Dark Crystal

Brew

Hops

Hop Variety60min10min0min-10minDay 3Day 6
Motueka10g50g
Nectaron10g40g50g
Nelson Sauvin10g50g
Riwaka30g20g50g
Heat off @ 0min addition, rapidly cool to 80C. Hold @ 80C until -10min addition, then resume cooling to pitching temperature.

Grain

  • 2.8kg Light Crystal
  • 2.6kg Ale
  • 0.6kg Gladiator

Yeast

1x lallemand east coast ipa

Water Treatment

2g calcium chloride, 8g calcium sulphide, 4g magnesium sulphide, 3ml lactic acid

Boil Additions

300g dextrose dissolved in 250ml water @ 40min, 2g yeast nutrient and 1g whirlfloc @ 10min

Brew

  • Mash in at 66°C with 16.5L, rest for 90 min at 66°C.
  • Sparge with 16L at 78°C
  • Preboil size 29L
  • Boil time 75mins
  • Postboil size 27.5L
  • Fermenter volume 26L

Fermentation

20C to ferment. Day 7 raise to 21C, day 8 raise to 22C for rest phase

Fermenter Additions

100g DH day 3, 100g DH day 6

Carbonation

140g in 200ml

Bottled

20240221

Final Volume

22L

Notes

Slight mix-up with the grain bill, 2.8kg light crystal instead of 2.8kg light lager malt. Named the beer dark crystal since the 2.8kg of light crystal produced quite a dark ale colour. Should be an interesting brew!

Only 2.6kg ale malt fermentable, so added 300g brewing sugar dissolved in a bit of water. Likely not enough to move the ABV much..

I mashed at slightly lower temp and for a longer time, 66C for 45min then 65C for 45min.

A slower whirlpool recirculation speed worked well to settle hops into a filter-bed before transfer and minimizing trub stuff.

OG 1.064

day2 pressure up to 5psi, gravity dropped to 1.035, 3.8%

day3, 9pm DH 50g NS and 50g Nectaron, both hop varieties are known for biotransformation so are best to add at peak fermentation stage where they can interact with active yeast. SG at 1.025.

Gravity curve flattened from day 3 to 6, sitting just above 1.020.

Day 6, 6pm dry hop second addtions – 50g each of motueka and riwaka hops. Smells great. SG 1.020

Day 7, raise temp to 21C

Day 8, raise temp to 22C

Day 9 start drop of pressure

Day 15 drop temperature to 12C for bottling (day 14 I had work and evening events so couldn’t bottle at the 2 week mark)

FG 1.019, 22L bottled, 5.9%