Batch #2 - Nut Brown Ale
Onto batch #2. The basic kit that I used in my first batch was just that...basic, and so for batch number 2 I decided to move straight up to intermediate brewing. Which as I mentioned in an earlier post is unhopped malt extract plus hops and in most cases some grains.
So what kind of beer to make was the next question. My local brewing supply store Dan's has a book full of recipes for all of the main beer types and I chose their Shirley's Nut Brown Ale recipe as my first venture into the world of intermediate brewing. The recipe called for the following ingredients:
Malt Extract
8 lb pale
Grains
8 oz British crystal malt
8 oz chocolate malt
2 oz roast barley
8 oz wheat
Hops
6.3 AAU Goldings
.4 oz Goldings (finishing)
Yeast
Ale yeast - Nottingham Brewing yeast (Danstar)
...and on to the process. First off I heated up about a litre of water in a medium saucepan to around 75 degrees C, about 170 F, and then poured in all the grains, covered the pot and set it aside to steep.
I then filled up my primary 18.9 litre (20 US quarts) brew pot about 1/2 full with water and set it on the stove to boil. While waiting for that I set the tub of malt extract in a sink full of hot water to soften it up. When the water came to the boil I moved it off the heat, added the softened up malt extract, mixed it thoroughly, and then moved the pot back onto the heat.
When the grains had steeped for about 45 minutes I strained them through a colander into my brew pot, and then poured another litre or so of hot water through the grains, called sparging, to get the last of any remaining sugars. Kind of like making drip coffee but on a much larger scale. Once that was complete I tossed the spent grains and continued on in the process.
At this point the liquid in your brew pot is called the wort (pronounced 'wert').
I then brought the wort to the boil and added the boiling hops, boiled this for an hour. Two minutes before the end of the boil I added the finishing hops, and then took the brew pot off the stove and put it into a sink full of cold water. It is important to cool the wort down as quickly as possible to limit the risk of contamination.
The cooled down wort was then strained into my primary fermenter, 30 litre food grade plastic bucket, and then I pitched in the yeast, attached the lid and airlock and put it in a cool dry place to ferment. After a few days of vigorous activity the fermentation slowed down and I then transferred the beer into my secondary fermenter, 23 litre glass carboy, attached the airlock again, and then left the beer to settle in there for about 10 days. I then bottled the beer and ended up with about 20 litres of tasty Nut Brown ale.
Results
I tried the first sample of the beer after it had been in the bottle for 8 days and it had a good thick foamy head and it was tasty but lacked some body. Each time I sampled it after that point it was a bit better and after it had been in the bottle for about a month it had developed a nice rich taste with a distinctive chocolate flavour.
A very tasty beer and one that I will make again.
So what kind of beer to make was the next question. My local brewing supply store Dan's has a book full of recipes for all of the main beer types and I chose their Shirley's Nut Brown Ale recipe as my first venture into the world of intermediate brewing. The recipe called for the following ingredients:
Malt Extract
8 lb pale
Grains
8 oz British crystal malt
8 oz chocolate malt
2 oz roast barley
8 oz wheat
Hops
6.3 AAU Goldings
.4 oz Goldings (finishing)
Yeast
Ale yeast - Nottingham Brewing yeast (Danstar)
...and on to the process. First off I heated up about a litre of water in a medium saucepan to around 75 degrees C, about 170 F, and then poured in all the grains, covered the pot and set it aside to steep.
I then filled up my primary 18.9 litre (20 US quarts) brew pot about 1/2 full with water and set it on the stove to boil. While waiting for that I set the tub of malt extract in a sink full of hot water to soften it up. When the water came to the boil I moved it off the heat, added the softened up malt extract, mixed it thoroughly, and then moved the pot back onto the heat.
When the grains had steeped for about 45 minutes I strained them through a colander into my brew pot, and then poured another litre or so of hot water through the grains, called sparging, to get the last of any remaining sugars. Kind of like making drip coffee but on a much larger scale. Once that was complete I tossed the spent grains and continued on in the process.
At this point the liquid in your brew pot is called the wort (pronounced 'wert').
I then brought the wort to the boil and added the boiling hops, boiled this for an hour. Two minutes before the end of the boil I added the finishing hops, and then took the brew pot off the stove and put it into a sink full of cold water. It is important to cool the wort down as quickly as possible to limit the risk of contamination.
The cooled down wort was then strained into my primary fermenter, 30 litre food grade plastic bucket, and then I pitched in the yeast, attached the lid and airlock and put it in a cool dry place to ferment. After a few days of vigorous activity the fermentation slowed down and I then transferred the beer into my secondary fermenter, 23 litre glass carboy, attached the airlock again, and then left the beer to settle in there for about 10 days. I then bottled the beer and ended up with about 20 litres of tasty Nut Brown ale.
Results
I tried the first sample of the beer after it had been in the bottle for 8 days and it had a good thick foamy head and it was tasty but lacked some body. Each time I sampled it after that point it was a bit better and after it had been in the bottle for about a month it had developed a nice rich taste with a distinctive chocolate flavour.
A very tasty beer and one that I will make again.
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