Sunday, January 30, 2011
Just a quick one while Yanxian's drunk ..
Remember the India Mud Ale? Well, turns out it was pretty good after settling down; I did indeed meddle when it was too young. We just downed almost 8 litres between us and my 2 brothers-in-law. I'm going to fast tomorrow to make up for the calories.
It turned out a nice, sparkling light amber tone. Mouthfeel was a tad light but acceptable, and the dry hopping was really a great thing to do - it was bursting with hop aroma. I think I'll do this one again, with the following modified grain bill:
Cooper's IPA x 1
Dried light malt extract x 1kg
14g Cascade hops x 15mins
14g Cascade hops x 5mins
14g Kent Goldings x 5 mins
14g Amarillo at flameout
14g Cascade hops x 3 days for dry hopping
14g Amarillo hops x 3 days for dry hopping
Currently the taste is nice and floral, with maybe a wee hint of grassy-ness as it is so young, but I expect both the floral and grassy characteristics to mellow with age. All in all, not as much a disappointment as I thought it would be.
Wenky
11:33 PM
0 comments
Post a Comment
Saturday, January 29, 2011
It's alive!!
Lol yes. Finally, I think the yeast freezing worked. Washed Safale US-05 yeast from the India Mud Ale yeast cake, filled up to 40ml mark on the Falcon tube, then topped up another 5ml of glycerin. This time, the contents froze solid, rather than remaining gooey in the freezer. Took it out after 1 day and added malt extract to proof it, and it's alive! So yes. I added too much glycerin the last time. There's hope for cost savings after all!
In a bid to de-muddify (what a word .. I made it up) the India Mud Ale, I crash cooled the entire secondary fermenter to less than 10C in a tub of ice and added 2 teaspoons of gelatin in a cup of water. Waited for one day, then added 10.3g of Polyclar VT (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone). It's looking clearer now, but even then I have reservations about the thinness of the taste.
Anyway, I'm gearing up to do the last brew of the month today. It'll be a orange honey hefeweizen, made from scratch (extract only, no kits). The bill:
| Brewer: | - | Email: | - |
| Beer: | Orange honey wheat | Style: | Weizen/Weissbier |
| Type: | Extract | Size: | 18 liters |
| Color: |
| 3 HCU (~3 SRM) |
|  |
| Bitterness: | 11 IBU |
| OG: | 1.052 | FG: | 1.010 |
| Alcohol: | 5.4% v/v (4.3% w/w) |
| Boil: | minutes | SG 1.049 | 19 liters |
500g Pilsner extract
1kg 800g Wheat extract
500g Honey
50g Light dry malt extract |
| Hops: | 20g Hallertauer (5.5% AA, 30 min.) |
Yeast used will be Wyeast 3944. I have a small grouse about this ultra-expensive liquid yeast. It came in a 'Smack Pack', where there is a smaller packet housed inside which I'm supposed to 'smack' with my hands, so as to release the nutrients/sugar and get the yeast going. What I didn't know was that there are TWO smaller packets inside - one with malt, the other with nutrients. And I think the Smack Pack was made for huge Caucasian hands, because I only managed to smack open the darned nutrient pack. I only found out because the outer pack didn't bloat up as it was supposed to, and when I opened the outer pack to use the yeast, I found the stupid malt inner pack still intact!!
Anyway, I made up a 2L starter using 100g dried malt and c. 150g wheat malt, and the yeast still revived ok. Phew. Also made 2 agar slants using the leftovers, but I'll talk about this next time. The starter is happily bubbling now. I'll probably use only 1.5L or less to innoculate the batch, so as to encourage more phenol production.
I have a dried and preserved mandarin (from the wedding .. one of those chinese customary thingies) which I'll chop up and add to the boil for 5 mins. Hope this turns out decent enough!
Wenky
7:40 AM
0 comments
Post a Comment
Friday, January 28, 2011
Finally, the stout's carbonated and ready to go! Really happy with the results.
On a less happy note, I took a sip of the IPA and was disappointed. Body's a little thin, so I'm hoping it'll beef up somewhat after carbonation. But what really irked me was the colour - alas! it's a horrid, muddy brown colour. Like alcoholic lao sai. Perhaps I'll name it India Mud Ale instead. =( I think the fault lies with me - it's barely been 5 days and I'm fooling around with it already.
Also, my frozen yeast bank experiment failed horribly. Basically I'm trying to save a few bucks ($6 per brew, to be exact) by storing and reusing the yeast. So. Most yeasts settle to some degree to the bottom of the fermenter at the end of the whole thing. I took the yeast cake from the bottom of the fermenter, washed and extracted the yeast, and added glycerin before freezing it. It's supposed to work. Well, I took one of the vials out, added glucose solution, and ... NOTHING. No fermentation, no nothing. The yeast's dead!! I'm guessing I added way too much glycerin.
I just spent the last 1 hour transferring the India Mud Ale to a secondary fermenter, and washing the yeast. This time, I added 10% glycerin instead of 25%. Let's see if this works. The stout and ale yeasts are experiments to see if this works, since I'm really actually trying to reuse liquid yeast. These last 2 yeasts I'm talking about are dry yeasts, which cost me $6 to $7 a pop, which in itself isn't that cheap. But for the hefeweizen that I'll be attempting next, the German liquid yeast costs $17, so I'm hoping to be able to salvage the leftover yeasts to reuse.
The name India Mud Ale's starting to grow on me.
Wenky
12:38 AM
0 comments
Post a Comment
Saturday, January 22, 2011
More notes on the beers.
1) Stout
I have named this stout after a recent very horrific health scare. I don't think I've ever felt more threatened in my life before. In a way, it's been life-changing.
Anyway, it went into the bottles after 8 days of fermentation. ABV was calculated to be 8%, and it tasted great even without aging. I tried out the Tap-A-Draft system with forced carbonation, but the darned thing just ate its way through 3 CO2 cartridges and 1 nitrogen cartridge. About the beer - taste-wise it was really nice and full-bodied (Yx became a stout fan for the first time ever), though I felt it was a wee bit too fruity. Perhaps it's got something to do with fermenting at 28C. The one thing disappointing was the head retention. Head was good, but lasted 10 mins tops. I have 2 more 6L bottles that are conditioing (in dad's wine cooler, lol) and I'll experiment with adding some maltodextrin / gum arabic to help with this.
2) IPA
Yes, first attempt. Starting gravity was a tad lower than expected, so I'm expecting a very light beer out of this one. 3.5 to 4% ABV, more like a shandy than anything else. =( Maybe the next time I'll brew to 20L instead of 23L. Here's the bill for future reference:
2L yeast starter (Safale US-05 yeast) with 300g dried malt extract
1 can Cooper's IPA kit
500g dried malt extract
350g dextrose
14g Cascade hops added in last 15 mins of boiling
14g Cascade hops added in last 5 mins of boiling
14g Kent Goldings hops added in last 5 mins of boiling
Topped up to 23L, out of which 6L were clean ice
Starting gravity: 1.032 =(
Another note: 6L of ice was a bit too much, starting wort temperature was 14C! I'll do it with 4L of clean ice next time instead. Fermentation was well underway within the hour, temp maintained at 26-28C using an ice bath and wet towels. Darned our tropical weather.
This is intended to be a rather hoppy beer, so in 4 days' time I'll be adding 14g Cascade and 14g Kent Goldings into the fermenter to dry-hop. Let's see how this turns out!
Thinking of doing up a hefeweizen next.
Wenky
11:13 AM
0 comments
Post a Comment
Thursday, January 13, 2011
I've just had my first ever session sitting in with a forensic psychiatrist, who's a visiting consultant here. Man, was I impressed! And I really wouldn't like to be on the receiving end.
There's still so much more to learn!
Wenky
5:24 PM
0 comments
Post a Comment
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
I'm down with a nasty flu bug. I don't know why people claim that peppermint tea is good for a cold - I simply taste hot water, and none of that minty smell.
Fermenter's still bubbling happily away, and I'm trying not to let enthusiasm ruin this batch. The weather over the last 2 days' been perfect for brewing. Next up is an IPA, much to Yx's chargrin.
Wenky
11:50 PM
0 comments
Post a Comment
Monday, January 10, 2011
A quick entry just as a log for review in the future. Did up a batch of stout last evening, dad's request.
Started off 1 day before brew day with Nottingham ale yeast. Made a starter culture using 300g dried malt extract in 1L of water and a pinch of yeast nutrients, cooled it to 30C and added it to my 1 gallon mead carboy with an airlock. Rehydrated yeast in 10ml of water for 15 mins and pitched it into starter malt solution. Fermentation started within 12 hours, with intermittent aeration by swirling every 1-2 hours (when I remembered ..)
On day before, also sanitised 30L fermentor with Star San. I used a hell lot of the sanitiser - next time I'll just make up the solution in a spray bottle instead. Also, I will have to remove my watch and ring beforehand. Filled fermentor to 15L mark with tap water, added 1/4 tablet of crushed campden tablet to dechlorinate and disinfect. Left water in fermentor. Started making ice in freezer for cooling on brew day.
On brew day morning, sanitised a few tupperware takeaway containers with Star San, and decanted 2L of water from 30L fermentor into them to chuck into freezer.
Wort was prepared by boiling 4L of water with 700g dextrose, 1.5kg liquid dark malt extract and 1 can of Cooper's stout extract. Added 1/2 teaspoon yeast nutrient. I actually sanitised the boiling pot with Star San, but I think it's not necessary in future - I'll only sanitise the pot's lid. Brought the wort to a rolling boil (about 20mins), turned off heat and left to pasteurise with sanitised lid on for 10mins (I cheated.)
The clean ice was added to the 30L fermentor in the meantime, with it sitting in a blue washing bucket filled with iced water. Wort was splashed into the fermentor and temperature brought down to 32C. (it might be less than that, I figure it's about 30C). It was aerated vigorously by hand, and the yeast culture pitched into it, followed by even more aeration.
Total volume = 20L
Starting gravity = 1.060 (not compensated)
Overall materials:
Cooper's Stout extract kit x 1
Cooper's liquid dark malt extract x 1
Brew enhancer 2 (300g DME, 700g dextrose)
Nottingham ale yeast
Yeast nutrient
I really can't quite remember if I'm supposed to brew to 18L or 23L, so I compromised and did 20L. Yes I know, this is hardly scientific or good practice, but 20L sounds like a reasonable in-between! We'll see if this brew turns out tasting like drain water.
Wenky
8:39 AM
0 comments
Post a Comment
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
2011!
Another new year ahead. I realise I've taken a long hiatus from writing, partly because of our big event at the end of 2010. I'm so glad it's over, but even now we're still tying up one or two more loose ends. Maybe a recap of 2010 is in order?
1. We've pulled off a wedding of an unplanned scale (courtesy of dad), thanks to so many people who have helped us along the way. It was more than a year's worth of stress building up, but we're ever so grateful that our friends really came in to grasp the reigns so perfectly on that day.
2. I took over the job of being the mental health guy at work, and must say I thoroughly enjoyed it. If I were to be very honest with myself, I really would have continued with this job, if not for the fact that I still disapprove of this organisation and most things associated with it.
3. Friends are getting married left, right and centre. We just had an explosion of weddings to attend this month, and I can see this pattern recurring for the next few years at least. Then will come the red eggs getting delivered.
4. The home-moving was really formidable. I never realised how particular I could be, or how incompetent some self-proclaimed 'professionals' can really be. But I do love the new place - in fact I'm typing this entry whilst lounging on the balcony with a cup of coffee. Yes, a sensible balcony at last, which doesn't require world-class acrobatics to access.
5. Holidays-wise it had been dry. OK, I must confess that I don't usually indulge in hard-core traveling, and even more so this year as we were quite prudent with expenditures due to the wedding. We did the obligatory birthday treat in March to the Gili Islands, and loved it. We saw more turtles than we could ever care to see, the ubiquitous horse poo was an eye-opener, we brought back (cheap) stuff for our new place, and of course, the magic mushrooms were such a treat.
6. Did some hardcore weight-loss this year. Thrilled that I can now wear my secondary school-time things (with room to spare), but far from thrilled that I'm having to spend a bomb on a major wardrobe overhaul. Work clothes are hanging off me.
I probably missed out other things that had been added to the melting pot in the last 1 year, but I guess much of it had been overshadowed by the wedding.
And now, for 2011. I've never been one to care about resolutions, mostly because I know I can't quite keep them. Some thoughts about the year ahead, more or less in chronological order:
1. Getting back into my usual hobbies. First one to kick start the year is a new batch of home brew. A mini carbonator/dispenser is on its way from the US even as I type. Also eagerly anticipating the break of spring in the UK - I've been on the darned waiting list for
S. x moorei 'Leah Wilkerson' and it's finally my turn, thanks to Mike! I'm also
entertaining the thought of procuring some rather milder herptiles for the airwell, if I get past Yx and my parents.
2. Chinese new year - our first after getting married, and I suspect I'm going to feel quite irritated at that time.
3. The end of a 2-year break in late Feb. I suppose that'll merit a separate post on it's own. I remember May 2009. It was such an ordeal; and looking back, my cardio
shifu was right in more ways than one.
4. Looking forward to our honeymoon. We're doing a huge trip this time, and spending 3 weeks in total between Palau, Yap and Donsol (Philippines). Given the remoteness of the darned pacific islands, we're looking at a staggering budget plan. But hey. It's really now or never to visit these places. Air tickets and accommodations have been booked - in fact, much of it is already set in stone. We're also investing in our own diving gear at last, since we figured that rental gear at $50 per person per day is eventually going to justify this purchase.
4. Back to work proper in May. Yay, finally got my no-pay leave approved! I don't know what their problem is this year, but people are getting rejected. And the start of my darned Residency in July. I'm feeling very upset and sore about this. Call me a stick in the mud, but I really prefer the old BST/AST system. It's also partly cause my batch is severely disadvantaged from the conversion. I *could* have saved a year in training. F*CK. And maybe Part I of the exams end of the year.
5. Brother-in-law's getting married in Oct, and we're (hopefully!) heading down to Sabah for some of the fun. That, and it's the perfect excuse AND season to make a detour to Mabul/Sipadan. And maybe even Mount Kinabalu for the Nepenthes villosa, though for some very strange reason the in-laws aren't too fond of the mountain.
That's about it for the year to come. Throw in a few knick-knacks to make life interesting (waiting for iPad 2's release, for example) and a few upset episodes here and there, and we're set. How very prescribed. Once again, I'm overcome by an overwhelming urge to just pack up and go wandering / starting it over in some foreign land, where I'll most probably be mugged, discriminated against, don long wiry hair and multiple tattoos, and eke out a living by adorning the streetsides with my
revolting ravishing artwork or be a blues singer in a dingy bar.
Wenky
7:25 PM
0 comments
Post a Comment
