|
Brew Number |
|
|
Style |
Barleywine |
|
Ingredients |
Recipe Specifics Batch Size (L): 33.00 Wort
Size (L): 33.00 Actual Mash System Efficiency:
62 %
% Amount Name Origin Potential
EBC Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU
Boil Time 1 tbsp bread yeast No whirlfloc Yeast WYeast 1728 Scotish Ale WYeast 1056 American Ale
|
|
Brewing notes |
Yeast BW1. New XL activator pack 1728, manufactured 4 May 04. Smack, leave overnight, make 1.5 l 1.040 starter with DME, brew 4 days, split a couple of bottles off. Make second starter with 6 l water and half tin of Cascade spicy ghost kit (1.7 kg tin) in Coopers fermenter. Pitch 1 l starter. Brew couple of days, stops at 1.020 at 18 degrees, put on light box, temp 24 degrees, gets to 1.006. Drop spicy ghost and mix with other starter, into fridge. Drop BW1 onto decent 1 cm thick, compacted yeast cake. BW2. New XL activator pack 1056, manufactured 4 May 04. Smack, leave overnight, make 1.5 l 1.040 starter with DME, brew 4 days, split a couple of bottles off. Make second starter with 6 l water and half tin of Cascade spicy ghost kit (1.7 kg tin) in blue top fermenter. Pitch 1 l starter. Brew couple of days, stops at 1.020 at 18 degrees, put on light box, temp 24 degrees, gets to 1.006. Drop spicy ghost and mix with other starter, into fridge. Drop BW2 onto relatively sparse, about 5 mm thick yeast cake. Crush All grain crushed once on 4th setting using power drill. Later noticed a few intact grains. For high speed drill crushing, probably go a notch or two finer. Mash 12 kg mashed in esky (max capacity, very full), 4 kg mashed in large pot. Drop water in at 80 degrees , wait a few mins, adjust to 74 0r 75 degrees, mix in grain. Esky, added a bit of cold water to get 66.5 degrees, held pretty well. Pot, added 1l boiling water to hit 65 degrees, held pretty well. Mashed for 80 mins. Sparge Dump 5 l at 95 degrees into pot and stir and leave. Drain esky, then add pot, then drain again, then add batch 1 10 l, then drain, then add batch 2 11 l. In each case recirc 4 l draining slow, then gradually speed up flow while draining. Pre boil 49 l at 1.064. 62% efficiency, bit low, increase boil time by 20 mins. Runoff very light in colour. Add another 10 l to mash, mix, leave 15 mins, drain 4 l and bottle and freeze for starters. Check gravity, 1.032. Boil Get to boil, have boil over - that Kirin malt is foamy, also get loads of suspended white string break material, looks like someone put an eggwhite in there. Boil 1 hr 20 mins. Add bittering hops. 20 min mark add 2 tsp breadyeast, flavour hops, chiller (no whirlfloc left). 5 min mark add aroma hops. Wort gets a lot darker and more golden during boil. Flameout, water on. Run water for 20 to 25 mins. SG1.096 (bugger, oh well, close enough), temp 23 degrees, post boil volume 35 l. Not as much boil off as expected (higher gravity would reduce evaporation rate). Take 15 l, triple drop between fermenters using inducer, drop onto yeast cake. Take another 15 l, same thing. Leaves a large amount of hop and break sludge in kettle. Lincoln turns up with refractometer. 23.5 brix, Promash says = 1.095, Docs table says = 1.100. So maybe it was a 1.100 brew after all. |
|
Ferment BW1, Coopers fermenter, 1728. 9 August, rapid bubbling, 6 inch krausen, strip says 22 degrees, thermocouple taped to fermenter says 20 degrees, climbing to 21 in afternoon. Gets to 22 degrees in evening, put fermenter in water bath. 10 Aug, 1 bubble every 6s, water bath at 16.5 degrees, fermenter says 18 degrees. 11 August, remove from water bath, thermocouple says 18 degrees, 1 bubble every 15 s, sample is murky, lots of yeast flakes, fruity aroma, sg 1.030, taste is lots of alcohol, good strong hops, slight fruitiness, but not as much as the aroma suggests. 12 August, 17.5 degrees, under pressure, no bubbling, sg 1.022. Remove lid and gently stir up yeast. 13 August, 18 degrees, no bubbling, sg 1.021. Rack gently to 15l fermenter, go away for work for 2 weeks. 29 August, 15 degrees, no bubbling, 1.017. Rack into jerrycan and into fridge. 5 Sep, out of fridge, decant to bottling bucket, get 11 l, fill one bottle, not primed, marked with X, add 30 g dextrose dissolved boiling water, mix, bottle the rest. BW2, Blue top fermenter, 1056, 9 August, rapid bubbling, 4 inch krausen, strip says 22 degrees, thermocouple taped to fermenter says 20 degrees, climbing to 21 degrees in afternoon. Gets to 22 degrees in evening, put fermenter in water bath.10 Aug, 1 bubble every 6s, water bath at 16.5 degrees, fermenter says 18 degrees. 11 August, remove from water bath, thermocaouple 18.5 degrees, 1 bubble every 6 s, sg 1.048, citrusy rather than fruity aroma, still tastes quite sweet, but cleaner than BW1. 12 August, 18 degrees, 1 bubble every 20s. Remove lid and gently stir up yeast. 13 August, 18 degrees, 1 bubble every 30 s, sg 1.031, go away for work for 2 weeks. 29 August, 15 degrees, no bubbling, 1.015. Rack into jerrycan and into fridge. 5 Sep, out of fridge, decant to bottling bucket, get 14 l, fill two bottles, not primed, marked with X, add 40 g dextrose dissolved boiling water, mix, bottle rest. Spicy ghost starter: Out of fridge on5 Sep, decant to bottling bucket, get 13 l, add 70 g dextrose dissolved boining water, mix, bottle. |
|
|
Tasting notes |
ABV 11.5% At bottling. BW1 pretty good, fruity hoppy caramelly, alcoholy. BW2 also good much cleaner, less fruity. Cascade spicy ghost taste not bad either, mild ale with some orange sligthtly spicy flavours and good hop bitterness. 22 September Spicy Ghost (starter brew). Not much aroma. Nice light golden colour. Very bright, maybe the 1728 took the 1056 with it when it flocculated. OK to gentle carbonation. Average to poor head and retention. Taste is dry malt up front, the merest hint of orange in the middle, and reasonably strong and slightly harsh hop bitterness at the end. Quite a high alpha bitterness. Apart from the hops, incredibly bland. God knows how you would find any flavour if diluted with dextrose. Reasonably clean taste, apart from that an average to poor beer to be drunk once the palate has been jaded by nice ones. 23 September BW2. 18 days old (I know, but I couldnt wait). There was a small hiss on opening, but very little gas after pouring pretty flat. Its been in the same place as the Spicy ghost, so its not temp, its pooped yeast. Quite bright, the merest film of sediment at the base of the bottle. Dark gold/amber colour, surprisingly dark for the malt bill. No head at all and also a slightly oily looking film on the surface (?). Aroma is candy malt and alcohol. Sweetish up front (maybe still priming dextrose), then a little but not too fruity in the middle, followed by warming alcohol and strong but not overpowering hop bitterness. A bit unbalanced at the moment, but not hugely. Not a harsh alcohol taste. With a few months age and some carbonation this would be pretty good. HANG ON - I just saw 2 bubbles rising. Its not flat, its just very gently carbonated. 20 October, BW1, 6 weeks old. Flat and tasting a bit rough. Patience Grasshopper. 4 Dec, BW2, 3 months old. Pretty much flat. No head, and a slightly oily looking film on top. Candy aroma. Definitely smoothing out a bit. Candy malty flavour up front, alcohol in teh middle which is definitely less harsh than before, good hop bitterness at the end. A bit much bitterness actually, so it should mature nicely. At least it would if it would carbonate. 7 Feb, BW1. Smallish but definite hiss on opening, gentle bubbling in glass - has some carbonation! Generates a small head when poured vigorously, doesnt hang around that long. Dark amber colour, not clear to the point of murky! Aroma is caramel and fruit esters. Up front is caramel malt, and fruitiness, maybe a bit of pear ester, but not in a Belgian sort of way, then in the middle kind of a spicy alcohol flavour without being harsh, also a hint of sherry, finishing with a crisp lingering bitterness. Becoming very nice. Maybe too much hop bitterness for an English barleywine, but very nice, and with a bit more aging may a bit less bitter and a bit more complex. 5 March, Bathurst competition, 110/150, probably around 5th in Strong Ale class. Chiller said good beer but a bit rough, needs longer age, and one other judge said same thing. I agree, plan to enter exactly the same beer next year, cant remember which version I sent, maybe the 1728 one. 14 July, BW2. Very low gas level, but there is a hiss on opening. A faint ring of head at the outside of the glass, maybe improved over last taste. Amber colour, not murky but not quite clear. Alcohol, sherry, candy aroma. Malty, rich without being sweet, oaky, sherrylike, slightly smoky/spicy, with still a fair amount of nutty bitterness in the finish. Bloody nice actually, finally coming in to its own. They do say it takes 12 months to come good, and at 11 months, I think I believe it. 18 Nov BW1. 15 months after brewing. Wayhay- a few bubbles on pouring, and it generated a fine head for about 2 mins! Cloudy. Not a lot of aroma. Tastes of caramel, apples, sherry and walnuts! Warming alcohol without being harsh. has a nice lingering hop bite in the finish. You know, in another year, this could be pretty good. 10 July, BW1. Not far off 2 years old. Has a reasonable hiss on opening, fluffy head on pouring, quite well gassed. Aroma is sherry, malt, fruit. Colour is amber, and quite bright. Carbonation in the glass is low. Taste is caramel malty up front, sherry vinous in the middle, finishes with spicy alcohol and crisp bitter hops plus nutty flavour. Alcohol is reasonably well disguised. Would be very nice with a cheese board. Overall a very nice beer for sipping, maybe a little too bitter in the aftertaste, but a nice complex malty nutty sherry barleywine. 17 Sep, 2006. BW1. Won Grand Champion Beer of Show at Bathurst. 129/150. Havent received judging sheets yet. |
|
|
