All Grain Brew Day #1 - Summer Lightning Clone



I chose this recipe after reading about 'Demon Valley' brewery's first all grain brew day and, seeing as the ingredients are fairly straight forward, decided it would also be my first brew.

 

Ingredients;

•5kg Pale Ale Malt
•46g Challenger Hops @ 90 minutes
•15g Goldings Hops @ 15 minutes
•9g Goldings Hops @ Flameout/Poweroff
•Safale S-o4 yeast

I set my alarm for 0700 this morning but was awoken by a bad dream, in which my boiler wouldn't boil and kept cutting out (see how this brewing lark affects you?).

I got out of bed and measured out 16 litres of water.

0700 - The water goes into the boiler to be heated to 71.6 degrees for mashing.

The most important step in brewing and wine making is, of course, sterilising everything to avoid infection.  But is it?  Surely this is the most important first step?



 

 

My instructions/steps for the day, in case I forget anything;

 

 

 

Everything ready and prepared

 









And ingredients



 07:25  -  The water (liquor in brewing terms) reaches 71.6 degrees and is now added to the mash tun



The mash temperature I am aiming for is 66 degrees so, once the grist (malt) is added, this cools the temperature down to where I want it

 



I now mash at this temperature for 90 minutes which, I'm pleased to say, my new mash tun has managed without dropping a degree. 

 

Meanwhile, I heat up 20.86 litres of liquor to 75.9 degrees for sparging.

 

0900 - Time to sparge (rinse the sugars from the grist)

 

 

 

 

The first runnings.  This is returned to the mash tun until it comes through clear.......

 





 

 

 

.......Like this

 

 

 

 

Pre-boil gravity is 1.032



10:00 - The wort is now transferred into the boiler to give it a rolling boil for 90 minutes.  This drives off any unpleasant enzymes and sterilises the wort.  Hops are added at various times for bittering and aroma. 

 

10:50 - The wort is finally boiling so 46g of Challenger hops are added for bittering.



 

 

12:05  -  More hops are added, 15g of East Kent Goldings for aroma.  Also, the wort cooler is now added to the boiler to sterilise it for the last 15 minutes of the boil

 

 



12:20 - Time to cool the wort down to around 20 degrees.  Ideally, this is done as quickly as possible so the yeast can be pitched, and there will be less chance of infection



12:40 - Just 20 minutes to cool down 26 litres down to pitching temperature.  I'm happy with that!

 

The wort is now transferred to a fermenting vessel and, after being thoroughly aerated (to encourage yeast growth), the yeast is pitched

 



 Original Gravity is 1.052.

 

 

13:30 - Everything cleaned and tidied away! 





 

 

 

Problems:  The only problems I noted were the fact that my OG should have been approx. 1.043 whereas the actual OG is 1.052.  I'm not sure if this is down to a dodgy hydrometer!  The other problem was that hops got stuck in the tap, blocking it, when transferring from the boiler to the FV.  I had thought this might happen so prepared by sterilising a sieve and jug to transfer manually

Banana Wine

After the success of the banana wine I made a couple of years back, I have decided it's time I make some more.

The initial recipe called for 4lb of bananas which I purchased, but then ate a pound of them.  So, I have decided to make up my own recipe.

3lb bananas (plus half a pound of skins)
1lb wheat (it needs using up as it's been in the cupboard for a few years)
1/2lb sultanas
2 1/2lb sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
yeast
yeast nutrient

Boil up the sliced bananas and skins for about 20 minutes.  Strain onto the sugar and minced sultanas and add the wheat (which should ideally be soaked overnight and minced).  Bung all the other ingredients in and ad the yeast and nutrient.

Boiling the bananas



 

 

Soaking the wheat



I didn't plan this ahead so I will have to add the wheat tomorrow as it is still soaking. 

Bottler!

I have been busy bottling today.

First, I bottled my carrot wine.  It has been maturing in the demijohn since May 2012 and tastes lovely, very much like a slightly spicy white port.

 

I also bottled some raspberry drink.  I'm not sure what to call it as it was made from some Lowicz Malina raspberry syrup I found in the Polish foods section of my local supermarket.  I made 2 gallons using 2 bottles of syrup and added sugar which has taken the ABV to 5.1%

 

It tastes and smells nice, but will benefit from a few weeks in the bottle to mature.  I added some priming sugar to the batch, bottled it,  and the bottles are now standing in water which is kept at 19 degrees by my new aquarium heater.

 

 

 

 

The tiny amount of yeast left in each bottle will feed on the sugar creating a bit of fizz.





Rhubarb Wine

My first wine of 2014 is my old favourite, rhubarb.  I have used just under 3 pounds of rhubarb and 2 and a half pounds of sugar.  I am going to boil up a pound of bananas and top up with the strained juice.  This should add some body and, hopefully, a different aroma and flavour.

 

 

Unfortunately, the lovely pink colour will drop out as the wine ferments.

 

I don't have a source of free rhubarb any more so had to buy 3lb for £3.  I'm not sure how this compares to the supermarket price but it's grown locally and, though not certified organic, is grown without chemicals. Add this together with 35p (approx.) for the bananas and £1 for the sugar, it works out at 72p per bottle.  Not as good as 20p obviously, but cheap all the same.

 

More on rhubarb wine can be found here



King Keg Sparkler Tap

I never really got on with the standard fit drum taps on my King Kegs.

The taps seem to have 3 settings;  full on, dripping, or off.

Actually, 'off' is a harder option than it seems and you'll find yourself wrestling with the keg trying to hold it down (especially when under half full and not weighing much), all the while gripping the tap as hard as you can (usually with a towel) to turn it off that last hundredth of a turn to stop it dripping all over the floor.  By this time you've worked up quite a sweat so the beer is swiftly drunk, only then the process has to start over again.

Pouring a decent pint is hard work too as you'll end up with either a pint full of foam, or a half hour wait whilst the beer drips into the glass.

I recently purchased 2 sparkler taps, and what a difference it has made!! 

They fit the King Keg perfectly, it's a simple case of locating the tap in the original hole (making sure the seal is in place) and tightening up the nut at the back.  Then, fill the kegs with water and pressurise with co2 to check for leaks. 

Here is a video of mine in action.  The head on the beer is slightly larger than I would normally pour, I was just trying to demonstrate how quick and easy it is to pull a pint  :-)

 

The nozzle can be adjusted to give different pouring speeds for more/less head which is ideal as it can be adjusted to suit the lower pressure in the keg as it empties and, with the lever in the forward position, the tap will remain open.

They are easy to find, just Google 'brewgas deluxe sparkler tap for king keg' or click here

It's Been A While.....!

I've not really made much wine or beer over the last year or so, only managing a couple of gallons of Rhubarb wine and three gallons of Blackberry (plus one Blackberry and Apple which smells delicious!)

 

It's a great time of year to be starting again too, with Dandelions almost ready for wine.

 

I have also decided to have a go at all-grain brewing and I'm just getting the gear together

to start my first brew.

 

There's a lot to learn and I'll keep you posted with the ups and downs of the process.

 

First things first;

 

Buy some books and read them.  Then read them again.

 

Visit one of the online forums like this one

 

 

This is going to be my new 'brew shed'

 

 

 

 

Over the next couple of days, I will give it a coat of paint and add some electrics.

I'll also stick a worktop and some shelves up too.