face the strange bitter
brewed: 18/04/2016
pitched: 14/05/2016
bottled/kegged: 01/06/2016
subsequent batch info: n/a
ingredients:
calcium-55.8. magnesium-14.6. sodium-14. sulfate-114. chloride-52. bicarbonate-0.2
3.60 kg Maris Otter Malt (Muntons) (5.9 EBC) Grain 86.0 %
0.25 kg Crystal (Joe White) (141.8 EBC) Grain 6.0 %
0.21 kg Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (3.5 EBC) Grain 5.0 %
0.08 kg Amber Malt (Joe White) (45.3 EBC) Grain 2.0 %
0.04 kg Roasted Barley (Joe White) (1398.7 EBC) Grain 1.0 %
30.00 g Pride of Ringwood [9.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 30.8 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining
34.00 g Willamette [5.40 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 4.2 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (Fermentis #S-04) Yeast
process:
batch size: 23L
steps: 2
mash: 66c - 90 mins, 75 - 10 mins
boil: 60 mins
chill method: no-chilled
ferment temp: 18c
d-rest: 20c
chilled: 0.5c
estimated OG: 1.044
actual OG: 1.044
estimated FG: 1.010
actual FG: 1.012
estimated %abv: 4.4%
actual %abv: 4.2
ibu: 35
brewing notes:
19/04/2016 - very excited to have brewed up one of my favourite styles of beer yesterday. i love a lower strength english bitter - full of enough malt character and yeast ester, while being paired with a firm bitterness, and also being lower in alcohol to make them sessionable. this beer is my first english style with water adjustments so i'm interested to see how that adds to the flavour profile. i decided to use the 'amber bitter' profile in bru'n water, but adjusted it ever so slightly.
the beer's name also has a varied meaning. sadly one of my heroes, david bowie, passed away this year so this beer is a dedication to his amazing artistry, and his legacy. he inspired me to feel comfortable in stepping outside normalcy in my endeavours and showed that it is perfectly okay to do so. the name also gives a nod to the lyrics in his song 'changes' ("turn and face the strange..."). this nod parallels with my life at the moment. there have been so many new and excited 'firsts' i'm experiencing at the moment such as being a dad, graduating from my degree, taking up teaching work, and also (to a lesser extent) brewing with water adjustments. i'm not really good with change, and so those lyrics really stand out as i really have to face the unknown or i won't make it.
cheers to you, mr bowie. you were such an inspiration to me and i loved and still love your many art forms.
14/05/2016 - pitched this one tonight and changed the yeast from wlp013 to s-04 as i've only used it once and wanted to try it again. am looking forward to this one coming along in a few weeks. i also kept about 3 litres for a test run using mangrove jack's m79 burton union yeast. will see how they both compare.
11/06/2016 - had a sneaky taste of this guy tonight and it's shaping up to be something very special. just getting some carbonation now and and can't wait for a few weeks when it rounds up into something even better.
19/06/2016 - have been having this beer over the past few days and it sure has become a beer to reckon with. while i love my pretty ordinary australian bitter, i am REALLY enjoying this one. i think this might take the cake as my favourite bitter thus far. might have to re-brew. changes so far would be a reduction of wheat (because i think it adds too much tartness where sweetness is preferred). either that or a slight mash temperature increase (to 67c). i wouldn't want it finishing much higher than where it did at 1.012. i'd also bump up the willamette additions - a lot. i love that hop. either way, so excited to finish this one and to re-brew.
tasting notes:
brew day / beer pictures:
pitched: 14/05/2016
bottled/kegged: 01/06/2016
subsequent batch info: n/a
ingredients:
calcium-55.8. magnesium-14.6. sodium-14. sulfate-114. chloride-52. bicarbonate-0.2
3.60 kg Maris Otter Malt (Muntons) (5.9 EBC) Grain 86.0 %
0.25 kg Crystal (Joe White) (141.8 EBC) Grain 6.0 %
0.21 kg Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (3.5 EBC) Grain 5.0 %
0.08 kg Amber Malt (Joe White) (45.3 EBC) Grain 2.0 %
0.04 kg Roasted Barley (Joe White) (1398.7 EBC) Grain 1.0 %
30.00 g Pride of Ringwood [9.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 30.8 IBUs
1.00 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining
34.00 g Willamette [5.40 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 4.2 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (Fermentis #S-04) Yeast
process:
batch size: 23L
steps: 2
mash: 66c - 90 mins, 75 - 10 mins
boil: 60 mins
chill method: no-chilled
ferment temp: 18c
d-rest: 20c
chilled: 0.5c
estimated OG: 1.044
actual OG: 1.044
estimated FG: 1.010
actual FG: 1.012
estimated %abv: 4.4%
actual %abv: 4.2
ibu: 35
brewing notes:
19/04/2016 - very excited to have brewed up one of my favourite styles of beer yesterday. i love a lower strength english bitter - full of enough malt character and yeast ester, while being paired with a firm bitterness, and also being lower in alcohol to make them sessionable. this beer is my first english style with water adjustments so i'm interested to see how that adds to the flavour profile. i decided to use the 'amber bitter' profile in bru'n water, but adjusted it ever so slightly.
the beer's name also has a varied meaning. sadly one of my heroes, david bowie, passed away this year so this beer is a dedication to his amazing artistry, and his legacy. he inspired me to feel comfortable in stepping outside normalcy in my endeavours and showed that it is perfectly okay to do so. the name also gives a nod to the lyrics in his song 'changes' ("turn and face the strange..."). this nod parallels with my life at the moment. there have been so many new and excited 'firsts' i'm experiencing at the moment such as being a dad, graduating from my degree, taking up teaching work, and also (to a lesser extent) brewing with water adjustments. i'm not really good with change, and so those lyrics really stand out as i really have to face the unknown or i won't make it.
cheers to you, mr bowie. you were such an inspiration to me and i loved and still love your many art forms.
14/05/2016 - pitched this one tonight and changed the yeast from wlp013 to s-04 as i've only used it once and wanted to try it again. am looking forward to this one coming along in a few weeks. i also kept about 3 litres for a test run using mangrove jack's m79 burton union yeast. will see how they both compare.
11/06/2016 - had a sneaky taste of this guy tonight and it's shaping up to be something very special. just getting some carbonation now and and can't wait for a few weeks when it rounds up into something even better.
19/06/2016 - have been having this beer over the past few days and it sure has become a beer to reckon with. while i love my pretty ordinary australian bitter, i am REALLY enjoying this one. i think this might take the cake as my favourite bitter thus far. might have to re-brew. changes so far would be a reduction of wheat (because i think it adds too much tartness where sweetness is preferred). either that or a slight mash temperature increase (to 67c). i wouldn't want it finishing much higher than where it did at 1.012. i'd also bump up the willamette additions - a lot. i love that hop. either way, so excited to finish this one and to re-brew.
tasting notes:
brew day / beer pictures: