Hazelwood’s Brewday Part 2

[Hazelwood Brewery]

First brew of 2022 and I thought I’d treat myself with a new brewday thread.

Todays brew is a Saison, a simple recipe that’s mostly pale malt with a little wheat and a splash of rye. Hopped with Styrian Goldings, seasoned with Coriander, and fermented with Belle Saison.

The kit I’m using for the mash is a 30 litre hot water heater, a grain basket, pump, and a bit of hose. The temperature is being controlled by an Inkbird. Simple.

After the mash, the sparge. For this I spray sparge water into the water heater while recirculating. I do have to decant a litre every few minutes or the boiler would overflow. One day I’ll make a Valentine Arm and save myself the hassle.

After the sparge, drain the grain basket and then reintroduce the decanted wort ready for the boil.

 

[Clint]

Happy New brew thread...you deserve it! I must get myself into gear and get a brew on soon. I still have supplies but I know from old it don't make itself!
I too need a SAISON! And a bitter...and more pipster pale..and...

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

At the boil, skim the hot-break. Add hops and boil. Toward the end, more hops, protofloc, and at flameout add some freshly ground coriander.

Then chill down, add the Belle Saison, and tuck up in the fermenting bucket at 26C.

Now the wait…

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Happy New brew thread...you deserve it! I must get myself into gear and get a brew on soon. I still have supplies but I know from old it don't make itself!
I too need a SAISON! And a bitter...and more pipster pale..and...

Yeah, it creeps up on you. While I’ve got my fermentation cabinet at 26C I’ve also got to get a Trappist Single and another Belgian Tripel brewed. Once they’re out of the fermenter I can get more beers in at 20C.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I brewed the Trappist Single today. Photos would have been pretty much the same as those above so here’s just one showing the wort in the fermenter. It was a really nice brewday today made even better by warm sun, blue skies, and no wind.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

The next brew will be a Belgian Tripel and as the forecast is good for tomorrow I’m going to get on it. I’ve done some preparations today so I can get an early start and maybe sit in the garden in the sunshine - maybe with a beer

Salts and acid for the water treatment, grain weighed out and milled.

23 litres of treated water is in the boiler, 4.75Kg Pilsner malt in the large bucket, 8 litres of treated sparge water in the small bucket, and 750g Amber Candi in the Tupperware pot. Temperature set at 150F on the Inkbird and the timer set for a 6:30 start so I can get the mash on as soon as I get up in the morning.

 

[Clint]

The next brew will be a Belgian Tripel and as the forecast is good for tomorrow I’m going to get on it. I’ve done some preparations today so I can get an early start and maybe sit in the garden in the sunshine - maybe with a beer

Salts and acid for the water treatment, grain weighed out and milled.
View attachment 61326 View attachment 61327

23 litres of treated water is in the boiler, 4.75Kg Pilsner malt in the large bucket, 8 litres of treated sparge water in the small bucket, and 750g Amber Candi in the Tupperware pot. Temperature set at 150F on the Inkbird and the timer set for a 6:30 start so I can get the mash on as soon as I get up in the morning.
View attachment 61330 View attachment 61329

All over it like a cheap suit.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

All over it like a cheap suit.

That’s the plan. A few relaxed preparations today will, I hope, mean an easy and enjoyable brewday tomorrow.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Brew-day is all done, beer in the fermenter, clearing up done. A couple of different photos for this one:

Steam from the boil coming out from under the brew-shed roof, and the boil that’s fuelling it.

…and a couple of more routine pictures showing the 22 litres of wort and tucked up in the fermentation cabinet together with the Saison and Single.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

The next brew will be the 4th beer needing a warmer fermentation - the raspberry sour. At the moment it looks like Friday might be the nicer day (bit breezy on Thursday) so that’s what I’ll work to and we’ll see how the forecast develops.

 

[samale]

What yeast did you use for the tripel. What's your OG

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

What yeast did you use for the tripel. What's your OG

M41, 1060. This is not for the competition, it’ll be gone well before then! This one is for supping.

The competition beer I will probably take to 1080 or thereabouts.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Well it looks like the weather for tomorrow is still looking good so tomorrows brew of Raspberry Sour is on.

I’m making three changes to the recipe:

• The first change is to the water profile. I’d like a softer mouthfeel so I’m more than doubling the calcium chloride.
• The next change is a simple lift in the grain bill to raise the ABV and fill-out the beer a little.
• The biggest change I think is to halve the amount of raspberry purée. Although everyone raved about the last batch, to me it was all fruit and no beer. Having tasted a Harrison’s Raspberry Sour my feelings were confirmed. I think his could go with a little more raspberry but mine definitely needs less.

I’ll get the water and grist prepared today and set the timer to bring the mash water up to temperature for about 7:30 tomorrow morning.

Edit: Oh yes, one other small change is that I’m going to add some pectolase to clear the beer a little, the last batch was a bit murky.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

That’s it for today, the base beer for the raspberry sour is in the fermenter at 26C. It will stay there now for 10 days before being transferred to secondary and the fruit addition. A little over 21 litres in the fermentation cupboard.

There will be no more brewing for 17 days while the sour is fermenting at 26C and then I can get on with some brews that ferment at 20C.

The next job will be kegging the Saison on Monday or Tuesday.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

A day later than planned, I kegged the Saison this morning. The FG finished up at 1.004 rather than 1.000 as it usually does. This is the first time though that I’ve used Golden Promise in this recipe.

 

[samale]

What yeast did you use, I noticed your tripel finished very low as well

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

What yeast did you use, I noticed your tripel finished very low as well

For the Saison I use a single pack of Belle Saison, the Tripel uses 2 packs of M41.

 

[samale]

I normally use belle saison yeast but for this LAB competition I am going to try wyeast 3711 french saison

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I normally use belle saison yeast but for this LAB competition I am going to try wyeast 3711 french saison

It might be worth getting in a practice run? Your submission for a competition is probably not the best time to be trying something new!

 

[samale]

It might be worth getting in a practice run? Your submission for a competition is probably not the best time to be trying something new!

I was thinking that as well.