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Quick update on this. FG 1008 from OG of 1052/1053, gives me about 6.4% ABV once bottled [w00t]

 

Anyway, I had a little taste test from the hydrometer sample and it is tasting basically like a German/Euro lager should. Can't detect any diacetyl, which I did notice before upping the temp for the last week of ferment. No weird flavours or aromas, which is a huge relief after fishing that alien squid looking crap out of it on the first day. Turned the fridge down to 1C yesterday which it's now sitting at and will do so for the next two weeks or so until I bottle it. [biggrin]

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I love all the twists and turns this thread has taken, some pretty funny stuff in there. [lol]

 

Anyway, I'm pretty confident it will be ok. It's had a good 2 or 3 weeks in the FV already for whatever that crap was to reassert itself and ruin the beer, which hasn't happened yet so it seems unlikely that it will now. But I will let you know how it turns out after it's been bottled. I'll have a sneaky taste after two weeks but will leave it for a lot longer before I start drinking it properly.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bottled this one today after 2.5 weeks in the FV at 1C after nearly 2 weeks fermenting at 12C plus a few days at 16C for a D-rest until FG achieved. Took a sample before I transferred to my bottling FV and tasted and smelt it before as well. It was fine, and tasting pretty good for a first go at trying to brew a lager, despite the initial setbacks. I just bottled it cold so will just wait a couple of weeks before trying one.

 

Also because I have enough empties from leaving this one in the FV so long, I immediately cleaned out the FV and threw in another English ale batch. I had made up a starter with Nottingham yeast (I know it's not necessary but I am figuring out my processes for starters). Boiled it in the flask on Friday night and covered it with alfoil and let it cool overnight, pitched the yeast (rehydrated) on Sat morning, left it on the stir plate til Sun morning, put it in the fridge on Mon morning and took it out this morning to warm up a bit while I cleaned some bottles and bottled the lager. I think it should be ok this time, I had a smell of it before pitching and it was just smelling like bread/yeast, rather than a bit vinegary like the lager one did. Unfortunately I tipped the bloody stir bar in with the yeast. [lol] According to YeastCalc, being a 1.75L starter I got about 100Bn more cells than required so hopefully it goes well.[joyful]

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Well as usual I couldn't resist a taste test at one week in the bottle. Obviously very very young for a lager but on this initial tasting I can say that it has turned out really well for a first attempt at a genuine lager, and also considering the early blip on the radar with the alien squid monster[lol].

It's hard to really describe the taste but to me it tastes pretty much how a proper German style lager should. Does remind me of the couple of Helles I have tasted which I enjoyed so I'm happy about that. Needs more time to carbonate properly obviously, but overall I think this will be a really nice refreshing drink come summer time.

 

This post wouldn't be complete without a picture of the brew, it is a bit cloudy in this but it has cleared up well in the glass since. I daresay long term storage in the fridge would probably fix this issue in the future.

 

253380_10201261386125278_59982054_n.jpg

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Nice one Kelsey, they are a stack more effort and time but I reckon the clean/crispness from a lager is a sensation thats worth it.

 

Thinking about doing a schwarzbier soon, just need to work through some surplus first, American Brown and a Coopers English bitter kit which I plan to throw on top of the cake from the brown.

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Looks good Kelsey. Apart from the man floating in your beer [unsure]

 

[lol] Cheers Hairy. I got that glass from the XXXX brewery when I did the tour last month. Not that I'm a fan of that beer but it was cool to grab a souvenir anyway.

 

No idea what you're talking about KR. [tongue] [biggrin]

 

Thanks Graham, they sure are, but I reckon it's worth it too. I've got another one in the cube at the moment that I will be fermenting at some stage in the next couple of months. It's practically the same recipe as this one but with a bit less base malt to try and reduce the alcohol. This one came out at 6.4% [w00t] Now that I've more accurately figured out my efficiency it's easier to make recipes with the right amount of malt for the ABV range I'm going for.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This one is still tasting excellent. Just thought I'd give a quick update, I put version two into the fermenter and pitched the yeast on Wednesday, this time the starter was ok, and haven't had any squid monsters in the brew either. [lol] Should be bottling in about 6 or 7 weeks time. These brews are a series of batches I'm brewing for a friend's wedding so I'm not that worried about lagering them for extended periods in the FV.

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So, I took a gravity reading sample of V.2 of this beer today, one week after pitching the yeast it is down to about 1012 from 1045. [w00t]

 

It was pitched at about 16C and it has been fermenting at between 11.5 and 11.8 degrees which it got down to in a matter of a few hours after pitching. I made a 4L starter for it so perhaps that's why it took off like a rocket.

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Yes indeed. I have really enjoyed the first batch I brewed, although I'm leaving most of them to age properly, I just sample one every now and then. I was just surprised to see this one get down to 1012 so quickly. I'd guess it probably has a few more points to get to FG though. The last one started at 1054 and got to 1008 and it had less yeast in it because I didn't have my 5 litre flask yet.

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No, I just make them up from light dry malt and water and boil the flask on the stove then cover it with foil and let it cool to room temp. I'm not too keen on trying to carefully pour from a full 25 litre cube into a flask and introducing contaminated air into it.

 

I just put the starter in the fridge for a few days before pitching and decanted most of the spent wort off it then pitched.

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