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Admiral IPA No.3

I really enjoyed by last Admiral IPA so before memories fade too much I'm doing another version of it. This is also another attempt of mine to narrow down the hazy beer that I'm getting from the fermenter of late. The beers do always clear in the keg and there has been no effect on flavour, in fact my Endeavour IPA is one of the best tasting ales I've brewed, but I'm used to clear beer straight from the fermenter so I'm trying to chase down the issue. To that end, I've made the following changes:

  • I've thrown out my Gypsum, Calcium Chloride and Epsom Salts which had been recently bought from all over the place, including Amazon and I've replaced them with minerals from The Malt Miller - a trusted source. If the yeast wasn't getting enough Calcium then that could have been a reason the post-fermentation haze.

  • While I was at The Malt Miller I got some sachets of their "ProMix" combined finings and yeast nutrient. This seems like a good way to rule out my current kettle finings and also get some yeast nutrient into the bargain.

  • I also got some ALDC (anti-diacetyl formula) to add to the fermenter out of curiousity more than anything else.

  • On the fermentation side I've renewed the PVC blow-off tube and the tri-clamp butterfly valve on the fermenter. I can't believe China can knock these out for about 10 quid on Ali Express.

Starter

As is always the case I got my starter going on the Tuesday evening before Sunday's brewday. I made it up to 1.5 litres with 0.5 litres being earmarked to be stored in the fridge for next time and the remaining litre to be pitched into the wort on Sunday. The Wyeast 1469 was noticeably more aggressive this time and almost worked its way out of the flask. I'll have to use some of that foam reduction stuff next time to keep it down.

Brew day

This time I've decided to pair the tangy flavour of the Admiral hops with Willamette and Cascade.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Date: 10 November 2024
Batch Size (fermenter): 24.00 L
Estimated OG: 1.042 SG
Estimated Color: 15.6 EBC
Estimated IBU: 40.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.6 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Water profile: Ca:87 Mg:14 Na:9 SO4:113 Cl:108

Ingredients:
------------
Amt         Name                                    Type         %/IBU
29.50 L     Tesco Ashbeck                           Water        -        
3.70 g      Calcium Chloride (Mash)                 Water Agent  -        
3.00 g      Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash)               Water Agent  -        
2.50 g      Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash)         Water Agent  -        
0.40 ml     Lactic Acid (Mash)                      Water Agent  -        
4.200 kg    Weyermann Pale Malt (6.0 EBC)           Grain        95.0 %   
0.220 kg    Simpsons Medium Crystal (180.0 EBC)     Grain        5.0 %    
0.70 g      Calcium Chloride (Sparge)               Water Agent  -        
0.60 g      Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Sparge)             Water Agent  -        
0.50 g      Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Sparge)       Water Agent  -        
0.20 ml     Lactic Acid (Sparge)                    Water Agent  -        
12.00 g     Admiral [11.60 %] - Boil 60.0 min       Hop          16.2 IBUs
24.00 g     Willamette [5.20 %] - Boil 10.0 min     Hop          5.3 IBUs 
20.00 g     Admiral [11.60 %] - Boil 10.0 min       Hop          9.8 IBUs 
1.00 Items  Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 7.0 mins)        Fining       -        
25.00 g     Cascade [7.40 %] - Boil 5.0 min         Hop          4.3 IBUs 
20.00 g     Admiral [11.60 %] - Boil 5.0 min        Hop          5.4 IBUs 
1.0 pkg     West Yorkshire Ale (Wyeast Labs #1469)  Yeast        -        

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body
Total Grain Weight: 5.000 kg
----------------------------
Name     Description                    Step Temperat Step Time     
Mash In  Add 24.50 L of water at 70 C   67.0 C        90 min        

Sparge: Dunk sparge with 5L

I performed the post-mash iodine test this time to verify that I'd got complete conversion since the presence of starches in the fermentation can be a source of haze. There was no problem here. The iodine test passed with flying colours.

The OG was 1.045, three points above what I'd planned. This is the same as I saw in my previous Autumn Cascade brew. If I adjust the potential SG in Beersmith from 1.036 to 1.039 then the recipe will match reality. I've never seen such a high extraction from a base malt.

I got it down to 23.5C with the immersion chiller, pitched the yeast immediately and set the brew fridge to 20C. If everything is as predictable as usual then I can expect to see fermentation tomorrow morning and the final ABV will be around the 5% mark.

Kegging day

I kegged the beer 14 days after brew day.

Well, it's cloudy again, proper NEIPA-level cloudy this time. So all the things I changed made no difference. Thankfully, as I've said before this haze does clear and there is no effect on taste but I'll still be looking around for things that might be the culprit.

Anyway, the FG was 1.006 giving a final ABV of 5.1% which is about what I expected. I had a quick taste of the sample and while it clearly needs to condition I could easily taste the influence of the late Cascade addition.

My first ever dumper

Well, the day had to come eventually. Unfortunately this one is a dumper. Even after a month in the keg it never cleared and, given the steady progression of ever more cloudy beers over the last three there is clearly (sic) something wrong so I'm going to bite the bullet and deal with it.

The odd thing is that the beer tastes fine, though perhaps there's a lack of hop flavour compared to usual. After googling around I think the problem might be Pediococcus but I'm really not sure. The only thing I know for sure is that it develops in the fermenter. Therefore my solution is to replace the fermenter and everything downstream from it. This is my plan for dealing with the issue:

  • New stainless fermenter. I will build this myself from a 33 litre stockpot with sealable lid and some stainless tri-clamp bulkheads and a butterfly valve from Ali Express. These parts will be detachable so I can boil-sterilise them between brews.
  • New stainless outlet valve from my kettle and new element. The element was due for replacement anyway and I've never liked how the outlet valve was fitted. The replacement from AliExpress will be stainless steel and detachable for boil-sterilising.
  • New corny kegs. I've got two of them so this will be the biggest expense. I'll buy reconditioned kegs from The Malt Miller and UV-C sterilise the insides.
  • New disconnects, beer lines and the various John Guest fittings required to hook them up.
  • Fresh yeast for the next brew. This is not the issue but it gives me an excuse to try a new strain.

All these parts that I'm replacing have been in service for at least 5 years so I feel that I've had my value for money out of them and they were probably due for replacement anyway. It's just a shame that it took a bad beer for me to realise that their time was up.