eltorrente
Well-Known Member
I went with:
3lbs light DME
.75lbs Crystal 40
.5 oz Citra boil
.5 oz Citra after boil
1/2 Cinammon stick (Added right after boil, then put into fermenter)
Nottingham Yeast
.75 gallons of wort after boil
4.5 gallons Apple Juice
With that amount of Crystal, I couldn't see a reason for more grains focused on head retention.
I started with 1.25 gallons of water. I steeped the Crystal for 30 mins at 155 degrees. I then added the .5 oz of Citra as I heated up to boil - basically FWH addition. I added the 3lbs of DME and boiled for 30 mins, which took it down to .75 gallons. After the boil I added the half cinammon stick and another .5oz of Citra hops.
I cooled the pot down in the sink of cold water, then mixed it in with the Apple Juice. I used 4.5 Gallons of Apple Juice and the batch was 5.25 gallons, and an OG of 1.068. I dumped the whole pot into the fermenter and didn't bother trying to filter anything.
It started to bubble slowly after about 6 hours.
I'm starting the fermentation at 65 degrees, and will raise it one degree every 12 hours until I hit 69 degrees. I'll hold it there until the kruesen starts to drop, then I'll pull it out and let it finish at room temp. The half cinammon stick is sitting in the fermenter, hopefully it'll give a little bit of flavor without being overpowering.
So it's been about a month since I brewed this up, and have it carbonated and in the keg. When I first kegged it after 3 weeks, it was slightly tart but was still drinkable. Now it's really good.
My FG was 1.005 - 8.4% alcohol.
Really nice lacing and head retention. It almost tastes like a white wine, or at least has a similar affect on my palate. The bitterness is perfect, and there's an alcohol heat with a slight tartness and lingering sweetness. It's a nice drink. I've been drinking about 3 per day since I first kegged it - so I should bottle it pretty quick before I go through it all.
After I cold crashed for a few days at 35, I put it in a keg and used gelatin. Right when I transferred, I shook the keg under pressure to carb. It seemed to clear up within 2 days.
I'm going to bottle up about a case of this stuff and let it age a bit, but it's already quite good and I'm very happy with it.
Also, I used Yeast Nutrient to ensure there was a good environment for the yeast. The ferment never smelled like sulphur or any sort of bad smell, and it was a strong ferment all the way through.
Lacing: