Oporto Pils

[Luis Coentrao]

My first “BM Brew Day”
Model: BM20
Accessories: Stainless steel lid, Thermo-sleeve
Others: counterflow chiller (36 plates)

Beer Style: Bohemian Pilsner (Batch volume 20L)
Software: Beersmith (Braumeister 20 Litre)

Procedure:
Water treatment (mash pH at room temperature 5.6)
Hydration of the grains followed by coarse crushing with the simple Corona Milt.
Mash in, stir the grain, start mash schedule. I tried to interrupt the mash schedule in the middle of the process in order to stir the grain. I made it but the mash program was fully stopped. I needed to restart a new mash schedule from the point it stopped (at 60ºC, 25 minutes pause). No problem, but I thought it was possible to interrupt the mash program and restarted it straightforward. At the end of the mash and “sparge” with 7L - clear, crystalline wort - SG 1.048 (higher than expected) Volume 27L (lower than expected). After lifting the mal pipe I forgot to stir the grain during “sparging”.
Boil: 120 minutes, very nice rolling boil, boil over approx 2.7L/hour.
Chill: counterflow chiller with ice water (I use a small and simple aquarium pump to recirculate the ice water throw the chiller during the process).
Results: OG 1.062, Mash efficiency 81%, Brewhouse efficiency 74%, Batch volume into fermentor 19L, Trub loss 2L.
Fermentor: wait until Temperature 6C to pitch the yeast (12 hours of waiting…); pure O2 2-4L/min, 60 seconds; pitch 3 packets (35g) of dry yeast (W34/70); raise temperature 9C; low krausen at 48 hours; Fast Fermentation Test (predicted FG 1.014).
Cleaning/Sanitizing with PBW and Chemipro Oxi

Future perspectives:
Software (Beersmith) alterations: change mash/brewhouse efficiencies, grain absortion to 0.73L/Kg grain, boil off to 2.7L/hour.
Repeat the recipe/procedure. Reduce Boil time to 90 minutes. Turn/Spin the malt pipe during the mash (in pump break) in order to optimize water/wort dispersion through the grain.

Photos:

chiller

FFT

low krausen

[Fritzkellerbrau]

Looks good Louis

Thanks for process description. Helping me prepare for my first BM brew with imminent arrival of my machine. Love Pilsner but will do a couple of Ale brews first given warmer temperature here in South Africa (although my STC-1000 arrived today ex Hong Kong and have bought a fermentation fridge).

Is the receipt accessible on Beersmith cloud? Keep us posted on outcome and first taste.

[Luis Coentrao]

Hi Fritz,

The recipe is this one here,
I used Beersmith for recipe and Bru'nwater for water treatment.

I'll keep updating

[Victor Coelho]

Well done Luis!

[Fritzkellerbrau]

Thanks Luis

Prost

[Luis Coentrao]

Yeast: Fermentis Saflager W34/70 (dry yeast).
Yeast preparation: re-hydration, 30 minutes.
Pitch rate: 34.5g (3 packets) in 20L batch (in fact, 18.5L).
Oxigenation: pure O2, 2-4L/min, 60 seconds

High Krausen started at 72h of fermentation.
Temperature (probe on the fermentor) set at 9C.
Today, at day 7 of fermentation, High Krausen remains / 1 buble per second.

Question:
Do you have the same experience with Lagers?
High Krausen during (at least) 4 consecutive days?

High Krausen 1

[Luis Coentrao]

Hi guys,

At Day 10 on primary (9-10ºC), SG=1.020 (6 gravity points from the FG). I've set up the temperature at 15-16ºC for Maturation/Diacetyl rest.
At Day 14, Diacetyl Force Test was "negative" (at least, for my taste, but I'm not a judge). SG=1.016.
Transfer the beer to a Keg (after CO2 "cleaning" of the Keg) and added Wort (1L, after boiling for 15 minutes) for natural carbonation. Temperature 16ºC.

At Day 17 (72hours in carbonation), Temperature 16ºC, Head Pressure=12PSI (measured with a Spundung Valve). Estimated beer CO2 vol.=1.75.

Question:
1. If I've got a Head Pressure=12PSI at Temperature 4ºC, the beer CO2 vol. would be approx. 2.5, right? If I decide to decrease the Temperature from 16 to 4ºC, the Head Pressure of 12PSI would decrease or remain the same?

[royco]

luis, I believe the pressure will decrease to about 3.8PSI, still giving you 1.75 vol. If you are needing to increase the carb you may have to add some carbonating sugar. Please correct me if this is wrong.

[Luis Coentrao]

Hi Rocyo,
Today I've checked the head pressure, it decreased from 12PSI to 8PSI, estimated CO2 vol. 2.10
Keg without leaks (at least, I did not find any).

I left the beer in the keg at 4C for lagering.

IMO, temperature manipulation changes the distribution of CO2 gas inside the keg (between the head space and the beer itself). It should not change the overall pressure inside the keg. However, I'm not sure if the head pressure we measure is an accurate surrogated marker of the overall pressure of the keg.
If it is not, the observed decrease in head pressure is in agreement with the decrease of the beer temperature (the CO2 gas moves from the head space to the beer when the temperature is decreased).

Tomorrow I'll check again the head pressure at 4ºC.

[Luis Coentrao]

News... not so good !!

I've checked the pressure at 4C, 7PSI.
I decided to force carbonate at 3C, 12PSI.

1 Week later,
Tasted the beer. Carbonation ok... but .... what a butter off-flavor insided
What happen?

Hypothesis:
1. Contamination of the Speise
2. Secondary Fermentation of the Speise insided the Keg at 16C
3. Dead Yeast/Trub insided the Keg

Decision:
- Removed the Keg from the fridge, purged all the CO2, placed it at room temperature in order to revigorate the yeast again (trying to reduce the diacetyl inside)

Do you have any suggestions?

Spundung valve

[Luis Coentrao]

Good news,

Diacetyl out
Just left the keg at room temperature for some days (4 days).
I may conclude that the off-flavor came from yeast metabolism (due to new wort added to the beer) and not from contamination!
Resume: 9 days primary (9-12C), 5 days DR (15-16C), Natural carbonation attempt with Speise (went wrong). Total 25days.
Next step: Lager at 2C.

[Luis Coentrao]

Finally