Brewijng 2021
 

almost out of last years brews( with a lot of help from my grand sons)

made some improvements to my "system" for both stream lining the process and temp and humidity control, I'm 3 brews into the new season so far and yesterdays decadence stout was the most complex I've done, it used a combination of Bakers chocolate ( 24 ounces) wildflower honey, roasted ,coffee and lactose. as well as the 2 row malt, flaked oats and wheat. I also used "harvested" yeast form my porter brew a few weeks back... yesterdays brew was actively fermenting this morning as I could see by constant stream of bubbles in the air lock..it's going to be a long six weeks waiting to sample this one!

sorry about the upside down pictures, they were fine when I posted them

a few more hope they are not upside down

very cool system Joe! been thinking of stepping up a bit myself, or going way over the top with somebody's old pilot system on the used market (somebody stop me now!)

Got a small batch of Belgian Witte ready to drink (me like it) and a larger batch of Trippel just about ready to bottle.

Likely another try at the Nelson IPA up next me thinks, totally "farmed" the last attempt and it has been bugging me ever since.

Thanks... I've "upgraded" to an electric brew pot, so I can brew all winter and during rainy days, I bought a Brewzilla 3.1.1... Formerly Roberts Brew, it's an all in one with electric programable controller and self contained recirculating pump.. I get 75 - 80% efficiency every time, the only "extra" I need now is a source for sparge water, which I get from a 5 gallon cooler I converted with an 1800 watt heater that I added an Ink bird controller to , I can pre heat my sparge water to 170 and it stays within a few degrees of that while I mash in..Brew day still takes 5 hours from the start until I'm all cleaned up, but it's easier than making a shoe stink.

I've become a big fan of the Belgian style witbier, I made a White spiced witbier 8 weeks ago that it just coming into it's own, it's spiced with coriander and orange zest ( dried) that is steeped in vodka ( 4 weeks) and added during bottling… it's got a nice dry finish and that coriander "zing'.. light ABV @ 4'5% perfect for a hot summer day. One thing I have learned about brewing with Oats and wheat... rice hulls make a huge difference to negate the gumminess of the wheat and oats for sparging purposes.

If you'd share that nelsons recipe, I'd like to give it a go, I'm always open to New IPA recipes.. I've got a New England style "hop bomb" fermenting right now, glad I used a blow off tube on that one.. it's violent!