antiphile Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Excellent feedback, guys. I really do appreciate it. I have to admit I did my first and only to date (but I will be trying to better it soon I hope) Timothy Taylor Landlord clone at 64 - 65C. I had a helluva time with a stuck sparge though (however that will be down to my less than well designed manifold), and it turned out to be a lot more bitter than the real deal (undoubtedly a recipe problem). Its always good to get other people's takes on their methods and "steal" their experience. Cheers Phil Edit 9:45 pm. I even found the recipe I used here in post #769, but of course I didn't record the alpha levels for the hops at that stage, doh! Not that I imagine it would have been outside the average ranges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 For me, I only mash higher if I am planning on a sub 4% beer. Anything over I would mash as per normal. BTW, my Landlord clone is also too bitter. I still drink it but next time I will back off the bittering hops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Hi Scottie. I must admit that I could do more research than I do and as such I could be on the wrong track. According to the BJCP guidelines the English Bitters (ordinary & best) vary in FG from 1.007 to 1.012' date=' and in ABV from 3.2% to 4.6%. So after only 3 years of brewing this is what I have deduced: The more malt in the grain bill the higher the FG (i.e. the higher the OG the higher the FG). Now because at the moment I aiming at 3.5% I have a lowish OG but I am after a full bodied brew that finishes around the 1.012 mark, and that is why I mash at 69 degrees C.[/quote'] To me, it appears you are experimenting with mash temperatures in an effort to create a more fermentable, or less fermentable wort to achieve a higher or lower Final Gravity (More body or less body in the final beer). Am I on the right track here? The swings & gains you are talking about will not be achieved through this area of brewing, without obvious signs of sweetness or dryness in your end beer, & to the point of giving you more headaches than you really need to be putting yourself through. My advice to you is at least in the initial period of your AG brewing, is to stick with a median mash temperature (say 67-68°C) with each of your brews, & use your grain selections to influence the FG & final body in your beers. You'll gain a much larger SHIFT by going about it this way & in a more beneficial & quicker way than the approach you seem to be heading down atm. The "Cara" malt range is really what you need to be looking at increasing (percentage-wise) if wanting to build a higher FG in your beers. The fermentability of these grains is at a much lower level than a base malt grain, thus leaving more body behind after fermentation. In the chart linked to below you can easily select a Cara-grain in the range of the brew style you are brewing to compliment the flavours & leave behind more body than a more fermentable base malted grain. A Home Brewing Malts Guide As an example, look at your Squires Bitter recipe (lovely looking & probably yummy tasting btw), but I bet it lacks body. The recipe is comprised of almost all base malt grain. Higher base malt % = higher fermentability. To improve the body in that recipe alone, reduce the amount of Golden Promise, & introduce more 'Cara' malt grain into that mixture. It won't increase the ABV%, but will increase the body & mouthfeel if accurately used as a replacement in place of the reduced base malt grain. One of the challenges in making a high quality lower ABV beer is to have it still have some 'body'. When kit-based brewing, we have maltodextrin for that, when grain brewing, the 'Cara' malts are our friends in this area. I wouldn't sell you wrong mate. Cheers, Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted November 6, 2014 Author Share Posted November 6, 2014 Hey Anthony Did I lead you guys astray? My Squires Bitter numbers are: OG 1.039 SG 1.013 ABV 3.5% IBU 34 The combination of mash temp and yeast has given me the desired results without introducing any additional flavours from crystal malts. I am not experiencing any headaches now that I am hitting the right strike temperature. I am also mashing all my beers at 69 degrees at the moment, given that 6 of my last 7 brews have been 3.5% or lower. They have all finished above 1.01, the anomaly is 4.3% brew that finished at 1.005, strike temperature was too low and therefore is was mashed at a lower temperature. I understand what you are saying about speciality grains and they have their place, however given the versatility offered by varied mash temperatures I feel that when making Pale Ales and Bitters these malts are of used more for flavour additions than for extra body. If making a Stout then the story changes a bit. Cheers Scottie Valley Brew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 El Dorado hopped Golden Ale. Yum. Off for a swim soon then more beers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilboBaggins Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Best Bitter, heavy on the Caraaroma. Yum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koo wee brew Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere harvest fresh hop IPA 2014. BANG.............. GOLD................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere harvest fresh hop IPA 2014. BANG.............. GOLD................. Home brew...? Don't Mention the War II - American style wheat fermented with Kolsch yeast. Yum. El Golden Ale - El Dorado hopped golden ale fermented with Aussie Ale yeast. Yum. Hop2iT III - Columbus, Citra and Jarrylo hopped IPA. Soooooo fruity on the nose. Nuts, I love it. No dry hopping at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Currently on tap, Coopers Mexican Cerveza infused with real limes & lemons, & dry hopped with Motueka. Pleasant & easy drinking, made for my megaswill mates mainly. Coopers Pale Ale using re-activated CCA yeast, late hopped & dry hopped with Riwaka. Very pleased with this one. Cheers, Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koo wee brew Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 Octoberfest lager as per coopers recipe. Absolutely crystal clear out of the bottle. Nice refreshing taste. My first lager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted November 11, 2014 Author Share Posted November 11, 2014 Way to go Koo wee My first lager was the Coopers Oktoberfest, everyone loved it. I must admit it was way better than the Lowenbrau Oktoberfest that I sampled in Austria last September. Cheers Scottie Valley Brew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 MuSon. Saison with Yeast Bays Saison Blend. 1/2 Munich, 1/2 Pale. Easy drinking 6%, rich and malty. Yum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownsworthy Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Just sitting back watching the UFC got a few ESVA '12, a couple of '14s so should be a good afternoon fingers crossed Mark Hunt wins it will be even better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 For your own domestic safety, Brownsworthy, I'm really really hoping that's the 2014 Union of Feminists Conference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownsworthy Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Of course Phil, I'm spreading my wings and blossoming into a strong majestic role model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I have to get some beers in the fridge for Thanksgiving here. I have a Bavarian watermelon hefeweizen & my partial mash German dampfbier version 2 to go in the fridge. Still have to brew up the ESB though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koo wee brew Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Czech pils as per coopers recipe 2nd lager brewed. Nice refreshing taste, crystal clear out of the bottle. Not enough of that saaz bite for mine. May have to try a short boil and steep if I brew again. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Summer's Here Pale Ale. Late hopped with Jarrylo and Cascade, dry hopped with Cascade. Pale, Munich and Wheat malt. No Crystal apparently. Lovely drop, firm bitterness at 40 IBU. Brewed with White Labs Pacific Ale yeast. Yum Yum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnaman Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 G'day Beer Lovers, started with a TC Aussie Bitter 6 months in the bottle, not too bad but it is a Lager, then moved on to a Real Ale with 20g of Mutoeka for 5 minutes and dry hop with 20g Mutoeka this one had 5 months in the bottle and was still a very nice beer, now I'm drinking a Hop Gobbler, 4 months in the bottle, nice chocmalt flavour in the back, I like this beer, just have to wait a little for the last one I bottled 9 days ago.....mmmmm dark beer....... Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 G'day fellow followers of true amber enlightenment! Simply enjoying a few of my 250cc Pale Ale v.2 on tap atm. A very kind neighbor of mine regularly edges & mows my naturestrip out the front along with also doing this for a couple of other adjoining neighbors of ours. He asks for nothing in return & simply does it out of pure kindness when he does his own. I regularly say thank you to him when we chat, & always buy him a carton of commercial beer for Xmas each year as a further way of saying thanks. To cut a long story short, I heard his whipper-snipper start up out the front a little earlier & took a glass of said beer out to him to say thanks & for a chat. Whilst out there, a guy I rarely see that I bought my secondhand fermenting fridge from was also out the front of his house, so I said hello & asked if he wanted a pint as well, to which he said yes. Well in only a matter of minutes on from there, a number of my other neighbors watering lawns/walking dogs etc. etc. came for a wander over & a neighborly chat. So as you do, I offered each a pint from the keg. At one point there was six of us standing there yapping away each with a pint of my beer in our hand! They all said they really enjoyed the beer. Cheers, Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porschemad911 Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 G'day Anthony, that sounds really great. I've heard the street I moved into in March has a Christmas party each year, so I'd like to share some of my home brew around for that one. That's assuming I have a batch worthy of sharing ready to drink at the time! And Magnaman, you have just about convinced me to do another batch of Hop Gobbler when the weather drops down to reasonable brewing temps again after summer! I should be able to sneak one in before my sunroom turns into a cool room post-Anzac Day and I can have a go at some kind of Lager. Last winter my FV full of sanitizer used to sit at a pretty steady 12 degrees so hopefully it's doable. Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 A Dark Mild that I brewed about 10 months ago. 2.8% ABV but it doesn't taste like it. Full flavoured, decent body and surprisingly refreshing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antiphile Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Hey Hairy To me, that sounds like 80% of a Rogers, only just as flavoursome. You lucky, lucky bastard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 Hey Hairy To me' date=' that sounds like 80% of a Rogers, only just as flavoursome. You lucky, lucky bastard.[/quote'] It is pretty much Manticle's Dark Mild recipe on AHB. I mashed at 69-70 degrees and it finished at 1020; hence the low ABV and fuller body. I highly recommend it. Dr Smurto's Light American Amber Ale is a great drop too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben 10 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 MuSon. Munich malt based saison. Yum Yum Yum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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