566 replies to this topic

[Florida]

I ended up using a can of light and a can of amber malt syrup instead. It was double hopped with Northern Brewer for the boil and Cascade at the end.

How big were the cans?
How many ounces of hops?
Did you take gravity readings?

[rooftop1000]

Ok lets see....
The Malt was the lightest one they had, the salesman took away what I had in my basket and gave me?? something else
The canned Malt Syrup were 3.3 pounds each
1.5 oz Northern Brewer Hops
1 oz Cascade

but here it is, I am the only one that didn't NUTZ over it
 Dec 09 008.jpg   35.07K   1 downloads

Not what I would call an IPA....and I know keep a notebook of what the heck you used, I know, I know.

Tracey

Edited by rooftop1000, 28 December 2009 - 01:20 PM.

[mgaretz]

Ok lets see....
Not what I would call an IPA....

Next time try 8 lbs of pale malt extract, .75 lbs light crystal malt (about 17 degrees), .25 lbs 95 degree crystal malt and 1 lb of a dextrin malt. (Dingman's can be steeped with the crystal - if all you can get is Breiss then do a "mini-mash" by covering with 160 degree water for 15-30 minutes then steep with the rest of the grains).

For bittering hops use any neutral hop - Northen Brewer as you used is fine - shoot for 35 to 45 IBU. You need about 1.5 ozs of Cascade for finishing and then dry hop with another 1.5 ozs. (If you're after an "American style" IPA - otherwise use East Kent Goldings or Fuggle for a British style IPA.)

[Pilori]

Well, I just picked up my ingredients for the Red Ale today! They didn't have Weyermann Melanoidin malt in, but the guy recommended something similar to me (I believe it was from Belgian, instead). I also decided to pick up a Scottish Wyeast since I wanted to try a wet yeast this time instead of the dry.

I forgot to get the hop bags, but I'm going to be in the brew shop area on Thursday so I'll get them then. For future reference can I use something like cheese cloth with a string attached to it as a hop bag?

[Florida]

Well, I just picked up my ingredients for the Red Ale today! They didn't have Weyermann Melanoidin malt in, but the guy recommended something similar to me (I believe it was from Belgian, instead). I also decided to pick up a Scottish Wyeast since I wanted to try a wet yeast this time instead of the dry.

I forgot to get the hop bags, but I'm going to be in the brew shop area on Thursday so I'll get them then. For future reference can I use something like cheese cloth with a string attached to it as a hop bag?

I'm assuming the hop bag is for dry-hopping: You don't need a hop bag. Just dump them in.

[cdh]

I'm assuming the hop bag is for dry-hopping: You don't need a hop bag. Just dump them in.

When doing big batches, that's good advice. When brewing small, a hop bag might let you get another couple of bottles-worth out of the primary before your siphon starts sucking yeasty sediment, as the sludge is not augmented by the hop volume.

Edited by cdh, 09 March 2010 - 04:40 PM.

[cdh]

Oh, and Pilori, the Scotish yeast choice was a great pick for that beer.

[cdh]

And while we're talking brewing, I must report that after a couple of years with the fermenting space tied up with sour beers that take lots of time to finish, I'm back to brewing more regularly now. I just got in on a local group grain buy, and have stocked up with 55 lbs of pale malt and 27.5 lbs of Munich malt... I've got the materials to do a bunch of brewing this spring...

[Steven Murphy]

And while we're talking brewing, I must report that after a couple of years with the fermenting space tied up with sour beers that take lots of time to finish, I'm back to brewing more regularly now. I just got in on a local group grain buy, and have stocked up with 55 lbs of pale malt and 27.5 lbs of Munich malt... I've got the materials to do a bunch of brewing this spring...

Glad to hear. I spent a good part of the day in the brewery cleaning up and trying to organize. Pulled the Brew Magic out and cleaned it up and did a good Clean In Place. Time to brew here to. I have about 300 pounds of grain and 10 pounds of hops to brew up.

[Pilori]

So once we are done with these recipes here where should we go if we haven't developed our skills enough to create our own recipe?

Also, in terms of the Red Ale, I have two fermentation vessels. One bucket with airtight lid and airlock along with a clear plastic container with the really narrow mouth (like the water jugs) with another airlock. Can I do a primary and secondary fermentation with this ale? And, in general, which container should I start with?

Edited by Pilori, 10 March 2010 - 12:22 PM.

[Steven Murphy]

So once we are done with these recipes here where should we go if we haven't developed our skills enough to create our own recipe?

Also, in terms of the Red Ale, I have two fermentation vessels. One bucket with airtight lid and airlock along with a clear plastic container with the really narrow mouth (like the water jugs) with another airlock. Can I do a primary and secondary fermentation with this ale? And, in general, which container should I start with?

Normally you would do your primary fermentation in the bucket and then transfer to the carboy for secondary fermentation. You can actually do the entire fermentation in one vessel if you choose. The major advantage of secondary is for beer clarity and with styles that require extended fermentation time such as lagers, reduced oxidation exposure. When I brew my common House Pale Ale which is essentially an English Ordinary Bitter I ferment it in a bucket for two week and then rack to to a keg for carbonation and serving. If I were brewing this beer for competition, I will rack to a carboy, crash cool it in my lagering room and possibly filter it prior to bottling. I can have an extremely clear beer with just the single bucket fermentation though if I rack very carefully.

In regards to recipes, there are hundreds of websites with recipes. There are numerous brewing forums out there as well. Some better than the rest. Just remember that many of them are like food recipe sites where they may not be that good a recipe even with high ratings. Your fermentation and sanitation practices are more important than a "good recipe" though. There are many great books out there as well full of recipes. My favorite is Brewing Classic Styles. Every recipe in the book was an award winning recipe at national level competition. It has extract as well as all grain version of every recipe. Another great book to own is How To Brew by John Palmer. It is my brewing Bible.

[Pilori]

Thanks for the recommendations the books!

Started the Red Ale last night and everything seems to have went smoothly. Again I ended up with under two gallons when I poured it into the fermentor, but I just filled it up to the two gallon mark with water. My girlfriend has a mother starter sourdough culture in the kitchen, which is the only thing I'm worried about. Hopefully I sanitized well.

[Pilori]

Transferred the beer to the secondary fermenter today. Smelled and looked like beer, but it had these specks on top that I'm not so sure about. I've posted a picture of it here. I brewed my first beer about a year ago so I can't remember if this is normal. Thoughts?

[mtigges]

They look brown, so I suspect it's yeast that hasn't yet dropped. Difficult to tell in the photo though. Remember that co2 can remain trapped in the little groups of the beasties, keeping them afloat.

NB: I never top off with water. I have no problem with beer that is a little stronger than intended, and you have a much better chance contaminating it if you add something versus nothing.

[samuelpeter]

Almost definitely yeast colonies that didn't drop. Infections, in the off chance that it happens, often (NOT always) look like long trails across the surface.

It's an ale yeast and assuming that you're fermenting at 60+ degrees, it's totally normal.

[Florida]

Transferred the beer to the secondary fermenter today. Smelled and looked like beer, but it had these specks on top that I'm not so sure about. I've posted a picture of it here. I brewed my first beer about a year ago so I can't remember if this is normal. Thoughts?

I'm going to say it's remnants from the krausen. Nothing to worry about.

[Pilori]

Beer turned out great! Tastes pretty good, though it seems to be really low on alcohol...I bottled them in 22oz bottles and if I drink one I can barely feel it compared to the very first extract brew recipe here.

[cdh]

Yup... you're getting the lessons the progression of recipes is there to teach you. The Red Ale was packed with unfermentable sugars... it will have a rich body, but not much alcohol in it... unlike the Golden Ale that has very little unfermentable in it. If you have any of the Golden left, mix them in varying proportions and see how they blend with each other.

[FoodMan]

I am planning on making a Strawberry Blond ale this weekend. The inspiration is Abita's refreshing "Strawberry Harvest". Anyways, adding fruit to my beer is fine with me. I've made a really nice Cherry Ale a while back that was a favorite of everyone who tasted it. My question concerns Elederflowers actually. Elderflowers are in season here now and are growing all over the place. I already made a nice syrup/cordial with some (sugar+water+flowers) that has a great spicy taste and a lovely chartreuse color. I am also soaking some in vodka to make a cordial. I would like to add some elderflowers to my beer but not sure what the best approach is:

- Add a bunch of flowers at flameout along with the berries and let them steep while chilling the wort?
- Add a cup or two of my Elederflower syrup?
- Add a cup of Elderflower infused vodka (not sure I have enough time for this one)?

or maybe adding the Elderflowers is not a good idea at all....

Any suggestions?

[ScoopKW]

I am planning on making a Strawberry Blond ale this weekend. The inspiration is Abita's refreshing "Strawberry Harvest". Anyways, adding fruit to my beer is fine with me. I've made a really nice Cherry Ale a while back that was a favorite of everyone who tasted it. My question concerns Elederflowers actually. Elderflowers are in season here now and are growing all over the place. I already made a nice syrup/cordial with some (sugar+water+flowers) that has a great spicy taste and a lovely chartreuse color. I am also soaking some in vodka to make a cordial. I would like to add some elderflowers to my beer but not sure what the best approach is:

- Add a bunch of flowers at flameout along with the berries and let them steep while chilling the wort?
- Add a cup or two of my Elederflower syrup?
- Add a cup of Elderflower infused vodka (not sure I have enough time for this one)?

or maybe adding the Elderflowers is not a good idea at all....

Any suggestions?

I'd zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds to kill any microbes and add them to the secondary. In general, flowers in the boil/primary are going to lose too much of their essential oils and flavors.

But I have not worked with elderberry flowers -- if they taste good steeped, toss them in the secondary. If they need to be boiled to bring out the flavor, then do that as close to flameout as possible.

[FoodMan]

I am planning on making a Strawberry Blond ale this weekend. The inspiration is Abita's refreshing "Strawberry Harvest". Anyways, adding fruit to my beer is fine with me. I've made a really nice Cherry Ale a while back that was a favorite of everyone who tasted it. My question concerns Elederflowers actually. Elderflowers are in season here now and are growing all over the place. I already made a nice syrup/cordial with some (sugar+water+flowers) that has a great spicy taste and a lovely chartreuse color. I am also soaking some in vodka to make a cordial. I would like to add some elderflowers to my beer but not sure what the best approach is:

- Add a bunch of flowers at flameout along with the berries and let them steep while chilling the wort?
- Add a cup or two of my Elederflower syrup?
- Add a cup of Elderflower infused vodka (not sure I have enough time for this one)?

or maybe adding the Elderflowers is not a good idea at all....

Any suggestions?

I'd zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds to kill any microbes and add them to the secondary. In general, flowers in the boil/primary are going to lose too much of their essential oils and flavors.

But I have not worked with elderberry flowers -- if they taste good steeped, toss them in the secondary. If they need to be boiled to bring out the flavor, then do that as close to flameout as possible.

They work better steeped in hot water I think, not necessarily boiled. The more I think about it, I might just skip them all together. I do not want the beer to have a greenish tinge. They do that. We'll see.

[FoodMan]

I am planning on making a Strawberry Blond ale this weekend. The inspiration is Abita's refreshing "Strawberry Harvest". Anyways, adding fruit to my beer is fine with me. I've made a really nice Cherry Ale a while back that was a favorite of everyone who tasted it. My question concerns Elederflowers actually. Elderflowers are in season here now and are growing all over the place. I already made a nice syrup/cordial with some (sugar+water+flowers) that has a great spicy taste and a lovely chartreuse color. I am also soaking some in vodka to make a cordial. I would like to add some elderflowers to my beer but not sure what the best approach is:

- Add a bunch of flowers at flameout along with the berries and let them steep while chilling the wort?
- Add a cup or two of my Elederflower syrup?
- Add a cup of Elderflower infused vodka (not sure I have enough time for this one)?

or maybe adding the Elderflowers is not a good idea at all....

Any suggestions?

I'd zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds to kill any microbes and add them to the secondary. In general, flowers in the boil/primary are going to lose too much of their essential oils and flavors.



But I have not worked with elderberry flowers -- if they taste good steeped, toss them in the secondary. If they need to be boiled to bring out the flavor, then do that as close to flameout as possible.

They work better steeped in hot water I think, not necessarily boiled. The more I think about it, I might just skip them all together. I do not want the beer to have a greenish tinge. They do that. We'll see.

I ended up not using them because of the color issue I mentioned above and I did not think their mild fragrance would make a difference.

I am interested with what everyone thinks about using fresh fruit (esp. berries) in beer. What is the best way to include them. I have made a cherry ale by adding the cherries (mashed up) at flame-out and left them in the fermenter for 5 days before scooping them all off. That worked well. I am doing the same thing for the strawberries this time around. I still have a couple of weeks at least before I can tell how the beer ends up working out. Any thoughts?

[ScoopKW]

I always add fruit after primary is finished -- or at least slowed down considerably.

I haven't found a fruit yet where the flavor is improved by boiling.


EDIT -- And brewing with fruit is a lot like sculpture -- you have to really think about what's left, flavor-wise, when all the sucrose has been removed.

Edited by ScoopKW, 27 May 2011 - 01:48 PM.

[FoodMan]

I always add fruit after primary is finished -- or at least slowed down considerably.

I haven't found a fruit yet where the flavor is improved by boiling.


EDIT -- And brewing with fruit is a lot like sculpture -- you have to really think about what's left, flavor-wise, when all the sucrose has been removed.

Well, I never boil it so as not to set the pectin and make jam! I add them at flame out. I figured the high heart is needed to deactivate any enzymes and kill any nasties.

[cdh]

I throw frozen fruit in after the primary fermentation is done... counting on the time in the freezer and the booze in the beer to keep it from getting funky.

[ScoopKW]

And if you give it a little more hops after racking* (if appropriate for the style, naturally), all the better from an anti-spoilage perspective.


*I'm assuming most people here don't have conical fermentors.

[FoodMan]

Thanks guys. I'll try adding in the fruit after primary next time around. I'll report back on the strawberry one when it is ready.