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

Loved the last one. This one is based on beer 19 recipe. Increased the bittering hops very slightly. Changed the flavour hops.

4 gallons of water
300g Pale Malt (cracked)
2×1.5kg Pale Malt Extract (Brupaks)
12g Target Hops (12% AA) (Hops 1 – 90 mins)
17g Progress Hops (7.1% AA) (Hops 1 – 90 mins)

17g Cascade (Hops 2 – 85 mins) [TO DO: USE MORE?]

Working on the principle of 7 to 28g dry hops per gallon, will use 15g per gallon for dry hopping in two batches
70g Cascade (Hops 4 – Dry Hopping, 1 day into ferment)
17g Williamette (Hops 5 – Dry Hopping, 5 days into ferment)

Total fermentation time 10 days
Put malt in boil bag
Put bag in 4 gallons of cold water
Slowly raise temperature to 80C, move the boil bag up and down every 5 mins or so. Don’t let the mixture boil. Don’t squeeze just let water drip from it.
Remove from heat and dissolve malt extract
Bring to boil and add hops 1
After 85 minutes, add hops 2
Remove from heat after 90 minutes
Strain out hops and transfer to fermentation barrel. Add extra boiling water to make to 40 pints
Allow to cool (I let this just air-cool for about 8 hours)
Add brewers yeast

Allowed this 10 days to complete fermentation and then transfered to a king keg barrel (didn’t have time to bottle) with 125g of sugar boiled in water.

*SG before fermentation ???
*SG after fermentation ???
Boil – Sunday Aug 29th 2009
Bottled/Barrel –

Thought that I would try and write down a few of my thoughts this year. Its been an interesting one, new baby, new house. I’m sure they’ll read like an instruction booklet but you’ve got to start somewhere….