First brew in over 4 months! You know how it is, one thing and another, time flew by and I found myself starting December without a Christmas brew on the go. I decided to rectify this with a leftover brew, having a load of old hops and a (dodgy) yeast hanging around. This vial of yeast I collected from a previous brew, which I decided I would ferret out from the back of the fridge and use in this one. It will work, or it won't. If it doesn't I'll just order up an S-04 from BrewUK and pitch that when it arrives in a couple of days.
I'm help! |
I wasn't really sure what I was going to brew right up until the HLT was on, so I browsed through Graham Wheeler's "Brew Your Own British Real Ale". My eyes alighted again on Courage Directors, bringing back memories of the Directors "Stout" which graces this blog. I did hesitate for a moment, but decided to press on with something similar with what I had left over. I moved the entire operation from the shed to the patio today (saving only the frame) for several reasons. Firstly, the shed is full of crap and getting it out and messing around in the cold would not have been pleasant. Secondly, I was free to come and go from the house's warmth instead of traipsing up and down the frozen garden. Also, maybe most importantly, I was able to take the mash tun inside much more easily to preserve the heat therein.
A Winters Ale
Style English Bitter
Batch 19.00 L
All Grain
Characteristics
Recipe Gravity 1.042 OG
Estimated FG 1.010 FG
Recipe Bitterness 38 IBU
Alcohol by Volume 4.0%
Recipe Color 11° SRM
Grains
0.22 kg Amber Malt Grain Mashed
3.30 kg Maris Otter Malt Grain Mashed
I'm not sure what to expect from this one, being a hybrid of a known recipe thrown together with what I have left in my store cupboard. All indications are that it will be a medium color, medium bitter, medium hopped middle of the road average kind of beer. That usually means it will be exceptional or terrible. It's a dark art, brewing. I'm sure there's magic involved somewhere, and no small amount of blind luck.
Hops
Some leaves and road grit. |
10.00 g Fuggles 10 minutes
The original Director's recipe called for Target for the bittering side and Styrian goldings. I have some targets left from the original recipe I tried, though the Styrians have been used up, so I plumped for Fuggles. Styrians, I recall from a previous blog ramble, are in fact a variation Fuggles that were exported to Styria and planted out there. That curious, brown powder at the back isn't sand, or fairy dust, it's simply brown, or unrefined, cane sugar. This I put into the boil towards the end as per some advice I found online, for better or for worse. Interested to find out what it does to the brew, if anything.
Mash
Makeshift sparge tower |
... actually, it went up, from 63'C. I can only assume the thermometer was also feeling the cold in the garden ...
Boil
Sparge
Aaah ... Bisto! |
Brought you a slipper. I'll leave it here. |
Yeast
Here's the interesting part. I have no idea what yeast it is or what brew it came from. It might be the US-05 from the last brew. I might be the S-04 from the on before. I have no clue. No signs of life yet after pitching at 19'C this afternoon, about 8 hours ago. Only worry really is that it doesn't start and I have to get something in. We're talking a couple of days turnaround during which the brew is susceptible to infection. I'll keep it sealed and check it tomorrow. (yeah right. I'll be looking in there again in about 10 minutes I'm sure.)
UPDATE
As expected, the mystery yeast kicked off the day after I ordered the S-04. The lower temperatures are slowing the fermentation down so it's touch and go whether it will be ready for C-Day, but there's always New Year's Eve ...
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