stquinto Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Brew day with a double batch of Pezzza’s Pilly Larger. Came in at 1.056 so I watered it down to 1.050. I’m pressure fermenting this one in my latest toy, a 58l kegmenter. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiekraut Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 12 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said: Today's brew was a Mexican Cerveza based on a recent YouTube video from The Home Brew Network. This style usually includes some corn grains as a cheap, very light coloured source of sugars. In this case, it uses Instant Polenta as its source for corn. My usual 30 litre batch; 22 litres of concentrated wort and 8 litres of top-up water in the fermenter. Expecting a 4.6% ABV beer with 13 IBU. Should get pretty close, but maybe a bit high. Pre-boil gravity was predicted to be 1.054, and was 1.057. Post-boil gravity predicted 1.060, actual 1.066. 5.0 kg Gladfield German Pilsner Malt 84% 660g Instant Polenta 11% 270g Carapils 5% 29g Mount Hood hops 60 minute boil - 11 IBU 17g Mount Hood hops 10 minute boil - 3 IBU 6ml Lactic Acid to reduce Mash pH to 5.2 I cubed this brew because my brew fridge is occupied. I also need time to try to revive a White Labs WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager yeast overbuild from July last year. This is not a "traditional" yeast for a Mexican Cerveza, but it was my only option after I found the Pilsen Yeast I harvested a while ago had started to turn into penicillin. I got about 1 litre of "spare" wort to use for the starter. I diluted it to an OG of 1.036 with some boiled water. Instant Polenta added to the grain, after stirring in about 2kg of the crushed grains into the mash to create a filter bed. I mixed the Polenta into the dry grain and then added the whole lot into the mash. Transferring to the cube. It is a very light colour. I saw that recipe too and thought I might give it a crack at some point. Let's see how it turns out. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pale Man Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 17 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said: Today's brew was a Mexican Cerveza based on a recent YouTube video from The Home Brew Network. This style usually includes some corn grains as a cheap, very light coloured source of sugars. In this case, it uses Instant Polenta as its source for corn. My usual 30 litre batch; 22 litres of concentrated wort and 8 litres of top-up water in the fermenter. Expecting a 4.6% ABV beer with 13 IBU. Should get pretty close, but maybe a bit high. Pre-boil gravity was predicted to be 1.054, and was 1.057. Post-boil gravity predicted 1.060, actual 1.066. 5.0 kg Gladfield German Pilsner Malt 84% 660g Instant Polenta 11% 270g Carapils 5% 29g Mount Hood hops 60 minute boil - 11 IBU 17g Mount Hood hops 10 minute boil - 3 IBU 6ml Lactic Acid to reduce Mash pH to 5.2 I cubed this brew because my brew fridge is occupied. I also need time to try to revive a White Labs WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager yeast overbuild from July last year. This is not a "traditional" yeast for a Mexican Cerveza, but it was my only option after I found the Pilsen Yeast I harvested a while ago had started to turn into penicillin. I got about 1 litre of "spare" wort to use for the starter. I diluted it to an OG of 1.036 with some boiled water. Instant Polenta added to the grain, after stirring in about 2kg of the crushed grains into the mash to create a filter bed. I mixed the Polenta into the dry grain and then added the whole lot into the mash. Transferring to the cube. It is a very light colour. I used maize in my last lager @Shamus O'Sean Turned out really good. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 17 hours ago, Back Brewing said: I added my Polenta to the mash stirring it in its a nice beer I also added 6-7 handfuls of Rice Hulls to stop the mash getting clogged. They worked well. No stuck mash or sparge. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 5 hours ago, Aussiekraut said: I saw that recipe too and thought I might give it a crack at some point. Let's see how it turns out. It was certainly an easy brew day. But I did not do the decoction step that was in the video. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamus O'Sean Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 58 minutes ago, Pale Man said: I used maize in my last lager @Shamus O'Sean Turned out really good. I have only used it once before and it turned out really well. I am looking forward to tasting this one. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back Brewing Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 4 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said: I also added 6-7 handfuls of Rice Hulls to stop the mash getting clogged. They worked well. No stuck mash or sparge. Yep I added the rice Hulls as well better be safe than sorry 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stquinto Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 A second brew day this weekend. This time a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I got the recipe off their website. Seems like it might be pretty hoppy (53 IBU). I used whole Cascade hops for most of the recipe. If it’s too mouth-puckering I’ll leave the bottles to really mature 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBooz2 Posted March 25 Author Share Posted March 25 (edited) On 3/24/2024 at 10:29 AM, stquinto said: Brew day with a double batch of Pezzza’s Pilly Larger. Came in at 1.056 so I watered it down to 1.050. I’m pressure fermenting this one in my latest toy, a 58l kegmenter. @stquinto, you will love the 58 L SS Kegmenter. I now have two of them and dedicate one for 44 L batches of lagers and the other for 44 L batches of ales. The beauty of these is that you can line up a few brews using the same yeast and then dirty batch at least two times (I have done four in a row) and it saves heaps of cleaning time / SP etc., saves big on yeast costs and builds up your beer stock so quickly you will need to open up an Irish pub to have it all drunk. Could be a market winner in Switzerland. My best tip is for you to get two of these and at least six more kegs. Just saying. My next lager brew will be my take on a @Pezzza pils to use up some pilsner malts and H-M hops I have had here for a while, and I am going to go back to trying out Dubbya again to refresh my memory and taste buds. Edited March 25 by iBooz2 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussiekraut Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 I gave the barleywine a go yesterday. I was prepared for a long brew day with a 3-hour boil but not that long. It all started off as expected until I realised halfway through the boil that somehow the boiloff wasn't happening as fast as it should Usually a 4l/h boiloff is what I observe but this one wasn't anywhere near it. I needed to get rid of 12l of liquid but by the end of the three hours, I was still 4l over target. So another two hours were needed to get me to kind of where I needed to be. Pre-boil SG was spot on at 1.070 but I haven't taken a final sample yet. 10kg of grain for a 20l batch. This was one thick mash. I had to stir it a few times to loosen up the grain bed. I have used some rice hulls but will need more next time. Nevertheless, the mash seems to have been successful. The brew dog had to inspect all is as it should be. She was satisfied I did everything right And the boil is underway... After nearly 8 hours all up, the cube is filled with sweet, sticky goodness. Now to clean up... 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back Brewing Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I brewed a @iBooz2 COPA I substituted the crystal malt for carapils I'm going to use Verdant yeast for this brew it's all cubed and will go in the FV tomorrow Have you guys decided if your going to stick with POR dry hop for this recipe and how much? 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBooz2 Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 (edited) Brew day today, batch #116, AG #73 was a 44 L batch of @Pezzza's Pilly Larger (yes copied his spelling ha ha) as a nod and a wink to our fellow brewer and friend and to the great mountain brewery. First time I have done a lager using some wheat malt rather than carapils. Looking forward to a sip or three in a month or so. I toned it down a tad in the ABV dept as original was ~ 6 % so my version will come in at 4.6 % which is plenty good enough for a young bloke like me. I have six sachets of Dubbya which are way past their use by date (March 2023) so going to throw three or four of those at this batch. The other two sachets I will keep for an overbuild starter at a later date. Hopefully I will get 3 x 44 L batches out of this yeast pitch doing dirty batches so I will line up a few lagers, maybe follow up with a Leighs' Lager and then another Crown Lager clone. Specs for my take on the Pezza's Pilly Larger are: IBU = 23, EBC = 6, ABV = 4.6 %, BU:GU = 0.52 Predicted brewing efficiencies: ME was 85% but came in at 92.18 %. BHE was 81.3% but came in at 82.18%. I was 2 points up on pre-boil SG and spot on the money with the post boil SG and volume. I have the 58 L SS Kegmenter #1 all cleaned up with SP and ready to go when these two cubes cool down enough. Probably pitch them tomorrow afternoon. Edited March 28 by iBooz2 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBooz2 Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 (edited) 1 hour ago, Back Brewing said: I brewed a @iBooz2 COPA I substituted the crystal malt for carapils I'm going to use Verdant yeast for this brew it's all cubed and will go in the FV tomorrow Have you guys decided if your going to stick with POR dry hop for this recipe and how much? @Back Brewing, I have some cold stubbies of the one I dry hopped with PoR so if you give me half an hour or so I will crack a couple to try these out and refresh my memory. Mine was kegged and bottled on 25Jan2024 and the kegs got killed in record time, as the COPA's always do. I have had some of the commercial COPA's here which I drank lately for my overbuild starter, and they seemed to finish off with a very lemon-y note so the next COPA of mine will be dry hopped with something like lemon drop as a trial. Stand by while I slurp down a couple with the PoR dry hop. Edited March 28 by iBooz2 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmar92 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 4 hours ago, iBooz2 said: Brew day today, batch #116, AG #73 was a 44 L batch of @Pezzza's Pilly Larger (yes copied his spelling ha ha) as a nod and a wink to our fellow brewer and friend and to the great mountain brewery. First time I have done a lager using some wheat malt rather than carapils. Looking forward to a sip or three in a month or so. I toned it down a tad in the ABV dept as original was ~ 6 % so my version will come in at 4.6 % which is plenty good enough for a young bloke like me. I have six sachets of Dubbya which are way past their use by date (March 2023) so going to throw three or four of those at this batch. The other two sachets I will keep for an overbuild starter at a later date. Hopefully I will get 3 x 44 L batches out of this yeast pitch doing dirty batches so I will line up a few lagers, maybe follow up with a Leighs' Lager and then another Crown Lager clone. Specs for my take on the Pezza's Pilly Larger are: IBU = 23, EBC = 6, ABV = 4.6 %, BU:GU = 0.52 Predicted brewing efficiencies: ME was 85% but came in at 92.18 %. BHE was 81.3% but came in at 82.18%. I was 2 points up on pre-boil SG and spot on the money with the post boil SG and volume. I have the 58 L SS Kegmenter #1 all cleaned up with SP and ready to go when these two cubes cool down enough. Probably pitch them tomorrow afternoon. Your brewing efficiencies are just outstanding @iBooz2. I wish that I could get near what you achieve, your brewing methods and procedures must be spot on 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmar92 Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 @iBooz2 as I have a very similar Nano setup to yours, I am very interested in the photo you posted of your brewday. Looks like that silicone hose filling the cube has done a few brews judging by the colour of it. I am interested in your plumbing, on the suction side of your pump you have 2 hoses, 1 is obviously a feed from the Nano but what is the other line that is going into the top of the T-piece on the suction side of the pump? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBooz2 Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 (edited) 43 minutes ago, kmar92 said: Your brewing efficiencies are just outstanding @iBooz2. I wish that I could get near what you achieve, your brewing methods and procedures must be spot on The trick with the Nano system as I have worked out is to do a thin mash at around 6 L per Kg of grain. Then I discovered if I drop the temp of the so-called acid rest from 50 C to 45 C and make it a Glucanase rest for 15 minutes this helped immensely. That followed by a normal 65 C or 69 C mash for 60 minutes and also include a mash out at 75 C or so. Then sparge with 76 C water until I have 59 L in the kettle pre-boil, works every time (talking 70 L Nano kettle here). This brew was a tad down on my previous mashes and I think that was because of the extra pale Pilsner malt used. Edited March 28 by iBooz2 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBooz2 Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 12 minutes ago, kmar92 said: @iBooz2 as I have a very similar Nano setup to yours, I am very interested in the photo you posted of your brewday. Looks like that silicone hose filling the cube has done a few brews judging by the colour of it. I am interested in your plumbing, on the suction side of your pump you have 2 hoses, 1 is obviously a feed from the Nano but what is the other line that is going into the top of the T-piece on the suction side of the pump? Yes, it has done 73 AG batches now and a boiling hot SP clean does not seem to make it clearer whereas the rest of the kit brightens up very nicely. That Guinness clone I did recently took its toll on that poor tube. The other hose going to the top of the T-piece is the feed from my 35 L Digiboil. I have it set up this way so I can quickly prime the pump with the Digiboil water if the pump has sucked air and cavitates, due to end of wort into the cubes or when cleaning. Sort of like priming insurance. My Nano kit is always setup so I can brew, clean and store without having to pack up or move anything. It's the way to go if you are smashing out brews. I unclip that third hose at the T-piece and use that hose to sparge the grain bed by hand. I think there is a video of how I do it further back in this thread. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBooz2 Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 On 3/25/2024 at 5:14 PM, stquinto said: Good to see you helping out with the home duties there @stquinto and washing out your Y-fronts whilst brewing. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple B Brewing Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 40 minutes ago, iBooz2 said: Good to see you helping out with the home duties there @stquinto and washing out your Y-fronts whilst brewing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stquinto Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 2 hours ago, iBooz2 said: Good to see you helping out with the home duties there @stquinto and washing out your Y-fronts whilst brewing. Funny you should mention that @iBooz2 Al ! I was going to point out that middle-aged blokes shouldn't wear cream underwear but thought better of it Since you beat me to it I can now 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 On 3/25/2024 at 4:14 PM, stquinto said: I got the recipe off their website. Seems like it might be pretty hoppy (53 IBU). Too much crystal for me from memory 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 Stout time and Fuggles And this lot of.... With reused Kveik 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brauhaus Fritz Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 My 4th AG brew. Found this Kiwi site full of recipes. Tried my luck with the Stella Artois clone ( have a friend who only drinks Stella). If it turns out nice I might try more recipes https://www.wildabouthops.nz/lager_pilsner_recipes.html Saturday.mp4 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDT2 Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 32 minutes ago, Brauhaus Fritz said: My 4th AG brew. Found this Kiwi site full of recipes. Tried my luck with the Stella Artois clone ( have a friend who only drinks Stella). If it turns out nice I might try more recipes https://www.wildabouthops.nz/lager_pilsner_recipes.html Saturday.mp4 Cheers for that cool site! I am trying to work out how to use my hops so some good ideas in here 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brauhaus Fritz Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 9 minutes ago, RDT2 said: Cheers for that cool site! I am trying to work out how to use my hops so some good ideas in here yes, it looks interesting. Just looked at stouts and porters. yum, like the idea of a Guinness West Indies Porter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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