After the frustration of my first (own recipe) all grain best bitter, the second attempt is coming along quite nicely. The second brew was started on the 15/07 and left to cool down over night, so the yeast was pitched on 16th at a temp of 23c. The vol I was aiming for was 19ltr, however after a hot sparge (1 kettle of water) and a 30 min boil with the lid off I’m left with 17 litres, which I’m fine with for now. I was aiming for and OG of 1.051, but actual OG is 1.053, after 4 days fermentation the reading is 1.009, giving an ABV of 5.8% Wowzers!!
The thing I did differently were:
• Turning off the power to the mash bin and holding the temp through good insulation, so no direct heat to the grain.
• Reducing the mash temp to between 63-65 c
• Fermenting in doors in a room were the temp was more constant than the garage as temp fluctuate over day and night.
My plan now is to dry hop with 30 g Fuggles for 4 days and get cleaning those bottle out.
Given the projected ABV I think this one should be called a strong bitter.
The thing I did differently were:
• Turning off the power to the mash bin and holding the temp through good insulation, so no direct heat to the grain.
• Reducing the mash temp to between 63-65 c
• Fermenting in doors in a room were the temp was more constant than the garage as temp fluctuate over day and night.
My plan now is to dry hop with 30 g Fuggles for 4 days and get cleaning those bottle out.
Given the projected ABV I think this one should be called a strong bitter.