Bad grain crush due to putting the drill in reverse.
After having the last bottle of the first batch of Brett Backspin Belgian Pale Ale about 45 days ago, I kept kicking myself in the rear for not brewing again before batch one was no more. I didn’t think that far ahead. Time to brew round two but how to make it better?
For the aforementioned 45 days before the brew day I ran scenarios through my head on to make this round a bit different but not stray too far away from the original. One simple solution: add Brettanomyces lambicus to the Brettanomyces claussenii that I used last time.
I created two 1 liter starters for each of the Brett strains. For the first time I tried using a flask for one of the starters. Once I started to chill the starter it became apparent that the flask wasn’t go to cool off as easy as my typical kitchen pot. I don’t use thermometers for starters as I have always been a good gauge of temperature. The flask changed everything. I don’t think I ever got the temperature down and the yeast never took off. I decided to forgo the Brett lambicus on brew day. At least I should have another good Brett beer to last me.
Wrong!
I milled the grains in a hurry. Chuck was over and wanted the mill back. I grabbed the mill, weighed the grains and brought it all outside with the drill. Unfortunately I didn’t realize the drill was in reverse. I figured it still rotated, didn’t check the grain, assuming that it should have been cracked. About 50% of the grain was milled in this fashion. Dumb ass. On brew day, as I poured the grain into the mash tun, I noticed that half of the grain kernels weren’t cracked. Crap. I kept with the schedule, doing everything as planned. The aroma was great but the efficiency, as expected suffered (see below).
I only have a couple of months to wait to see if this beer turns out. I think it will but when I rack to secondary I am going to grab some of the yeast and brew again. I should write a book: Brew Like A Moron. I have an enormous repertoire and skills in the subject matter. Enjoy!
General Information:
Brew Date: Sunday, April 07, 2013
Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Brettanomyces classenii
Yeast Starter: 1 liter
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.00
Original Gravity: 1.039
IBU: 25.3
Color: 7.0 SRM
Boiling Time (Minutes): 90
Brewhouse Efficiency: HORRIBLE
Alcohol by Volume: 4.0%
Primary Fermentation: 28 days @68*F
Secondary Fermentation: 120 days @68*F
Grain Bill:
9.50# Pilsner
1.00# Munich
0.25# Caramunch
0.25# Aromatic
Mash:
Saccharification Rest @ 153.3*F for 60 minutes.
Hop Bill:
1.50 ounces Fuggles (4.5%) @90 minutes
0.50 ounces Fuggles (4.5%) @15 minutes
Extras:
1.0 tsp Irish Moss @ 15 min.
1.0 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.
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