The Beer Thread

Discussion in 'Food and Wine' started by SpaceCricket79, Jun 14, 2012.

  1. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I'm glad you mentioned you home-brewed, AKS.

    Thanks for your recipes. :beer:
     
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  2. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That looks real good.

    My lazy ass has been slacking on an experimental ale version of a Sam Adams Boston Lager that I hope to brew Saturday. I might even put a little more work into it and do a double concoction mash instead of a single infusion:

    Grains
    11.5 lbs. Rahr 2-Row Malt
    1 lb. Briess Caramel Munich Malt 60L

    Hops
    1 oz. Tettnang 60 mins
    1 oz. Hallertau Mittelfrüh 15 mins
    1 oz. Hallertau Mittelfrüh 5 mins
    1 oz. Spalt 0 mins - after flameout (when wort chills to around 160-170 degrees)

    Yeast
    WLP001 California Ale yeast

    Target OG 1.048
    Target FG 1.012
    Target ABV ~ 4.6%
     
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  3. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    Why can't I be your neighbor? Lol
     
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  4. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I finally got around to brewing my pseudo-Sam Adams amber ale Saturday and so far so good. I ended up making a few changes on the fly so my process and targets went out the window.

    First the basic stats:

    IBUs: est. 29.12
    Original Gravity: 1.056
    Final Gravity: (target 1.012)
    ABV: % (target 5.8%)
    Color: Amber

    Grains:
    11.5 lbs Rahr 2-Row Malt
    1 lb Briess Caramel Munich Malt 60L
    Total Grain Bill: 12.5 lbs.

    Hops:
    1 oz. Tettnang 4.4 AA 125 mins
    1 oz. Hallertau Mittelfrüh 4.5 AA 45 mins
    1 oz. Hallertau Mittelfrüh 4.5 AA 25 mins
    1 oz. Tettnang 4.4 AA 5 mins
    1 oz. Spalt 4.3 AA -0 mins - after flameout (when wort reached 155 degrees)

    Yeast:
    WP001 California Ale

    More Beer water schedule:
    Total Water Needed: 8.77 Gallons
    Mash Water Needed: 4.16 Gallons
    Sparge Water Needed: 4.61 Gallons
    Strike Temperature: 165.53 F
    Pre-Boil Wort Produced: 6.94 Gallons

    Actual water schedule using 2 BIABs & 2 5 gallon mash tuns:
    8 gallons mash water
    .75 gallons of sparge water around 110 degrees
    6.85 gallons wort to boil

    I did several things I haven't done before. Since I was using two BIABs I used most of my water during the mash. With this set-up you don't have to sparge but I found it useful in getting the last of the useful wort out of the mash and getting my pre-boil volume up to where it was supposed to be.

    I also did a two-step mash along with a decoction mash.
    I started with a protein rest at about 122 degrees for half an hour and then infused some hot strike water to bring it up to 150 degrees for the saccharification rest but I couldn't quite get the temp high enough so I boiled a decoction mash and threw that in the tuns to get the temp up to 150 and then rested for an hour.

    I went for a longer than usual boil (1:25) and threw in an extra ounce of Tettnang hops near the end of the boil and I'm glad I did. This ale turned out bigger - .008 - than I thought it would, so the longer boils on the Hallertau Mittelfrüh and the extra hop addition at the end helped the flavor.

    Not sure if I'm going to dry hop another ounce of Tettnang or Hallertau Mittelfrüh to get it to taste like Sam Adams, because the ale tastes fine as it is. I would usually give this a month to two of secondary fermentation but I'm thinking of skipping that and bottling the ale once I reach my final gravity. I didn't drop a Whirlfloc tablet in the brew kettle during the boil so I'm not concerned about clarity, but it would be nice to be drinking this ale a month or two earlier than I usually would.

    Next up another experimental Bavarian Hefe using different grains, a different Hefe yeast and an acid rest at the beginning of the mash (I've read that this will help produce the clove flavor that is distinctive to this style). Then I'll use decoction mashes for one or two more steps. It's gonna be more work and more time but hopefully it will be worth it.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2023
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  5. AKS

    AKS Banned

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    You did a decoction mash? Damn, you must be a glutton for punishment. j/k, the recipe looks awesome. Hope it comes out great - I love those German hops! What temp are you going to primary at?
     
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  6. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Yeah, I had More Beer and their water calculation to thank for that. I usually heat my strike water to 170 degrees but noooooo - I had to follow their instructions (165) and sure as sh*t I wound up 5 degrees below my sacc rest temp. So, it was dig down into the tuns and then paddle through a decoction mash to get where I would have been had I followed my own SOP. :roll: Lesson learned.

    But on the bright side, Sam Adams uses a decoction mash to make their Boston Lager (see video), so in the end this might be a happy mistake. I've read in various brew forums that the "secret" to cloning that beer is using a decoction mash, otherwise a single infusion or simple two-step mash won't quite get you there. I can already tell that dry-hopping is another necessity, and judging from my recipe a Tettnang addition is what it will need - I don't think Hallertau Mittelfrüh will be spicy enough.



    I love German Noble hops, too (Tettnang is my favorite hop), and if you're really into them I think this recipe probably could have tolerated two more ounces of Hallertau Mittelfrüh during the boil and another ounce of Tettnang towards the end. That might have eliminated any need to dry hop this brew, which I'm thinking of doing over the next 24 hours. Have you ever dry hopped in primary?

    I'm doing primary at a standard ale range between 62 and 65 degrees and once the gravity reaches 1.012 I'm going to have to make the call on whether to bottle or not.

    What's your favorite style to brew? My best beers have been ambers, reds and heavier golden ales like Spring Maibocks. Lately, I've been experimenting with Bavarian Hefes but I haven't nailed that style down yet. I'm still trying to get the mashing right (next time I'm doing an acid rest for half an hour) and I've yet to find a yeast that gives me the clovey esters I like. I tried using a WY3068 Weihenstephan Weizen yeast in my last batch but I didn't get the result I wanted (too neutral). Next time I'm going to try a WLP380 Hefeweizen IV, which is supposed to be more clove-forward (no banana bombs for me, thank you).
     
  7. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    Who here has ever had Spatten-optimator?
    A dark German beer with an alcohol content of 8%.

    In my early twenties in Tampa I used to work in a sports bar that had 39 beers on tap and over 300 counting all the bottles.

    After my shift I would get two free pints of beer and half off after that on draft.

    And we did have quart mugs so I would go ahead and get the optimator in a quart mug.

    I distinctly remember waking up with my bicycle near me on the golf course one night at about 5:00 a.m. lol.

    The golf course was halfway between work and home.

    It is a job I remember with fondness. I'm not big on weed now but I was back then and we used to go in the deep freezer and smoke weed because you couldn't smell it for some reason.

    We made the best blue cheese that I have ever had in my life but I can't remember how we made it except for we made it in a 5 gallon bucket.

    We also had a Philadelphia eagles fan club that we all hated because they were loud and obnoxious *******s and they had no idea what a tip was
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2023
  8. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    LOL - Love that golf course story. :alcoholic: :-D

    I have not had Spaten Optimator but I know from experience that Doppelbocks will kick your ass. A local craft brewery makes this Doppelbock that my wife likes and if you don't watch out it will erase your brain:

    f6ade793c00582870970c817dca33feb.jpg

    There's one lurking in my refrigerator right now. :eek:

    I've accidentally made some Spring Maibocks over 8% ABV, too. If you don't keep checking their gravity and cut their fermentation off at a certain point (usually around 6% ABV) the yeast will just keep chugging along and before you know it you've got a mind-blanker on your hands that is every bit as strong as a Doppelbock.

    The brew I made last weekend could turn into a monster if I let it, too. The original gravity came out much higher than I expected - +.008 - so if I wanted to let it ferment down to around 1.008 I'll wind up with an ale that is 6.3% ABV. That's not Spaten Optimator-Snow Blind strong, but it's still pretty strong.

    Decisions, decisions....
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2023
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  9. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    I have never seen that beer around here but I bet you if that sports bar where I worked at was still open, and that beer ever made its way to Florida we probably would have stocked it.

    Do you ever do any distillation?
     
  10. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Starr Hill makes some real nice brews. If you like big malty brews that Snow Blind Doppelbock is real good. They also make one of the few IPA's I like which is called Northern Lights - it's got a real nice complex hoppy flavor and it's not overly bitter. My favorite is probably Front Row Golden Ale which is one of the best brews I've ever had using Cascade hops. The genius who came up with that recipe combined those hops with honey malt to get this perfectly balanced rich tasting golden ale:

    FRONT ROW ALE.png

    Cascade hops are the only hops I've been able to grow in the hot and humid conditions we have here in the Old Dominion, and I plan on trying to clone that ale this Fall when I harvest my Cascades. I wanted to do it last year but I couldn't find honey malts anywhere so I got screwed out of that but this year I'm going to order my grains early and be prepared. The window on brewing those hops right off the bine is about a week max so ya gotta be ready before they're ready and then jump when they are.

    I have not. I bought a book about how to home distill several years ago only to find that it's still illegal to do so in the U.S., which sucks:

    While individuals of legal drinking age may produce wine or beer at home for personal or family use, Federal law strictly prohibits individuals from producing distilled spirits at home (see 26 United States Code (U.S.C.) 5042(a)(2) and 5053(e)). Producing distilled spirits at any place other than a TTB-qualified distilled spirits plant can expose you to Federal charges for serious offenses and lead to consequences including, but not necessarily limited to, the following:

    When it comes to home distilling, it's still the Prohibition Era, and from what I've read the distilling industry is responsible for this. They don't want home distillers cutting in on their business, so they've lined the pockets of their Congress critters in DC to keep it that way.
     
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  11. FatBack

    FatBack Well-Known Member

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    Damn.... I thought it was just illegal to produce for sale.

    Our store got inspected One Time by an ATF agent and in the back office he spied a pallet of sugar of around 500 lb. He asked my boss man the owner what he was doing with that much sugar. Lol.

    We easily go through probably 60 lb or better and a 24-hour period making sweet tea.

    I would say someone could distill something and say they are just producing ethanol but I'm sure the fuel industry has similarly lined the pockets of DC to make sure that doesn't happen.

    I hear the best thing about your beer is that it is still free of fluids of a suspect origin. Lol
     
  12. AKS

    AKS Banned

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    I've never tried to clone SA I'm curious how close your batch came. I do dry hop toward the end of primary - it works well for me. But then again, I'm not exactly a hop head.
    My favorite style is probably English bitter / ESB followed closely by Helles and Marzen. I love british brews but I can never really get close to nailing them.
     
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  13. conservaliberal

    conservaliberal Well-Known Member

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    A beer I never thought I'd ever like, until I tried one. I never did taste any "vanilla", but it sure is great beer from Breckenridge Brewery!

    [​IMG]
     
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  14. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I'll let you know. Right now it tastes real close - SA dry hops their beers and mine tastes like it could use the same. It seems to be lacking that bright aroma and flavor it would get if I dry-hopped some Tettnang in there....and of course, the only hops I have left in the fridge are Hallertau Mittelfrüh....

    Thanks - that's good to hear. I have never dry-hopped in primary before. When did you do it? My target OG is 1.012, so I was thinking of doing it when I get down to around 1.015.

    Interesting - I've never had much less brewed an English Bitter/ESB. In fact, I don't think I've ever brewed with British malts and hops. I've heard good things about Maris Otter malts, but that's about it.

    I've never brewed a Helles, either, but I've brewed quite a few ale versions of Märzenbier. If you can get the perfect balance of malts and hops in that style you're a good brewer in my book.
     
  15. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That's a nice Porter...and I didn't taste the vanilla in there, either.
     
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  16. conservaliberal

    conservaliberal Well-Known Member

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    If you ever find yourself in Germany, please, don't miss trying this excellent offering available in good, old Deutschland!

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2023
  17. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Just cracked open the first 22 oz. bottle and I'm really pleased with the results. The only difference I'm tasting is in the dry-hop - I didn't have any Tettnang hops available, so I used an ounce of Hallertau Mittelfrüh instead. Thus, the beer didn't have the bite/bitterness you would get with a Tettnang, but the Hallertau Mittelfrüh was still real nice (and close), and I liked that the Hallertau Mittelfrüh produced a less bitter beer.
     
  18. DEFinning

    DEFinning Well-Known Member Donor

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    There actually already is a beer, known as the "champagne of beers." That is Pilsner Urquell, which is a Czech beer. Like Stella, it's fine, but nothing to write home about, IMO. Same with Heineken-- serviceable, but without a particularly striking character.

    I generally avoid beer in cans, because the can is what I taste, when I drink it. My go-to is Molson Canadian. I don't generally see it, but Shipyard is a smaller brewer, from New Hampshire, that makes good ales. In the fall, their pumpkin ale is often the only one of their beers that most places carry, and I still have yet to try it, because it always sells out, so quickly.

    If the Molson supply is tapped out, I will be satisfied with Grolsch; or I suppose Kronenbourg would be an option, if available. I've also had Asahi, which is brewed in Canada, for the N. American market, by agreement with Molson: top thing you need, for good beer, I think, is good water. Since I am partial to the Canadian style beers, I will, in a pinch, drink Moosehead. Please hold the jokes.

    There are a couple of area breweries (on CT's coast of Long Island Sound) that offer an assortment of tasty ales & beers, many of high alcohol content: Two Roads Brewery, and Thimble Islands Brewery. It's not worth the few bucks, to me, to buy cheap beer.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2023
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  19. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I like Canadian beers. I used to be a big fan of Molson Golden but then it disappeared. I read somewhere that Molson had stopped brewing it but brought it back a couple of years ago, but none of the grocery stores I frequent carry it. :(

    Say what anyone will, but back in those days I really liked Moosehead, too, but then the brewery started tinkering with their recipe and wrecked the flavor so I won't drink it anymore.

    Speaking of "fixing" something that wasn't broken, the new "Remastered" Samuel Adams Boston Lager is proof that change isn't always a good thing. I heard they're using some new filtering process but it tastes like they've cut down on the Cara Malt and now the beer doesn't have the richness and balance it once had. It was always a really hoppy ale, but now it's a bit too hop forward and leaning towards the direction of an IPA, and even though Tettnang hops are my favorite Noble hop the change was a step in the wrong direction. One of the great things about the old SABL, like a good Märzen, was that it struck a perfect balance between the malts and the hops. It's kinda sad that SABL clone I brewed (Post #579 above) has a better balance than their own "remastered" SABL!

    Incidentally, speaking of Sam Adams and the pumpkin beer you mentioned in your post, you might get a laugh out of this (I did):

     
    Last edited: May 17, 2023
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  20. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I'm a bit tardy posting this, but here's my latest attempt to brew what I consider a proper Bavarian Hefeweizen that produces a spicy clove flavor akin to Paulaner's Bavarian Hefe:

    IBUs: est. 13.9
    Original Gravity: 1.046
    Final Gravity: TBD shooting for 1.007-1.009
    ABV: TBD, target 4.8% to 5.1%
    Color: Dark Gold
    Volume: 5.75 gallons post boil

    INGREDIENTS:
    Grains:

    6 lbs Weyermann Pilsner malt
    4 lbs Red Wheat
    2 lbs Munich Malt*
    .5 lb. Dingemanns Caravienne 20L
    .5 lb. Briess Caramel Malt 40L
    Total Grain Bill: 13 lbs.

    Hops:
    1 oz. Tettnanger 3.9 AA (60 mins)

    Yeast:
    White Labs WLP380 Hefeweizen IV liquid yeast

    3 step, double decoction mash - Batch sparged

    Ferulic acid rest, 110 degrees for 30 minutes (a must to produce clove flavor)
    First decoction to raise temp for Protein rest
    Protein rest, 128 degrees for 30 minutes
    Second decoction to raise temp for Saccharification rest
    Saccharification rest, 152 degrees for 1 hour

    Boil - 1 hour

    Notes:

    - This is my third attempt to nail this style and I think I finally got it. The two critical keys to getting the distinctive spice/clove flavor of a Bavarian Hefe involve a combination of 1) jacking up the amount of Ferulic acid in the mash, which requires a rest at 110 degrees (minimum 30 minutes, I probably could have gone longer) and 2) using the right Hefe yeast. My previous batches were single infusion mashes at 152 degrees that did not include a Ferulic acid rest, and I used Lallemand's Munich Classic dry yeast in the first batch (because it was too warm to ship liquid yeast) and Wyeast's 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen liquid yeast in the second. The LalBrew Munich Classic yeast produced nice clove phenols but it was a bit too sour. The Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen has a more neutral flavor profile and thus it didn't produce the clove flavor I like - instead it produced a hint of banana flavor even though I fermented at a lower temp (low 60s) to get a clove flavor (thankfully it wasn't a banana bomb). This time I tried the White Labs WLP380 Hefeweizen IV liquid yeast, which is a clove-forward yeast, and I'm getting the clove flavor I didn't get with the Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen yeast and I'm not getting the sourness I got with the LalBrew Munich Classic yeast. So, to sum things up, if you want to brew a Bavarian Hefe with a spice/clove flavor profile (instead of banana, etc.) you MUST include a Ferulic acid rest during the mash and use a clove-forward yeast like the White Labs WLP380 Hefeweizen IV liquid yeast. Try to keep your fermentation temps down in the low to mid-60s, but the WLP380 Hefe IV yeast is very forgiving, so your primary can wander into the upper 60s and low 70s without producing the banana flavor the Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan will give you at those temps (or the sourness the LalBrew Munich Classic might give you).

    - I don't know that the Protein rest and decoction mashes were necessary, but I went through the extra time and work so that I can compare this batch to future batches where I don't include either one of them. The decoction mashes are a very old traditional method that brewers used to get the most flavor out of their malts, particularly the lightly roasted Pilsner malts that are typically used with this style, but malting has come a long way since then and Bavarian Hefes lean on their yeast for their unique flavor.
     
    Last edited: May 18, 2023
  21. DEFinning

    DEFinning Well-Known Member Donor

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    Since you seem so very much in the know about such things, I wonder if you can satisfy my gently but all the same, nagging curiosity about something. My Canadian beer shift came because of a large, week long gathering I was camped at, in the northwestern corner of NY State. I found a place among a group of welcoming strangers to myself, but people who were all either friends of each others' or of one of those in the central group. In that coterie, was a young couple from Quebec, who offered me my first Molson XXX. I remember it as being the most creamy, delicious beer, I'd had to that point, and the guy saying that, in Canada, they thought of XXX, the way we think of Budweiser, in the States. At that point, XXX was not available in the U.S., but, of course, did become available, some time after that. I drank it for a while (and Molson Ice, as well) but it never really seemed the same, as the stuff which had come down from Canada. Do you think that was due to my state of mind, when I'd tried it at the gathering, or to a real difference between Molson XXX for domestic consumption, versus what they later exported to the U.S.?


    Btw: I'd seen the Bill Burr episode of SNL, with the skit you'd passed along. It's still funny and, I think, probably holds a fair bit of truth.
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2023
  22. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    LOL - And what "state of mind" were we in? :D

    I suspect it may have had to do with the domestic vs. export versions of the beer, but it could be two other things 1) they changed the recipe by the time you got your hands on it in the U.S. and/or 2) inconsistency between the two batches.

    One thing I've noticed over the years is when breweries tinker with their original recipes things have a tendency to turn out for the worse. This was the case with Moosehead and now it's the case with the "Remastered" Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I don't know what the problem was with Moosehead - it seems they cut back on their hops and malts and perhaps even their yeast (?). All I know is that it lost all its flavor. As I barked about earlier with the Boston Lager, they claim they changed their brewing process but I'm mystified at how that would make the beer less malty, less balanced and more hop-forward. That makes no sense to me. It tastes like they cut back on their Caramel Malt (presumably to save money).

    And then there are times, as any home brewer can tell you, when batches get fouled somehow. :x A craft brewery down here in Virginia used to make an Oktoberfest/Märzenbier that was real good, and then one time I got a six pack where the beer had obviously been fouled somewhere along the process. This usually happens when unwanted bacteria gets into the beer and infects the batch, giving it a funky or sour taste. Occasionally it involves high temps during or after fermentation or wild yeasts that infected the beer. There's a lot that go wrong during the brewing process and Rule #1 in brewing is Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize.

    I've had that beer and it is a bit cloying. I can understand why some people like it, but I'm with Bill Burr's character on that one. I'm drinking Märzens that time of year, not liquid pumpkin pie.
     
  23. Lil Mike

    Lil Mike Well-Known Member

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    I just picked up a 6 pack of Sam Adam's "remastered" beer. Are you telling me I'm going to be disappointed?
     
  24. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Maybe - I am. The original recipe tasted maltier and struck a nice balance between the hops and malts, just like a good Märzenbier. The "remastered" Boston Lager is less malty, thus less balanced and more hop-forward.

    You might like it, though, and a lot of people who are into hoppy IPAs might prefer this over the maltier original recipe, too. However, if I wanted a Tettnanger IPA I wouldn't ***** foot around - I would go all-out and emphasize the flavor of that hop to the hilt. It's my favorite of the German Nobles because it has the brightest, fullest and spiciest flavor of the bunch, which is why I also use it in the Bavarian Hefeweizens I brew. It goes perfect with the spicy yeasts you'll find in something like a Paulaner Hefeweizen or a home brew using White Labs' WLP380 Hefeweizen IV, which is a yeast that produces the clovey phenols associated with Bavarian Hefes.

    Which gets me to thinking....maybe one day I'll go mad scientist and brew a Bavarian Hefe that uses a lot of Tettnanger hops instead of a trace...

    [​IMG]

    Something tells me it would be awesome....
     
    Last edited: May 23, 2023
    Lil Mike likes this.
  25. Talon

    Talon Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The weather was crappy over Memorial Day weekend in our parts so I thought I'd make myself useful and get some brewing done.

    One of my favorite ales is Kona Brewing Co.'s Big Wave Golden Ale...

    Kona-Big-Wave-Golden-Ale-300x300.jpeg

    ...which has somewhat of a tropical fruit flavor that is derived solely from the hops. I cross-referenced several clone recipes and came up with this one using two proprietary hops I had never brewed with before - Galaxy and Citra. Both have a rather fruity, citrusy aroma/flavor but Galaxy is really special in its complexity - I became an instant fan of this hop and plan to brew with it extensively in the future. Both have real nice flavors and high alpha acid content, making them great multi-purpose hops.

    Here's my brew, and going into the fermenter it was the best smelling ale I've ever made. I've read in home-brew forums that clones are even better than the original, probably because we're using more hops, but here's the recipe:

    KONA BIG WAVE GOLDEN ALE CLONE - ALL GRAIN
    (Custom Recipe)
    Brew Day May 27, 2023

    IBUs: 46.5
    Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.030
    Original Gravity: 1.050
    (clone targets 1.042 - 1.059)
    Final Gravity: TBD (clone targets 1.009-1.016)
    ABV: TBD (clone targets 4.1-5.5% - I'm probably going to be on the high side)
    Color: Gold
    Volume:
    5.5 gallons

    INGREDIENTS:

    Grains (new adjusted):
    9 lbs 2-Row malt
    2 lbs Cara 20L malt
    Total Grain Bill: 11 lbs.

    Hops:
    Galaxy 13.5 AA
    Citra 14.2 AA

    .5 ozs Galaxy 60 mins.
    .5 ozs Citra 15 mins
    .5 ozs Citra 5 mins
    .25 ozs Galaxy 0 mins

    2 ozs Citra, .25 ozs Galaxy dry hop (5 days in primary)

    Yeast:
    White Labs WP001 California Ale liquid yeast

    - For some reason most home brewers have used a Safale US-05 dry yeast for this brew but I prefer liquid yeast

    WATER VOLUMES:

    (For 5.5 gallon batch)
    Total Water: 9.4 gallons
    Mash: 6.25 (3.25 & 3.0)
    Sparge: 3.15 (1.5 & 1.65)

    Pre-Boil volume: 7 gallons
    Post-boil volume: 5.5 gallons

    MASH:

    SINGLE INFUSION at 150-152 degrees, 1 hour
    BATCH SPARGED using two tuns lined with BIAB brew bags to prevent stuck sparges

    BOIL: 1 hour 7 minutes

    NOTES:

    This brew was a cake walk compared to my last two brews which involved multi-step concoction mashing (Posts #579 & 595 above). I plan to dry hop in primary and then bottle. I used to be a big fan of secondary fermentation but I've been doing less of it and have been pleased with the results.

    Again, this brew introduced me to Galaxy and Citra hops and Galaxy has become one of my favorite hops.

    ------------------------------

    Yesterday, I bottled the Bavarian Hefeweizen I brewed a couple weeks ago (Post #595 above) and I think I finally nailed this style. The Ferulic Acid rest and White Labs WLP380 Hefeweizen IV liquid yeast were the two keys to getting this style right. Next time I'm going to skip the decoction mashes and protein rests and see what happens.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2023
    gorfias likes this.

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