Mash, Vorlauf, Lauter, Sparge

These are but a few of the great words I get to use as an all-grain brewer. The mash went well, overall, on Saturday. I hit slightly lower than expected temps for the mash, around 150 degrees. This will most likely result in a thinner, more fermentable ale, which is fine with me, as my extract brews of late have been finishing high in residual sugars, and I'd rather fancy a drier ferment. Mash efficiency wasn't great...probably 63 percent or so, but I ended up with 5 gallons (or slightly less) of 1.052 wort. It fermented heavily for two days, and has slowed considerably since then...I'm hoping it didn't "stick". It shouldn't have, I pitched plenty of yeast, mashed at lower temps, used yeast nutrient, and kept it relatively warm (high 60s). It will be a very hoppy (in an East Kent Goldings kind of way...it uses 3 ounces, plus an ounce of Target for bittering) and hopefully fruity Extra Special Bitter. I wish I could have increased efficiency and hit a higher gravity, but this will make a great session ale nonetheless.

I also pitched some EC-1118 (champagne) into my braggot, in an attempt to jump-start that ferment and finish it out a little bit drier. Right now it is far too high, in the 1.040-1.050 range as I recall.

I'm anticipating two ciders...first one in the mold of my earlier cider, except with a gallon of blackcurrant nectar, turbinado sugar instead of brown sugar, and T-58 yeast for a tiny Belgian kick. It will be known as "Cidre de Cassis". After that comes an interesting idea that may actually not be a cider at all...probably end up being a mead. 4.75 gallons (18 liters) of blackcurrant nectar, which has an OG estimated of about 1.067, and .25 gallons (1 liter or 3 pounds) of honey for a little extra gravity points. Pure blackcurrant goodness. My local grocery store is stocking the blackcurrant nectar so I am buying out their stock weekly! At 2.50 a liter it is reasonable, especially for one over which blackcurrants hold such merciless sway.

Not sure what to brew next...Oatmeal Stout? Something light, drinkable, easy going. An Oatmeal Stout, a Mild Ale, Brown Ale, even an Irish Red, perhaps. Another possibility, down the road, is a rye beer, possibly spiced with caraway. That will be an interesting experiment.

All Grain Brewing

Well, I have bitten the bullet, and my Honigweizen will be the last extract brew, at least for a while. I've purchased a good system (two ten gallon coolers with brass valves, a sparge arm, and a false bottom) for all-grain brewing, which means using malted barley grain, instead of prepared malt extract syrup and powder. I'll save money, and it will give me more control over the brewing process, ultimately giving me a more authentic product. First up will be an ESB, with Maris Otter pale malt and loaded with East Kent Goldings hops. Brewday is Saturday.

Other happenings will include starting the Blackcurrant Cider, racking the Honigweizen to secondary, and bottling the Ginger Metheglin. I'm also planning to add some medium-heavy toast oak cubes to the cherry melomel, to add a nice tannic addition to the sweet fruitiness that already rules that mead. I'm also keen to try out a new dry yeast...Safale S-04, the Whitbread strain. That will be used in the ESB this Saturday, and I'm looking to get a great English style yeast profile from it, balanced with fruity (but not phenolic) esters and bready flavours. So if you think of it, mates, raise a pint on Saturday to the inaugural mash at St. Crispin's, as I break in my new mash/lauter tun! Prost, Slainte, Cheers!

Honigweizen

Well, another brew is fermenting. This time, a "honigweizen", a not-so-traditional German wheat beer made with honey. I started with a basic ingredient list for a Bavarian-style hefeweizen, and amended it with a new yeast strain and added honey. Hopping is quite low, with only a single ounce of Tettnang added for bittering. The malt is approximately 65 percent wheat and 35 percent barley. In the last minute or two of the boil, I added 3 lbs of blueberry honey. Bear in mind that blueberry honey is not blueberry-flavoured honey, but just a variety depending on nectar source, like clover honey or orange blossom honey. I chose a Belgian ale strain, Fermentis T-58, for the yeast, instead of a traditional Bavarian wheat yeast. I'm hoping for some very interesting esters from the yeast strain, maybe a bit crazier even than the traditional weizen "banana and clove".

Also, another batch of cider will be coming soon, too. I'll have to empty some carboys (I foresee a bottling session in my future) but the cider will be a strong fortified cider with a rich dose of blackcurrants...found a stash of Looza blackcurrant nectar!