Maggie Lager, Friday, August 20, 2021 - Robobrew - Tossed Out - SMB

Robobrew

                                                             Robobrew Test 2 Days Later

Temp is close to my thermopen. Taking it to a boil now to see how the temp reacts on the screen. I got 100 C and it had a good boil going on. 

Just a quick standard Canadian Lager using rice and corn. Quick ferment as usual. I haven't made a beer like this ever. Maybe rice flakes or flaked maize, but not the two together. If anything, it will be light. Need to get a d rest in before we go camping.

The Magster

Ingredients

8 lbs. CMC

2.38 lbs. Flaked Rice

1.19 lbs. Flaked Maize

5 ozs. Acid Malt

47 g Hallertauer at 60 min.

3 sachets of 34/70 - ( I used 3 because I had them and didn't want 1 sachet left over )

.3 g of Potassium Sulphate to the keg for oxidation. ( ruined the beer btw )

The SMB ruined the beer, tossed it, idiot. I quit reading what Brulosophy says and rely on my own 

experience from the last 40 years. Seems to be working out fine except for this one. This was a real good brew before I added that shit. 

Water Profile - Yellow Full

CA - 50

S04 - 49

CI - 70

PH - 5.3

O.G. - 1.038 - 68%

F.G. -  1.005

% -      4.33

SRM - 2.8

BU - 15

                                                 BREW DAY NOTES

Normal brew day, but I am 10 points low on my gravity. Not sure why. I did have trouble with Mr. Robobrew boiling the wort, went from 206 F to 236, 230 , all over the place. The boil all in all was around 40 min. Need to figure out why because this will be my main brew system this winter. Always something. Had a hard time maintaining a boil even when it was working right. If this unit is working this winter, I need to buy some sort of insulating material to help it keep the heat in. I don't want that jacket as I need to clean it at least 2 times before brew day. Always seem to get wort on it.

                                                        FERMENTATION NOTES    

Added the 3 sachets around 6 pm on brew day. Saw some bubbling late that same night and nothing has really changed the next morning. Temp is 50 F. 

\Day 3 - Finally got krausen on top.. Bubbling every 20 seconds or so, very slow. 50 F. Will let it go

              10 days or so and do a d rest later. This would be a traditional lager fermentation. May as well 

              since it is quite slow. May as well do a low and slow ferment. Always wanted to go back to

              doing it. If it picks up fermentation, I may do a quck ferment, doesn't look good though.

Day 4 -  Got a good krausen going on and the activity has picked up. Will do a d rest on Friday, Aug. 27.

              I will set the keezer at 65 F and go camping. 5 days until I get back, so timing is right. Not

             when to do a d rest, but either Thurs or Friday morning.

Day 5 - Still a steady bubbling. Hope it keeps up for 2 days to get a d rest in.

Day 6 - Still a steady bubbling. Has not slowed down. 

Day 7 - D rest today. Set it at 66 F if I can. The controller needs to be calibrated and I don't know how.

             Didn't take long for the temp to rise. Already picking up speed, should be done by the time we

             get back from Lake of Two Rivers.

Day 12 - Still bubbling away, slowed down a lot. Cannot keg it yet. Move it on the bench when and if

             you need the keezer for your Octoberfest beer.

Day 14 - Same.

Day 16 - Same. A long d rest but I don't need the keezer at the moment.

Day 18 - Seems to be done. Using an air lock so I can't hear the bubbling. Will keg it soon and toss in

              some gelatin and let it age upstairs in my pub fridge. If it is any good I will cpbf in my 

              plastic bottles I have never used.

                                                                 KEGGED ON SEPT 12

Faint taste of a light lager, bitterness is evident for a 15 BU beer which is weird. Add gelatin and give it lots of time to clear. Carb it up for a nice, light brew for the baseball playoffs. Age it for 2 - 3 weeks. Wild card game is on Oct. 5th if the Jays are there.

                                                SAMPLED BEFORE ADDING GELATIN

I got sulphur in the sample. Hate that. I read that you may get sulphur when adding .3 grams of smb. Hope it goes away when I carb it up, doesn't look good. Tossed it, dam sulphur, but I did it.

Starting to put together a good lager for next summer. Will brew it when I am out of ale yeast and/or sick of English style beers. Most likely next spring.

                                                  FINAL THOUGHTS ON 34/70

This was a very clean and tasty lager before I added the smb. However, I can now start making lagers on a regular basis next spring and do some experimenting with specialty grains to compliment the Floor Malted Pils malt which to me is the best to use. I am going with Isar yeast as it is a great yeast and I only need to make a 3 - 4 L starter after I over build it. I have 2 stir plates so may as well use them. Besides, I don't want to shell out $150 for a brick of dry 34/70 yeast. However, I did get a low final gravity with this yeast. It cost me $27, no, not paying that again. As of August 2023 a brick sells for $185.00. Everything is up up up. This was my best beer ever before I ruined it. Going to make it again but this time follow your own way of making lagers and don't listen to other people. Still mad about this beer as I write this 3 years later.