St Thomas Golden Haze

Belgian Golden Strong Experimental Ale

This is a 2015 BJCP style 34c beer.

Recipe: Belgian Golden Strong with Wheat
Volume: 5 gallons
Dates:

Brew date: Nov 07, 2015
Transfer to secondary: Nov 21, 2015
Bottling: expected Dec 5, 2015

Ingredients:

Water source: basement utility sink filtered dispenser
Yeast: WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale

Grain bill

	Potential sg pppg	Points per gal
10.0 lbs Pilsener Malt 0.5 lb Wheat Malt 1.0 lb Corn Sugar	1.037 1.039 1.046	370.0 19.5 46.0
	Ideal: Pre-boil: Target:	435.5 (46+389.5 (46+389.5	/ 4.5 gal = 96.8 >>> 1.097 * 70%)/ 6 gal = 45.4 >>> 1.053 * 70%)/ 4.5 gal = 70.8 >>> 1.071
0.75 lbs Corn Sugar (into primary as foam subsides)	1.046	34.5
	Effective::	(80.5+389.5	* 70%)/ 5 gal = 70.6 >>> 1.071

Whole Hops

1.0 oz Saaz - 3.4% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.053 = 22.1%	*IBU = 1.0 3.4 * 22.1 * 0.75 / 5 = 11.3**
1.0 oz Hallertauer - 4.5% avg alpha Utilization: 60 minutes @ 1.053 = 22.1%	*IBU = 1.0 4.5 * 22.1 * 0.75 / 5 = 14.9**
1.0 oz Hallertauer - 4.5% avg alpha Utilization: 5 minutes @ 1.053 = 4.4%	*IBU = 1.0 4.5 * 4.4 * 0.75 / 5 = 3.0**
	Total IBU Max = 29

Other

1 tsp Gypsum in mash
0.5 tsp Crushed Coriander - 15 min
0.5 tsp Crushed Grains of Paradise - 15 min

Activity Log

Yeast Starter:

About 30 hours before the brew, boiled 5 ounces of DME in 1.5 L of water and cooled. Pitched yeast, fitted with stopper and airlock and placed at 68f.

Mash/Lauter/Sparge:

Heated 4 gallons of water to 160 in mash tun and added grain. Added cool water to adjust temperature to 144 and held for 45 minutes. Added gypsum. Added heated water to adjust temperature to 156 and held for 30 minutes. Opened spigot 30 degrees and recirculated runoff until clear. Captured 6.5 gallons of runoff.

Boil:

Boiled through break, added corn sugar and continued for 30 minutes. Added bittering hops and boiled for 45 minutes. Added Coriander and Grains of Paradise and and boiled for 10 minutes. Added finishing hops and boiled for 5 minutes. Cooled with counterflow chiller into carboy. Took specific gravity reading of 1.069. Rocked carboy on folded towel to aerate and pitched yeast. Fitted with stopper and blow-off tube and placed at 68f.

Fermentation:

Observations of primary stage (set controller to 68f)

11-08-15: basement temperature 71f
11-08-15 AM: 2 inches foam, 160 bubbles per minute
11-09-15 AM: 1/4 inch foam, 35 bubbles per minute
11-09-15: basement temperate low enough for controller to mangage
11-14-15 AM: slight foam, 8 bubbles per minute
11-14-15 AM: Captured 2 liter bottle 1/2 full and placed under 30 lbs/sq in CO2. Took specific gravity reading of 1.029.
11-14-15 AM: Boiled 12 ounces of corn sugar in 1 liter of water. Cooled in ice bath and added to carboy. Foam and bubbles increased in an hour.
11-15-15 PM: 1/4 inch foam, 16 bubbles per minute
11-16-15 PM: slight foam, 5 bubbles per minute
11-17-15 PM: slight foam, 4 bubbles per minute
11-21-15 AM: slight foam, 3 bubbles per minute
11-21-15 AM: Transferred to 5 gallon carboy. Took specific gravity readingof 1.020. Captured 2 liter bottle 4/5 full and put in fridge under 30 lbs/sq in CO2. Fitted stopper and airlock.

Observations of secondary stage (68f)

11-22-15 PM: patches of foam, 60 seconds per bubble
11-23-15 PM: patches of foam, 92 seconds per bubble
11-25-15 PM: patches of foam, 58 seconds per bubble
11-27-15 PM: patches of foam, 57 seconds per bubble
11-28-15 PM: patches of foam, 59 seconds per bubble
12-02-15 PM: bubbles of foam, 60 seconds per bubble
12-04-15 PM: bubbles of foam, 78 seconds per bubble

Bottling:

Boiled 5 ounces of corn sugar in 2 cups of water and let cool. Filled 2 liter bottle 4/5 full, put under 30 lbs/sq in C02 and placed in fridge for forced carbonation. Added sugar solution to bottling bucket and siphoned 4.5 gallons from carboy into bucket. Took specific gravity reading of 1.014. Filled and capped 36 12 oz bottles and 3 1L swing top bottles. Placed in fermenting booth at 68f.

See St Thomas Golden Haze labels here.

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