| At a far too early hour to be up on the Whit Bank Holiday Monday, members of the Liverpool Beer Collective Committee converged on Irk Street, hidden away in the back streets of Manchester city centre. Excited to be pushing the boundaries of our collaboration range outside of the Liverpool area, we were pleased to join the team at Blackjack for a special one-off brew to be ready in time for Liverpool Beer Week. |  |
The split grain bill (Pale Ale, Carapils and Mild malts - plus Oats) was loaded into Blackjack’s remarkable and oddly shaped square mash tun (the Blackjack brewers love the efficiency that they achieve using this bit of kit and proceeded to give us a lowdown on what that meant – it’s a technical business this brewing lark!).
After the grain had steeped for an hour or so, the wort was then recirculated through the mash tun, whilst an additional 15kg of lactose sugar was gradually poured in to bolster the liquor for transfer to the kettle. After further circulation - to ensure even distribution of the lactose throughout the wort – the grain was sparged to release any last sugars before being transferred to the kettle for bittering hop additions (Saaz and Marynka) and boiling/sterilising.
Once the boil had started to roll, it was time to dig out the spent grain from the mash tun; This technical task was carried out expertly by our very own Angela and Sam (with the help of Dave and Pedro). Nailed it.
After the grain had steeped for an hour or so, the wort was then recirculated through the mash tun, whilst an additional 15kg of lactose sugar was gradually poured in to bolster the liquor for transfer to the kettle. After further circulation - to ensure even distribution of the lactose throughout the wort – the grain was sparged to release any last sugars before being transferred to the kettle for bittering hop additions (Saaz and Marynka) and boiling/sterilising.
Once the boil had started to roll, it was time to dig out the spent grain from the mash tun; This technical task was carried out expertly by our very own Angela and Sam (with the help of Dave and Pedro). Nailed it.
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This led conveniently to lunch time! Those of you who are familiar with the area know that the Marble Arch pub is a couple of metres up the road from the brewery; a spot of lunch wouldn’t be quite complete without a sneaky half of something tasty, always on the card at Marble’s establishments. On our return to the brewery, the flame-out hops (Jester) had been weighed out and prepared by the Blackjack team. Our man Dave had the honours of tipping the green gold into the precious liquid ready to get some heady fruit aromas into the beer along with the magnificent flavour that Jester can often impart.
At this point, the hoppy, sugary wort was then transferred to a ready-prepared fermentation vessel via a heat-exchanger, dropping the temperature to allow the yeast best conditions to start doing its work. On this occasion, a batch of US-05 yeast was pitched and the fermenting vessel sealed, marking the end of our involvement with the brewing process. Rob and his team at Blackjack went on to dry-hop the beer and add in pineapple during fermentation to ensure maximum fruit flavour and quaffability.
At this point, the hoppy, sugary wort was then transferred to a ready-prepared fermentation vessel via a heat-exchanger, dropping the temperature to allow the yeast best conditions to start doing its work. On this occasion, a batch of US-05 yeast was pitched and the fermenting vessel sealed, marking the end of our involvement with the brewing process. Rob and his team at Blackjack went on to dry-hop the beer and add in pineapple during fermentation to ensure maximum fruit flavour and quaffability.
Ladies and gentlemen, Blackjack Brewery & Liverpool Beer Collective proudly present to you – Hawaiian Handstand – a DDH Pineapple Upsidedown Cake Pale!
Neil, Angela, Dave, Sam and Pedro.
Neil, Angela, Dave, Sam and Pedro.
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