will be fine to add your dry hops now.  You do not have to wait for the yeast to settle.  Generally dry hop once your SG falls below 1.020.  You can dry hop at different times in the ferment, but but look into that later.

• Wrap the hops in a Chux cloth pulled straight from the packet. 
• Cut a strip off the end of the Chux to tie up the parcel. 
• Cut a 1 metre length of fishing line.  Sanitise it and tie it to the Chux. 
• Dunk the parcel into the beer, leaving the end of the fishing line outside the fermenter.
• After three days, use the line to remove the parcel from the brew.
• Let the parcel drain into the fermenter.
• Dry hop done.
• Allow a day for the hop liquid to disperse then bottle.

In time, you will add some refinements to this process.  This will get you through for now.

i used string to tie the bag last time and had it suspended about half way down into the wort. i timed putting it into the FV to coincide with my intended bottling day so it wouldnt be in there to long and i would avoid potentially disturbingthe wort any more then necessary, the fishing line trick is a good one though and ill definitely adopt it, can imagine not even having to take of the lid to raise it up out of the wort yeah

[amberfiend]

so 15 days later i threw it all into 31 x 740ml pet bottles

the final gravity reading was 1011 which means the final %ABV should be just shy of %5.5

at this point in tasting the hop content wasnt as present as i was hoping it would be, although it seems its going to be a reasonable drink in a few weeks from now after it finished final fermentation in bottle.

i kind of feel i could have potentially bottled it much sooner and let everything settle in the bottles rather then wait for the settling to occur in the FV if that makes sense ? and i suspect that might have given me a more pronounced hop presence in the beer ?

asides from that, this was probably my most smoothly executed bottling yet, everything ran like clockwork and was well organised, i have totally got the nack of filling bottles and squeezing excess air out then capping now without pushing too much out that i get dribles, that only occured with the 31st bottle which was the dregs and i had to tilt the fv to the extreme lol.

*also have started using the one sugar cube + one carb drop per bottle, so that will be interesting to se how different it turns out when i finally get to crack a few

 also created an orderly record keeping system, where i write the numbered order of bottles (sequence they came out of the FV in etc) what the beer recipe was and the date of bottling, i also write down a few short notes about the beer and tucked it away in the boxs so when i do pull it out again in a fortnight it will all be recalled etc.. will be able to re use boxs and bottles again of course so i left plenty of space to keep records of brews to come etc *will attach a few pics to illustrate

 

 

 

[Lab Cat]

13 minutes ago, amberfiend said:

i kind of feel i could have potentially bottled it much sooner and let everything settle in the bottles rather then wait for the settling to occur in the FV if that makes sense ? and i suspect that might have given me a more pronounced hop presence in the beer ?

Unlikely. 

15 minutes ago, amberfiend said:

*also have started using the one sugar cube + one carb drop per bottle, so that will be interesting to se how different it turns out when i finally get to crack a few

Just easier to go with plain white sugar and a bottle scoop. I never got decent carbing from the drops.

[amberfiend]

46 minutes ago, Lab Cat said:

Just easier to go with plain white sugar and a bottle scoop. I never got decent carbing from the drops.

i originally intended to run a bit of an experiment by doing some bottles with just carb drops , then some with both cubes and carb drops, then some with just cubes,, but like all good intentions , sometimes you just end up with so much going on you just forget when the times comes to do what you had initially intended lol .. i will definitly try to remember next time and probaby create a way of marking the lids with dots to keep track of it all.. ie:1 dot for just carb drops, 2 dots for a mix, 3 dots for just sugar cubes etc..

just for the record though im still getting through my first lager that came included with the FV kit and none of them have much carbonation to them at all really, even though i pour gently with the glass at an angle because ive never seen the point in big heads on beers, just seems to make them go flat quicker imo ?

[amberfiend]

53 minutes ago, Lab Cat said:

Unlikely.

do you think the other elements in the brew just overpowered the hops perhaps ? or maybe the recipe didnt suggest a high enough amount of hops to begin with ?

[Pickles Jones]

1 hour ago, amberfiend said:

do you think the other elements in the brew just overpowered the hops perhaps ? or maybe the recipe didnt suggest a high enough amount of hops to begin with ?

Because I have found many of my brews to lack sufficient carbonation for my taste, I have just started to drink some 330mls and 450mls bottles which I added two carbonation drops to each bottle and then left them condition for for four weeks. Result, I wont complain about low carbonation at least with these two brews. From now on they both sizes get two carbonation drops per bottle. And I will do the same for my next two brews which will be Coopers Lager.

I too was not very impressed with my first lager brew which was in the kit that came with the FV. Give it not less than four weeks in the bottle then try one one. It will not taste like a lager but most likely a very drinkable ale.

Remember don't get to bogged down and lost within the process, move onto the next brew and so on. I would suggest a Coopers Pale Ale but if I remember correctly you have another brew in the FV now.

[Lab Cat]

2 hours ago, amberfiend said:

do you think the other elements in the brew just overpowered the hops perhaps ? or maybe the recipe didnt suggest a high enough amount of hops to begin with ?

No idea how much hops you used.