ICWiener
Well-Known Member
Hey everyone, Just trying to get a critique. I'm stepping out and trying a PM brew for the first time this weekend. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous.
Anyways, I'm making a Well's Bombardier inspired best/premium bitter. Here's the recipe:
Pilot to Bombardier – Best/Premium Bitter
3.3 lbs. LME
3 lb. 2 oz Maris Otter
14 oz. crystal malt (60 °L)
.5 oz Challenger hops (60 min)
.5 oz. Challenger hops (15 min)
.5 oz Kent Goldings hops (2 min)
1 tsp Irish moss
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III)
I'm going to try to do Colby's countertop partial mashing techniue,
http://***********/component/resource/article/511-countertop-partial-mashing
Put crushed grains in a large nylon steeping bag. Heat 5.5 qts. of water to 165 °F and pour into your 2-gallon cooler. Slowly submerge grain bag, using a large brewing spoon to ensure that grain mixes completely with the water. Let mash rest, starting at 154 °F for 30 minutes. While mash is resting, heat 0.75 gallons of water to a boil in your brew pot and 5.5 qts. of water to 180 °F in a large kitchen pot. Recirculate by drawing off a pint or two of wort from the cooler and returning it to the top of the mash. Repeat until wort is clear or 3 quarts have been recirculated.
Next, run off entire first wort and add to boiling water in kettle. Add 180 °F water to cooler until liquid level is the same as during the first mash. Let rest for 5 minutes, then recirculate and run off wort as before. Bring wort to a boil, add dried malt extract and bittering hops and boil for 60 minutes. Add liquid malt extract, Irish moss and flavor hops with 15 minutes left in boil.
Add aroma hops with 2 minutes left in boil. After boil, cool wort until side of brew pot is cool to the touch. Transfer wort to fermenter, add water to make 5 gallons, aerate well and pitch yeast from yeast starter. Let ferment at 70 °F. Once wort falls clear after primary fermentation, bottle beer.
A couple of thoughts:
1) I'm considering upping the extract because I have no idea what kind of conversion I'm going to get from the grain. Maybe add some DME to bump it up to 4 lb. Should I just leave it and not worry? I don't care too much about the ABV. Bombardier is around 5.2% but I'm not going for a clone here so I don't care if it falls to 4.5% or whatever...as long as it tastes good.
2) I'm using Wyeast 1318 instead of 1968 because my fermentation closet holds steady at about 68-69 F.* That's close to the upper limit for 1968 (71F) and the profile says that it's a high diacetyl producer. I don't have the equipment for a suitable diacetyl rest, and I don't want a much of an estery flavor, so I'm going with 1318 which Wyeast recommends for a standard bitter. It still flocculates high, attenuates low-ish, and is comfortable to around 74F. I think it will do better for me.
3) Do I even worry about "Burtonizing" my water? It tastes and smells fine. (Although I just moved into this house and my first batch here came out tasting like my plastic fermenter. I plan to use campden tabs for any chloramine this time around, just in case.)
Anyways, thoughts? Am I on track? any suggestions are welcome. Like I said, I'm pretty nervous. I know, RDWHAHB. I'm trying.
*I don't have space for an ice bath in my brew closet and my 19 month old son gets into absolutely everything so I have to work within my limits, until I buy a freezer and a Ranco. Which I'm working on.
Anyways, I'm making a Well's Bombardier inspired best/premium bitter. Here's the recipe:
Pilot to Bombardier – Best/Premium Bitter
3.3 lbs. LME
3 lb. 2 oz Maris Otter
14 oz. crystal malt (60 °L)
.5 oz Challenger hops (60 min)
.5 oz. Challenger hops (15 min)
.5 oz Kent Goldings hops (2 min)
1 tsp Irish moss
Wyeast 1318 (London Ale III)
I'm going to try to do Colby's countertop partial mashing techniue,
http://***********/component/resource/article/511-countertop-partial-mashing
Put crushed grains in a large nylon steeping bag. Heat 5.5 qts. of water to 165 °F and pour into your 2-gallon cooler. Slowly submerge grain bag, using a large brewing spoon to ensure that grain mixes completely with the water. Let mash rest, starting at 154 °F for 30 minutes. While mash is resting, heat 0.75 gallons of water to a boil in your brew pot and 5.5 qts. of water to 180 °F in a large kitchen pot. Recirculate by drawing off a pint or two of wort from the cooler and returning it to the top of the mash. Repeat until wort is clear or 3 quarts have been recirculated.
Next, run off entire first wort and add to boiling water in kettle. Add 180 °F water to cooler until liquid level is the same as during the first mash. Let rest for 5 minutes, then recirculate and run off wort as before. Bring wort to a boil, add dried malt extract and bittering hops and boil for 60 minutes. Add liquid malt extract, Irish moss and flavor hops with 15 minutes left in boil.
Add aroma hops with 2 minutes left in boil. After boil, cool wort until side of brew pot is cool to the touch. Transfer wort to fermenter, add water to make 5 gallons, aerate well and pitch yeast from yeast starter. Let ferment at 70 °F. Once wort falls clear after primary fermentation, bottle beer.
A couple of thoughts:
1) I'm considering upping the extract because I have no idea what kind of conversion I'm going to get from the grain. Maybe add some DME to bump it up to 4 lb. Should I just leave it and not worry? I don't care too much about the ABV. Bombardier is around 5.2% but I'm not going for a clone here so I don't care if it falls to 4.5% or whatever...as long as it tastes good.
2) I'm using Wyeast 1318 instead of 1968 because my fermentation closet holds steady at about 68-69 F.* That's close to the upper limit for 1968 (71F) and the profile says that it's a high diacetyl producer. I don't have the equipment for a suitable diacetyl rest, and I don't want a much of an estery flavor, so I'm going with 1318 which Wyeast recommends for a standard bitter. It still flocculates high, attenuates low-ish, and is comfortable to around 74F. I think it will do better for me.
3) Do I even worry about "Burtonizing" my water? It tastes and smells fine. (Although I just moved into this house and my first batch here came out tasting like my plastic fermenter. I plan to use campden tabs for any chloramine this time around, just in case.)
Anyways, thoughts? Am I on track? any suggestions are welcome. Like I said, I'm pretty nervous. I know, RDWHAHB. I'm trying.
*I don't have space for an ice bath in my brew closet and my 19 month old son gets into absolutely everything so I have to work within my limits, until I buy a freezer and a Ranco. Which I'm working on.
