Off The Topper Recipe

[squeegeethree]

I'm going to give our host's all grain kit a try as a BIAB.
-13.5 lb Fawcett-Pearl Malt
-12oz Baird’s Light Carastan Malt
-12oz White Wheat Malt

-- 10-mL-Hopshot-(60-minutes)
-- 1-lbs-Brun-Leger-(0-min-late-addition)
HOP STAND
Turn off heat, add Flame Out Hops.
Allow to stand for 10-15 min before chilling
-- 2-oz-Simcoe-(0-min---Flame-Out)
-- 1-oz-Columbus-(0-min---Flame-Out)
-- 0.5-oz-Apollo-(0-min---Flame-Out) Once-the-wort-has-cooled-to-180-degrees,-stop-chilling-and-add-the-following- hops.-Allow-to-steep-for-an-additional-10-15-min,-then-resume-chilling.-
-- 1-oz-Columbus
-- 1-oz-Simcoe
-- 1-oz-Amarillo
-- 0.5-oz-Centennial
-- 0.5-oz-Apollo
DRY HOPS
Split the dry hops in half, and add in two different stages. Dry hop with half in primary for 4 days, then transfer to secondary and dry hop with the other half for another 4 days.
-- 2-oz--Simcoe
-- 1-oz-Columbus -- 1-oz-Amarillo
-- 1-oz-Centennial -- 0.5-oz-Apollo

[squeegeethree]

I'll be using the hotshots for the first time. Advice... liquefy the resin in another container before adding to the pot?

I have an 8 gallon pot and typically start with 6.5 gallons of water which puts my grain bill limit at 11 lbs. I can reduce the water in the pot or do a mini mash in another pot and combine at my BIAB sparge. hmm.

[dannyboy58]

When I brew 5.5 gal batches I BIAB mash with 4.5 gals of water and grain bills similar to your 11 lbs. then sparge for my preboil kettle volume. It's really no thicker than a traditional mash.

[dannyboy58]

OK I see your grain bill is more like 15 lbs. I looked back through my brew log and the closest thing I have is about a 16+ lb grain bill for a doppelbock. My mash notes show doughing in with 20 quarts of water.

I have faith in you...make it work!

[brew_cat]

Do what you can in your pot put the rest of the grain in a bucket no bag and mash. After you pull and dump the grain put your bag back in the pot and dump the mash from the bucket to filter through the bag

[sneezles61]

What is Brun Lager? Sneezles61

[voodoo_donut]

I'll be using the hotshots for the first time. Advice... liquefy the resin in another container before adding to the pot?

I use the hopshots all the time with the Plinian kit. I just squirt them into the hot wort and even pull some up wort up into the syringe to flush out any residual ......then stir stir stir

Never had any leftover gunk.

[voodoo_donut]

I have an 8 gallon pot and typically start with 6.5 gallons of water which puts my grain bill limit at 11 lbs. I can reduce the water in the pot or do a mini mash in another pot and combine at my BIAN sparge. hmm.

"You're going to need a bigger boat!"

[brew_cat]

Didn't know you did kits. You could scale it down to maybe a 4 gallon batch next time or get the bigger boat

[voodoo_donut]

What is Brun Lager? Sneezles61

I think that's a pound of sugar, IIRC

[squeegeethree]

I don't do kits typically but my LHBS doesn't carry the hops shots and I would like to test them. The special offer takes this down to a pretty price considering everything in it.

[squeegeethree]

Brun Leger is Belgian candy sugar in soft form like brown sugar

[sneezles61]

I think you brewers are silly! Sneezles61

[squeegeethree]

Checking back in. All went very well on brew day with some things to NOTE for anyone trying this recipe.

-When the instructions say "6 gallon batch size - This recipe has been calculated to produce 6 gallons to accommodate wort losses due to the ridiculous amount of hops" They mean you are to finish with 6 gallons in the fermentor. I goofed this up and ended up at 1.086 OG at 5 gallons (instead of 1.07 at 6 gallons).
- The Hopshot dissolved... to a degree... I see tiny oil like blobs of Hopshot swimming around in my fermentor, undissolved. Next time will use vodka as a solvent to dissolve the Hopshots before entry.

The kit says 6 weeks. The Voss yeast is destroying this at 90F I think I'm going to move to the secondary sooner than I thought. The recipe calls for half of the hops to be added 4 days before transfer. I suppose that even though I'm days in, with activity slowing, that is going to be sooner than a midway point of 1.5 weeks.

[radagast]

Yeah, this is an annual brew for me. It maxes out my 6.5 gal carboy and definitely use a blowoff tube. I've never had an issue with the hop shots dissolving in the boil so that's a bit interesting. Last year's batch looking back at my notes was brewed July 1, first dry hop July 25, second July 28, and drinking August 3, so you definitely don't need to wait 6 weeks. I keg so if you bottle, figure on 2 weeks to carbonate roughly.

Rad

[voodoo_donut]

Yes, interesting about the hopshots from NB. I know I've not had a problem with "tiny blobs of oil" but a quick internet search indicates many have had problems......homebrewers on BA were split on this, but preferred hop extracts from Yakima Valley hops("fresher and not oxidized brown") over NB. Unsure why some experience this and others don't.

[squeegeethree]

I took a gravity sample today and I'm at 1.010. I guess I'm pretty close to done. My color is very nice. With only half of the dry hops in at this point I am very juicy and a fair aroma. I have a lot of hop pulp in my test sample which is making a prickly mouthfeel.