This is a great beer to have around during the summer months. Light, simple and unchallenging, yet with just enough character to hold my interest for a second pint. A great refresher on a hot afternoon!OG: 1.040
FG: 1.008
ABV: 4.2%
IBU: 17.7
Simple grain bill, equal parts domestic 2-row malt and Belgian pils, with just a touch of Crystal 40L . Just as simple with the hops, a few grams of Warrior at 60 minutes for bittering, and a bit of Palisade at 5 minutes and at flame out for that subtle citrusy/ floral flavor and aroma. Pitched wlp001 (California Ale yeast) for a nice, clean fermentation character.
This was the first all grain batch I brewed on my newly tweaked setup.
It's also the first 12 gallon batch I've brewed in quite a while. I used to have all of my recipes formulated for 6 gallon batches, but I've finally realized that my lower gravity beers need to be brewed to 12 gallons. This is due to the capacity of the mash tun. I can brew most of my beers to 6 gallon with no worries, but with anything below, say, 1.045 OG, I could never seem to hold temp during the mash. I now realize (light bulb), that the mash tun doesn't really care how much volume of wort I want going into the kettle, it is only sensitive to the volume of grist and water it holds. If I don't have at least 10.5 pounds of grist with water at 1.25 qts/lb, then there will be too much head space. And head space, as I am finally aware, causes heat loss.
This beer uses a total grain bill of 15.57 pounds for a 12 gallon batch. Held temp to the degree. In contrast, three days ago I brewed an IIPA with a total grain bill of 17.3 pounds for a 6 gallon batch. Again, held temp beautifully. Total volume of the mash was very similar in the two batches. The difference in yield of wort into the kettle (as well as the difference in gravity) was made up in the volume of sparge water. For the Blonde, I sparged with almost 9 gallons of water, while the IIPA was effectively no-sparge. And with that, I think I'm finally beginning to get my brain wrapped around the all grain brewing process! WSHEWWW!
I will be brewing this again this week. 12 gallons, of course. This time, I'll split the batch, pitching a slurry of wlp001 into the first carboy, and pitching a starter of wlp530 (Abbey Ale yeast) into the second. Need to start growing up some yeast for some high gravity Belgians I have planned for later in the summer.
It's also the first 12 gallon batch I've brewed in quite a while. I used to have all of my recipes formulated for 6 gallon batches, but I've finally realized that my lower gravity beers need to be brewed to 12 gallons. This is due to the capacity of the mash tun. I can brew most of my beers to 6 gallon with no worries, but with anything below, say, 1.045 OG, I could never seem to hold temp during the mash. I now realize (light bulb), that the mash tun doesn't really care how much volume of wort I want going into the kettle, it is only sensitive to the volume of grist and water it holds. If I don't have at least 10.5 pounds of grist with water at 1.25 qts/lb, then there will be too much head space. And head space, as I am finally aware, causes heat loss.
This beer uses a total grain bill of 15.57 pounds for a 12 gallon batch. Held temp to the degree. In contrast, three days ago I brewed an IIPA with a total grain bill of 17.3 pounds for a 6 gallon batch. Again, held temp beautifully. Total volume of the mash was very similar in the two batches. The difference in yield of wort into the kettle (as well as the difference in gravity) was made up in the volume of sparge water. For the Blonde, I sparged with almost 9 gallons of water, while the IIPA was effectively no-sparge. And with that, I think I'm finally beginning to get my brain wrapped around the all grain brewing process! WSHEWWW!
I will be brewing this again this week. 12 gallons, of course. This time, I'll split the batch, pitching a slurry of wlp001 into the first carboy, and pitching a starter of wlp530 (Abbey Ale yeast) into the second. Need to start growing up some yeast for some high gravity Belgians I have planned for later in the summer.
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