VF 35 Liv Tyler`s Undies 26/5/12

DARK ALE             26/5/12

Grain Bill    36%    7kg Ale
                    36%    7kg Pilsner
                    14%    2.65kg Caramunich II
                    4%      775g Chocolate
                    4%      775g Black Patent
                    2%      385g Rolled Oats
                    2%      385g Wheat
                    2%      385g Dark Crystal
               TOTAL  19.3kg
Mashed in with 70lts of 71degC water
Sparge with 45lts of 77degC water
HOPS   100g EKG @ 60min
             100g EKG @ 45min
             100g Cascade @ 20min
             100g Cascade @ 5min
TOTAL 400g

Final Volume -- 75lts             S G 1050
Separated into three fermenters and put,
1.5 lts 1469 West Yorshire Ale Wyeast with 25lts
1.5lts 1084 Irish Ale Wyeast with 25lts
 1272 American Ale II with 25lts

Hop Harvest!!

Hi Lovers of Great Beer!!
I thought I'd pop a little photo of a some fresh farm grown hops being hand picked by the family team. I think the boys will put this to good use in the brew of VF#34. I may have to sneak up the road and be apart of the wonder and amazement that is all grain brewing. By the wAy we picked a few kilos of cascade hops, no where near enough.... Speaking of which lets have another! G

VF 34 Pale Ale

VF 34 An easy drinking `Pale Ale` 13/3/12

Grain Bill. Wyeast 1272 American Ale II -- 3.5lts
18kg Ale Malt
2kg Wheat Malt
1kg Light Crystal
1kg Carapils
22kg total

Hop Additions
9am Mash in
9.20am Mash temp @ 58deg C, re-circulated for 5-10min to get to 66deg C
10am First runnings
Sparge with 80deg C water for 15 - 20min
10.20am In hot liquor tun
11.25am Boil, 600g fresh Cascade flowers from farm
11.40am 610g fresh Cascade flowers from farm
12.10pm 300g fresh Cascade flowers from farm
whirfloc tablet and yeast nutrient
put cooling coil in wort to sterilize and start a whirl pool with pump
12.25pm flameout 250g fresh Cascade flowers from farm
Dry hop with 500g Cascade flowers when racked

Start cooling with coil until 1.10pm wort at 38deg C
Pump into 2deg C fridge to cool to 20deg C before adding yeast

Put 130lt of water through brew, final volume of 81lts
SG 1044

Cascading cooch?!?

Hi Beer Makers,
After some ol'fashion TLC the row of Cascade now looks like it might yield a half decent crop. The recent hot weather has taken its toll and the chalky residue is from a little chalk dust type of sunscreen. Over the next month I will be tending to them and fending off the marording cooch grass, and making sure they get a decent daily drink. Speaking of which....