The Homebrew Thread

[Frank_Grimes]

Good stuff, I found the same thing with the cream ale I made, crystal clear from start to finish pretty much.

I've been tasked by the missus to make a raspberry ale (There was one on tap at Fortitude/Noisy Minor last time we went up to Tambourine) - I was initially considering a saison for it, but I think I'll go the way of a blonde ale with little to no late hops. I'll ferment as normal then rack on to frozen raspberry for a couple of weeks I guess.

The next beer i'll do after that will probably be another amber ale using a similar grain bill to the last one I mentioned, will use centennial and perhaps cascade.

I'm definitely keen on adding some different flavours after fermentation also. I've toyed with a raspberry blonde in the past and the GF's parent's mandarin tree is just about bursting with ripe fruit so I'll give the Flying Dog Bloodline IPA a go with them.

I can definitely recommend polenta for the cream ale. It was super easy to work with and ridiculously cheap at $1.50 for 500g at the IGA. If it turns out to be a tasty easy drinking beer, I might make it a regular and dial down the grain to hit 3.5%.

As an aside - is anyone using a refractometer? I like the efficiency of only taking a small sample to get gravity readings but have heard mixed results on the accuracy. The main gripe is that you need to take the brix reading and convert using a calculator - the SG readings can be wildly inaccurate.

 

[TiggaPlease]

As an aside - is anyone using a refractometer? I like the efficiency of only taking a small sample to get gravity readings but have heard mixed results on the accuracy. The main gripe is that you need to take the brix reading and convert using a calculator - the SG readings can be wildly inaccurate.

I've been tempted to buy one a couple of times but I always end up getting ingredients instead. I have a laptop with beersmith on it where I brew so I'd be able to belt the conversions out without any issue.

Did you just grab one of the ebay cheapies?

 

[Frank_Grimes]

I've been tempted to buy one a couple of times but I always end up getting ingredients instead. I have a laptop with beersmith on it where I brew so I'd be able to belt the conversions out without any issue.

Did you just grab one of the ebay cheapies?

Haven't got one yet, but like yourself I'm tempted every time I look at them on Keg King or in the LHBS. I think I'll buy a decent one.

 

[TiggaPlease]

Have you got a mill, or are you buying pre cracked grain?

I'd love to get a mill sooner rather than later as some of the bulk buy prices on AHB are great for base malt. $2/kg for BB Ale malt for example.

A good mill is so expensive though.

 

[TiggaPlease]

Just went out and bought some ingredients

First up will be the Raspberry Blonde - The puree will actually be frozen raspberries.

Recipe: Raspberry Blonde
Brewer: TJ
Asst Brewer:
Style: Blonde Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 31.60 l
Post Boil Volume: 26.65 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 22.00 l
Bottling Volume: 20.60 l
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 8.6 EBC
Estimated IBU: 25.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 80.1 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
4.00 kg Pale Malt, Traditional Ale (Joe White) ( Grain 1 84.2 %
0.50 kg Vienna (BestMälz) (8.0 EBC) Grain 2 10.5 %
0.25 kg Cara-Pils/Dextrine (3.9 EBC) Grain 3 5.3 %
10.00 g Hallertau Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 m Hop 4 15.7 IBUs
10.00 g Hallertau Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 20.0 m Hop 5 9.5 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 6 -
1.00 kg Raspberry Puree (Secondary 7.0 days) Flavor 7 -


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 4.75 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 34.50 l of water at 69.7 C 66.7 C 75 min
Mash Out Heat to 75.6 C over 7 min 75.6 C 10 min

Second will be my house Amber ale - Just using whatever grains my LHBS had in stock, last time I made it with Barrett Burston as the base malts, Weyerman for the Munich and Gladfields for the speciality malts. I'm assuming the LHBS will be pretty much all domestic malts, didn't bother asking.


Recipe: House Amber
Brewer: TJ
Asst Brewer:
Style: American Amber Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 31.60 l
Post Boil Volume: 26.65 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 22.00 l
Bottling Volume: 20.60 l
Estimated OG: 1.051 SG
Estimated Color: 28.1 EBC
Estimated IBU: 40.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 80.1 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
4.00 kg Pale Malt, Traditional Ale (Joe White) ( Grain 1 77.7 %
0.50 kg Munich, Light (Joe White) (17.7 EBC) Grain 2 9.7 %
0.40 kg Gladfield Medium Crystal Malt (111.0 EBC Grain 3 7.8 %
0.20 kg Gladfield Dark Crystal Malt (190.0 EBC) Grain 4 3.9 %
0.05 kg Gladfield Light Chocolate Malt (900.0 EB Grain 5 1.0 %
10.00 g Hallertau Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 60.0 m Hop 6 15.3 IBUs
10.00 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 7 3.6 IBUs
10.00 g Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 8 6.6 IBUs
0.50 Items Whirwww.leagueunlimited.comoc Tablet (Boil 5.0 mins) Fining 9 -
30.00 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 20.0 Hop 10 5.4 IBUs
30.00 g Centennial [10.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool Hop 11 9.9 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 12 -


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 5.15 kg
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 34.75 l of water at 69.9 C 66.7 C 75 min
Mash Out Heat to 75.6 C over 7 min 75.6 C 10 min

 

[Frank_Grimes]

Have you got a mill, or are you buying pre cracked grain?

I'd love to get a mill sooner rather than later as some of the bulk buy prices on AHB are great for base malt. $2/kg for BB Ale malt for example.

A good mill is so expensive though.

No I'm stilll buying milled and mixed grain. I still can't work out in my head how I'd make it work. Obviously the savings are in buying several sacks of base ale malt and then buying specialty malts like crystal and munich from the shop, but what other malts would you bulk buy? Vienna? Pilsner?

I guess it depends on the style you make most, but I'm changing mine up all the time.

BTW - had a sample of the cream ale last night and man does it have a corny aftertaste. Not unpleasant, and the gravity reading was 1.020 so it's got a bit of fermenting left to do. I just hope it's not too corny once it's finished. I bumped up the temp to 20deg to give it a final little kick along.

 

[TiggaPlease]

No I'm stilll buying milled and mixed grain. I still can't work out in my head how I'd make it work. Obviously the savings are in buying several sacks of base ale malt and then buying specialty malts like crystal and munich from the shop, but what other malts would you bulk buy? Vienna? Pilsner?

I guess it depends on the style you make most, but I'm changing mine up all the time.

BTW - had a sample of the cream ale last night and man does it have a corny aftertaste. Not unpleasant, and the gravity reading was 1.020 so it's got a bit of fermenting left to do. I just hope it's not too corny once it's finished. I bumped up the temp to 20deg to give it a final little kick along.

I guess you'd just buy whatever base malt you used the most - So for me it would be Ale malt, followed by Pilsner. Then buy your spec malts by the KG or 5KG. I'd always want Munich and Wheat on hand, plus a couple of different crystals and some choc malt.

While I'm still doing single batches it might not be worth the effort TBH.

The corny flavour you have, does it remind you of the flavour of a mainstream US lager - PBR perhaps?

My cream ale certainly had a bit of that, wasn't over the top though. It should settle down with a few weeks of cold conditioning.

 

[Frank_Grimes]

The corny flavour you have, does it remind you of the flavour of a mainstream US lager - PBR perhaps?

Definitely - just like the rice lager I did a few months back. I used 800g of polenta which is essentially cracked corn.

My cream ale certainly had a bit of that, wasn't over the top though. It should settle down with a few weeks of cold conditioning.

Yeah I'm thinking the rest of fermentation, cold crashing and some time on tap will certainly mute the corn aftertaste.

 

[Frank_Grimes]

Tasted the cream ale again last night and the corn aftertaste has definitely settled down. It is certainly taking it's sweet time to ferment out though. Target FG is 1.007 and after 5 days it's only hitting 1.012. Might be getting a little cool at nights now. Time to invest in a heating pad I think.

 

[TiggaPlease]

What yeast did you go? and what temp are you fermenting at?

 

[Frank_Grimes]

What yeast did you go? and what temp are you fermenting at?

US-05. Started out at 18 and ramped progressively up to 20 by day 3.

Really keen to see how your raspberry blonde ale goes. I'm keen to try one of these also. I'm going to the US for 3 weeks in a fortnight so I've got no more time to brew, but I have a long list of US craft beers I want to try and potentially grab the clone recipes for, but before that I want to do two fruit ales.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

Whats the attraction to fruit ales among home brewers? Its all you ever see on home brew pages yet you never see them on a commercial scale.

 

[Frank_Grimes]

Whats the attraction to fruit ales among home brewers? Its all you ever see on home brew pages yet you never see them on a commercial scale.

It's definitely a craft brew thing. The big commercial boys would never do it as they need to cater to the common palate, but heaps of craft breweries have dabbled. Burleigh Brewing Co released a cracking peach saison last year.

I think with home brewing you keep wanting to test the boundaries of taste in beer - hence the gravitation with most to hoppier and hoppier ales and IPAs. Or fruit beers.

 

[TiggaPlease]

Racked the Blonde ale on to a kg of frozen raspberries yesterday arvo, then tipped the cube of amber ale on top of the blonde ale yeast cake.

Hope it all works out.

 

[TiggaPlease]

Had a quick taste of the raspberry blonde after only 2 days on the fruit, already has a strong raspberry aroma and a not too overpowering flavour. It's not ultra pink yet, more like pink champagne, IE just a pink tinge. Will try another sample on Friday night.

Pitching the amber on to the yeast cake has worked a treat, I took a hydro sample and it's pretty much at terminal gravity only 2 days after pitch. Will obviously leave for another week or so then cold crash, but I'm very happy with result of my first re-pitch.

 

[MKEB...]

Recently had a pilsner with only Nelson Sauvin .

Just started one with Southern Cross, Motueka and Nelson Sauvin. To me, it seems like more of a balance.

 

[TiggaPlease]

Raspberry blonde worked out really well, the wife loves it and I find it pretty drinkable even if it is bright pink!

Cube of Oatmeal stout ready to ferment, will brew a pale ale on Friday night and hopefully a Brown ale on Saturday night.

Need to keep production up so both taps are always pouring!

 

[Frank_Grimes]

Sounds like a winner. I've just got back from the US where I tried some great new beers. Craft Beer is the buzz term over there at the moment - every dive bar in NYC has at least two IPAs on tap and even some of the franchise takeaway restaurants around the city have craft ales.

The Polenta/Cream Ale has been cold conditioning in secondary for the 2.5 weeks I was away so I'll keg that tomorrow and taste, but my GFs mum has a mandarin tree that is bristling with ripe fruit so I think I'll give a fruit ale a go next.

 

[TiggaPlease]

US is great for beers, I love how the beers on tap seem to be different everywhere you go.

Dan Murphy's has started stocking Sculpin, which is awesome.

Looking forward to hearing how the cream ale turns out.

Stout is cold crashing, Pale Ale dry hopping and brown ale patiently waiting for a free fermenter.

 

[Frank_Grimes]

The Cream Ale actually was a massive hit. I took a 9.5L party keg along to a leadership conference that I had organised before going away and the team loved it. Not sure what I was expecting from it but it is definitely a beer for novice drinkers - those who don't like beers much more flavourful than Corona. I'll definitely do it again, as it is a pretty good session ale, but drinks like a lager.

I smashed out a S&W Pacific Ale yesterday and the Mandarin Ale will be next weekend.