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

[Scarrfie]

Peter in regard your private message about using S-23 for a stout, it is used as a house yeast by one commercial brewery I know of and I have used it for a range of beers myself before. I have been using K-97 for most of the year and getting the feel of that. Master brewer Albrecht said to me one time that you should only use one yeast until you really know it inside out. Yeasts I use also relate to their best temperature as I brew in ambient but using the thermal mass of a concrete floor to stop big swings.

  Another comment from Kelly Milligan on these forums has had an influence also. That was in regard to using S-05 for American beers and then making the adjustments for body using crystal malts. Mash temperature also has a big impact and I guess these are the sorts of factors Albrecht was talking about.

  Another comment I have had is that yeasts develop better once they are a few generations old. That is applicable to liquid as well as dry.

  So having a house yeast works unless you are after a particular profile, such as the German Pilsners I did with W34/70 over winter.

  All part of the learning curve for me :-)

[Peter Smith]

I also hear that with dry yeasts 3rd gen yeast onwards attenuates better and seems less lazy to grind out the last few points, also go warm for big beers...

Joking on here sang praises of W34/70 and Wyeast 2124 on a few posts hence I am starting with 2124 for first largers.  Had my first Tuatara Munich Helles this week, so thats on the list to try as well...

[jt]

I picked up a sack of Gladfields pale from Baylands last week and I was going to brew a pale this weekend to get a feel for the difference. But I've been enjoying the stouty lately. So in a last minute change of plans, picked up some dark crystal from Karl ... don't you just love brew shopping in Wellington?
So this months stouty following on from the ones in the recipe advice thread...
83% gladfields pale
7% dark crystal
8% pale choc
2% roast
Looking for 1040 with a fresh '05
Cascade and Sauvin at 60 10 and 1 to 23 IBU
The recipes moving away from the roast, adding more crystal, less bittering but more hops later
The original intention of a simple dry, roasty stout seems a long way off now
Cheers, jt

[Mark]

That looks like a lot of flavour right there. I love warm weather stouts (is it warm in Welle yet??), a very underrated style.

[jt]

Still swinging 16 on the garage floor to 20 on the bench in the garage for an ambient ferment

[MrC]

Just about to add some gelatine to a psuedo pils that I brewed three weeks ago.  First attempt at brewing with Pils DME.

Home grown hops don't seem to have much flavour at this stage. 

Mini Mash:

2.5kg Pils DME 
200g Aromatic Malt
200g Melanoiden Malt
300g CaraPils

Hops:

25IBU Pacific Jade @ 60min

50g Home Grown Hops @ 15min

50g Home Grown Hops @ 5min

50g Home Grown Hops @ 0min

US-05 at 17C 

[jt]

So is that an evaluation of the Pils DME or the home grown hops MrC ... or both?

[MrC]

Both.  The hops are from last season and were frozen immediately after harvest without drying.  Sort of a wet hopped  beer.  Expectations of the hops were low after a steep test so chose to experiment with Pils DME after seeing it online at http://www.brewshop.co.nz/.  Seems OK so far.

[Hayden Baxter]

I'm going for an amber beer tomorrow. I haven't used these gladfield malts but I'll soon find out haha

4.5kg Maris Otter

500g Medium Crystal

500g Melanoiden

400g Gladfield Red Back

200G Gladfield Aurora

200g Carapils

15g fuggles, 15g east kent goldings 60 minutes

15g fuggles, 15g east kent goldings 15 minutes

Using US-05. I was going to use WLP005 or wyeast 1084 but couldn't get it

[Grant R Baker]

Interested to hear how the Gladfields Red Back and Aurora work for you...

[jt]

I'd thought about going all Gladfeilds specialties to go with the sack of pale, a bit of a Gladfeilds challenge. Hasn't really worked out that way to start with, but I'd like to give it a go for a few beers

[Grant R Baker]

So far I have used Pilsner, Ale and Toffee malts... I have 1kg of Red Back I have no idea what to do with.... but so far I like them.

Baltic Porter based on Pilsner... damn fine.

Pale Ale based on Ale Malt... nice.

Pilsner and Toffee malt to make a Toffee lager... sweet for the ladies...  so far so good.