Brewing - Special Bitter

Yeast prep - April 13, 2020

Prepared a 2L starter with yeast saved from 3rd overbuilt starter (Golden Mild, March 21st).

Special Bitter Brewday - April 14, 2020

44L (Primary) | 1.045 OG | 29 IBU | 9 SRM

Brewday Video
Tasting Notes

Part 1 - Setup

 - Grist - 

92% | 8kg Canada Malting Superior Pale Ale Malt (3.1L)
5.7% | 500g Weyermann CaraMunich III (57L)
2.3% | 200g Pale Chocolate Malt (230L)

- Hops -

|| Kettle ||

25g Challenger (8.4% AA) @ 60 minutes
50g East Kent Goldings (4.5% AA) @ 20 minutes
40g East Kent Goldings (4.5% AA) @ 0 (Steep 10 minutes)
60g Challenger (8.4% AA) @ 0 (Steep 10 minutes)

- Water -

56L treated with 1 campden tab to remove chloramine

Source Profile (mg/l):

Ca+2 = 8.7
Mg+2 = 2.1
Na+ = 18.4
Cl- = 6.7
SO4-2 = 27
Alkalinity (ppm as CaC03) = 32.5
pH = 9.4

|| Salts & Acid ||
Mash - 2ml (88%) Lactic Acid, 5g Calcium Chloride, 8g Calcium Sulfate
Boil - 8g Calicum Sulfate

Resulting Profile (mg/l) :
Ca+2 = 99.5
Mg+2 = 2.1
Na+ = 18.4
Cl- = 49.8
SO4-2 = 186.4
Alkalinity (ppm as CaC03) = 16.9
Residual Alkalinity (ppm as CaC03) = -55.3
Brewer's Friend Mash Report

Part 2 - Mash

Mash salts added directly to the milled to grist

Lactic acid added to half the brewing liquor (28L)
Mashed in @ 161F
Target mash pH 5.43 (calculated @ 25C)
Mashed @ 66C/151F

After 60 minutes, vorlauf and collected 1st runnings

Batch sparge, vorlauf and collected 2nd runnings

Part 3 - Boil

Added 1st hop addition at the start of the boil.
With 20 minutes remaining, added 2nd hop addition

With 5 minutes remaining, whirlfloc and immersion chiller
At flame-out, added 3rd hop addition and steeped for 15 minutes
Chilled wort and transferred to fermenters

Gravity measured 1.047  (3-4L short on volume which accounts for the higher OG)

OG 1.047

Part 4 - Fermentation

Day 0 - 17:00 - Aerated with Fizz-x.  Pitched 2L starter (1L each carboy) @ 19C

Day 1 - 11:00 - Despite the temperature having dropped to 16C, there is visable signs of krausen.  I installed my heat wrap and set the temperature controller to 20C.

Day 2 - 09:00 - Temperature reads 20C, fermentation in full swing.

Day 3 - 09:00 - Temperature has dropped to 19.3C, I've increased the set point to 21C, not sure it will get there...

Day 8 - 10:00 - Fermentation looks to be complete.  Small raft of krausen left floating on the beer surface, airlocks have all but stopped, beer is starting to clear.  Temperature never did hit 21C.

Day 10 - 17:00 - Disconnected heat wrap.

Day 11 - 13:00 - Racked to kegs.  FG 1.017 (temp corrected), 62% atten for 3.7% ABV

FG 1.017 (temperature corrected)