Dark Mild Reaper's Mild, 1st place 2011 HBT Competition

[Vongo]

OG came in at 1.037... Spot on with the software! I think I love the grain mill !

 

[azscoob]

OG came in at 1.037... Spot on with the software! I think I love the grain mill !

My grain mill was one of the best brewing gear purchases I have made!

Let me know how your brew turns out!

I am going to be brewing 10 gallons of this in 2 weeks after I return from Chicago.

 

[anycrew]

Mashing the grains as I type. Cant wait to hear some reports from the others who have brewed this one. Brew shop did not have crystal 60. Had to use some 80 and 45 mixed

 

[azscoob]

Mashing the grains as I type. Cant wait to hear some reports from the others who have brewed this one. Brew shop did not have crystal 60. Had to use some 80 and 45 mixed

I have had to mix crystal malts to get the approximate color before, it came out quite close if I recall. if you have questions just fire em off and I will answer as best I can.

 

[Vongo]

Pitched yeast yesterday at 64 degrees and it has already ramped up to 70. Might be time for a chest freezer.

 

[Vongo]

Mashing the grains as I type. Cant wait to hear some reports from the others who have brewed this one. Brew shop did not have crystal 60. Had to use some 80 and 45 mixed

What did your OG come in at ?

 

[anycrew]

The og was 1.039, But I was short on volume about 1/2 gal. My boil off rate is tricky with a wide mouth pot. So I think it would have been spot on if my volume was correct.
I hit my temps and double sparged as per directions.

 

[Vongo]

So I can leave this on the yeast cake for about 4 weeks with no ill effects or off flavors ?

 

[azscoob]

You can, there should be no issues leaving it that long, but it isn't necessary.

Why do you need to leave it on the cake that long? Most of my beers sit that long, but this one I move to the keg pretty quickly.

 

[Vongo]

no empty kegs yet ... I can just move it to a secondary.

 

[azscoob]

no empty kegs yet ... I can just move it to a secondary.

Meh, just leave it on the cake, less work that way.

 

[Vongo]

Perfect.

 

[sweetpoetatoe]

Brewed this last night. The mash tun soaked up alot of heat an so it started off at about 152. so i added about 4 quarts of 170 degree water an it still wasn't up to 158. i didnt want to add any more water than that, so i sort of decotioned it the rest of the way to 158 by draining some off, heating it to 170 and adding it back in carefully. I think it'll work out fine, spent most of its time lingering around 154, so i think it may still have enough body. Everything else worked out fantastic, and its OG turned out being 1.039 at 5.5 gallons.
It smells and looks completely amazing, thanks for the recipe!

 

[Vongo]

I had the same problem. I wonder if it has anything to do with being such a lite grain bill. I managed to stay in the 154 degree range. I hit 1.037 and the color was amazing. I can't wait to taste this one.

 

[sweetpoetatoe]

hmm, thats a thought, i was about to blame my mash tun over the grain bill and either make a new system or wrap it in endless amounts of insulation. Also just preheating the cooler better could help. I guess well just have to wait for the FG to see if it really affected the conversion that much.

 

[anycrew]

How long has your Krausen stayed fluffy. Mine dropped pretty quick. after 3 days.

 

[Vongo]

One thing I am doing now is adding my strike water to the tun about 5 degrees above strike temp put the lid on and let it heat up for about 5 min then take the lid off and stir until strike temp is reached.
Has worked spot in until I did it with this grain bill.

 

[azscoob]

On small grainbill recipes I typically go 15-20° higher than my mashtemp, (I also preheat my mashtun with hot water) when I add the grain I stir the piss out of it to bring the temp down the few degrees to hit my target temp.

 

[anycrew]

Kudos azcoob, My beer turned out great. Just poured my first sample. A refreshing, easy drinking ale. Nice clean taste thats slightly nutty and roasty.

 

[azscoob]

Kudos azcoob, My beer turned out great. Just poured my first sample. A refreshing, easy drinking ale. Nice clean taste thats slightly nutty and roasty.

Glad you like it! you have a pic of a pint?

 

[Vongo]

Just got back from a weekend getaway with the family. I am going to rack to the keg and cold crash Monday eve. I opened her up and took a whiff and she smells WONDERFUL!

 

[azscoob]

Glad to hear, you are going to love it! in fact you should be brewing another batch about now

 

[kilted-txn]

wrong thread sorry

 

[Vongo]

1.037 OG finished at 1.012 for 3.28% abv.
Very very clear hydro sample tastes amazing !

 

[Vongo]

I am cold crashing now alongside a Gose and looking forward to trying the gelatin in a few days. This is my 1st beer to go from primary to keg or bottle without using a secondary. Also the 1st brew where everything was spot on... volume, gravity and so on.
Think I'll be brewing this again next week.

 

[azscoob]

I'm glad you are digging it!

 

[sweetpoetatoe]

This was also my most spot on brew, gravity came only one small point above the estimated, and finished on the spot, i tasted one a few days in the bottle9 to see how much the taste can age within a week) and i can already see it becoming fantastic, I'm most excited just to be able to taste the aging process in fast forward over the next few weeks, and then days.

 

[Yaap10]

Secondary fermentation finished bottling this evening I'll keep ye posted and I'll also post pics in about 3-4 weeks when t pop open my first one

 

[azscoob]

Secondary fermentation finished bottling this evening I'll keep ye posted and I'll also post pics in about 3-4 weeks when t pop open my first one

I look forward to your thoughts and the pics!

 

[Vongo]

Ok just snuck a little taste from the keg... It is very good ( not ready yet and also at 35 degrees) my only issue I think I can taste the 4 degree temp loss when I mashed. It's just a little thin. The flavor is there no doubt and I love it. I am my worst critic but I want more body. Would 4 degrees make a noticeable diff?