Anna's Brewdays

[DocAnna]

2nd dry hop added to my competition DIPA, no particularly clever techniques other than opening up, tipping in and the pressurising to 25psi and releasing pressure twice to try to get rid of the oxygen added - and added a teaspoon of ascorbic acid mixed with the hops. Ok hmm that might count as a complicated technique but it doesn’t involve magnets so I’m counting it as ‘simple’ .

I was being a bit quiet about this beer but I don’t think there’s much point really, it’s for the Opus hop beer challenge and I’ve designed a US style DIPA with LOTS of IBUs (about 90) with British modern hops instead of US ones. I’m thinking of calling it ‘Special relationship’ as it’s US style with British malt and hops.

The OH has said if I need to explain a beer name then it’s probably not a good idea … any thoughts? (It smells incredible already)

 

[Pennine]

2nd dry hop added to my competition DIPA, no particularly clever techniques other than opening up, tipping in and the pressurising to 25psi and releasing pressure twice to try to get rid of the oxygen added - and added a teaspoon of ascorbic acid mixed with the hops. Ok hmm that might count as a complicated technique but it doesn’t involve magnets so I’m counting it as ‘simple’ .

I was being a bit quiet about this beer but I don’t think there’s much point really, it’s for the Opus hop beer challenge and I’ve designed a US style DIPA with LOTS of IBUs (about 90) with British modern hops instead of US ones. I’m thinking of calling it ‘Special relationship’ as it’s US style with British malt and hops.

The OH has said if I need to explain a beer name then it’s probably not a good idea … any thoughts? (It smells incredible already)

I've been thinking about that dry hopping routine and I think what you are doing is probably the best method other than a dry hop chamber that you can purge with CO2 before dumping into the fermenter.

I am very skeptical of this so called magnet dry hop and would imagine if you have hops sitting out at fermenting temps in an oxygen filled chamber for a portion of time those hops would experience damaging oxidation during that day or so when the yeast would be taking up the oxygen. I also tend to think warmer temps and off gas would affect some of the aroma compounds in the hops.

Anyway I will stick with dry hopping straight from the freezer and then purging, ascorbic acid is a nice touch too. Campden tabs seem to lead sulfur for me, or at least that is my perception after using it when dry hopping.

 

[DocAnna]

I've been thinking about that dry hopping routine and I think what you are doing is probably the best method other than a dry hop chamber that you can purge with CO2 before dumping into the fermenter.

I am very skeptical of this so called magnet dry hop and would imagine if you have hops sitting out at fermenting temps in an oxygen filled chamber for a portion of time those hops would experience damaging oxidation during that day or so when the yeast would be taking up the oxygen. I also tend to think warmer temps and off gas would affect some of the aroma compounds in the hops.

Anyway I will stick with dry hopping straight from the freezer and then purging, ascorbic acid is a nice touch too. Campden tabs seem to lead sulfur for me, or at least that is my perception after using it when dry hopping.

You're describing similar concerns I vaguely had about leaving the hops in the fermenter suspended with a magnet, but I hadn't expressed them as clearly as you have done here - which is really helpful to see. I've never been convinced by the Campden tablet approach to reducing oxidation with dry hopping, but you know I've been a proponent of ascorbic acid before. I only add it now with the second or late dry hop if I'm doing one like that. Dry hopping early when there's lots of vigorous fermentation there isn't quite the same risk, and I don't want to dose twice with it.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Complicated?
I get what you guys are saying about leaving the hops in the FV atmosphere for 5-6 days before adding to the brew. When I get the time I’ll do a highly subjective Xbeeriment to do a split ferment and dry hop to see if my old taste buds can detect a difference.

 

[DocAnna]

View attachment 74193
Complicated?
I get what you guys are saying about leaving the hops in the FV atmosphere for 5-6 days before adding to the brew. When I get the time I’ll do a highly subjective Xbeeriment to do a split ferment and dry hop to see if my old taste buds can detect a difference.

Yours I think is the wonderful exception... yes super complicated to design, elegantly simple in operation, and properly cool. What makes your solution likely reduce the risk to the hops is that they are held in a closed plastic compartment, so won't have a continuous flow of vapour and CO2 washing over them.

 

[Buffers brewery]

Yours I think is the wonderful exception... yes super complicated to design, elegantly simple in operation, and properly cool. What makes your solution likely reduce the risk to the hops is that they are held in a closed plastic compartment, so won't have a continuous flow of vapour and CO2 washing over them.

Thanks for the compliment @DocAnna . The plastic compartment is not air tight as I want the air to be flushed out (slowly) by the fermentation gas. As I use pellets rather than leaf it would be interesting to know how the fermenting gases effect their hoppiness.

 

[DocAnna]

Well that was a bit different .

I spent a few hours yesterday evening moving liquids from one container to another. Canned the rest of the Naeb’dy since I needed the keg. Tipped away half another keg of a beer o wasn’t happy with. Cleaned rinsed and sanitised the two kegs and set to fill them with my split batch lager than had been sitting at -3 C for a couple of weeks. One was fine, the one lower down in the fridge though was frozen almost half through!

So I had to seal it back up and leave it overnight till this afternoon by which it had only just thawed.

Annoying with all that disturbance it’s not at all clear, and my careful oxygen exclusion care went out the window . Tasted ok though.

I’m going to leave it at the comparatively tropical 5C for a while, might even just have to use finings.

 

[DocAnna]

Grr.. I think I must have disturbed something moving my last two kegs into my kegerator as there's no gas in my cylinder today... again!!! So annoyed at myself.

 

[GhostDoggyWoofWoof]

Grr.. I think I must have disturbed something moving my last two kegs into my kegerator as there's no gas in my cylinder today... again!!! So annoyed at myself.

I keep gas off as I can't find the leak I have. Just turn on to gas up, then off again. I think my leak is on a gas line as kegs seem to stay under pressure. Agree it's so annoying. Where do you get your gas refills? Lothian Supply Co at Livingston are very cheap.

 

[DocAnna]

I’m going to sleep on it but I’m genuinely thinking of tipping away 40 litres of lager. It just doesn’t have the IBU s to balance the residual sweetness. I’m so disappointed. This was a split batch with different yeasts but that can’t get past the lack of bitterness. It’s not fully carbonated yet so I’ll give it one more chance but grr it’s not what I was aiming for .

 

[Pennine]

I’m going to sleep on it but I’m genuinely thinking of tipping away 40 litres of lager. It just doesn’t have the IBU s to balance the residual sweetness. I’m so disappointed. This was a split batch with different yeasts but that can’t get past the lack of bitterness. It’s not fully carbonated yet so I’ll give it one more chance but grr it’s not what I was aiming for .

Have you considered a bittered hop tea? I am assuming they are kegged might be worth a try.

I was thinking boiling a liter of water with 20g of magnum for an hour split the tea and dump in hot and purge the kegs?

 

[Lee69]

I’m going to sleep on it but I’m genuinely thinking of tipping away 40 litres of lager.

Oh that's not good!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Have you considered a bittered hop tea? I am assuming they are kegged might be worth a try.

I was thinking boiling a liter of water with 20g of magnum for an hour split the tea and dump in hot and purge the kegs?

I was thinking the same.

 

[DocAnna]

I was thinking the same.

You’re both right, I could probably rescue this with a bitter hop tea. That isn’t the point for me though. I’m not making beer these days to necessarily drink - crikey I make far more than I could possibly drink. It’s about consistency, predictability and refinement. I’m properly annoyed at these two beers, weeks of work and not right. I’d rather just get rid and try again. I will though see how it tastes once carbonated correctly.

 

[DocAnna]

Sorry everyone, I was in a bit of a strop last night, and was getting above myself with all this talk about 'refinement' . In the cool light of the morning, I need to think this through properly and the hop tea does sound like a good idea, thank you @Pennine. I like to think I'm sensible the vast majority of the time, but sometimes I need to just chill a bit....!

 

[Clint]

Only tip it if it's got "things" growing in it.

 

[Brewnaldo]

Sorry everyone, I was in a bit of a strop last night, and was getting above myself with all this talk about 'refinement' . In the cool light of the morning, I need to think this through properly and the hop tea does sound like a good idea, thank you @Pennine. I like to think I'm sensible the vast majority of the time, but sometimes I need to just chill a bit....!

The hop tea is a free learning experience. Even if you subsequently tip the beer, you'll have had a chance to add a bittering charge post fermentation and see how it goes. The worst case after doing it is the exact same as it is now.....

 

[DocAnna]

It may have escaped notice, but I haven't had a brew day for ages, far far too long. This is partly because I'm trying to be good and diet better, but for the most part it's because any spare time I would have been brewing is spent studying for the Brewing & Distilling course. This is rather ironic. It does mean I'm well behind on plans for brewing for Christmas and haven't entered any of the more recent competitions.
I'd love to brew this coming weekend, but I've a cake to start making for my son's 21st which is going to take quite a while to make. Here's hoping anyway!

 

[An Ankoù]

I’m going to sleep on it but I’m genuinely thinking of tipping away 40 litres of lager. It just doesn’t have the IBU s to balance the residual sweetness. I’m so disappointed. This was a split batch with different yeasts but that can’t get past the lack of bitterness. It’s not fully carbonated yet so I’ll give it one more chance but grr it’s not what I was aiming for .

Have you considered adding isomerised hop extract. It's not very expensive and what have you got to lose?

 

[Wynne]

It may have escaped notice, but I haven't had a brew day for ages, far far too long. This is partly because I'm trying to be good and diet better, but for the most part it's because any spare time I would have been brewing is spent studying for the Brewing & Distilling course. This is rather ironic. It does mean I'm well behind on plans for brewing for Christmas and haven't entered any of the more recent competitions.
I'd love to brew this coming weekend, but I've a cake to start making for my son's 21st which is going to take quite a while to make. Here's hoping anyway!

@DocAnna I know how you feel. I found the same thing when doing the part-time Nottingham University MSc in Brewing Science. It’s a big time commitment, the timescales aredemanding and have to be juggled with work and personal commitments. I found the Nottingham course a very stimulating mental work-out which as given me a much better understanding of malting and brewing. I do enjoy your posts on the Heriott-Watt course - keep up the good work!