For Real ESB

ds

Target Gravity = 1.055
Target IBU = 44
Original Gravity = 1.055
IBU = 42.65

Wannabe Special Bitter was a very nice beer, but it certainly was not a real bitter since I used Cry Havoc yeast, which was originally collected by Charlie Papazian from a keg of Budweiser, which makes it a lager yeast. Supposedly, Budweiser uses a different strain of yeast today. The yeast was advertised as a lager / ale hybrid, but I think they meant that it was more resistant to high temperatures than other lager yeasts.

This time I am going to use London ale yeast, and I have also tweaked the recipe a little to try to get a more complex malt taste as well as achieving the color I want without adding Carafa at the end. I am hoping the Crystal, Chocolate, and Roast malts will get me what I want.

The Malt:
8 lbs Pearl Pale Malt (66%)
2.66 lbs Crystal 60L (20%)
1.63 lbs Munich II (13%)
2.5 oz Roasted Malt (1%)

The Hops:
.5oz Challenger (7% AA) -- First Wort Runnings
.5oz Challenger (7% AA) -- 60 minutes
1 oz East Kent Goldings (5.5% AA) -- 45 Minutes
.5oz Challenger (7% AA) -- 15 minutes
.5oz East Kent Goldings (5.5% AA) -- End

The Mash:
12.45 pounds of grain x 1.3 quarts = 4.05 gallons of strike water. Strike water will be 165 degrees hoping for a 155 degree mash. I seem to be losing around ten degrees when I treat the tun with boiling water and then cover it up with blankets -- at least for the first while before I have to make adjustments later.

20 Minutes In -- The temp was not much more than 145, but I do not think the mash is really that cool. I am going to wait ten more minutes and see if the thermometer catches up a little.

30 Minutes In -- The temp was around 146, which makes little sense to me. It is warmer than the last few times I brewed, I primed the tun with boiling water, and I have blankets over it. The last couple of times, I was only losing around ten degrees. I am nuking some water to throw in there now.

37 Minutes In -- Added one pint of boiling water. I will wait five minutes to check temp.

45 Minutes In -- The temperature is still the same; I don't get it. I am nuking more water.

50 Minutes In -- Added another pint of boiling water, and noticed that the valve on the empty hot liquor tank I have connected to the tun was open. This may be the reason for the heat loss.

57 Minutes In -- Temperature has climbed to around 150. Meanwhile, I am nuking more water. This is getting ridiculous.

64 Minutes In -- The temperature is STILL FUCKING LOW after adding a quart and a half of extra boiling water. Nuking more water.

70 Minutes In -- Temperature was up near 154. I added about a half pint more of boiling water (I really do not know why). I also added thirty minutes to the clock since the temp has not been up to 150 yet. I am not going to fuck around with this any more until it is time to run off.

Sparging:

12.45 pounds of grain x .125 absorption = 1.56 gallons. 4 gallons - 1.56 = 2.44. 6 gallons - 2.44 = 3.56 gallons of 170 degree sparge water needed.

Notes:

5.11.08 -- Transferred to the secondary. Fermentation stayed around 73 degrees all week. London III yeast is a lot more active than I thought it would be. Maybe I just got a really fresh batch.

5.23.08 -- It is getting hot outside, so I put the carboy in the fridge. It will stay there until one of the two kegs in there (IPA and Schwartz) is empty.

6.15.08 -- I kegged this beer and put it back into the fridge. The final gravity is 1.019. ABV will be around 4.7%.

6.23.08 -- First Impressions: The yeast really does it to this beer. The difference between this and the Wannabe is large. In short, this is a great fuckin beer, and since I have so many EKG and Challenger hops, I will make more soon.

7.25.08 -- This is a most solid ESB. The color is on, and it is very drinkable. I am not sure of changes I would make to this beer, but I may still compare it to examples like Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale or Bombardier. Like this says above, this beer will be made again, but I am concerned about the temperature I have been losing lately. I think next time I am going to wrap the tun with a 0 degree rated sleeping bag.

8.15.08 -- A session beer par exelance . . . Nice and clean now; could drink them all night. Might be my next brew. . . oh, and the sleeping bag turned out to be a good idea.

8.28.08 -- This blew tonight. I got about a 4oz farewell.