Mark K’s Brewdays

[Benfleet Brewery]

I took a day off work yesterday and kegged my light lager which I didn’t get around to doing at the weekend for one reason or another. It finished at 1.008 so gives me a sessionable summer BBQ lager at 4% abv. It also turned out that my daughter started a new job and my wife had arranged to meet with one of her friends yesterday too so with most of the day to myself, an empty FV and 500g Summit hops (thanks to @DocAnna) there was only one thing for it really. Let’s get a brew on.

Unfortunately, as I was so unprepared, I hadn’t drawn off any RO water but the first couple of times I’d made my Summit Pale Ale was before I got my RO filter and it came out pretty good just using my tap water with a bit of citric acid just to get the mash PH in range so that’s what I went for. This is a slightly modified version as I usually use a late addition and dry hop of Cascade with the Summit but this time I’ve used Citra instead.
Oh, and for the first time ever, I forgot to take a gravity so no idea at all what the OG was. I realised about an hour or so after pitching the yeast and didn’t want to mess with it after that. I’m usually there or there about what Bf predicts fingers crossed I’m there or thereabouts with this one too.

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Summit Pale Ale v3
Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: American Pale Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 23 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 27.3 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.037
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.042
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV (standard): 4.11%
IBU (tinseth): 35.06
SRM (morey): 8.83
Mash pH: 5.56

FERMENTABLES:
3.5 kg - Maris Otter (85.4%)
200 g - Crystal 140L (4.9%)
200 g - Dextrine Malt (4.9%)
200 g - Torrified Wheat (4.9%)

HOPS:
10 g - Summit (15 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 16.96
10 g - Summit (15 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, Use: Boil for 30 min, IBU: 13.03
15 g - Summit (15 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, Use: Boil for 5 min, IBU: 5.07
15 g - Summit (15 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, Use: Aroma for 0 min
15 g - Citra (11 AA), Type: Pellet, Use: Aroma for 0 min
30 g - Citra (11 AA), Type: Pellet, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days
30 g - Summit (15 AA) Type: Leaf/Whole, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Strike, Temp: 66 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 18.18 L
2) Sparge, Temp: 76 C, Time: 15 min, Amount: 12.4 L
Starting Mash Thickness: 2.8 L/kg

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.25 each - Campden Tablets, Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
4 ml - Lactic acid, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.25 each - Campden Tablets, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
4 ml - Lactic Acid, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
0.5 each - Protafloc, Time: 10 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil

YEAST:
Crossmyloof Brew - Pia
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 74%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 15 - 22.22 C
Fermentation Temp: 19.5 C

ACTUAL WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: Making Do
Ca2: 107
Mg2: 10
Na: 52
Cl: 86
SO4: 110
HCO3: 105

 

[cushyno]

Hi @Benfleet Brewery, thanks for sending me a bottle of your saison. I enjoyed sampling yours alongside a bottle of mine last night. The two beers were quite different and the tasting told me a lot about my own beer as well as about yours, so it was a pleasure from that perspective too.

To start, I noticed as I gripped the plastic cap to twist it off that it wasn't fully tight. On opening there was no hiss of gas but there a few bubbles did rise. I poured off a mouthful before putting a carbonation cap on and adding more co2 to burst carb. It only got 20psi and some shaking for about a minute but it did help.

The almost flat mouthful - crystal clear and a golden colour.

A bit more carbonation in the bottle

I poured a half glass of mine and yours out. Both served chilled to 6°C . Mine and yours side by side. Yours visibly darker.

After taking a sip of both I settled on drinking yours first as the high carbonation of mine played a role in the flavour and aroma and almost drowned yours out. I wanted to enjoy your beer for what it was rather than having my palate confused by alternating senses.

Appearance - The colour is great, a clear light amber that looks golden in smaller measures. Shame about the head, all pressure was lost and I couldn't give it enough top up to do justice, but it looked perfectly white and did linger a while.

Aroma - This was slight but distinctive and familiar - the same horsey aroma I get from Belle Saison you have here from CML Lille yeast. There was also a subtle bready hint. Hop aroma was light and barely detectable.

Flavour - Again, it was the yeast and malt that were most prominent, maybe a little more malt body than I expected, though when I read 500g of Munich in your recipe that's no surprise. I really liked the smoothness of the malt, and that the malt and yeast were quite well balanced. Your water treatment and light hand with the whirlpool hops has produced a beer that puts emphasis on the malt. Flavour matched the colour well. Despite the high attenuation there was enough body to give an impression of a little sweetness, probably aided by the low carbonation. If you've been pouring this from your keg you may not have noticed that. I don't recall detecting spicy phenolics from the yeast, what was the fermentation temperature profile?

An enjoyable beer on its own, nicely drinkable, clear and clean (testament to your process, though almost too clean for a Saison?) I wish I had spotted the carbonation issue earlier and given it more time on the gas. A distinctively different beer side by side with mine!

It highlighted that mine was way more about the hop aroma and flavour with the yeast flavour and spiciness coming through later. The malt characteristics of mine were either lacking or masked by the effect the carbonation had on hop flavour and perceived bitterness. After drinking yours first it made the Saaz flavour and aroma of mine seem more like a highly carbonated lager (until the yeast flavours came through).

It all depends what we're trying to achieve I suppose, though here are some thoughts, mostly based on my preference and what I have read of the style. Your malt and yeast balance was good, yet I'd like to see more from the hops. 10 minute whirlpool seems the culprit. Either use an extra addition of SG at 5min or do a 30 minute whirlpool, or even both.
The yeast should give that earthy/horsey flavour and add a peppery spiciness to accompany the dryness and high carbonation. Maybe let the temperature free rise or even push temperatures up once it has stopped free rising.

Thanks for sharing, I'll get something in the post for you soon.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Hi @Benfleet Brewery, thanks for sending me a bottle of your saison. I enjoyed sampling yours alongside a bottle of mine last night. The two beers were quite different and the tasting told me a lot about my own beer as well as about yours, so it was a pleasure from that perspective too.

To start, I noticed as I gripped the plastic cap to twist it off that it wasn't fully tight. On opening there was no hiss of gas but there a few bubbles did rise. I poured off a mouthful before putting a carbonation cap on and adding more co2 to burst carb. It only got 20psi and some shaking for about a minute but it did help.

The almost flat mouthful - crystal clear and a golden colour.
View attachment 50938
A bit more carbonation in the bottle
View attachment 50936

I poured a half glass of mine and yours out. Both served chilled to 6°C . Mine and yours side by side. Yours visibly darker.
View attachment 50937

After taking a sip of both I settled on drinking yours first as the high carbonation of mine played a role in the flavour and aroma and almost drowned yours out. I wanted to enjoy your beer for what it was rather than having my palate confused by alternating senses.

Appearance - The colour is great, a clear light amber that looks golden in smaller measures. Shame about the head, all pressure was lost and I couldn't give it enough top up to do justice, but it looked perfectly white and did linger a while.

Aroma - This was slight but distinctive and familiar - the same horsey aroma I get from Belle Saison you have here from CML Lille yeast. There was also a subtle bready hint. Hop aroma was light and barely detectable.

Flavour - Again, it was the yeast and malt that were most prominent, maybe a little more malt body than I expected, though when I read 500g of Munich in your recipe that's no surprise. I really liked the smoothness of the malt, and that the malt and yeast were quite well balanced. Your water treatment and light hand with the whirlpool hops has produced a beer that puts emphasis on the malt. Flavour matched the colour well. Despite the high attenuation there was enough body to give an impression of a little sweetness, probably aided by the low carbonation. If you've been pouring this from your keg you may not have noticed that. I don't recall detecting spicy phenolics from the yeast, what was the fermentation temperature profile?

An enjoyable beer on its own, nicely drinkable, clear and clean (testament to your process, though almost too clean for a Saison?) I wish I had spotted the carbonation issue earlier and given it more time on the gas. A distinctively different beer side by side with mine!

It highlighted that mine was way more about the hop aroma and flavour with the yeast flavour and spiciness coming through later. The malt characteristics of mine were either lacking or masked by the effect the carbonation had on hop flavour and perceived bitterness. After drinking yours first it made the Saaz flavour and aroma of mine seem more like a highly carbonated lager (until the yeast flavours came through).

It all depends what we're trying to achieve I suppose, though here are some thoughts, mostly based on my preference and what I have read of the style. Your malt and yeast balance was good, yet I'd like to see more from the hops. 10 minute whirlpool seems the culprit. Either use an extra addition of SG at 5min or do a 30 minute whirlpool, or even both.
The yeast should give that earthy/horsey flavour and add a peppery spiciness to accompany the dryness and high carbonation. Maybe let the temperature free rise or even push temperatures up once it has stopped free rising.

Thanks for sharing, I'll get something in the post for you soon.

Ah, thanks for the detailed feedback. Really appreciate that. This was my first Saison so aI was a bit of a rookie but I’m pleased with the result considering. Gutted about the carbonation. To think that even after brewing for so long it is still so easy to make stupid errors, even so far as not putting a lid on a poxy bottle properly

 

[cushyno]

Ah, thanks for the detailed feedback. Really appreciate that. This was my first Saison so aI was a bit of a rookie but I’m pleased with the result considering. Gutted about the carbonation. To think that even after brewing for so long it is still so easy to make stupid errors, even so far as not putting a lid on a poxy bottle properly

I sent a saison to Dave_77 which was seriously undercarbed, so that makes two of us! Thanks for the beer.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I finally got around to kegging my NEIPA today. The COVIDs had put me behind on a few things, not least of all drinking so I didn’t have a keg ready for the weekend. Not that I’d have been in any fit state to keg it anyway.
It had reached FG last Monday so I dropped the temp to 12 degrees and dry hopped it. It was left for three days then cold crashed to 1 degree on Thursday. Rather than wait for a keg to become free naturally which could have been a week away, today I emptied the keg into bottles and used it to get the NEIPA off the yeast and Hops.
Probably the most disappointing thing today was that given I’d used, by my standards anyway, quite a large amount of hops in this beer, upon excitedly opening the FV to keg it today I got the overwhelming aroma of……. sod all. I’m sure it smells great really, bloody COVIDs.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Well, it’ll be a miracle if my Summit pale ale ends up anywhere near decent. I have just taken my eye off the ball with this one from start to finish and missed most of my “go to“ steps. Firstly I forgot to draw off any RO water before brew day so used just tap water with an acid adjustment, then I forgot to take an OG reading. Then it got better, not. I dropped the temperature to 12 degrees five days ago and added the dry hops but didn’t start the cold crash until two days ago. I usually cold crash for at least 3 days after adding gelatine but am in the process of redoing the shed I keep my FVs in so needed them both empty by today. It was as I started the kegging process it occurred to me that I hadn’t added gelatine at all and then when I opened the FV I also realised I hadn‘t put anything into the dry hop bag to weigh it down and probably half of them were all still sitting above the surface. This was what you call a real “dry” hop . Anyway, it’s in the keg now. Who knows, It may turn out alright

Spot the wet hops!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Sounds like my style of brewing!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Well, it’ll be a miracle if my Summit pale ale ends up anywhere near decent. I have just taken my off the ball with this one from start to finish and missed most of my “go to“ steps. Firstly I forgot to draw off any RO water before brew day so used just tap water with an acid adjustment, then I forgot to take an OG reading. Then it got better, not. I dropped the temperature to 12 degrees five days ago and added the dry hops but didn’t start the cold crash until two days ago. I usually cold crash for at least 3 days after adding gelatine but am in the process of redoing the shed I keep my FVs in so needed them both empty by today. It was as I started the kegging process it occurred to me that I hadn’t added gelatine at all and then when I opened the FV I also realised I hadn‘t put anything into the dry hop bag to weigh it down and probably half of them were all still sitting above the surface. This was what you call a real “dry” hop . Anyway, it’s in the keg now. Who knows, It may turn out alright

It’s quite hard to make rubbish beer so I’m sure it will be fine

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

It’s quite hard to make rubbish beer so I’m sure it will be fine

Yeah, hopefully it will come out ok. I haven’t done anything really wrong I suppose, but just feel as though I have because I’ve not followed my usually routine.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Yeah, hopefully it will come out ok. I haven’t done anything really wrong I suppose, but just feel as though I have because I’ve not followed my usually routine.

So that’s NOT your usual routine

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

So that’s NOT your usual routine

Not really, no. Although I should probably wait to see what the beer turns out like before a rule it out

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

It’s been a while since I’ve updated here. Until the weekend before last I hadn’t had a brew on for quite a while. I’m rebuilding the shed which has not only taken up a lot of my time but also means everything from it (including my brew equipment and fridges) is under a giant sheet of tarpaulin on the patio. It looks like Steptoe’s yard out there, honestly.

Anyway, as I was at a bit of a standstill until I could get the man with the digger in to do the next bit, as a last minute thought two weekends ago I decided to see if I could find my brew stuff and juggle things about in the garden to create enough space to get a brew on and somehow get a brew fridge under cover and plugged in out there which I did eventually.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, there was sh*t everywhere (not literally) and I couldn‘t find my RO filter amongst it all but did find everything else and went ahead anyway. So, using tap water plus some acid and mineral adjustments a Kveik beer was finally made.

As with my previous Kveik beers, this was fermented at 38 degrees and finished in five days. It was then dry hopped for another five days.

I got a keg and 2 x 750ml bottles out of the FV after leaving all the **** behind and It tasted very promising:

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Kettle Kveik 3

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: American Pale Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 24 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 27.3 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.039
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.044
Final Gravity: 1.008
ABV (standard): 4.74%
IBU (tinseth): 27.67
SRM (morey): 3.47
Mash pH: 5.56

FERMENTABLES:
3.5 kg - Maris Otter (77.8%)
300 g - Dextrine Malt (6.7%)
300 g - Flaked Oats (6.7%)
300 g - Torrified Wheat (6.7%)
100 g - Cane Sugar (2.2%)

HOPS:
15 g - Summit (18.5 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15.5, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 24.69
5 g - Summit (18.5 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15.5, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 2.98
5 g - Citra (11 AA), Type: Pellet, AA: 11, Use: Aroma for 0 min
25 g - Mosaic, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.5, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days
25 g - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 11, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days
25 g - Amarillo, Type: Pellet, AA: 8.6, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days
25 g - Simcoe, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Strike, Temp: 67 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 19.86 L
2) Sparge, Temp: 76 C, Time: 15 min, Amount: 11.2 L
Starting Mash Thickness: 2.8 L/kg

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.5 each - Campden Tablets, Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
5 ml - Lactic acid, Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
3 g - Calcium Chloride (dihydrate), Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.5 each - Protafloc, Time: 10 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
1 tsp - Yeast Nutrient, Time: 5 min, Type: Other, Use: Boil
0.5 g - Campden Tablets, Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
3 ml - Lactic acid, Time: 0 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge

YEAST:
Lallemand - LALBREW® VOSS KVEIK ALE YEAST
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (custom): 80%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Temp: 25 - 40 C
Fermentation Temp: 38 C

TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: NEIPA
Ca2: 136.6
Mg2: 5
Na: 26
Cl: 166.7
SO4: 57
HCO3: 56.8

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

In prep for my wife’s birthday party on 25th September I needed to get some beers brewed. I already had two kegs of lager conditioning and another in the FV, as that’s what I think most people will be drinking, and also a couple of American Pale Ales but I wanted to have all my kegs full.

So, in between installing a lean to on the side of my house this weekend, I also managed to keg the other lager and make a couple of new beers, from recipes i’ve put together.

Yesterday it was a (Nearly) Black IPA. I say nearly because just as I was weighing out the grains I realised my supplier had misunderstood me and provided 1kg of Cara Malt 30 instead of Carafe Special 3 . I didn’t want to go higher than the 4% odd of Chocolate so just had to make do with 50g black malt I had left instead but it didn’t get me to the 28 SRM I was aiming for in my recipe.

This is the amended recipe

HOME BREW RECIPE:

Title: Black IPA

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Specialty IPA: Black IPA
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 23 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 27.3 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.046
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.052
Final Gravity: 1.013
ABV (standard): 5.16%
IBU (tinseth): 56.53
SRM (morey): 21.23
Mash pH: 5.58

FERMENTABLES:
4.5 kg - Maris Otter (87%)
225 g - Chocolate Malt (4.3%)
200 g - Cara Malt (3.9%)
200 g - Dark Crystal 80L (3.9%)
50 g - Black Malt (1%)

HOPS:
25 g - Summit, Type: Pellet, AA: 15, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 42.85
30 g - Citra (11 AA), Type: Pellet, AA: 11, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 13.67
45 g - Amarillo (8.6 AA), Type: Pellet, AA: 8.6, Use: Aroma for 0 min
45 g - Citra (11 AA), Type: Pellet, AA: 11, Use: Aroma for 0 min
45 g - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 11, Use: Dry Hop for 4 days

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Strike, Temp: 66 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 21.19 L
2) Sparge, Temp: 76 C, Time: 15 min, Amount: 10.25 L

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.7 g - Gypsum, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
2.5 g - Calcium Chloride (dihydrate), Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
2.5 g - Lactic acid, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.25 each - Campden Tablets, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.4 g - Gypsum, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
1.4 g - Calcium Chloride (dihydrate), Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
1.6 g - Lactic acid, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
0.25 each - Campden Tablets, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge

YEAST:
Crossmyloof Brew - Pia
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 74%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 15 - 22.22 C
Fermentation Temp: 20 C

TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: Black IPA
Ca2: 90
Mg2: 7
Na: 45
Cl: 100
SO4: 75
HCO3: 110

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Today’s brew was a Mosaic Amber Ale

HOME BREW RECIPE:

Title: Mosaic Amber Ale

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: American Amber Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 23 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 28.3 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.043
Efficiency: 80% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV (standard): 4.78%
IBU (tinseth): 33.14
SRM (morey): 10.24
Mash pH: 5.45

FERMENTABLES:
3 kg - Maris Otter (65.2%)
0.2 kg - Carapils (Dextrine Malt) (4.3%)
0.2 kg - Crystal 140L (4.3%)
0.2 kg - Torrified Wheat (4.3%)
1 kg - Munich - Light 10L (21.7%)

HOPS:
10 g - Summit (18.5 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 16.03
10 g - Summit (18.5 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15, Use: Boil for 30 min, IBU: 12.32
15 g - Summit (18.5 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15, Use: Boil for 5 min, IBU: 4.79
15 g - Mosaic (12.5 AA), Type: Pellet, AA: 12.5, Use: Aroma for 0 min
15 g - Summit (18.5 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15, Use: Aroma for 0 min
35 g - Mosaic (12.5 AA), Type: Pellet, AA: 12.5, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days
30 g - Summit (18.5 AA), Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 15, Use: Dry Hop for 5 days

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Strike, Temp: 66C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 19 L
2) Sparge, Temp: 76 C, Time: 15 min, Amount: 11.76 L

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
4.5 ml - Lactic acid, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.25 each - Campden Tablets, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
2.9 g - Gypsum, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
2 g - Gypsum, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
0.25 each - Campden Tablets, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
1.6 ml - Lactic acid, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
0.5 each - Whirlfloc, Time: 10 min, Type: Water Agt, Use: Boil

YEAST:
Crossmyloof Brew - Pia
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 74%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 15 - 22.22 C
Fermentation Temp: 20 C

TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: 34510
Ca2: 120
Mg2: 5
Na: 26
Cl: 75
SO4: 200
HCO3: 20

 

[DocAnna]

I’ll be really interested to hear how you get on with the Pia yeast - I picked up a sachet of it a few weeks ago on impulse. Was there a particular reason fir pairing it with the Black IPA recipe?- which sounds brilliant too!
Anna

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I’ll be really interested to hear how you get on with the Pia yeast - I picked up a sachet of it a few weeks ago on impulse. Was there a particular reason fir pairing it with the Black IPA recipe?- which sounds brilliant too!
Anna

Ive used PIA a few times before and really like the results. I now use it in most hoppy beers instead of the SO5.

Ill be honest, the reason I decided to use it in the Black IPA was lack of planning. I thought I had the pack of CML 4 in the fridge but there wasn‘t any . So, I had a choice of CML PIA, CML Kolsch, CML Cali common or Wilko Gervin

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

First brew day for a while planned for tomorrow after having been busy for the past few weeks organising (and recovering from the effects of) my wife’s big birthday celebrations.

I’m thinking I’ll do something with my home grown Fuggles that have now dried out nicely so how about a Brown Ale?

I’ve guessed the AA but I’m assuming they should just be within the normal ballpark of 4.5%.

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Brown Ale

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: British Brown Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 21 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 25.3 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.038
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.046
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV (standard): 4.47%
IBU (tinseth): 22.47
SRM (morey): 17.95
Mash pH: 5.57

FERMENTABLES:
4 kg - Extra Pale Malt (86%)
100 g - Torrified Wheat (2.2%)
300 g - Dark Crystal 80L (6.5%)
150 g - Chocolate Malt - (late mash tun addition) (3.2%)
100 g - Carapils Malt (2.2%)

HOPS:
30 g - Fuggles, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 4.5, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 16.49
30 g - Fuggles, Type: Leaf/Whole, AA: 4.5, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 5.98

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Strike, Temp: 67 C, Time: 60 min, Amount: 19.72 L
2) Sparge, Temp: 76 C, Time: 15 min, Amount: 9.3 L
Starting Mash Thickness: 2.8 L/kg

OTHER INGREDIENTS:
0.8 g - Calcium Chloride, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.25 each - Campden Tablets, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
2.18 ml - Lactic acid, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.3 g - Gypsum, Type: Water Agt, Use: Mash
0.5 each - Protafloc, Time: 10 min, Type: Fining, Use: Boil
0.1 g - Gypsum, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
0.4 g - Calcium Chloride, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
0.25 each - Campden Tablets, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge
1.45 ml - Lactic acid, Type: Water Agt, Use: Sparge

YEAST:
Crossmyloof Brew - Four
Starter: No
Form: Dry
Attenuation (avg): 73.5%
Flocculation: Medium
Optimum Temp: 15 - 22.22 C

TARGET WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: Brown Ale
Ca2: 60
Mg2: 10
Na: 10
Cl: 60
SO4: 65
HCO3: 100

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Mash is on and all smelling good. I’m holding back the Chocolate malt until the last 15 minutes. Weighed out and frozen all the home grown Fuggle apart from 60g for this brew. 30g are sitting in the hop spider ready to go in at the start of the boil

And 30g in my Lidl bag ready for the last 10 minutes

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Having spent 36 hours drying them out

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

I measured everything out meticulously for my Brown Ale today and ended up with 21 litres in the keg as planned. However, I assumed a 75% BHE to reach a predicted 1.046 OG But this was actually 1.052 which seems to give me a BHE of 85%!!
I also didn’t have any CML 4 yeast and instead used a pack of Wilco Gervin so hopefully that’ll mean FG is a bit higher and will counter the abv.