PP Kalifornien

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Grizzly299

The Beer Bear
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Pembrokeshire, Wales
So this was my first all grain brew, numero uno, AG#1. It was also the very first recipe that I designed my self ,by hand. No brew calculators involved.

It's a California Common, aka steam beer and I think it was good enough to share with you guys.

PP refers to the hops, Phoenix and Perle. Kalifornien is German for California, which is a reference to the German larger yeast used Saflarger S-23.

I see a lot of California Common recipes using Californian Ale Yeasts, but a little research told me that the original steam beers likely used German larger yeasts. As the primary brewers in America during the gold rush were likely German and had yeast from home at their disposal.

It's also a happy accident that the acronym "PPK" is a pistol produced by German arms manufacturer Walther.


So here it is.

|General Stats|

Volume(Post Boil Kettle): 20L (Whole hops removed)
OG:1.052
FG:1.013
IBU:33 ~
SRM:13.5
Efficiency:72%
Yeast: Saflarger S23
Co2: 2.2-2.5 volumes

|Grain Bill|

3.7Kg. Maris Otter
470g. Crystal 60
420g. Munich Malt
50g. Pale Chocolate Malt

|Mash|

Temp: 66°C
Time: 60 mins
Thickness: 2.5L/Kg


|Boil|

Time: 60 mins

10g. Phoenix 36 mins (10.3 IBU)
20g. Perle. 15 mins (8.4 IBU)
20g. Phoenix 12 mins (10.3 IBU)
20g. Perle. 6 mins. (4 IBU)

2tsp Irish moss 15 mins


|Fermentation|


This is to be fermented as a steam beer, using larger yeasts at the lower end of ale yeast fermentation temperatures.

*Saflarger-S23 will produce sulphur smells during primary fermentation.

1.Keep for two weeks at 18-20°C

2.Between the 12th and 14th day slowly raise the temperature by two °C just in case there is any diacetyl lingering.

3.At the end of the 14th day reduce the temperature to 15°C and below and hold for 7 days.

4. Prime and then Bottle or Keg.Aim for 2.2 to 2.5 Vols of Co2.

5. Condition for two weeks at room temperature.

6.Mature at temps between 5-12°C for a further two weeks.

7. Enjoy.


|Tasting Notes|

Appearance: Clear, Medium Amber.

Nose: Mild hops and malt, nice balance.

Taste: Balance of malt and fruit, mild hop spice and orange with a pleasant bitterness leading to a subtle roasty biscuit flavour.

Finish: Medium

Closest Commercial Example: Anchor Steam



Enjoy! I'll be making this for a second time in November, just as I did the first time, just to commemorate my first AG brew.
 
Might be obvious and/or stupid but why is it called a steam beer?

There are a few explanations, but my favourite is the one provided by Anchor Steam.In California the weather is pretty hot and they found it difficult to cool large quantities of beer. So they used to fill shallow open top vats on the roof of the brewery in an attempt to dissipate the heat.Steam would of course rise from the roof.Done in the early hours of the morning I would imagine that visibility of the steam would be quite striking.
 
There are a few explanations, but my favourite is the one provided by Anchor Steam.In California the weather is pretty hot and they found it difficult to cool large quantities of beer. So they used to fill shallow open top vats on the roof of the brewery in an attempt to dissipate the heat.Steam would of course rise from the roof.Done in the early hours of the morning I would imagine that visibility of the steam would be quite striking.

I like that
 

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