Where I am today

[Mash]

I agree this could get really off the rails. Ed is right.
We need to lighten up a little. Should we run a book on when we think brexit it will end

[gaza the instructor]

There is a simple answer to that Mash. Never 'cause they all
have to agree to something.

[Easydrinker]

I did not have a good day.
Stripped the fourth of my current Whishy washes to the fourth successive Boilover.
This one so impressive that it managed to raise the clamped down lid of the boiler, and spew 85+°C 'ish wash everywhere, the pressure must have been pretty high,so maybe a little hotter.
Scratched my head all day.

Back to the start.
Wash one = Boilover, surprise, never had one with this still.
After 500ml of green gunk through the condenser, all was good. I finished the strip.
I cleaned what can only be described as the "slime cobwebs from hell" from the boier, column and Lynne arm.
Ran washes two and three with similar results.
Then I ran water through my very long 10mm condenser to ensure that it was also clean.

Today, Wash four, filtered through the brew bag that I had used for previous Whisky washes, applied gentle heat, cooling fan on well early for the condenser.
Boil over and boiler lid lift.
I cleaned up and finished the strip.

Then I cleaned the condenser coils again, this time at high pressure.
Grain residue came out!
I looked closely at the condenser coils, and near the top, one of them is a little kinked.
I think these grains had been sitting there from the first boilover, which may have just been a heat issue, and dried in place between uses.

When I reload/repack my reflux column, I do check that I can breathe through it.
From now on I will check the condenser the same way.

Moving forward. In a couple of days I will strip wash number five.
If that one gives me grief then I will make a slop box, to sit between Lynne arm and condenser.

I have made some foolish errors here.
But have no hesitancy in sharing them, that others may learn from them.

Robert.

[Mash]

I understand that. Thats what brewers call hotbreak. It is caused by the proteins coagulating. Just the same as the snot you get after poaching eggs.

Did you boil after mash?

It is caused by heating the wash too high too quickly. It's a boilover. I made a lid for my beer to control it at boil time.

[Easydrinker]

Agreed Mash, Proteins.
Don't know why with this sack of grain, never before.
It finally occurred to me that if I take the copper bubble plate from the Still Dragon Torpedo that I use in reflux mode, then I have a window into the whisky column. Modular builds have their uses.
That makes me feel like a proper distilling bloke standing at the spirit safe!
Sometimes I learn the hard way!

Robert.

[gaza the instructor]

Its a weird weekend this one. A lot of folk have pissed of on a plane
to Orange disc, lousy Beer and food poison heaven,some on holiday here
exploring our magnificent and beautiful country. And some like the noisy
arseholes in the Irish pub at the end of my road, have gone on a four day
bender , none stop.
Meanwhile back in my quite little club, there are six people arguing over
who is best city or united.
I have made more Orange Gin and plan to start early today, watch this
space.

[Pyro]

I spent Friday afternoon and evening on a guided sea shore foraging adventure around Ardwall Island in Fleet Bay. This was a great experience, learned a lot about the shoreline plants and sea weeds and can now spot the deadly ones, but the main event was a spoot (razor clam) hunt out on the extremities of the spring tide, followed by a feast of our ill gotten gains as the sun went down.

I took a big bag of spoots home and gave most of them to the chef in the local hotel and have been experimenting with the remainder. Made a nice clam/ tomato juice dish last night and will try a cream bases dish tomorrow night.

[Srb57]

Sunday morning, the sun is out, the birds are singing and the air still dripping away.

Am trying a small run to emulate a coconut flavour to neutral so SWMBO can have her Pina Colada.
Started with 3 litres neutral @35%, 50gm dedicated coconut, 10gm bitter orange peel in Sputnik, discarded first 200 ml and run to 1100ml. Finished at 60%. Going to let it rest and air before tasting but does seem bland on coconut.

[gaza the instructor]

Srb 57 Coconut as a flavour seems to be difficult to get right.
I have tried DC grated natural but not strong enough.
I know it seems like cheating but the Still Spirits Icon Coconut
essence is magic. The only other way i can think of is cooks
concentrate like the cake stuff. Great shot with the bitter
Orange.

[gaza the instructor]

Making some Kahlua ATM or my take on it. Using fresh roasted Coffee Beans
(roast my own so a lot cheaper) Rum,Neutral,Brown Sugar,Orange Zest,
Vanilla Pod Cinnamon Stick and a little Water.
Infuse and shake regular, will filter in 2 weeks.
Want something about 25% ABV so it doesn't kill everyone!!!

[Mash]

Srb 57 Coconut as a flavour seems to be difficult to get right.

Have you tried fresh grated coconut in a sputnik?

[Mash]

Gaza. You are a bad man. It's your fault I am trying to make the perfect expresso in a moka pot.

Wet Puck, hand ground, paper top, warm fill......

I am manfully fighting off green beans.

[gaza the instructor]

Let the force be with you Mash.
If you love Coffee you gotta roast your own.
1, There is no VAT on green beans!!
2. Get the flavour you want, 1st crack 2nd cracketc..
3. Fresh roast tastes so different to shop bought.
4. Kit not expensive one of thesehttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220V-Electric-Home-C ... SwV9RctZIV
I have the same and it does a fine job. Forget 1500g 600g is max and min is 300g
Just right, Bought one of those big rectangular sieves,shake the beans till cooler in that
then onto a metal tray to cool,then into a kilner. "days to mature et voila.
Just purchased 10kg Colombian Supremo Green Beans for£60 on the Bay.
But being a pratt I pressed the button twice and bought 20kg. No matter uncooked beans
last forever and dont deteriorate.

[Easydrinker]

See if you can get any unused green beans put in yer coffin as grave goods?
Now, that would be the ultimate roast, if you were cremated

Robert.

[gaza the instructor]

Would that be roasted to the second crack or beyond ED!!

[Mash]

Think of the glorious smell

[gaza the instructor]

What of me being roasted or the coffee Mash??
Careful Ed I've had a bad day.

[Easydrinker]

With all that Orange Gin you are drinking, you would blow the top off the crematorium!

Robert.

[gaza the instructor]

Yes I know and it would take 3 weeks to put the flames out.

[Easydrinker]

Today I racked my Hobgoblin clone into its second fermenter.
Tasted it
Saturday I will bottle it and taste again.
Then I will be very good and leave it alone for as long as I can.
Another one gets mashed tomorrow.
And another one next week.
Squeezed in between the next sack of Malt whisky washes, and the spirit runs of the last sack of the same.
Oh, and I started another 50 litres of neutral wash today.
It is good that the days are getting longer, I need more time!

Robert.

[Mash]

If you are bottling it use just half a teaspoon of sugar per bottle - It will taste more like proper ale and not bottled fizz.

You can also recycle your crown caps, if you use a bottle opener but does not bend them. Just boil them before you reuse them.

This probably isn't good news but AG beer seems to like six weeks to be at its best. Two weeks in the fermenter, 2 racked off & maturing @ 3c and then two weeks warmup after bottling.

[gaza the instructor]

Yes Mash a good beer must not be rushed to get the best.

[Easydrinker]

Many years ago, I used to re-use crown caps,(with an old, Boots, bash it with a hammer closure tool !) when I remembered to take them off in two goes,- simply rotate the bottle 90 degrees to loosen the crimps, and not crease the top.
I am expecting a six week wait, but daren't leave it in the fermenter for long, it is virtually done in 5 days, and my address must be heaving with airborne doodies. Viz,
The last 3 litres of this beer, which I racked from the boiler into a sterile demi-john, with the intention of allowing to settle, to allow me to rack off another couple of litres, was fizzing before it settled.
I am allowing it to continue, it may be good, it may be bad.
A friend that works in the industry remarked recently that the exterior of my dwelling seemed to covered with the same black growth normally seen only on the exterior of bond houses.

Todays excitement was the first spirit run of the current peated whisky.
An expected low yield of 4.5 lts @ 67%.
A couple more runs to come, with higher yields expected.
It smells good.
I am resisting tasting until all 3 runs are combined.

Robert.

[Mash]

Many years ago, I used to re-use crown caps,(with an old, Boots, bash it with a hammer closure tool !) when I remembered to take them off in two goes,- simply rotate the bottle 90 degrees to loosen the crimps, and not crease the top.

I am expecting a six week wait, but daren't leave it in the fermenter for long, it is virtually done in 5 days, and my address must be heaving with airborne doodies. Viz,

If you put 1p on top of the crown cap , it comes off easily & whole. If you get a side opener or a zap cap its easier still

Beer is not done the minute it stops fizzing. There is stuff going on in the yeast lees that does affect the finished flavour, that does not necessarily produce CO2 emissions. This isn't the same as a wash. Seriously two weeks in the fermenter does make a taste difference.

Either way, it will not add to your bond house exterior (that did make me chuckle) That is caused by the angels share - ain't nothing fermenting a bond house.

[Easydrinker]

Mash,
The 1p tip is a good one.
I have spent a lot of time looking at AG beer aging, I found the following link, very informative, being me, I read it all, and it is BIG and LONG.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/thre ... ion.84005/

The most entertaining comment is made near the end, cut and pasted below.
What? Blasphemy and sacrilege! We all know that a good beer takes a minimum of three months of gentle whispered incantations with the burning of candles and incense, the performing of magical rites and the weaving of strange symbols and esoterical gestures in the air above the fermenting chamber.
And that's just for an average beer. Most of the prize winning home Brewers will perform a daily sacrifice of at least one virgin child three goats and a chicken whilst whispering the sacred screed of the holy venerated father, John Palmer, and the sacred text how to brew.
And yay, we pray, let the dreaded autolysis not visit us in this hour of darkness, rack often and constantly least this evil visit us in our pure and righteous home

Robert.