Oh this is so perfect. I generally measure out and treat my strike water, and mill my grain, the night before brew day. It'd be sweet to start mashing the night before as well.
Another great video. That beer definitely seems like something best bottled and put away for a long time. I like the overnight mash. Going to have to try that.
Thanks for the great videos, Martin. They extremely informative and entertaining and I look forward to watching each in the series. In this video you mention using a spray nozzle for mashing. I did watch your Upgraded home brewery setup video, but I didn't see anything about that spray nozzle. If you have already described this in a video, could you pass along the link? If not, I do have a couple of questions. Is it easy to keep free of debris? Do you happen to have a part number or any information about where one might be able to buy it online?
I had read a long time ago that Old Ales usually picked up quite a bit of Brett character from the casks they were stored in having Brett colonization. Brettanomyces Claussenii was a strain that was isolated from casks in London pubs which old ales would sit in. So I made an old ale that attempted to mimic the flavors of these casks with Oak chips and a secondary ferment with Brett C. the flavor was okay when first brewed but gradually the oak and Brett got stronger as they bottle conditioned until it tasted like whiskey made out of bandaids. It was pretty undrinkable toward the end. Fun experiment though.
Maybe add some oak chips to simulate that cask aging? Also, can you make a video doing overnight chill on the kettle? Would be nice to hear your thoughts on that!
Holy cats, an old ale! I totally forgot about this style. This style was one of the first craft beers I ever had, about 15 years ago. Gonna have to brew one. 👍🏼👍🏼
Last time I did an overnight boil, it wasn't because I tried. I have an electric kettle/mash tun, The transformer blew up at the local substation and brought down the city I live in. Two days later I had a sour wheat which wasn't that bad but not great either.
I'm doing my overnight mash now in my oven. Love your videos, you're obviously a stickler for accuracy which I like. It would be hugely helpful is you could include metric weights in your ingredients. I had to do quite a number of extra steps when working out my quantities because the weights are imperial. I may try your your foreign extra stout next. A lot very exciting beers, well done!
Yessss... I am about to barrel a very dark 10ABV braggot in a barrel from rice whiskey. Will come back in a year and post update on the taste ;-) hahaha awesome video
Hi Martin, I'd like to give a quick suggestion. Try to age it with some oak chips. I did it with a similar "Belgian Abbey" I brew few years ago and the result was outstanding. Cheers!
@@filop2011 sure it's cheaper, but the point of using oak and a spirit is not strength but flavour, vodka and oak are not known for being complementary, vodka just makes it stronger, as vodka is fairly pure and has no flavour that would stand out against beer. Something like whisky or bourbon on the other hand would add character that matches oak. On this basis, instead of vodka you could just brew a bigger beer and then add oak.
@@jeremyghunter I don't add the vodka to the beer. I drain the oak chips and leave there in infusion after day two of fermentation or add the chips to the keg before carbonation. You can also toast the chips in the oven (no need for sanitation in this case) or mix some toasted and some in alcohol. Please, in brew making, experiment everything!! Cheers
I just brewed an Old Ale, hopefully bottling this weekend. I don't know yet if it's true, but Josh Weikert at Beer and Brewing said that Black Treacle was like liquid time. I'll be curious to see how mine comes out. Great video, keep up the good work!
Man, I enjoy watching your videos a lot! Always fun to watch and I always take some inspirations for my next brew day. I totally agree: let the beer sit for a while. I kept 2 beers in my cellar for about 4 years. After the brewing they had some bad tastes. (Actually, I forgot about them in the cellar for 4 years. :) ) And guess what: after that time they were really good! Cheers from Germany!
I love old ale, probably third place in my favourites following saison and lambic. Is this the kind of beer that would typically be followed up with Brett and maybe even some lacto? I feel this would really suit some funk and a little tartness. Your content is great, keep up the good work!
Did you you consider Brettanomyces for aging? One of the most memorable beers I have made is an old ale aged with B. clausenii. A broader question: what happens when you get to the aged styles like 23D? Did you start that one a year ago, with video footage, just waiting for the tasting?
Love all your videos. With doing more small batches of 2.5 gallons...have you considered doing a mini system build? The Clawhammer system looks awesome but as someone that does smaller batches I think it would be overkill for me. I would love to see if you could replicate the features of one of these systems on something like the SS brewtech brew kettle mini (5.5 gallon). Keep up the awesome work!
That would be interesting. The system I’m using handles 2.5 gallon batches pretty well and gives me the flexibility to brew 5 gallons when I want too so its not really been something I’ve seriously looked into.
At 4:50 you said "to balance out all the sugar, you are going to add 1 to 2% black patent malt". While you said that, you held up the D-90 Belgian sugar. How does that malt balance the sugar?
I wish you’d have taken a temperature reading at the top of the mash the next day. I wonder how big the difference would have been with what the controller said, given that the probe is below the grain and by the heater. Love all your vids, great work!
@@TheHomebrewChallenge I noticed about 2 degrees difference after letting it sit as you did w/o re circulation for 1 hour (with the controller on to maintain temp). I am curious if it gets worst over time or just stabilizes with a small delta. It may also depend on how fine the crush is and how thick/insulating that grain layer ends up being. Do you crush your own? if so how fine?
Hi Martin. Thoroughly enjoying your shows, great presentation and also such a great concept being a BJCP style guideline devotee. Prost, Thomas p.s. any chance you could add the grist percentages and the alpha values?
As I read the BJCP guidelines, what you are talking about is just one vector of the guidelines. In the broader sense, it seems that there would be two broad sub-categories of old stock ales and winter warmers. It is almost like you could also look at this as authentic vs. nostalgic which would provide an entirely different perspective to this style. Styles like this and pre-prohibition lager seem to have similar issues with the guidelines. Just look at the SRM range of 10 to 22, and IBUs of 30 to 60 for an 'Old Ale'. The 'old ale' that you are brewing is just one variation of a very broad spectrum of possibilities for an 'Old Ale'. We need clarification to properly describe the guidelines rather than just one interpretation.
Been looking at an old ale recipe today with a view to sitting it up until the dark depths of winter. Also found a cock ale recipe made from chicken may be interesting to give a go 👍🍻
That's what I do. Many people suggest a double crush for BiaB. I personally get about 80% on moderate gravity beers (~1.060) with just a single, very fine crush, but give it a try and see what you get.
@@johnnyperez2260 That's the way to go. I ran into an issue where someone changed the mill at the store and I didn't check. Went from 80% to 65% between batches. Got my own mill after that and everything's nice and consistent.
Hey Martin, I had a thought. If you do overnight mashes, why not get a lifetime cooler from Walmart. They perform like Yeti coolers or even better for a lower price. I kinda thought of buying one for my camping trip.
Nice. I just did an old ale following this Amazon Old Ale recipe (beerandbrewing.com/amazon-old-ale-recipe/) BIAB ~10 litre batch. It called for black treacle instead of syrup which to me gave a liquorice taste. Would be nice to follow yours and compare! I did some changes to the original since the grain availability in Finland is different, and I overshoot the treacle. Got very drinkable 8% abv beer nonetheless.
Really appreciate how you tell us both metric and imperial measures.
I always look forward to new videos while I work. Cheers, Martin!
Thanks!
I’d LOVE to see the follow up on how this turns out once it’s older..... if you still have it around that is.
Yes, plan to do that a good while from now.
instablaster
@@TheHomebrewChallenge did this happen? I can't see it on the list of videos :(
Oh this is so perfect. I generally measure out and treat my strike water, and mill my grain, the night before brew day. It'd be sweet to start mashing the night before as well.
Another great video. That beer definitely seems like something best bottled and put away for a long time. I like the overnight mash. Going to have to try that.
I like candid Lauren. She was great in this one! haha
Looking forward to seeing a review of this in a few months.
An old ale was my third beer I ever brewed, I hated it after the first month. Loved it after 6 months.
I’m hoping the same. Saving the wood chips for a different beer.
Thanks for the great videos, Martin. They extremely informative and entertaining and I look forward to watching each in the series. In this video you mention using a spray nozzle for mashing. I did watch your Upgraded home brewery setup video, but I didn't see anything about that spray nozzle. If you have already described this in a video, could you pass along the link? If not, I do have a couple of questions. Is it easy to keep free of debris? Do you happen to have a part number or any information about where one might be able to buy it online?
Hi Aaron. I’m just using what came with the lid of my Clawhammer system.
I had read a long time ago that Old Ales usually picked up quite a bit of Brett character from the casks they were stored in having Brett colonization. Brettanomyces Claussenii was a strain that was isolated from casks in London pubs which old ales would sit in. So I made an old ale that attempted to mimic the flavors of these casks with Oak chips and a secondary ferment with Brett C. the flavor was okay when first brewed but gradually the oak and Brett got stronger as they bottle conditioned until it tasted like whiskey made out of bandaids. It was pretty undrinkable toward the end. Fun experiment though.
Maybe add some oak chips to simulate that cask aging?
Also, can you make a video doing overnight chill on the kettle?
Would be nice to hear your thoughts on that!
Holy cats, an old ale! I totally forgot about this style. This style was one of the first craft beers I ever had, about 15 years ago. Gonna have to brew one. 👍🏼👍🏼
Last time I did an overnight boil, it wasn't because I tried. I have an electric kettle/mash tun, The transformer blew up at the local substation and brought down the city I live in. Two days later I had a sour wheat which wasn't that bad but not great either.
Great stuff keep up the great work love the videos and will be trying a few recipes soon
Thanks!
I'm doing my overnight mash now in my oven. Love your videos, you're obviously a stickler for accuracy which I like. It would be hugely helpful is you could include metric weights in your ingredients. I had to do quite a number of extra steps when working out my quantities because the weights are imperial.
I may try your your foreign extra stout next. A lot very exciting beers, well done!
Thank you!
Love it. To borrow a phrase: Good things come to those who wait... !
Yessss... I am about to barrel a very dark 10ABV braggot in a barrel from rice whiskey. Will come back in a year and post update on the taste ;-) hahaha awesome video
Counting on it! 😃
Hi Martin, I'd like to give a quick suggestion. Try to age it with some oak chips. I did it with a similar "Belgian Abbey" I brew few years ago and the result was outstanding. Cheers!
I’ve had good luck with oak chips too. Will be throwing some into a beer again at some point.
Just regular oak chips? What about them steeped in a spirit, or maybe derived from a spirit barrel? Like a bourbon or whisky?
@@jeremyghunter I generally use 100 proof vodka, it is more neutral (and cheaper).
@@filop2011 sure it's cheaper, but the point of using oak and a spirit is not strength but flavour, vodka and oak are not known for being complementary, vodka just makes it stronger, as vodka is fairly pure and has no flavour that would stand out against beer. Something like whisky or bourbon on the other hand would add character that matches oak. On this basis, instead of vodka you could just brew a bigger beer and then add oak.
@@jeremyghunter I don't add the vodka to the beer. I drain the oak chips and leave there in infusion after day two of fermentation or add the chips to the keg before carbonation. You can also toast the chips in the oven (no need for sanitation in this case) or mix some toasted and some in alcohol. Please, in brew making, experiment everything!! Cheers
Great video, Martin! Your next experiment should be similar to this, but with no boil, just a pasteurisation phase. Get the brew time right down.
Yeah curious to learn more about no boil brewing.
Love old ales! I think I may have to brew one myself.
I just brewed an Old Ale, hopefully bottling this weekend. I don't know yet if it's true, but Josh Weikert at Beer and Brewing said that Black Treacle was like liquid time. I'll be curious to see how mine comes out.
Great video, keep up the good work!
Cool hope it turns out well with the treacle.
Man, I enjoy watching your videos a lot!
Always fun to watch and I always take some inspirations for my next brew day.
I totally agree: let the beer sit for a while. I kept 2 beers in my cellar for about 4 years. After the brewing they had some bad tastes. (Actually, I forgot about them in the cellar for 4 years. :)
)
And guess what: after that time they were really good!
Cheers from Germany!
Thanks. Haha yeah 4 years can only happen by accident - I could never be that patient 😂
I agree with you Martin, age them for 6-months.
How did this turn out after leaving it to age? Do you have a follow up video on this at all?
I love old ale, probably third place in my favourites following saison and lambic. Is this the kind of beer that would typically be followed up with Brett and maybe even some lacto? I feel this would really suit some funk and a little tartness.
Your content is great, keep up the good work!
Great recipe, great channel, great music, could you please tell me the name of the first song? I really loved it! Cheers!
Thank you. Song is Xerces by Michael Shynes.
Your videos are so great. Watching this is making me want to buy a keg just for ageing beers. Cheers from Dorset in the UK.
Thanks! And cheers.
Did you you consider Brettanomyces for aging? One of the most memorable beers I have made is an old ale aged with B. clausenii. A broader question: what happens when you get to the aged styles like 23D? Did you start that one a year ago, with video footage, just waiting for the tasting?
Love all your videos. With doing more small batches of 2.5 gallons...have you considered doing a mini system build? The Clawhammer system looks awesome but as someone that does smaller batches I think it would be overkill for me. I would love to see if you could replicate the features of one of these systems on something like the SS brewtech brew kettle mini (5.5 gallon). Keep up the awesome work!
That would be interesting. The system I’m using handles 2.5 gallon batches pretty well and gives me the flexibility to brew 5 gallons when I want too so its not really been something I’ve seriously looked into.
I've always fancied doing an overnight mash but worry about it going a bit Pete Tong. Might have to try it! Cracking video, Martin!
I’ve done two now and so far so good. Good luck!
Overnight mash sounds like an interesting idea. Not sure if I am comfortable leaving stuff plugged in though.
I have an idea, dispense half of the old ale into a fermenter bucket and add oak chips.. I think an old ale might do really well aged in oak.
At 4:50 you said "to balance out all the sugar, you are going to add 1 to 2% black patent malt". While you said that, you held up the D-90 Belgian sugar. How does that malt balance the sugar?
I wish you’d have taken a temperature reading at the top of the mash the next day. I wonder how big the difference would have been with what the controller said, given that the probe is below the grain and by the heater. Love all your vids, great work!
True will do that next time. That said the grain was fully submerged in the water so wouldn’t expect to see a huge difference?
@@TheHomebrewChallenge I noticed about 2 degrees difference after letting it sit as you did w/o re circulation for 1 hour (with the controller on to maintain temp). I am curious if it gets worst over time or just stabilizes with a small delta. It may also depend on how fine the crush is and how thick/insulating that grain layer ends up being. Do you crush your own? if so how fine?
Yes I double crush with a 0.055 gap. And I agree - will take better measurements next time I try this.
Hi Martin. Thoroughly enjoying your shows, great presentation and also such a great concept being a BJCP style guideline devotee. Prost, Thomas p.s. any chance you could add the grist percentages and the alpha values?
As I read the BJCP guidelines, what you are talking about is just one vector of the guidelines. In the broader sense, it seems that there would be two broad sub-categories of old stock ales and winter warmers. It is almost like you could also look at this as authentic vs. nostalgic which would provide an entirely different perspective to this style. Styles like this and pre-prohibition lager seem to have similar issues with the guidelines. Just look at the SRM range of 10 to 22, and IBUs of 30 to 60 for an 'Old Ale'. The 'old ale' that you are brewing is just one variation of a very broad spectrum of possibilities for an 'Old Ale'. We need clarification to properly describe the guidelines rather than just one interpretation.
Hey Martin, can you show us how to achive right the inicial gravity? Always great videos
When I’m consistently doing that I’ll let you know 😁
It appears that Loren has a great nose and flavour palette she nails it every time
How much time could you keep your grains already crushed ?
Why do not use anymore your yeast bank ?
Any update on this beer now that it has aged.
Check out the previous video for the re-tasting.
Is this a technique suited to the old ale style? Or perhaps something you could expand to belgian high abv beers?
I plan to try overnight mashing with a bunch of beers in future. Give it a shot. It’s great starting a brew day with already mashed wort.
I hope you age it and give it another tasting in a few months.
Curious what's the best and worst beer you've brewed so far during the challenge?
has this beer aged well in the end?
Been looking at an old ale recipe today with a view to sitting it up until the dark depths of winter. Also found a cock ale recipe made from chicken may be interesting to give a go 👍🍻
Umm. Chicken?! 🤣
This may have been asked before but is there a spotify playlist for the music you use? Because it is always 🔥
How was the Astringency from an extended mash?
I didn’t notice any off-flavors
Did I miss it? What is the purpose of the overnight mash?
What was the purpose of doing an over night mash? That grist had more than enough DP to be able to convert in one hour, especially at 67 C.
Right. The purpose being I didn’t have to wait an hour. Came downstairs to pre-mashed wort on brew day.
Add some Bretta.
Thank you!
I like to finish the mash and get it all into the kettle heated up to 185F then go to bed.
Yes have done this too. Boil the next day.
do you use oxygen for fermentation???
Not in this one. But yes for big beers I do.
Did it sour at all with the super long mash?
Nothing that I could detect. Not letting the mash temp drop should have guarded against that.
What FG did you reach? I didn't catch that number in the video, and I'm curious if the overnight mash made for a more fermentable wort than normal.
Finished at 1.014
If it doesn't come around then add fruit to it, that's my solution to fixing a brew I don't like.
🥳
I'm a new clawhammer owner. In my first brew I missed by target gravity. Do you crush your grain finer for BIAB system?
That's what I do. Many people suggest a double crush for BiaB. I personally get about 80% on moderate gravity beers (~1.060) with just a single, very fine crush, but give it a try and see what you get.
I double crush but not seeing anywhere near 80%. Do you know your mill gap size?
I've got a brewzilla and get 77% with a single crush. I use a 3 roller mill set to 0.063
I got a 68% but I did a crush at the store so I have no idea what gap size they use. However, I have since bought my own mill and have yet to use it.
@@johnnyperez2260 That's the way to go. I ran into an issue where someone changed the mill at the store and I didn't check. Went from 80% to 65% between batches. Got my own mill after that and everything's nice and consistent.
Cellar that one. It'll be fantastic with some age on it. 🍻
Time heals all brews. You should out it in the closet and forget about it until winter.
Yep! I’ve done my best to hide this away for the season.
67 C = 152 F
i'm not sure what you said, but sounded way off
Hey Martin, I had a thought. If you do overnight mashes, why not get a lifetime cooler from Walmart. They perform like Yeti coolers or even better for a lower price. I kinda thought of buying one for my camping trip.
How annoyed were you when you heard the lav mic rubbing? doh
🤕 ...this.. from the head banging after watching back the footage
The Homebrew Challenge killer as it’s not something you can redo 🤦🏻♂️
Nice. I just did an old ale following this Amazon Old Ale recipe (beerandbrewing.com/amazon-old-ale-recipe/) BIAB ~10 litre batch. It called for black treacle instead of syrup which to me gave a liquorice taste. Would be nice to follow yours and compare! I did some changes to the original since the grain availability in Finland is different, and I overshoot the treacle. Got very drinkable 8% abv beer nonetheless.
Finally got to your taste notes: I find my version very good but would probably benefit the age as well. But that's not gonna happen.
Haha, yeah, I don’t normally have the patience to properly age these things.
"Tones of dark fruit": Lost me there.