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Made my "Signature Ale" this afternoon...


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#1 Big Nake

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Posted 31 January 2016 - 06:04 PM

I know I have posted about this a few times but I did not see this in the recipe forum so here goes.

Signature Ale

9 lbs Malteurop 2-row base malt
4 ounces Thomas Fawcett Dark Crystal #1
4 ounces Special B
.48 oz German Magnum pellets 14.7% for 60 (about 30 IBUs, 7 AAUs)
Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast

OG: 1.056, FG: 1.012, SRM: 12, IBU: 30, ABV: 5.4%


A smooth ale with an amber/reddish tint with all the hops at bittering. 60 minute, single-infusion mash at 150° with a balanced water profile. 5.29 on the mash pH and about 5.35 on the kettle pH. This pic is slightly more pale than most of these batches have come out. The batch I made today seemed a little darker.

2upy5jt.jpg

#2 MyaCullen

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Posted 31 January 2016 - 06:19 PM

huh, I figured your signature ale would be MLPA, as you are infamous for that brew



#3 Big Nake

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Posted 31 January 2016 - 07:11 PM

huh, I figured your signature ale would be MLPA, as you are infamous for that brew

:lol: It's just a name. I suppose that MLPA is my signature beer. This just happens to be Signature Ale... which is NOT my signature beer.

#4 MyaCullen

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Posted 31 January 2016 - 07:13 PM

:lol: It's just a name. I suppose that MLPA is my signature beer. This just happens to be Signature Ale... which is NOT my signature beer.

:blink:  <_<  :wacko:



#5 positiveContact

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 04:52 AM

I know I have posted about this a few times but I did not see this in the recipe forum so here goes.

Signature Ale

9 lbs Malteurop 2-row base malt
4 ounces Thomas Fawcett Dark Crystal #1
4 ounces Special B
.48 oz German Magnum pellets 14.7% for 60 (about 30 IBUs, 7 AAUs)
Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast

OG: 1.056, FG: 1.012, SRM: 12, IBU: 30, ABV: 5.4%


A smooth ale with an amber/reddish tint with all the hops at bittering. 60 minute, single-infusion mash at 150° with a balanced water profile. 5.29 on the mash pH and about 5.35 on the kettle pH. This pic is slightly more pale than most of these batches have come out. The batch I made today seemed a little darker.

2upy5jt.jpg

 

looks great ken!  although I think I would miss at least a few flavor hops in an ale like this but that's the beauty of home brewing.

 

is your pH meter accurate to 100ths?



#6 HVB

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 05:37 AM

 

is your pH meter accurate to 100ths?

Here are the specs on that meter  ±0.01 + 1 digit



#7 Big Nake

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 05:52 AM

I make a lot of beers with late hops and occasionally I like one where all the IBUs come at 60. This is a very clean and drinkable ale. Yes, the Omega meter is accurate to 100ths. Drez... how are you liking this meter? It just works. No mysteries, no head scratching. Love this thing.

#8 positiveContact

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 06:08 AM

are there ever any "hot deals" on this meter?



#9 HVB

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 06:09 AM

I make a lot of beers with late hops and occasionally I like one where all the IBUs come at 60. This is a very clean and drinkable ale. Yes, the Omega meter is accurate to 100ths. Drez... how are you liking this meter? It just works. No mysteries, no head scratching. Love this thing.

 

Like it so much better than teh MW-102 that was acting up.  Calibrations just stays and does not move and it is fast.

 

On to this beer, have you done it with Northern Brewer as the only hop?  For some reason this recipe screams NB to me.


are there ever any "hot deals" on this meter?

No, not really.  It is what it is for price but well worth it IMO.



#10 positiveContact

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 06:20 AM

Like it so much better than teh MW-102 that was acting up.  Calibrations just stays and does not move and it is fast.

 

On to this beer, have you done it with Northern Brewer as the only hop?  For some reason this recipe screams NB to me.


No, not really.  It is what it is for price but well worth it IMO.

 

I think I'd use Columbus with part of it as a FWH.



#11 Big Nake

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 06:52 AM

Like it so much better than teh MW-102 that was acting up.  Calibrations just stays and does not move and it is fast.
 
On to this beer, have you done it with Northern Brewer as the only hop?  For some reason this recipe screams NB to me.

Clearly you have broken into my head and stolen my thoughts. Which is scary because I need all the thoughts I can get. Yes, I have used Northern Brewer and this batch was written up with Northern Brewer as the only hop (.75 ounces @ 9.6%). But I changed my mind at the last minute because A] My Northern Brewers are of an uncertain age and I wasn't sure how good they would be... as the only hop used in a beer, I got squeamish and thought I could use the NBs where I would also use some other hops in the beer just in case they were not their freshest... and B] I just got some fresh German Magnum and I have made this beer before with Magnum and it was great.

On the meter: True... it's solid and calibrations are not even necessary it seems. Maybe every third time I brew I'll drop it into some 4.0 or 7.0 solution and it's right there. One thing I'm noticing recently: I get my mash sample and cool it, put the meter into the sample and it goes 5.3, 5.25, 5.20, 5.15.... 5.20, 5.25, 5.29 (or whatever) and then it stays. So it goes down below the pH and then comes back up. I don't know if that's the meter or me taking the reading too soon after things have been mixed together or what. But I have FULL trust in this thing. I should also mention that I have not seen anyone on any board mention this meter. Claudius Budde in the German Brewing FB group mentioned it one time saying "Much more precise and much more reliable for the same price" and that's all he said. When you talk meters on any board, you get the standard Hanna and Milwaukee talk or the occasional guy who has access to a $6000 meter or something. Otherwise, you don't hear people talking about Omega at all. Great product, period.

#12 positiveContact

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 07:04 AM

thanks for the review ken.  maybe I'll get myself an early father's day present :D



#13 Big Nake

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 10:41 AM

I view it like this... you need to be able to rely on your instruments. An $8 thermometer that doesn't measure the temp accurately is a waste of $8. I spent $50 on a Milwaukee PH55 pen-style meter that was appallingly bad. This thing didn't work properly out of the box. That's a $50 lesson but spending $109 on this Omega meter is acceptable for the quality of the use you get out of it. Another $99 for a Thermapen so I could stop using all the other $8, $12, $14 thermometers I had before that. I don't spend money on nutty beer gear. I am still soooo ghetto with my equipment and I still use the same cooler MT I set up in 2004 and I have made NO changes to it. I have a no-frills 10-gallon kettle. I would rather spend the money on trustworthy instruments which may have a much bigger impact on my beer.

#14 neddles

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Posted 01 February 2016 - 04:53 PM

5.3, 5.25, 5.20, 5.15.... 5.20, 5.25, 5.29

My meter does that every single time. Has since new. It does not do that when put in calibration solution or in distilled water. I've always wondered if it is a function of the actual pH change that occurs when the wort is cooled. I cool my samples quickly and I wonder if the pH change takes a minute or so to completely stabilize.

#15 Big Nake

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Posted 02 February 2016 - 06:21 AM

My meter does that every single time. Has since new. It does not do that when put in calibration solution or in distilled water. I've always wondered if it is a function of the actual pH change that occurs when the wort is cooled. I cool my samples quickly and I wonder if the pH change takes a minute or so to completely stabilize.

I agree... I don't think it's the meter going in circles as much as I think the pH is dipping and spiking and the meter is following it. I have read numerous things that mention that the pH in the mash varies for x amount of time before is becomes somewhat stable and that taking the pH too quickly can cause problems. But I leave my meter in the sample for a good 5-10 minutes and I wait for it to sit steady before I move on.

#16 positiveContact

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Posted 02 February 2016 - 06:44 AM

how big of a sample do you need to pull to use the meter?  how long does it take to cool the sample and then get an accurate reading?



#17 neddles

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Posted 02 February 2016 - 06:59 AM

how big of a sample do you need to pull to use the meter?  how long does it take to cool the sample and then get an accurate reading?

You were probably looking for Ken's answer related to his probe but in the meantime this is how I do it. I usually pull enough wort to cover the bottom of a metal cocktail shaker by about a 1/2-3/4". Chill it. Then I tip the cup slightly to make it deeper on one side and put the probe in that side. There is more than enough wort to cover the business end of the probe. That's not a lot of liquid so it cools very quickly when you dip and swirl the cup in snow or cold water. I have my meter set to 68F so I always cool the sample to 68F. 



#18 positiveContact

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Posted 02 February 2016 - 07:01 AM

anyone who uses a probe can answer.  :cheers:



#19 Big Nake

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Posted 02 February 2016 - 07:19 AM

Pretty much what I do. I have a small metal bowl about 2 inches across and I put that into a larger bowl, put water in there and freeze the metal bowl in place. I get maybe 2-3 tbsp. of mash liquid and put that into that frozen metal bowl and it takes about 1 minute to get down to 75° or so... then take the reading. You just need the "bulb" part of the probe to be touching the liquid.


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