Kentucky common update

Well, this is interesting. It's took off, with the Inkbird keeping the temp between 16 & 17. It must have been fairly vigorous, as it blew the top of the airlock off, but I've put it back on. Predictably, it isn't bubbling now but I can see activity. I think this is the air lock; the top part is too firm a fit so pressure builds up and it pops off.

It looks to be a proper bottom fermenting yeast, which as I understand it, is correct for the style; I read somewhere that some of these supposed Cali common yeasts were top fermenting ale yeasts that just happened to be quite clean, which isn't what they would have used in the gold rush era; they would have been bottom fermenting lager yeasts that could tolerate the higher temps. 

Either way, all the activity appears in the lower part of the fv with just a bit of crud on the top. 

All very interesting.

I've asked on the forum if a period of lagering will be required, as the packet and yeast specs say it may improve things. I'm hoping to get away with just a cold crash, and so far the wisdom of the forum suggests this will be OK. After all, the early American settlers wouldn't have had any means of doing this, so it will be true to style. I'll take the first gravity reading on Friday (after 1 week).


Update, Day 4 ~ OK, so no it has a think krausen and looks much like a top fermenting yeast, so who knows. I'll leave it alone now to see how it comes out.

Kentucky Common inspired 'use it up' brew

I wanted to try to use up the various odds and ends I had hanging around. Yeast wise, I wanted to use the last remaining Crossmyloof yeast that I had, which was the California Common. I had been reading about Kentucky Common ale, and thought I could knock something similar up with my leftovers. Brewers Friend calculated this;



HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Kentucky common

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: Kentucky Common
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 20 liters (fermentor volume)
Boil Size: 27.7 liters
Boil Gravity: 1.041
Efficiency: 75% (brew house)


STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.057
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV (standard): 6.1%
IBU (tinseth): 28.71
SRM (morey): 14.75

FERMENTABLES:
2 kg - United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale (41.7%)
1 kg - Flaked Corn (20.8%)
0.5 kg - German - Vienna (10.4%)
100 g - American - Black Malt (2.1%)
100 g - United Kingdom - Crystal 60L (2.1%)
1 kg - United Kingdom - Lager (20.8%)
100 g - Flaked Barley (2.1%)

HOPS:
10 g - Challenger, Type: Pellet, AA: 8.5, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 11.68
15 g - Challenger, Type: Pellet, AA: 8.5, Use: Boil for 30 min, IBU: 13.47
20 g - Bramling Cross, Type: Pellet, AA: 6.5, Use: Boil for 5 min, IBU: 3.56

MASH GUIDELINES:
1) Infusion, Temp: 64 C, Time: 62 min, Amount: 14.4 L
2) Sparge, Temp: 70 C, Time: 15 min, Amount: 18.6 L
Starting Mash Thickness: 3 L/kg


For some reason, I didn't hit my usual efficiency, so my OG was 1046, quite some points down. However, if this hits an FG of 1010, then that will give a more quaffable sub-5% beer, so Im not really bothered. Some of the crushed grains were over 6 months old, so that my be the reason.

Here is a blury picture of the sample. It looks (and actually tasted) like a brown ale to me, so we will have to see what the yeast contributes to it. The wort is chilling down from the 30 odd degrees C the wort chiller could get this down to in this heat, down to 17 in the brew fridge. I think I'll pitch at 22, which is the top end of the yeast specs, in the hope that once the yeast has hydrated and started, the wort will be down to 17. I'll keep you updated.

1864 Lovibond XB

A recipe from Ron Pattinson's book, which I won't reproduce here, apart to say that despite being a Pale Ale, rather than an IPA, it uses over 170g of hops in a 5 UK gallon brew, all of the East Kent Goldings.

Target OG / FG was 1052/1011 giving an ABV of 5.56%. I hit 1056. I pitched Nottingham yeast rather then the specified Whitbread liquid yeast, and it finished at 1004. Gulp ~ after priming, this is going to be the wrong side of 7%. My plan was to bottle this, but along with the fantastic sun and heat this summer has brought, it has increased the fly count so I put it in a King Keg in the end. Its had a week conditioning now and has already started to clear; a combination of 4 weeks in the primary caused by work and family life intervening.

It tastes very promising ~ quite bitter, obviously, but it also has an intense hop taste. This surprised me as none of the additions are later than 30 mins.

More on this once its conditioned fully.

A Vintage Ron Pattinson brew

I've wanted to brew a recipe from Ron Pattinsons 'The Home Brewers Guide to Vintage Beer' for a long time, the problem was, which one? This isn't helped by his excellent blog, which keeps popping up with other great recipes I want to try out.

I also recently returned from a Scottish trip, where I had the opportunity to try out many a local ale, and fancy brewing something old and Scottish as well.

So, the quest to brew a perfect mild, bitter and brown ale is going to take a back seat while I have a go at the following brews. Firstly, from the book, an 1864 Lovibond XP. Then, from his blog, an 1868 Younger XP.

I'll keep you posted.

AG#3 - Hop Back Mild update

Packaged this in a King Keg today; it had finished at 1004 which was very low. The temperature corrected reading for the OG was 1030, so that gives a respectable 3.41 before priming for conditioning and about 3.6-3.7 after. I didn't have any white table sugar to hand, so I boiled up 90g of unrefined cane brown sugar. I think ~that works out about right for 19l of British Ale.

It tasted good, a bit thin, but I'm finding that all beers are tasting a bit 'thin' before conditioning, I think its really the lack of dissolved CO2 I'm tasting, as they all seem to come good after priming and conditioning.

Its now sat at 19C in an Inkbird controlled water bath.

I really like the MJ Liberty Bell yeast, but I'm wondering if I should give a yeast a try that doesn't attenuate so much, or perhaps mash at a different temperature to get more non-fermentable sugars? I need to do some research...

GW Hopback Summer Lightning clone update

Bottled this yesterday. Gosh, how I dislike bottling, all the washing, rinsing, sanitizer, etc etc. Give me packaging in a King Keg any day.

I got 30 bottles, and it's finished at 1007. Thats knocking on the door of 5.2% abv when it's finished carbonating. For such a strong beer, it's very easy drinking; in fact there's not much to it. Hoping for a nice summer quencher.

I need to get a King Keg back from a friend then I'll package the hop back mild that's in the 2nd FV.

I'm split between doing a bitter (Timmy Taylor's Boltmaker clone) or a historic recipe from Ron Pattinsons blog next; watch this space.

GW's Hop Back Summer Lightning update #2

Tested this yesterday; its finished, so I've turned off the water bath it was in to cool it and get as much yeast as possible to drop out. It tastes pretty good; not complex, but light , dry and with a nice level of bitterness. There is a hint of Goldings citrus coming through, but it isn't modern US Pale Ale levels ~ this is an English beer from the late 1980's after all.

I'm going to bottle this weekend.

Then next up will be a classic 1920's IPA from Ron Patterson, and then a bitter of some sort from Graham Wheeler.