How it started
I started this brew on May 13, 2021. It was, by far, the batch with the biggest number of ingredients and took longer to get into the fermenter than any batch prior.
After I had all of the equipment cleaned and sanitized it was time to start the cooking!
This involved:
- Putting all the grains (Vienna Malt, 2-Row Malt, and Oat flakes) in the sanitized hop sock
- Seeping them for 45 minutes in 155-165 degree water (not an easy task on an electric cook top!)
- Draining the hop sack over the pot and “rinsing” them with hot water
- Bringing this grain water to a boil
Once those cooking steps were complete, it was time to remove the pot from the heat and add the 2 cans of HME (malt extract with hops) and one pouch of LME (liquid malt extract). And then lots and lots and lots of stirring. And then stir it some more, just to be sure. This mixture is now called the wort.
While the wort settles I add filtered water and some crushed ice into the fermenter and give it a good stir. Next is the tedious step of pouring the wort into the fermenter. Didn’t spill a drop this time! After this it’s a matter of filling the fermenter to the 8.5 liter mark with more filtered water.
Apparently I didn’t add enough ice because the thermometer is reading about 80 degrees which is too warm to pitch the yeast. So, I put the lid on to let it cool down – my target is to have it at 76 degrees or lower before pitching.
After about 2 hours (it’s close to bed time at this point), it has cooled enough to pitch the yeast. Once it’s pitched, I put some cling wrap around the lid and on the spigot – cleanliness is SO IMPORTANT.
When I come back down the next morning I can see the yeast is doing its thing, there’s lots of activity happening. *whew*
What comes next? Part one:
Following the recipe instructions (and confirming that no hop sack was to be used), on day 3 it was time to toss in the Simcoe hops. Since you do not want to introduce oxygen into the fermenter, and this being “amateur” equipment, there isn’t much choice here. I opened the bag of Simcoe hops, quickly unscrewed the top of the fermenter, dump the hops in, and quickly secured the lid.
What comes next? Part two:
Dry hop number two went off just fine. This was the addition of the Mosaic hops. They smelled wonderful and were quickly dropped into the fermenter, and the lid screwed back on.
What comes next? Part three:
Dry hop number three happened, albeit about 12 hours later than I had hoped. This was the Cluster hops which also smelled quite wonderful. These were supposed to go in on Wednesday night but didn’t get added until Thursday morning.
What comes next? More waiting!
The instructions say to sample it at day 21 in the fermenter. And as with other batches, this should taste like flat beer — with no sweetness. If there is sweetness then it needs to be left in for another day and repeat the sampling. However, the instructions also say “Let it ferment for 3 more days (24 total). At this point it is time to bottle. Do not let it sit in the fermenter for longer than 21 days total.“
So, I will just have to play this one by taste and hope that it turns out ok!
The waiting paid off (mostly)!
I haven’t been here in a while to keep my (zero) followers updated! At any rate, the additional bottle conditioning paid off. I transferred the remaining bottles to the basement where it was a few degrees warmer than on the main floor. After letting them sit out for about a week and a half it was in the fridge they went. Another week later I popped one of them open and there was a wee-bit more carbonation than had been in the other bottles. And the flavor is still amazing!
Lesson learned – patience remains a virtue in this process!
