North Cro Irish Red v4 Snapshot

North Cro Irish Red v4
North Cro Brewing (a subsidiary of Boudreaux Bros Brewing)
June 15, 2024

6 days before...
Made 1 L starter for yeast, will need a second step to have sufficient cells. Add second step, 1L more wort, after 48 hours (Two days before brew day will work.).

Day Before...
Prepare water; filter/dechlorinate, add 1/2 Campden tablet. total 8.4 gallons of filtered Carencro water diluted with 20% distilled water [1.68 gal Distilled, 6.72 gallons local (filtered) in kettle. Add all minerals and acid now. Check pH.

Initial pH of brewing water: __7.51

Note: Measuring pH here is just for the record. The important thing is the benchmark pH taken 10 to 20 minutes after the mash is underway.

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Brew Day...

MASH-IN
Equipment pump is turned off; all water is in kettle and not yet in hoses.

Heat mash water to 155 deg F. Remember, the pump is NOT on at this time!

Initial water temp: 153 deg F
Mash temp stabilizes at: 153 deg F

TURN OFF HEAT! Make sure the heat is turned off! Stir vigorously!

Quickly add all crushed grains to 155 deg F water, and stir rapidly. When temp is stabilized at 153 deg F, put lid on kettle. THEN, Open system, START PUMP, to allow water to flow AT A SLOW RATE through hoses for an additional 5 minutes. Liquid will recirculate through the mash AND by whirlpool, due to configuration of the 3-way valve.
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Saccharification Rest (75 min)

Saccharification rest begins now. Water is now flowing and recirculation needs to be set at about 0.5 gal/min flow rate. Monitor flow rate so it stays about this level.

Mash pH is taken after 10 minutes after this rest begins.
Mash pH after mash-in (10 min): 6.7

If needed, adjust pH to 5.4.
Acid added? YES or NO. If yes, how much 2 ml

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For the record...
Near the end of the 75 min (about 1 Hr 5 min), take pH reading.

pH reading near end of mash: 5.37__
Adjusted pH (if necessary): __Not needed.__

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Vorlauf/Mash-Out
With recirculation and heat still going, raise temp of recirculating mash to 168 deg F.

ADD the Midnight Wheat dark grains NOW.

Hold temperature here for the 15 minute duration.

For the last 5 minutes of the Vorlauf, slow down the flow rate to a minimal amount, to allow grains to completely settle.

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RAISING THE GRAIN BASKET
Lift grain basket from kettle and securely hang to pot, using the attachments provided. Allow to completely drain, may be 5 minutes or more. After draining into the pot for 5 min, move basket to drain in a bucket,

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BOIL

FIRST, MEASURE PRE-BOIL pH AND PRE-BOIL GRAVITY.

PRE-BOIL pH: __5.37

PRE-BOIL GRAVITY: 1.054 at 60 deg F.

With Brew Commander set for the boil program, it's time to begin.

Add FWH (first wort hops) hop addition at this time.

With power at 100%, begin raising temperature to boiling, monitoring carefully. When boiling commences, lower power to 85%, and lower than that if necessary.

When it appears that there is no danger of boil over, allow boiling to continue for the 60 minute duration. Continue to monitor throughout the boil.

20 minutes to End of Boil
Add Five Star® Super Moss. Make sure to use 1/3 tsp Super Moss.

10 minutes to End of Boil
Second hop addition. ADD SERVOMYCES.

End of Boil
SHUT OFF HEATER.

END OF BOIL GRAVITY: 1.054@ 60 deg F.
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WHIRLPOOL
The whirlpool step is like a moving "hop stand."

Terminator Wort Chiller is in place with hoses and 3-way valve, which is set to send wort through chiller and then through whirlpool setup. Do the following steps...

Cool down to as cold as you can get it. Use ice chiller if needed. Now, it's time to transfer wort to fermentor.
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Oxygenation/Transfer to Fermenter

With all oxygenation set up and transfer hoses in place, via 3-way valve transfer wort to fermenter as it is being oxygenated. When done, close fermenter, then prepare to pitch the yeast.

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PITCHING THE YEAST
Add the decanted yeast culture to the fermentor. Carefully maintain sanitation.

TILT HYDROMETER
Drop the SANITIZED Tilt Hydrometer into the fermenter. This is how you will monitor fermentation temperature and gravity as beer ferments.

Maintain fermentation temperature of 63 deg F until gravity drops to 1.015, then raise it up to 70 deg F for 2 days. GOAL IS FOR GRAVITY TO DROP TO 1.013.

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CRASH COOL THE FERMENT
Slowly, over several days days, lower temperature of ferment to about 38 deg F.

Hold at 38 deg F or lower, but not lower than 35 deg F.

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TRANSFER TO KEG
Using oxygen-free techniques, transfer beer from fermenter to keg. After, add gelatin finings.

MOVE TO NEW KEG
About 3 days after adding gelatin finings to beer, transfer to another sanitized keg.

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CARBONATE BEER
Using the Blichmann Quick Carb, carbonate to 2.25 vol (medium level carbonation).