Saturday, May 18, 2013

Pre-Nuptu-Ale

Origins:
     I'm brewing this beer for my wedding and wanted something that all of the Bud drinking part of the family could drink and not offend their sensitive palates.  When buying this it was kind of a relief that I only had to buy one package of hops for a 10 gallon batch.  Since Whitney and I have been living in sin for over 5 years and now we are finally making it official, I decided to call our wedding beer Pre-Nuptu-Ale.

Recipe Specifications:
  • Batch Size: 10.00 gal
  • Boil Size: 12.5  gal
  • Predicted OG: 1.057 SG
  • Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
  • 7.70 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US
  • 7.70 lb Pilsner Malt
  • 2.00 lb Flaked Corn
  • 2.00 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose)
Total Grain Weight: 19.4 lb
  • 2.00 oz Cascade, US 9.5% Whole Leaf Hops 
  • WLP001 California Ale Yeast
Starter Procedure:
Friday May 17, 2013 I made my standard starter and placed it on the stir plate overnight.

Brew Procedure:
      On May 18th 2013, I decided to brew. First I calculated how much mash water I needed. total grain weight was 19.4 lbs. So to calculate mash water I used the following calculation:

19.4 lbs grain x 1.75 qt/lb = 33.95 qt. x 1/4 gallon/qt = 8.49 gal

I used 1.75 since because my hot liquor tank is too small to give the required sparge volume if I only used 1.5 or 1.33.  There isn't really a downside that I have found,  and a couple sites said  a wetter mash can increase your efficiency.  I filled the mashtun with 8.5 gallons of water and began heating it to 165 °F.  After the water reached 165 °F I added the grain and began vigorously stirring. After a few minutes the temperature had dropped down to a perfect 152 °F.  I checked the pH to be about 5.4, and placed the insulation jacket around the mashtun.
     After mashing I transferred to the kettle and completed the brew using the following schedule:

Hops/Ingredients Schedule:

QuantityIngredientBoiled For
1.0 oz.CascadeEntire 60 Min. boil
1.0 oz.Cascade Last 30 min of boil 
2 tabsWhirlflocLast 15 min of boil 
1 tsp.Yeast Nutrient Last 15 min of boil



I cooled the wort and pitched the yeast into two 6.5 gallon fermentation buckets and oxygenated for 15 seconds each bucket.  I also added a vial of clarityferm to each fermenter since this will be for my wedding, I wanted there to be something for my friend Pat to drink. I ordered a plate chiller but it hasn't got here yet so this is the last time I will have to use my immersion chiller to get my beer down to pitching temp.

Additional Comments:
    This may have been my most successful brew I have done to date.  All temperatures were hit pretty consistently and I essentially nailed my gravity reading.  Also I produced exactly 10 gallons of beer after it was in the fermenters.  Would have liked to have like 11 but not a big deal. I may dry hop with an oz. of cascade pellets I have left over from my last IPA but I'll decide when I transfer.

INITIAL WORT GRAVITY: 1.062

UPDATE 5/26/13:
Gravity at Transfer: 1.022
131.25*(1.062-1.022)=5.25%
Still needs to finish, the beer is cloudy but needs have be fined some more.

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