Brewing Lull

After the last brewday when the boiler tap washer split I resigned the boiler to the outhouse whilst I looked for a better solution than those crappy plastic taps. Even the plastic ones rated as boiler taps are crap. Time for something more substantial.

Ball valves seem to be a more permanent solution and relatively cheap. Using a brass hollowed out tank-connector, 15mm copper pipe and a compression fitting ball valve I fixed up the boiler which connects to the hop strainer perfectly.

The brewery is now ready for action and will get brought out of winter hibernation for a brew on Saturday or Sunday. I’m also planning on sanitising all brewery equipment after two batches have gone down the drain recently due to a dodgy fermenting vessel.

So after a two month lull, let’s brew some beer!

First Gold

First Gold is one of my favourite hops – it’s also called Prima Donna when in plant form and is available from many hop shops, online and offline.

This is the second time I’ve brewed this lovely single hop, golden ale recipe which was based on Wez’s Thirst Gold. I’ve named it Gold Rush.

Badger Brewery’s First Gold is a fine example of a commercial beer equivalent.

Mashed at 65 degrees C for 90 minutes, based on 70% brewhouse efficiency, boiled for 120 minutes. 23L, OG 1.050.

Grain Bill

5.00kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter
0.15kg Crystal Malt, 60L

Hop Schedule

20g First Gold 7.5% FWH – 120 min
50g First Gold 7.5% – 15 mins
50g First Gold 7.5% – 80 degree flame-out

I’ve purchased a Prima Donna/First Gold hop rhizome from Essentially Hops to plant this year. I’m hoping to harvest enough in the first year to brew with – I’ve decided where the hops will go in the garden, which will trail along the side fence nicely. Stay tuned for pics when the rhizome arrives.

TVP – Thames Valley Porter

When I take beer in to work for people to try, usually the FD and IT manager, I try to write some tasting notes to help educate them in different styles of beer and so they know what to expect as my beer labels aren’t always descriptive:

Thames Valley Porter - 6%

Thames Valley Porter Tasting Notes

A strong 6% winter warmer with dark malty notes of coffee & chocolate. Brewed with neutral-tasting Northdown hops to help balance bitterness against the residual sweetness.

Leave to settle for a couple of days and serve cool, a few degrees below room temperature. Pair it with a hearty steak pie.

From Wikipedia/Porter_(beer):

Porter is a dark-coloured style of beer. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts. The name “stout” for a dark beer came about because a strong porter may be called “Extra Porter” or “Double Porter” or “Stout Porter”. The term “Stout Porter” would later be shortened to just “Stout”.

Durden Park’s Windsor Ale

I cracked open my Windsor Ale at the weekend. I seem to have solved the issues I was having with priming, bottling and then not conditioning at all. The beer has cleared nicely and looks and tastes amazing (despite being a month too early to drink!):

Windsor Ale

Lovely colour considering it’s only pale malt and a touch of honey with the hops. A fair bit of kettle caramelisation going on there.

TVP – Thames Valley Porter

I brewed this Thames Valley Porter a couple of weeks ago and have finally got around to posting the recipe.

I haven’t based the recipe on any other, just looked around at a load of different porter recipes and concocted something to match what I had in stock. I bottled & kegged it today and having had a few cheeky samples it tastes amazing. Chocolatey with coffee undertones – thick silky head and a nice dark brown colour. Mine fermented down to 1.014 which is bang on 6% – perfect for xmas!

I’ve named it TVP because I only treated my Thames Valley water with 1/2 a campden tablet. My previous stout had too harsh roast flavours due to me treating the water like I would with a paler ale and my understanding is that harder water is better for darker malty beers.

Based on 70% efficiency:

OG: 1.060
IBU: 45

5.35 Kg Maris Otter Pale Malt
0.60 Kg Crystal Malt 60L
0.25 Kg Amber Malt
0.12 Kg Black Patent Malt
0.10 Kg Chocolate Malt

45g Northdown (7.9%) @ 90 minutes
10g Northdown (7.9%) @ 15 minutes

Yeast: Nottingham x 2 packets

I’ll be leaving it 7 weeks to mature, in time for xmas.

Durden Park’s Windsor Ale

At the weekend I ad the pleasure of brewing Durden Park‘s Windsor Ale (OG 1.063) from their latest publication, “Old British Beers and How To Brew Them”.

It’s a simple recipe with a long three hour mash & a reasonably long maturation period of six to eight weeks. This will hopefully be my Christmas ale.

Click the link for some photos and recipe info.

INTERNATIONAL CAPSLOCK DAY

LET US CELEBRATE FOR TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL CAPSLOCK DAY!

MAY WE SPEND THE WHOLE DAY SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER.

Beer Labels

I’m lucky enough to work for a company that produces it’s own labels – and also fortunate enough to convince the people in the warehouse to knock me up some labels to my own specification:

• 8cm circular
• Adhesive that’s peelable, so the labels are easy to remove
• Semi gloss finish that’s printable on
• Waterproof ink

I now have 1,500 labels which I can run through the printers downstairs in the warehouse. My first design attempt was for the Guinness clone which we’ve called McCullough (after an Irish gent at work):

McCullough Irish Stout

Keeping with a similar format I’ve designed two more labels for recent beers:

Gold Rush (Golden Ale)

St Austell's Tribute

Counter Pressure Bottle Filler

I decided to build my own counter pressure bottle filler so I could bottle bright beer from my corni kegs. I couldn’t find anywhere in the UK selling them so using various diagrams on the web I constructed my own.

Click the link below to see parts/construction details:

Langborough Brewery News

The Langborough Brewery was in full operation this past weekend. Activities included:

• Brewing ‘Gold Rush’
• Racking ‘Tribute’
• Counter Pressure Bottle Filler plans