What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[Stu McKinlay]

Gladfield do a Pils and Pale. We've used the pale in commercial PKB both times but used English pale malt as the base for everything else (and the next few planned beers are English base).

At home I've used ADM a few times. It converts well but I find it a little more fickle with sparging - keep your temps high. It's ok in big beers but really lacks depth of flavour in the lower gravity beers that I like to brew most of all. Husky but not quite as much as the Canterbury stuff.

Jokings points are key - watch your pH with Gladfield, build a pretty big beer with both or else you'll have a hole in the middle.

I'd love to see some winter or spring barley grown here. I am sure the huskiness of our malts is based on the growing climate.

Eat some ADM, some Gladfield, some Weyermann Pils and some Baird's pale malts and you'll know why I use English malts most of the time. The taste difference is astounding. But it is personal opinion really. Base malt character is less important for some people.

[jt]

I think it's horses for courses and if you do find a base malt that fits all, sell me a sack.

It's ok in big beers but really lacks depth of flavour in the lower gravity beers

Ah, sort of echoing Joking here, it does need some good specialty prescence in the lower gravities. As further above, I found a bottom limit ... but it does depend on what you're trying to acheive and for me and mine, it's a great staple

cheers, jt

[Tony]

Thanks Joseph, appreciate your thoughts as always.I actually misread your recipe, to say you were using NZ pale as base malt, doh. But still a relevant question, I felt. Good to see others views. I agree, it is a little 'thin' at certain gravities, But I found as a base malt in general, it lacked that taste and body. I very rarely brew with just one or two malts. I find myself using MO or Weyerman Pils/Bohemian, as a base, depending on style, more often these days. I find that the Gladfield lack that biscuity, crisp taste (if you know what I mean).

[Stu McKinlay]

Me too, but I agree with you that it'd be great to use local ingredients.

A lot of the issue is getting to know your local ingredients. I'm using NZ hops exclusively now. I'd love to use some imported hops but do not believe that they are 3x better... and I do wholeheartedly think that NZ hops are very misunderstood and maligned because of that.

[666 Brewing]

Welcome to the 'dark side' Stu ;-)

[Stu McKinlay]

I still want to brew a 7.5% Burton-style IPA but I guess that's going to have to wait for the next hop glut...

Welcome to the 'dark forum' G. Did Geoff give you any beer recently?

[Reviled]

Brewing my WBC IPA today, ended up throwing 40gms of Amarillo into the mash, just for the hell of it ;o)

Curse having a cold and not being able to smell the hop additions :o(

[Barry]

Arrived at Revileds to pick up my case swap in time to see some boiling action. Martin and Reviled's beers on the same weekend, mines been dry hopping for a week. This is going to be a very interesting WBC...

[Martin Bridges]

The Tonguesplitter - my American IPA for the WBC competition

4.6kg Maris Otter
1kg Weyermann Pilsner
0.55kg CaraPils
0.55kg Crystal 60L
Mashed at 67 degrees. 75 minute mash.

10g Chinook (mash hop)
10g Warrior @ 90 mins
6g Simcoe & 7g Columbus @ 60 mins
6g Simcoe & 7g Columbus @ 30 mins
19g Simcoe & 21g Columbus @ 15 mins
28g US Cascade @ 10 mins
15g Simcoe & 11g Columbus @ 1 min

Wyeast 1056. 3rd generation, harvested about 750mls from a Porter then chucked a 500ml starter in it yesterday. It went berzerk!

Will be dry-hopped with a combination of Centennial, US Cascade, Simcoe, Columbus & something else.

Targetting an OG of 1.069 and 105 IBUs.

Currently mid-boil and the house smells amazing.

[Reviled]

How many gms are you planning for the dry hop Martin?

Heres my finalised recipe

5.04kg Golden Promise
600g Munich II
180g CaraRed
180g CaraPils
200g Cane Sugar

Mash hop - 40g Amarillo
90 - 10g Columbus
45 - 15g Simcoe
30 - 15g Amarillo, 15g Centennial
15 - 20g Amarillo, 20g Columbus
F0 - 40g Centennial, 20g Columbus, 25g Simcoe
Dry - 45g Simcoe, 25g Amarillo, 35g Centennial, 10g Columbus

Got an OG of 1065 and 23 litres, was going for 20 litres but ended up with extra, oh well...

[Martin Bridges]

How many gms are you planning for the dry hop Martin?

Lots! A man's gotta keep some secrets, hasn't he?!

[Reviled]

Come on now its just a friendly comp :oP lol, but fair enough...

I just couldnt help myself, upped both the dry and FO additions from my planned recipe today, as well as the mash hops, cos more hops cant be a bad thing ;o)