Graham Wheeler Recipes

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I've been reading through Graham Wheeler's book over the weekend and it's raised a few questions, although they're pretty general and not specific to the book I guess.

1 - All the boil times are 90 minutes, what's the reason for doing a > 60 minute boil? More bitterness extraction from the hops? Would a 60 minute boil with more hops do the same job?
2 - White sugar seems to be added to a lot of the recipes, is this just to increase the ABV? Could the same ABV be achieved by using a bit more grain?
 
1. I think doing a 90 min boil is supposed to ensure a hot break. I always do a 60 min boil though and adjust the hop additions

2. Yes you can just add more grain. GW states in the book that he has done this to replicate some receipes that have invert type sugars in them but use white sugar as it's easier to get hold of, although I have come across ways how to make certain invert sugars. There is a more detailed explanation about invert sugars in beer by GW floating around on the net somehere and apperently using sugars is brewings dirty little secret and many breweries/head brewers that GW asked about it denied using sugars even though for example GW had witnessed the lorries that carry the sugar going into the brewery.
Invert sugars can also add different types of flavours to a beer that plain old white wont

Be aware too that using white sugar can dry the beer out. I made the courage directors as per receipe and it was far to dry.
 
Cheers, if I'd read the rest of the book rather than just jumping straight in to the recipes I'd probably not have needed to ask the second question. :lol:
 
I think if your beers kept being cloudy then the length of the boil would be worth extending. As well as rapid cooling. If beer clarity is important to you, not everyone is worried about a bit of haze. Very highly hopped beers are usually hazy, hop haze.
 
Cheers, if I'd read the rest of the book rather than just jumping straight in to the recipes I'd probably not have needed to ask the second question. :lol:

:-D:-D

Your not the only one. I originally really only bought it for the "Over 100 recipes to try" I didn't read the rest of it for at least 3 months
 
I've noticed a tip from the book is it's good practice to aerate the wort a day after pitching. Has anyone done this even if things are ticking along ok?
Another one that stood out for me was not to brew in the summer. Yea right I'll go teatotal for three months
 
1. I think doing a 90 min boil is supposed to ensure a hot break. I always do a 60 min boil though and adjust the hop additions

2. Yes you can just add more grain. GW states in the book that he has done this to replicate some receipes that have invert type sugars in them but use white sugar as it's easier to get hold of, although I have come across ways how to make certain invert sugars. There is a more detailed explanation about invert sugars in beer by GW floating around on the net somehere and apperently using sugars is brewings dirty little secret and many breweries/head brewers that GW asked about it denied using sugars even though for example GW had witnessed the lorries that carry the sugar going into the brewery.
Invert sugars can also add different types of flavours to a beer that plain old white wont

Be aware too that using white sugar can dry the beer out. I made the courage directors as per receipe and it was far to dry.

I replaced the sugar with pale malt for the Harviestoun Ptarmigan. But t I used the same grams exactly which in hindsight prob needed another fifty grams of grain.
Yes myqul. I blamed roasted barley fur a couple of partial mashes. But t the sugar quantities were a whopping 400_500g each batch. It's a lesson though
 
I replaced the sugar with pale malt for the Harviestoun Ptarmigan. But t I used the same grams exactly which in hindsight prob needed another fifty grams of grain.
Yes myqul. I blamed roasted barley fur a couple of partial mashes. But t the sugar quantities were a whopping 400_500g each batch. It's a lesson though

Yes, sugar has far more 'potential extract' than grain. Which I see you've discovered
 
I've noticed a tip from the book is it's good practice to aerate the wort a day after pitching. Has anyone done this even if things are ticking along ok?

I think this is one part where the book shows its age. I could see the benefit if the pitching rate or yeast viability was low, but nowadays yeast is not only better in terms of choice (GW doesn't even recommend specific yeasts), but also in the quality of manufacture and storage. I'd aerate a high gravity wort after 6-12 hours, as Chris White recommends in his yeast book, but otherwise I don't bother. It is worth remembering that if the oxygen is there the yeast will respire aerobically, consuming the sugars and producing CO2 and water. Only when the oxygen is used up will it switch to anaerobic respiration and convert the sugars to CO2 and alcohol instead.
 
Tbf it must have been a long **** process getting the recipes let alone the hop time additions. They do seem a bit predictable. 60 mins and 10mins, for dry hop 'a few cones' of..,
What I did with my last was add a few more hops at flame out (albiet a bit later than I'd wanted at 55c!?), So that the earlier beers will give me an idea if it was worth pimping them up. I know I'm doing smaller batches but 7g of saaz did seem a tad tame for 10mins.

Is there books out there a bit more specific on times and proper dry hop quantities? Preferably one with American IPA'S in?

It's still a good book for anyone taking the next step to grains though.
 
Imho G.W. has beer god status, and my personal thanks for his TTL recipe alone ;), as covered above the sugar content of the recipes reflect the brewing habits of the breweries that made the brews the recipes are attempting to emulate.

boil time, many will argue that a 60 minute boil is sufficient to achieve a full and complete hot break with todays grains. A 90 minute boil is a belt n braces length which should achieve a hot break regardless of the grain bill.
 
I've used two of his recipes, Young's Special and two brews of Summer Lightning. The last one I added some Elderflower florets to the boil. Both recipes in the book are full grain with no sugar. I'm not a fan of adding sugar, I prefer all grain. I did both the 90 minute mash and boil and it turned out fine.
 
The Young's special sample taken two weeks ago whilst bottling was very impressive. Nice simple grains. Can't wait to try one in two weeks time. The summer lightning is in the top three to do list.
Yes Andrews brew I also am avoiding the sugar ones or adding more grain as a replacement.
 
The Young's special sample taken two weeks ago whilst bottling was very impressive. Nice simple grains. Can't wait to try one in two weeks time. The summer lightning is in the top three to do list.
Yes Andrews brew I also am avoiding the sugar ones or adding more grain as a replacement.

Summer lightning is bottle cultured so you could kidnapp the strain if you want to, to make it even more authentic
 
Oooo I'm all ears. Is that a case of an email to the brewery
A polite email to a brewery/head brewer will often get a helpful and informative response, A few years ago i tried to trace the yeast used by Morrells and followed a web rhumour to a small cornish brewery whos brewer was helpful and pointed me on to labs to trace the strain..
 
Boiling for 90 minutes also darkens the colour of the beer slightly. I've rarely done a 90 min boil even when the recipe suggests.

I use a lot of lager/pilsner malt but these don't require 90 mins either. I think most lager malts are modified enough so you don't need to boil them for half an hour extra.
 
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