Brewday - Droit du seigneur Blonde

Beer in the front, desk in the back!

Finally, its a summer brewday.  Meaning I'm brewing a blonde on the driveway where all the neighbours can see.  Blondes are a quintessential summer brew - light, modest alcohol, modest hoppiness, means these can be enjoyed pint, after pint.

I'm making an extra 5L of this brew, to act as a test wort for a fermentation test of my recently purified wild strains.  The low IBUs will let the yeast characteristics shine through, while the conventionally fermented portion of the brew will act as a flavour control.

I'm helping SWMBO'd refinish an antique maple desk during the brew, so I'll have to keep this post short...

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Droit du seigneur Blonde

Blonde Ale

Type: All Grain	Date: 14-06-07
Batch Size (fermenter): 25.00 l	Boil Size: 30.69 l
Boil Time: 60 min
Ingredients
Ingredients Amt Name Type # %/IBU 4.75 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 95.0 % 0.25 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.0 % 28.35 g Fuggles [5.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 15.8 IBUs 1.00 g Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 1.5 IBUs 1.00 tbsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 5 - 1.0 pkg Safale  #US-05 Yeast 6 -
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.044 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.045 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG	Measured Final Gravity: TBA
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.5 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: TBA
Bitterness: 17.3 IBUs	Measured Pre-Boil Gravity:  1.035
Est Color: 3.8 SRM	Measured Pre-Boil Volume: 33L
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 5.00 kg
Sparge Water: 24.45 l	Grain Temperature: 22.0 C
Sparge Temperature: 75.6 C	Tun Temperature: 22.0 C
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE	Mash PH: 5.20
Mash Steps Name Description Step Temperature Step Time Mash In Add 11.50 l of water at 75.4 C 66.7 C 60 min
Sparge Step: Batch sparge with 2 steps (8.98l, 15.47l) of 75.6 C water

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Brew Day

The recipe is a simple one - the columbus hops are entirely optional, and were added as I didn't have enough fuggels to get to the desired 17 IBU.  Everything went fine aside from a slight overshooting at mash-in; fixed by stirring with the mash tuns top open.  I ended up with a slightly larger boil volume than planned, but that was OK  (who doesn't like more beer?).