AG11:  Lazy Afternoon Wit

Brewed 20100509

6.0 lb US 2-row
3.5 lb White Wheat
0.5 lb Flaked Wheat

Single infusion at 155F, single batch sparge.

Boil Additions:

1.0 oz Willamette, 60 min
1.0 oz crushed corriander seed, 15 min
Zest of a fresh orange, 15 min

Ferment with WLP400 (Belgian Wit) at 68F.

Targets:  OG 1.052, FG 1.013, 5.2% ABV, 8.2 IBU, 5.9 SRM

Notes:

Curtis and Princess are joining tomorrow, so I'm staring my notes the night before.  Planning to ad 1tbl each of chalk and 5.2 buffer to bring up the pH.  I started a jar of harvested WLP400 from AG7 last night (Friday the 7th).  It was slow to start overnight, so I hit it with O2 through the stone this morning an it picked up.  Thick kraeusen that filled the airlock like last time, though not as much.  I'll check the gravity in the morning, but I'm sure it will have fermented out and I'll pitch the whole starter (600mL or so).

I don't have any noble hops on hand so I'm going to use Willamette.  I figure this is OK because BrewTarget has a belgian blonde recipe that uses it for bittering.  It also has a touch of 10L and caravienne, so if I'm feeling freaky in the morning, I may toss in a few ounces of the lightest crystal I have on hand.

My last wit over-attenuated, so I'm really going to try hard to hit the mash temperature and keep it there.

Notes:

0830:  1/5 gal at 150F into MLT to pre-heat

0847:  Added rest of strike at 185F, instantly dropped to 172.  Wrapped MLT and set timer to 10 minutes.

0852:  Dropped to about 170, removed 1/2 gal. to boiler

0902:  Didn't work after 2 tries, so removed another 1/2 gal

0918:  Doughed in 3.25gal at 157.5F, a bit high, but probably will work better anyway.  Added 1 tsp chalk and 2tsp 5.2 buffer.  pH strip read about 5.0, so that's good.

1017:  About to mashout.  Measured RO boiling point at 203.5.

1021:  Mashout done.  Dropted to 153, added 1.25gal boiling to 164.

1030:  Verified started fermented out.  Starting lauter.

1041:  Iodine test shows conversion, first runnings 17.5% brix.

1044:  Went a litte fast and left some behind.  Added 3.25 gal at 175F.  Heating first runnings.

1101:  Draining sparge to BK and heating.

1114:  Boil on!  Added 1oz willamette.  Collected a little low, about 6 gallons.  12.4%

1140:  Added 1/2 gal RO water

1156:  Added 2oz fresh orange peel and 1/2oz medium grind coriander, 1tsp irish moss (oops)

1207:  Rigged for cooling.

1334:  People got here so notes got bad.  Cooled per usual, whirlpooled 20 minutes and racked to the carboy.  Wrapping up cleanup while the wort cools a bit.

20100510:  Last night I did a direct O2 injection and pitched the whole starter, though I had to do it in 2 shots because the foam from the O2 injection didn't settle when i poured in the first half.  Fermenting away this morning.  Yeast washing has been successful so far.  Didn't take a gravity sample.  Guessing 12.4% (1.051) since I added 1/2 gallon and it seems like a reasonable boiloff rate. 80% overall efficiency.

20100512:  I built a thermowell from the liquid tube form one of those jacked up pin lock kegs I got from g-hob.  I installed it with a bubbler thinking the kraeusen was down, but I thought wrong.  It was messy this morning and the temperature showed 68 (keezer set to 67), so I removed it and re-installed a blowoff.  Small chance some nasties got in there, but I think there's enough blowoff that any bugs got tossed out with it.  Fermentation seems faster this time, but time will tell.

20100515:  6.8% (1.012).  Should be done.  Don't see any off-gassing.

20100522: 6.0% (1.007).  Ugh.  Tastes OK though.  No cardamom and no chlorophenaloc taste like I have been getting.  Kegged and on 25psi over night.