third AG brewday

[lpdb185]

just cracked the paradise seeds and coriander, and OMG that stuff smells freakin' awesome! doing the AHS La Chouffe clone. i'm about to start the mash, but i have a quick question:

the target OG is 1.080 with all grains, 1lb of candi sugar and 2lb honey. will it make much difference adding the honey and sugar the last 5-10min of the boil versus adding during primary? i know i can do either, but i am now curious as to what everyone else does.

10.25lb belgian pale malt, some flaked oats, aromatic malt, and some 20L crystal. anybody got suggestions on mash temp? i was planning on 150f @ 60min.

 

[MikeG]

I don't know about candi sugar but I've read enough to know you don't want to boil honey, you'll boil away any aroma or flavor you would impart from it basically meaning you're just adding very expensive fermentable sugar.

What temp does AHS recommend you mash at? 150 sounds fine but I'm not familiar with the style. Does AHS recommend you add honey during the boil or in primary?

 

[lpdb185]

it says to add honey and candi sugar @ beginning of the boil. all their recipes say to mash at 150f. i assume it's a generic temp and was curious if anyone had any different suggestions.

wouldn't the honey at least have to boiled/near boiled for a few minutes to sanitize it, even if you were adding it to the primary?

 

[MikeG]

They do sound like generic instructions. I prefer to mash a little higher, usually around 153 but at times, an IPA for example I'll mash lower, 150F lowest.

Brewing with honey:
http://***********/stories/recipes/article/indices/38-ingredients/325-brewing-with-honey

 

[suprchunk]

Just pasteurize it. You can do this as low as 145 for a bit. If botulism is a concern you can bring it up to ~196 for 10 minutes or so. But adding it to the end of the boil won't hurt it too much. If you really want the honey flavor to be pronounced, which I really don't find in La Chouffe, you can wait until the yeast start doing their job and then toss the honey in. This will reduce the chance of the wild yeast gaining a foothold - which is why you would pasteurize it in the first place. If it is already pasteurized, than this isn't really necessary - the heating it yourself part that is.

 

[lpdb185]

thanks! i just started the mash and ended up going with 150f. i guess i'll just throw the honey and candi sugar in close to flameout, mainly because i really don't recall any hints of honey in la chouffe and i imagine it's merely for gravity.

thanks for the advice!

PS: if anyone knows how to contat Houblon, ask him to check his inbox please.

 

[lpdb185]

well damn!! had a nice smooth brewday (even enjoyed some 12% DIPA i made a while back), until time to pitch the yeast. i hit all my numbers nearly perfect and nailed the pre-boil gravity dead on. BUT, i forgot to get my OG reading before pitching the 1L starter (blame it on the DIPA). i'll just assume that i hit my target OG (1.080) since the pre-boil numbers were perfect. it's now sitting at 75f waiting to kick off.