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Author Topic: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...  (Read 3876 times)

Offline Phil_M

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Re: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...
« Reply #30 on: January 30, 2017, 12:40:28 pm »
I'd have to check my notes to give an exact recipe, but if I'm looking at the right recipe on beersmith mobile the draft grist was:

73.7%     7 lbs     Maris Otter
21.1%     2 lbs     Amber Malt (May have used brown...again, this was a draft)
5.3%       0.5 oz   British dark crystal malt

Really reminded my of that saltine cracker/butter toffee/ cookie recipe, if you've ever had those.
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline homebrewdad7

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Re: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...
« Reply #31 on: January 30, 2017, 12:44:25 pm »
Five ounces was too much?

Hmm.  I may adjust my other c malts down a bit and get me some of this.  Worst case, it's a stout and we call it a layer of complexity.  :)

Offline Phil_M

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Re: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...
« Reply #32 on: January 30, 2017, 12:49:01 pm »
Too much Amber. Again, I need to check my notes. I do remember taking pretty good notes for that batch. I was aiming for a copper-colored bitter, ended up with a beer that decidedly brown. This recipe evolved into a more "normal" brown/porter that I've rebrewed a few times.

About 5% is what I typically use these days, so now I'm not sure if that was the correct draft recipe. I'll check back when I can check my notes.
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline homebrewdad7

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Re: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...
« Reply #33 on: January 30, 2017, 12:51:37 pm »
Thanks, I appreciate the input!  I may go for some dark crystal AND the jiggery.  :)

Offline Phil_M

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Re: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...
« Reply #34 on: January 30, 2017, 03:00:24 pm »
Here's the entire Beersmith text file from the beer, hope this helps:

(BTW, I had no idea that Bell's Best Brown even existed when I named this beer. The "best" comes from the strength...I was trying to make a bitter, ended up with more of a brown, so I changed the name. And yes, I don't think Bell's should have been allowed to trademark that name.)


BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Phil's Best Brown Ale
Brewer: Phil_M
Asst Brewer:
Style: Special/Best/Premium Bitter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0) 2/22/15     One day after kegging.

Appearance: Fairly cloudy, some hop particles are evident. Color is a rich red/brown with a dense cream colored head.

Aroma: Herbal hops, toast, cereal, and prunes.

Mouthfeel: Notable astingency, but not unpleasant. Kinda tastes like this may be from the hops. Beer is farly light in body, with a noticable diacetyl slickness.

Taste: Very malty, bready and biscuit-like, very herbal hop flavor. Hops are reminiscent of the taste of pipe tobacco. In fact, pipe tobacco and this beer have a similar astingency. Butterscotch/toffee flavors, not sure which are diacetyl and which are malt.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.52 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.24 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal   
Bottling Volume: 4.63 gal
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 16.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 39.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 62.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 74.4 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
11.30 g               Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins)        Water Agent   1        -             
10.00 g               Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent   2        -             
1.50 tbsp             PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 mins)       Water Agent   3        -             
7 lbs                 Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.3 SRM)         Grain         4        73.7 %       
2 lbs                 Amber Malt (33.0 SRM)                    Grain         5        21.1 %       
8.0 oz                Crystal, Extra Dark (Simpsons) (202.0 SR Grain         6        5.3 %         
1.000 oz              Fuggles [4.90 %] - First Wort 60.0 min   Hop           7        19.5 IBUs     
0.500 oz              East Kent Goldings (EKG) [6.60 %] - Firs Hop           8        11.9 IBUs     
1.00 Items            Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins)        Fining        9        -             
0.500 oz              Fuggle [4.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min          Hop           10       3.2 IBUs     
0.430 oz              East Kent Goldings (EKG) [6.60 %] - Boil Hop           11       3.4 IBUs     
0.500 oz              Fuggle [4.90 %] - Boil 5.0 min           Hop           12       1.8 IBUs     
1.0 pkg               London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) [124. Yeast         13       -             
2.000 oz              Fuggle [4.90 %] - Dry Hop 10.0 Days      Hop           14       0.0 IBUs     


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs 8.0 oz
----------------------------
Name                 Description                             Step Temperat Step Time     
Saccharification     Add 8.22 gal of water and heat to 147.9 147.9 F       90 min       
Mash Out             Heat to 168.0 F over 7 min              168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Notes:
------
Perform an open fermentation, either in a plastic bucket or a stainless steel pot. Rack to secondary before the krausen falls.

Did not make a starter.

Mash hit 1.036 at 1hr 10 minutes, and passed a starch test. Performed mash out @ 168 degrees for 10 minutes. Measured pre-boil gravity at mash out was 1.034, measured with a hygrometer and temperature compensated. Something isn't right with the refractometer, it kept showing varrying readings. (1.030 to 1.040)

Pre boil volume is 7.5ish gallons.

Let first wort hops steep for about an hour prior to boil. (Including temp rise to boil.)

Original gravity 1.042

Pitched one packet of Wyeast 1968 into a fermentation bucket. Fermented open at house temps, 65 degrees daytime, 60 night for an "average-ish" goal of 62.

Having problems keeping fermentation temperatures up. Even with the house set to 70 temps in the bucket only reached 61 degrees. Used a heat pad to raise the temerature of the beer to 68 degrees, as measured with an infra-red thermometer.

Racked to secondary on 2-10-15. Current SG is 1.014. Taste is VERY malty, not much in the way of hops, or bitterness. (It's not sweet, but not as bitter as I was hoping.) More brown ale like. Diacetal/butterscotch is noticeable. Think I'll back off on the amber malt, and use more of a lighter crystal malt next time. Mouthfeel is still too heavy, will be interesting to see how this beer is once it's closer to the final gravity.

Also, this yeast isn't much of a top cropper, won't try open fermentation next time.

Once the beer was in secondary, used heat pad to raise tempterature to _____ for diacetel rest. Will re-taste on Thursday to see how this worked. If the beer still isn't hoppy at this point may consider dry hopping with 2 oz. Fuggles for 7 days.

Kept beer at 70+ degrees for about a day, still has a strong butterscotch taste on 2/13/15. Current gravity is 1.014. Added 2 oz. Fuggles hops to secondary.

2/16/15 Still noticable butterscotch/toffee flavor, but much less than before. SG is 1.011. Will let the beer sit at 72 degrees for another day or two and test again.

2/18/15 Gravity is 1.011, fermentation seems to be complete. Still noticeable toffee/butterscotch taste, though the hops are starting to be noticeable. Starting to wonder if that may be toffee flavors from the extra dark crystal. Will keg as soon as practical.

Kegged on 2/21/15. Pretty sure the diacetyl taste is malt, no noticable slickness.

2/22/15 Added tasting notes, changed name to "Phil's Best Brown". Next time I would not dry hop this beer, as it's more of a brown ale then the bitter I was aiming for.

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline homebrewdad7

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Re: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...
« Reply #35 on: January 30, 2017, 03:33:05 pm »
Thanks for the detailed notes!

Offline Phil_M

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Re: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...
« Reply #36 on: January 30, 2017, 04:20:27 pm »
Yeah, I've got conflicting notes about diacetyl slickness, so idk. I know Samuel Smith's high diacetyl amounts are responsible for a lot of it's flavor, so idk.
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline homebrewdad7

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Re: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...
« Reply #37 on: January 30, 2017, 04:33:07 pm »
I love Samuel Smith's so much.  Perhaps I just love diacetyl.

Offline Phil_M

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Re: A couple of disasters, and back to the drawing board on the Irish red...
« Reply #38 on: January 30, 2017, 05:18:47 pm »
I love Samuel Smith's so much.  Perhaps I just love diacetyl.

It's not evil, even if some judges seem to think so. It really can perk up a very low ABV beer.
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.