These 2 beers are together because of horrible outcome. Couldn’t work out exactly why these were both so dreadful until today. Have now made 3 batches of beer which are I think ‘yeast bitten’. Now realised what the problem is.

Add yeast
Allow to ferment for 3 days or so
Add dry hops
Agitate

THIS IS THE PROBLEM! Other batches of beer that I’ve successfully dry hopped have used Safale04 yeast. This is bottom fermenting. By the time I add the dry hops the yeast has sunk and the agitation doesn’t bring the yeast back into suspension. These last 3 batches have used Nottingham brewing yeast – this is top fermenting. So adding the dry hops and agitating just causes the yeast to go back into suspension and gives the beer an ‘off’ taste.

Solution. Get the beer off the yeast before dry hopping.

Beer 21
For 20 pints

20 pints water of water
150g Crystal Malt (cracked)
50g Chocolate Malt (cracked)

1.5kg Pale Malt Extract (Brupaks)
20g Fuggles Hops (Hops 1 – 90 mins)
20g Cascade (Hops 2 – 85 mins)

20g Cascade (Hops 3 – Dry Hopping, 4 day into ferment)

Total fermentation time 10 days

Allowed this 10 days to complete fermentation and then bottled with 1oz of sugar boiled in water.

*SG before fermentation ???
*SG after fermentation ???
Boil – Sunday 11th Oct 2009
Bottled/Barrel – 21st Oct 2009

Beer 22
For 40 pints

20 pints water of water
170g Crystal Malt (cracked)

2×1.5kg Pale Malt Extract (Brupaks)
25g Progress Hops (Hops 1 – 90 mins)
20g Williamette (Hops 2 – 85 mins)

32g Cascade (Hops 3 – Dry Hopping, 3 day into ferment)
13g Williamette (Hops 4 – Dry Hopping, 5 day into ferment)

Total fermentation time 21 days

Allowed this 21 days to complete fermentation and then bottled with 2oz of sugar boiled in water.

*SG before fermentation ???
*SG after fermentation ???
Boil – Sat 10th Oct 2009
Bottled/Barrel – 31st Oct 2009