A stout thing

User avatar
I_used_to_brew
Posts: 2356
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:06 pm

A stout thing

Post by I_used_to_brew »

I've not brewed beer at home for two months and I've still got most of my cornies full, so todays brew is a strong stout thing for laying down in bottles.


Pale Malt 57.5%
Munich Malt 20.4%
Flaked Barley 8.9%
Roasted Barley 4.4%
Chocolate Malt 4.4%
Maple Syrup 4.4% (in fermenter)

Mash at 65C, 90 minutes


Apollo Whole 60 mins 33.3%
Cascade Whole 20 mins 33.3%
Centennial Whole 20 mins 33.3%


Original Gravity: 1.126
Final Gravity: 1.032
Alcohol Content: 12.6% ABV

Bitterness: 166 EBU
Colour: 487 EBC

Fermentis S-33 @18C

Well, at least that's the plan, mashing now and I'll see what I end up with later.
mrlard
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:40 am

Re: A stout thing

Post by mrlard »

Like the sound of this one for Christmas maybe?
User avatar
I_used_to_brew
Posts: 2356
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:06 pm

Re: A stout thing

Post by I_used_to_brew »

My sparging was piss poor on this one. I had to continue sparging to collect 'gravity points' and rely on a long boil to get my volume right. Long boils on dark beers are often a good thing anyway, from experience.

Hit 15% over on volume and 3% under on gravity, not a disaster, just enough to make me re-think my sparging for the next big beer, if only to stop the head scratching and save some time.
User avatar
I_used_to_brew
Posts: 2356
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:06 pm

Re: A stout thing

Post by I_used_to_brew »

mrlard wrote:Like the sound of this one for Christmas maybe?
More like the 2013 National in class 23 :-) - although I will try it at intervals between now and then.
mrlard
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 11:40 am

Re: A stout thing

Post by mrlard »

Keep us posted.

What's your sparge method at the min?
User avatar
I_used_to_brew
Posts: 2356
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:06 pm

Re: A stout thing

Post by I_used_to_brew »

mrlard wrote:Keep us posted.

What's your sparge method at the min?
big jugs
User avatar
Mike Palmer
Posts: 339
Joined: Sat May 21, 2011 7:41 am
Location: Shatton

Re: A stout thing

Post by Mike Palmer »

RogerP wrote:big jugs
Steady on....
Long live SHA(T)!
User avatar
periolus
Posts: 520
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2011 8:50 pm

Re: A stout thing

Post by periolus »

RogerP wrote:big jugs
A milk stout, eh? : )
User avatar
I_used_to_brew
Posts: 2356
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:06 pm

Re: A stout thing

Post by I_used_to_brew »

In all seriousness, I jug water over the grain bed. Works a treat for 40 litre brews and average gravity 20 litre brews but falls on it's face for high gravity 20 litres ones.

Considering going over to BIAB for such brews or batch sparging (Matt's suggestion).

I don't think a spinning sparge arm is quite right in a cubic MT, maybe some array of pipes and dribble holes might work.
User avatar
periolus
Posts: 520
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2011 8:50 pm

Re: A stout thing

Post by periolus »

RogerP wrote:
I don't think a spinning sparge arm is quite right in a cubic MT, maybe some array of pipes and dribble holes might work.
Ages ago, when I was designing my setup, I was considering using a 'window' of copper tubing; one large rectangle subdivided into four smaller zones. I was going to drill small holes at reasonable intervals along all the straight sections and also have a couple of large shower heads to cover the centre two-thirds of the MT. Water pressure would be maintained by a solar pump to ensure the shower heads delivered the goods and that there was a reasonable rate of flow through the drilled holes.

Then I abandoned the idea of fly-sparging and just decided I would batch-sparge instead. When I brewed at Sandy's, I simply subtracted what I had in the boiler from the first run-off from what I was aiming for and then used a big jug to evenly distribute in two batches. Seemed to work, except my SG was lower than planned, although I now know that was due to Beersmith being set for 72% efficiency, which I was never going to get on first attempt!

Big jugs are good.
Post Reply