@Olicanabrewing Evening 2

Yesterdays Olicanabrewing evening @IlkleyBrewery went very well, there were samples brought by quite a few of the group. Gaz’s  Red coloured Beetroot IPA using a Belgian yeast was one of the more unusual ones to mention as was Simon’s (i think it was Simon, that was sat next to Alex) dark brew flavoured with 20  liquorice Teabags , there wasn’t a bad one amongst them and everyone’s brew should deserve a mention but it’d be a long list…

The car tyre valves used to pressurise and carbonate the 2L PET bottles worked really well and at a fraction of the cost of the Carbonater fitting,  I got mine from Ebay Rotherham Motorcycle shop item http://r.ebay.com/UBfqLz 
I’ll be on the lookout for Brown PETs so beers won’t get skunked…

Gaz and Nick set a brewing challenge using 18.39% alpha  Columbus Hops  ! I’ve started to ponder what to make but I think I may have muddied the water when Nick said you can use one other and  I said adjunct. I think I’d best play safe and make a SMaSH or try an IPA style

IMG_4657
Hops vacuum packed & ready for the freezer until needed

Olicanabrew 2

I’ve been quiet on the blog front again but as usual have done a couple of brews..
New years eve saw me in the Shedquarters making another batch of Black IPA. The Brewday went very well and I tried out my new present from Mrs Purpleogre, the Counterflow plate  heat exchanger . This batch of Black IPA was later Dry Hopped with my own 2013 season Cascade Hops..

IMG_4593 IMG_4592
Plate chiller in action Sterilised in boiling water

There seems to be a debate about using plate chillers and the fact that the wort temperature is higher for longer and this may encourage DMS to form as it’s not actively boiling it off but  since I have a pump I may just recirculate the cooled wort back into the kettle and cool the whole lot down and then transfer into the FV…but thats for next time.!

Tomorrow is the Second OlicanaBrew evening, Which I am looking forward to, I have been trying out a way of getting carbonated Beer to the event using two 2L PET bottles, that should give 20 of us about 1/3 of a pint to sample. the beer was placed in the PET’s and all the air removed and then Pressurised to 30PSI and put in the fridge at 4 c left overnight and then repressurised and shaken, I’ve done this 3 times so far so fingers crossed it’s not too gassed !

IMG_4629
Motorcycle Valves