There is a whole thread on the GH recipes people have brewed, and ‘tweaks’ but my preference is to go by the book the first time round :-)
Anna's Brewdays
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Yesterday despite the pending academic work I took some time out for a bit of brewing and rather enjoyed it too! 
So this was the first brew with the new grain from Crafty Maltsters and it smells yummy even before mashing, and it just got better as the day went on. The plan was to work with the GH recipe for the single hop pale ale, but somewhat unsurprisingly I did fiddle with the recipe just a wee bit... I didn't know what the AA was for these particular whole hops and since they were in a 100g pouch, I scaled the quantities to fit 100g rather than 77g, this might make it a bit more bitter than planned but without knowing the AA I guess I'll only find out later. Rather than use the last hops at flame out and risk adding to the bitterness I added them as a hop stand at 76 deg and paused cooling for about 20 mins to try to preserve the oils. Thought I'd experiment a bit with a cross-my-loof yeast as well since I liked the idea of sourcing the ingredients from local Scottish suppliers.
So how did the day go... generally a bit of fun, all organised with my hops and water salts, nothing spilled on the floor, oh and my mash temperature was satisfyingly tight to 65 deg as well which is the sort of thing that makes me feel good
Even better.. and what really made the day was that my OG was better than expected, aiming for 1.049 and hit 1.052 which was just fab. The volume was a tiny bit under by about 300ml I think but not enough to account for the better extraction which I can only put down to the new malt. From a technical perspective the crush seemed pretty fine so I used the extra fine screen on the mash pipe of the Robobrew and no problem sparging at all - mind you the pump blocked briefly but I'm not going to think about that too much as I'm going to be super positive about this one
!
So it's now nicely bubbling away in my fermenting fridge at a nice steady 18 deg.
Oh ... one last thing.. I am trying to harvest the yeast from the trub again - more for practice than anything else. I also did some bottling, but that's for another write up.
Anna
So this was the first brew with the new grain from Crafty Maltsters and it smells yummy even before mashing, and it just got better as the day went on. The plan was to work with the GH recipe for the single hop pale ale, but somewhat unsurprisingly I did fiddle with the recipe just a wee bit... I didn't know what the AA was for these particular whole hops and since they were in a 100g pouch, I scaled the quantities to fit 100g rather than 77g, this might make it a bit more bitter than planned but without knowing the AA I guess I'll only find out later. Rather than use the last hops at flame out and risk adding to the bitterness I added them as a hop stand at 76 deg and paused cooling for about 20 mins to try to preserve the oils. Thought I'd experiment a bit with a cross-my-loof yeast as well since I liked the idea of sourcing the ingredients from local Scottish suppliers.
So how did the day go... generally a bit of fun, all organised with my hops and water salts, nothing spilled on the floor, oh and my mash temperature was satisfyingly tight to 65 deg as well which is the sort of thing that makes me feel good
Even better.. and what really made the day was that my OG was better than expected, aiming for 1.049 and hit 1.052 which was just fab. The volume was a tiny bit under by about 300ml I think but not enough to account for the better extraction which I can only put down to the new malt. From a technical perspective the crush seemed pretty fine so I used the extra fine screen on the mash pipe of the Robobrew and no problem sparging at all - mind you the pump blocked briefly but I'm not going to think about that too much as I'm going to be super positive about this one
!So it's now nicely bubbling away in my fermenting fridge at a nice steady 18 deg.
GH Pale Ale single hop: Anna's Version said:
Oh ... one last thing.. I am trying to harvest the yeast from the trub again - more for practice than anything else. I also did some bottling, but that's for another write up.
Anna
The family have really embraced my oh so slight geekiness for brewing... reflected in some rather thoughtful birthday presents including this stir plate and huge 3 litre flask, which I'm super chuffed with 
. Now to look forward to some great starters for lager and anything else I can think of!
Anna
. Now to look forward to some great starters for lager and anything else I can think of!Anna
The family have really embraced my oh so slight geekiness for brewing... reflected in some rather thoughtful birthday presents including this stir plate and huge 3 litre flask, which I'm super chuffed with
Anna
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That's fantastic. I love getting the stir plate out for lagers. Almost hypnotic watching it. And happy birthday!
Happy birthday Doc! Enjoying reading your brewday write ups and everything else in between. 
Happy birthday and happy brewing 
Happy birthday Doc have a fab day 
Thank you ☺ it’s been a super positive day and now I’m dancing around the kitchen to 80’s pop while cooking a Sunday roast ... 
...it is a work night but think I might just treat myself to a beer.
...it is a work night but think I might just treat myself to a beer.
Oh super chuffed today... just ordered a snubnose fermenter from B2B with birthday funds from the family 
.
I think lockdown or working from home must be getting to me as I really shouldn't be this excited about what is after all a large pressurised plastic bottle. The OH is I think a bit bemused by my escalating equipment requirements, and taking up yet more space in the garage... but is very happy to enjoy the output from my hobby.
Can't wait to try a proper juicy NEIPA recipe
.
Anna
.I think lockdown or working from home must be getting to me as I really shouldn't be this excited about what is after all a large pressurised plastic bottle. The OH is I think a bit bemused by my escalating equipment requirements, and taking up yet more space in the garage... but is very happy to enjoy the output from my hobby.
Can't wait to try a proper juicy NEIPA recipe
.Anna
I have an apology to make...
Once upon a time not so long ago I joined this forum and found some lovely kind and generous people who were willing and happy to share their experience, knowledge and time to help answer questions. More than that some people were kind enough to share samples of their efforts for me to try. @Hazelwood Brewery in particular shared three beers which I tried over the course of a weekend and made notes on, just ideas and thoughts, not anything more technical or clever. I didn't take photos and didn't get round to typing them up here, then when I did want to write them up I couldn't find my notes. I now wish I'd taken more detailed observations and shared them earlier, since I have done that with another beer that was shared recently and appreciate the time and effort in sharing such things now that I've been here a bit longer... but more of that later.
So my thoughts on @Hazelwood Brewery Summer Breeze other than hmmm.. that's yummy (which is the summary at the beginning!)
Tasted at approx 3 deg C - (had been in my cold crash fridge for several days)
Light yellow gold with a hoppy citrus zing aroma, good bit of fizz bitterness with the first sips.
Early citrus and bitterness a bit like Schweppes bitter lemon with a clean light malt middle with citrus and a background of peach ending in bitterness that is crisp rather than tart. Reminds me a lot of Hopback summer lightening.
Overall fresh, bright, easy drinking and good with a meal with lighter flavours.
@Hazelwood Brewery Cardamom Saison
Tasted at approx 3 deg C - but it tasted fuller later in the glass after the chill had gone and I wished I'd tasted more of it a bit warmer.
Gentle hazy pale ale, aroma peppery saison yeast, not really smelling the cardamom until a bit warmer.
Primarily picking up saison aroma and complexity just early on, with a light savoury umami through the middle picking up a bit more cardamom at the end without a lasting bitterness. Significantly more aroma and early flavours after the chill was off this spicy saison with hints of cardamom.
I can't find my notes on the citra pale ale but it was my favourite of all of them, zingy bright which said CITRA with bells on, not a complex flavour profile but delivered a hoppy flavour punch.
Finally a thank you, I have another tasting to type up for later, and it's incredibly kind of others to share their efforts.
Anna
Once upon a time not so long ago I joined this forum and found some lovely kind and generous people who were willing and happy to share their experience, knowledge and time to help answer questions. More than that some people were kind enough to share samples of their efforts for me to try. @Hazelwood Brewery in particular shared three beers which I tried over the course of a weekend and made notes on, just ideas and thoughts, not anything more technical or clever. I didn't take photos and didn't get round to typing them up here, then when I did want to write them up I couldn't find my notes. I now wish I'd taken more detailed observations and shared them earlier, since I have done that with another beer that was shared recently and appreciate the time and effort in sharing such things now that I've been here a bit longer... but more of that later.
So my thoughts on @Hazelwood Brewery Summer Breeze other than hmmm.. that's yummy (which is the summary at the beginning!)
Tasted at approx 3 deg C - (had been in my cold crash fridge for several days)
Light yellow gold with a hoppy citrus zing aroma, good bit of fizz bitterness with the first sips.
Early citrus and bitterness a bit like Schweppes bitter lemon with a clean light malt middle with citrus and a background of peach ending in bitterness that is crisp rather than tart. Reminds me a lot of Hopback summer lightening.
Overall fresh, bright, easy drinking and good with a meal with lighter flavours.
@Hazelwood Brewery Cardamom Saison
Tasted at approx 3 deg C - but it tasted fuller later in the glass after the chill had gone and I wished I'd tasted more of it a bit warmer.
Gentle hazy pale ale, aroma peppery saison yeast, not really smelling the cardamom until a bit warmer.
Primarily picking up saison aroma and complexity just early on, with a light savoury umami through the middle picking up a bit more cardamom at the end without a lasting bitterness. Significantly more aroma and early flavours after the chill was off this spicy saison with hints of cardamom.
I can't find my notes on the citra pale ale but it was my favourite of all of them, zingy bright which said CITRA with bells on, not a complex flavour profile but delivered a hoppy flavour punch.
Finally a thank you, I have another tasting to type up for later, and it's incredibly kind of others to share their efforts.
Anna
I don't see what you've got to apologise for!! :-) Really glad to have you around
Another tasting note...
@Pennine 192 Everything good in the world imperial stout 12% by vol
Tasted at 5 deg C initially, over the course of just over an hour with the flavours best while cool, losing some complexity once warmer as the mid full body became more prominent.
Initial impressions, wow smart bottle and understated but detailed label, 12% is a lot, think I'm going to take this slow.
Aroma
Top end acid spice and umami notes with yeast and alcohol aroma reminiscent of the top notes of a sourdough starter.
Colour
Dense dark tinged chocolate brown with claret red at the margins
Taste
Early: Bitterness from the good fizz warmth of the alcohol both give an initial aroma hit before the taste properly lands
Mid: Rich oak, bitter coffee with sparks of dark ripe forest fruit that makes me think of a dark dense carbernet-rioja wine.
Finishing in chocolate with an espresso bitter edge.
After a few sips the dark fruit flavours are more difficult to pick up, with the oak and sweeter vanilla now predominating, leading into bitter chocolate/espresso.
Overall, this is a properly complex stout, which is an unexpected blend of beer and wine flavours. On reflection I'd like to have tried some over ice as the dark fruit flavour was a highlight most clear when coldest. The alcohol level did not predominate as expected, most likely because it was something to sip over time, maybe I should have tried it in a wine glass. I have to admit that about 3 or 4 sips in though I felt the alcohol effect and really slowed down as I wanted to keep a clear head for cooking and the evening. Very impressive, one for special occasions.
Anna
@Pennine 192 Everything good in the world imperial stout 12% by vol
Tasted at 5 deg C initially, over the course of just over an hour with the flavours best while cool, losing some complexity once warmer as the mid full body became more prominent.
Initial impressions, wow smart bottle and understated but detailed label, 12% is a lot, think I'm going to take this slow.
Aroma
Top end acid spice and umami notes with yeast and alcohol aroma reminiscent of the top notes of a sourdough starter.
Colour
Dense dark tinged chocolate brown with claret red at the margins
Taste
Early: Bitterness from the good fizz warmth of the alcohol both give an initial aroma hit before the taste properly lands
Mid: Rich oak, bitter coffee with sparks of dark ripe forest fruit that makes me think of a dark dense carbernet-rioja wine.
Finishing in chocolate with an espresso bitter edge.
After a few sips the dark fruit flavours are more difficult to pick up, with the oak and sweeter vanilla now predominating, leading into bitter chocolate/espresso.
Overall, this is a properly complex stout, which is an unexpected blend of beer and wine flavours. On reflection I'd like to have tried some over ice as the dark fruit flavour was a highlight most clear when coldest. The alcohol level did not predominate as expected, most likely because it was something to sip over time, maybe I should have tried it in a wine glass. I have to admit that about 3 or 4 sips in though I felt the alcohol effect and really slowed down as I wanted to keep a clear head for cooking and the evening. Very impressive, one for special occasions.
Anna
You’re very welcome Anna and thanks for sharing your thoughts about them.
I like to drink my ales around 14C and the recipes mostly account for that so at 3C you would be getting a different experience - most notably by the sound of it with the cardamom saison.
I’m pleased you liked them, just shout if you see anything else you’d like to try!
Pennine
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Ahhh such great descriptors of umami and sour dough starter that is exactly what I was getting last time I had it.
Glad you enjoyed it and hope you didn't have to nap before you finished your cooking!
So that’s some Christmas presents for the family sorted - this has been maturing since early this year and has been a bit of a labour of love.
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Beautiful! Great job!
Very professional looking...
Missing all things brewing at the moment. Too busy with all things winter and health... oh and the complexities of starting a new secondment in January so I'm trying to arrange people to go in my place to meetings and finish off projects I'm involved with the best I can now. Oh and there's Christmas which is a wee bit busy (I work over much of Christmas/New Year and focus on family the rest of the time).
I'm also reflecting on the recent lager competition, yes it was just a wee bit of fun but it made me realise that I really want to make good beer, not just ok beer. I'm always trying to do ever more complicated things and I do need a bit of time now to plan rather than just grab some hours in the week to brew ...and then do so properly rather than the rushed affair it so often has seemed so far. Oh and I'd like the children to be a bit more involved too...
2021 is to be project kegging though. I haven't mentioned yet but I've sort of umm.. well ... accumulated all the bits and pieces necessary and haven't put them all together yet. I'm never going to be @The-Engineer-That-Brews but I would like to be able to be in vaguely touching distance of making really good beer.
A bit of a diary entry I realise and perhaps a teeny bit indulgent to post here on this, but there's a bit of the equality thing of wanting to be good enough to be here, brewing properly smart stuff.
Anna
I'm also reflecting on the recent lager competition, yes it was just a wee bit of fun but it made me realise that I really want to make good beer, not just ok beer. I'm always trying to do ever more complicated things and I do need a bit of time now to plan rather than just grab some hours in the week to brew ...and then do so properly rather than the rushed affair it so often has seemed so far. Oh and I'd like the children to be a bit more involved too...
2021 is to be project kegging though. I haven't mentioned yet but I've sort of umm.. well ... accumulated all the bits and pieces necessary and haven't put them all together yet. I'm never going to be @The-Engineer-That-Brews but I would like to be able to be in vaguely touching distance of making really good beer.
A bit of a diary entry I realise and perhaps a teeny bit indulgent to post here on this, but there's a bit of the equality thing of wanting to be good enough to be here, brewing properly smart stuff.
Anna
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