chromosphere

Last weekend was the CBA National Homebrewing Festival in Sutton – I went last year and entered four beers this year. I took along a best bitter, an ordinary bitter, my BBX Porter and my year old Mad Boris.

As a (rather unexpected) result, I picked up a second in “Mild, Porter and Stout” with the Russian Stout with lots of good feedback from guys at the festival who tried it; and to top that, a first in “Bitters up to 1040″ with my “Windrush Bitter”.

Was very chuffed with it all and had a great afternoon and chatted a lot with some other great homebrewers. I got to try my stout again at the festival for the first time in 4 months(!), and was pleasantly surprised that the bitter got first place given the standard of the competition.

Congrats to Andy Hill who picked up the overall best beer with his mild which was very good indeed.

My Windrush Bitter recipe that got first place was as follows:

3.2kg Pale male
102g Light Crystal malt
102g Crystal Malt
85g Amber Malt

Mashed at 67-68C for 60min, then boiled for 90 min as follows:

WGV 8.7% 14g, 90min
EKG 4.6% 14g, 90min
EKG 4.6% 14g 15min
EKG 14g 0min
Dry hop 4 days prior to bottling with 10g EKG.

Yeast: Wyeast 1335
“Fruity, hoppy nose. Light refreshing bitter. Long bitter finish.”

The Wy1335 is great yeast – I fermented at “about 20C” (upstairs front room) for 2 weeks and got from 1034 to 1008. It forms a thick yeasty head while fermenting, not unlike Hopback yeast, but then drops very clear quite quickly – much quicker than Nottingham (though not as quick as the Fullers strain so it will ferment out without needing rousing – though stirring back in seems useful!). I must make this beer again soon – it was only 4 weeks from brewing to the festival so it’s a quick one to get ready.

In fact I have another beer on the go (a week now) with the same yeast and it’s almost done at the moment (Pale malt, light crystal (4.5%) and (2.3% each of) light chocolate and roast barley; touch of sugar; Fuggles, Goldings, Boadicea and Challenger, with Goldings for flavour and aroma.). It’s down to 1013 from 1037 – another couple of points in the next few days and it’s done and ready to be racked – though the ferment was explosive at the start and had piles of yeast being thrown out of the fermenter via the airlock after just 36 hours… I need a bigger fermenter I think (those 60 litre ones at Hop and Grape look like just the trick…)