Inger Nilsson

Dry Hopping works!

I is the ninth letter of the alphabet. This is my ninth attempt at cloning Witchwood's Hobgoblin Ale.

I also stands for It Worked For Once, and nine is not only my favorite number, it's the age at which Inger Nilsson was cast as Pippi Longstocking. This was probably the greatest casting decision of all time, equaled only by the choice of Jeremy Brett to play Sherlock Holmes.

As for the brew, I have decided to dispense with using decimals to plan the grain bill, except for those instances where the scale confuses me while I'm taking records.

I went with Wyeast 1028 again, but more notably I've made some changes in the hopping department. 1.5 oz Goldings boil, 1.5 oz Goldings finish, and 1 oz goldings in the secondary. I just stuffed the whole hops into the carboy. This is actually a bit of a pain in the ass because the mini bail the Goldings came in is getting a bit low, so there aren't as many solid cones, just a lot of loose bits.

The grain bill:

• 10 Pounds 2-row
• 8 Ounces Crystal
• 1 Ounce Chocolate
• 2 Ounces Black

THE MASH PROFILE

• Strike with 11 Litres @ 71° Celsius for 62° Celsius
• Rest for 60 Minutes
• Decoct 1/4 and add back for 68° Celsius
• Rest for 40 Minutes

THE RESULTS

It worked! The temperature fell off rapidly towards the end of the mash, but for the purposes of conversion it was a success.

OG: 1.044

TG: 1.007

The taste and coulor was also excellent. Not Goblin yet, but enjoyable non the less. The dry hopping produced elevated aroma, no doubt about it. I think I'll make this a common practice.