Freaky Hobgoblin

Brewed a Hobgoblin clone Saturday evening (guess I should have waited until today), and by Sunday morning it was bubbling along at a bubble every 3 seconds. By late morning it was a bubble every second, so I moved it into a tub and started trying to cool things down a bit. By Sunday evening it was going at 90 BPM. Looking in the carboy, the clumps of stuff were moving around so fast it almost looked like they were alive...it kind of looked like the wort was simmering in there.

Got up this morning and the foam had come all the way up to within 1/2 inch of the top, then went back down...guess I got lucky. I don't know if it was the starter, or the oxygen, or the WLP005 British Ale Yeast, or invoking a hobgoblin on all hallows eve, but whatever it was, I had no idea that them yeasties could be that active!

That's my next brew (It's my staple shop bought)

I hope mine that good!

orfy said:

That's my next brew (It's my staple shop bought)

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I'd like it to be my staple too, but at almost $10 per sixer, it's a little pricey. I just hope mine tastes OK...the sample was really, really bitter. Are you using the recipe from Beer Captured?

I pay around £6 ~ $10 for 4x500ml, the only problem is the bottles (very nice) are not reusable.

The recipe is from a AU site. I'm tempted to try a partial mash on this one.

(5 gallons)
OG =1.059 FG =1.016 SRM = 17.5 IBU = 28

6 oz. British crystal malt (55° Lovibond)
1 oz. British chocolate malt
0.5 oz. British black malt
6.5 lbs. Munton's extra light dry malt extract (DME)
4 oz. malto dextrin
7 AAUs Progress bittering hops (1 oz. of 7% alpha acid)
3.4 AAUs Styrian Goldings flavour hops (0.66 oz. of 5% alpha acid)
2.5 AAUs Styrian Goldings aroma hops (0.5 oz. of 5% alpha acid)
1 tsp. Irish moss
London Ale yeast (Wyeast 1028) or English Ale yeast (White Labs WLP002)
0.75 cup corn sugar for priming


Method
Heat 1 gallon of water to 155° F. Add grain and steep at 150° F for 30 minutes. Strain the grain water into the brew pot. Sparge the grains with 0.5 gallons of 150° F water. Add the malt extracts, malto dextrin and bittering hops. Add water until the total volume is 2.5 gallons. Boil for 45 minutes then add 0.66 oz. of Styrian Goldings flavour hops and Irish moss. Boil for 13 minutes and add 0.5 oz. of Styrian Goldings hops. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove and cool for 15 minutes. Strain the cooled wort into the primary fermenter and add cold water to obtain 5 gallons. When the wort is below 80° F, pitch the yeast and aerate well. Ferment in the primary at 68° to 72° F for 5 to 7 days.

Rack to the secondary and let ferment at 70° F for 2.5 to 3 weeks until target gravity is reached. Bottle and let prime at 70° to 72° F for 2 weeks. Store at cellar temperature. Serve in a pint glass at 50° F.

Partial-Mash Option

Mash 2 lbs. Maris Otter two-row pale malt with specialty grains at 150° F for 90 minutes. Then follow the extract recipe, omitting 1.5 lb. Munton's extra light dry malt extract at the beginning of the boil.

All-Grain Option

Mash 10.75 lbs. Maris Otter two-row pale malt with the specialty grains at 150° F for 90 minutes. Add 5.3 AAU Progress bittering hop (24% less than the extract recipe) for 90 minutes. Add the Irish moss, flavour and aroma hops as indicated in the extract recipe.

orfy said:

The recipe is from a AU site.

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Those dastardly aussies copied that recipe almost verbatim from Beer Captured.

Do I need that book then?

It has a lot of good recipes, but I imagine most of them can be found on the web somewhere.

One thing about this particular recipe...the book recommends Wyeast 1187 Ringwood Ale yeast as the first choice, or Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale as the second. I used WLP005 British Ale yeast (instead of WLP002 as your recipe says) because WLP005 is the ringwood strain, same as the wyeast that the book recommended.

I brewed that same recipe back in the summer. Came out great, just need to let it age a while. The first few I had were a little rushed(I made it for my wife's family get together and It was still green) after about a month it was very smooth. I don't recall that acive of a fermentation though. Must have had really hungry yeast

2nd Street Brewery said:

I don't recall that acive of a fermentation though. Must have had really hungry yeast

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Bubbling with oxygen seems to make things go pretty nutsy. Which yeast did you use?

It was back in June and my notes suck right now but by going through my empty While Labs vials I am pretty sure it was the same British Ale yeast you used. I don't do anything to oxygenate my wort prior to pitching(other than pouring through the strainer after it has cooled down enough. I did a lager yesterday that was bubbling like crazy after only 12hrs. Used WL830 German Lager yeast in a 1/2 gal starter and it took right off.