Old Speckled Hen

[MyQul]

Will give you another update in two weeks but really promising at the mo.

What do you mean "cook?"

 

[rodwha]

I'm supposing he meant to boil it for a long duration. I asked him to specify, but he never responded. I had intended on adding it at flameout.

 

[rodwha]

Anxious for your update! Do let us know!

 

[tubthumper]

you can both cook it for long time or put it in at flame out both will give nice flavors suggest you try both see which you prefer

 

[rodwha]

I've had a couple of people state it has a butterscotch flavor. Is this what you'd call it?

 

[MyQul]

Well, Rodwha I've just cracked open my first bottle of OSH after two weeks conditioning. And very nice it is too. I will say it doesn't taste exactly like OSH but I'm getting that distinctive flavour (which you described as butterscotch) that comes from the golden syrup on the back of my palette.
I would say that either it needs more conditioning to bring the golden syrup flavour out more or I didn't put enough golden syrup in. I only made 5L so converted the 23L recipe using Brewmate. As Brewmate doesn't have golden syrup in its library of ingredients I just divided the 23L amout by 23 and then multiplied by 5. This may not have been enough though. Will try to keep some bottles longer to try to condition a bit more but as I only have 7 I don't think they'll be lasting too long :mrgreen:

Edit: having now nearly gotten to the bottom of the glass it seems to be increasingly taste more and more like OSH

 

[rodwha]

Very nice!

 

[rodwha]

I received my 2 cans of Lyle's the other day!

How has your OSH brew turned out now that it's had a little more time? More like it?

So you do feel Lyle's gives a butterscotch type flavor?

Ever make your own inverted sugars? I'm considering it as this stuff was expensive!

 

[MyQul]

Drank it all now I only made 5L though. It was probably one of the best beers I've made so far.

Whith what I know now about yeast if I were to make it again I wouldn't use notty as it was too dry for the style

Brew mate didnt have golden syrup in it's library so I just did some maths to add it in to the receipe. The receipe had an OG of 1.053. I later managed to find some potential extract figures to plug into brewmate. I suspect that the guy who did the receipe didn't have PE figures for golden syrup either as when I plugged em into brewmate my OG went up to 1.058. Didn't take a note of the FG but I remember working out the ABV% to 5.7%ABV, so not exactly a session ale.

Never even knew you could make inverted sugar. Definately turned out butterscotchy and tasted exactly like the original except for being a bit too dry

 

[rodwha]

I'd love to get something close to OSH! I'd likely drop the ABV down a few notches to 5-5.4% though.

I looks like I haven't behaved very well this year as it didn't take her long to wrap my presents! We Hancock's aren't known for behaving though...just can't help ourselves! Ha ha!

 

[rodwha]

5L? What a shame! Learned your lesson there, eh?

 

[MyQul]

I'd love to get something close to OSH! I'd likely drop the ABV down a few notches to 5-5.4% though.

I seem to remember reading when i was looking for a recipe, that the original OSH was quite a hefty brew something akin to 5.7% before it was dropped to it's current 5.2%. Moreland also do a Golden Hen but I haven't tried that.

I only did 5L cuz at the time it was still in the mid 20C in my kitchen and it was only after I had brewed the OSL that I realized I can fit a 40L builders trug in my brewing corner of the kitchen to use as a ice water bath

 

[rodwha]

Here's to enough space!

:

 

[rodwha]

Sometimes small batches are better though. I recently brewed up two 2.5 gal (~9.5L) batches of test beer to see if I can produce good beer ready to drink (I bottle) within 31 days giving them 2 weeks to ferment, 2 weeks to condition, and 3 days to carb in the fridge). I just tried my honey wheat and it has an awful bite up front. I certainly hope it mellows out in a bit, but if not, at least I didn't brew twice as much!

 

[MyQul]

Here's to enough space!

:

Deffo.

Completely off topic (shame the forum hasn't got a chat facility) do you use dried or liquid yeast? and do you have a 'house' strain?

 

[rodwha]

I've been using dry lately, but I used liquid for maybe 2 years. I dumped them because I lost track of how many times I used them, but one had also mutated, though in a good way in that I was getting higher attenuation. But the biggest reason was that we were moving and I wasn't going to be able to brew within a reasonable time frame, and it's just easier to not move stuff if you don't have to.

I used WLP-001, which is supposedly the same thing as US-05 dry yeast. These have been my go to strains, and I get the attenuation that the mutated 001 got. But US-05 compacts the bottled sediment tighter. I'm thinking of salvaging some and keeping it going instead.

My wheat yeast was WLP-320, but I had it only because what I wanted (Wyeast 1010) wasn't available. It was good, but had low attenuation. I tried WB-06 dry but the clove conflicted with my honey wheat a bit.

I also used Wyeast 1272 (IIRC). But it has lower attenuation than 001.

I've used S-04 British dry yeast. I like it, but I have nothing British to compare it to. I'm wanting to find a great yeast I can keep going for brewing an ESB, IPA, barleywine, and northern brown.

I'm also wanting to make a Scottish beer and an Irish red. Not sure if I can keep a strain going for these unless a British yeast will suffice (one for the others).

 

[rodwha]

Oh, and I just tried T-58 dry Belgian yeast. I made a Belgian wit. Time shall tell, but it sounded interesting as it gives a peppery flavor.

 

[rodwha]

I looked for a general off topic type sub forum here, but alas there is not one. I like black powder type firearms too and looked to see if anyone there was interested as well. Same with cigars.

 

[MyQul]

I've been just using notty dry yeast for everything but am finding it far to dry for some of the bitters i make, especially the ones without any crystal in them.

I want to start using liquid yeast next year. I want one yeast (at most two) that I can use for almost everything. I think I may have found it. I only make bitter, stout, porter, golden ale and mild - and I think White labs WLB0023 Burton ale yeast may be the one. I've read good things about it and its aparently the right yeast for the styles I enjoy with maybe the exception for dry stout and robust porter but I can use notty for those.

Thing is, I don't want to pay nearly £7 for yeast. I've read brakspear triple is bottle fermented with burton ale yeast. So I plan on kidnapping and enslaving some from a bottle from my local supermaket. I've read not to use yeast more than ten generations but have also read commercial breweries use yeast almost indefinately so it then becomes a propriatary/house strain - so I plan on washing and repitching from brew to brew. Things might change as I gain more knowledge on yeast, but that's the plan so far

 

[MyQul]

I looked for a general off topic type sub forum here, but alas there is not one. I like black powder type firearms too and looked to see if anyone there was interested as well. Same with cigars.

The 'snug' is the forum for that sort of stuff