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

[Edward Siddle]

as is say i was going by randy mosher's recipe in radical brewing. but now i have some carahell on order from Mike i reckon it'll do a good job. I think it comes in at about 5 or 6L colourwise and will be more of a body booster than anything. i'll give it a crack, anyway. which style guidelines were you quoting JT?

[jt]

BJCP Ed.
I got some carahell and caramunich from Mike. Was going to try some of the caramunich in the second one, out of style for a blonde but I guess it'll make it something else ... and my beers always got (some sort of ) style anyway lol !

6B. Blonde Ale
Aroma: Light to moderate sweet malty aroma. Low to moderate
fruitiness is optional, but acceptable. May have a low to medium hop
aroma, and can reflect almost any hop variety. No diacetyl.
Appearance: Light yellow to deep gold in color. Clear to brilliant.
Low to medium white head with fair to good retention.
Flavor: Initial soft malty sweetness, but optionally some light character
malt flavor (e.g., bread, toast, biscuit, wheat) can also be present.
Caramel flavors typically absent. Low to medium esters optional, but
are commonly found in many examples. Light to moderate hop flavor
(any variety), but shouldn’t be overly aggressive. Low to medium
bitterness, but the balance is normally towards the malt. Finishes
medium-dry to somewhat sweet. No diacetyl.
Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium-full body. Medium to high
carbonation. Smooth without harsh bitterness or astringency.
Overall Impression: Easy-drinking, approachable, malt-oriented
American craft beer.
History: Currently produced by many (American) microbreweries and
brewpubs. Regional variations exist (many West Coast brewpub
examples are more assertive, like pale ales) but in most areas this beer
is designed as the entry-level craft beer.
Comments: In addition to the more common American Blond Ale, this
category can also include modern English Summer Ales, American
Kölsch-style beers, and less assertive American and English pale ales.
Ingredients: Generally all malt, but can include up to 25% wheat malt
and some sugar adjuncts. Any hop variety can be used. Clean
American, lightly fruity English, or Kölsch yeast. May also be made
with lager yeast, or cold-conditioned. Some versions may have honey,
spices and/or fruit added, although if any of these ingredients are
stronger than a background flavor they should be entered in specialty,
spiced or fruit beer categories instead. Extract versions should only use
the lightest malt extracts and avoid kettle caramelization.
Vital Statistics: OG: 1.038 – 1.054
IBUs: 15 – 28 FG: 1.008 – 1.013
SRM: 3 – 6 ABV: 3.8 – 5.5%
Commercial Examples: Redhook Blonde, Catamount Gold, Widmer
Blonde Ale, Coast Range California Blonde Ale, Fuller’s Summer Ale,
Hollywood Blonde, Pete’s Wicked Summer Brew, Deschutes Cascade
Golden

[denimglen]

Do you still use the Aussie pale? What's it like?

I'm not far off needing another sack and want something versitile that I can brew almost anything with, maybe lagers too. Can't decide on a malt and want something with higher DP than the Bairds pale.

[Dan]

Now that i have some fresh wyeast, time to start brewing again!
Just finished the sparging and the baby's still asleep, yay!

5 kg gladfield
638 light crystal
216 med crystal
472 munich

38g Chinook 90mins
40 east kent goldings 12 mins

1968 esb yeast

[jt]

Hmmmmm .. fresh 1968, I can smell it from here

[Doublehoppy]

Yes 1968, that's my fav! I have Whitelabs equivalent (WLP002) which I've never used before so will be interesting to compare.

[jt]

Did you buy in from the US ? How was the import ?

I've been dithering over trying the WLP007 Dry English Ale Yeast

[Doublehoppy]

Yes, I bought it from Morebeer. from memory it took about a week to deliver. Would definately get the icepacks, They arrived still nice and cool.

Because of the shipping I made the order a biggy -4 Whitelab vials, icepacks, 16 safeale yeasts not available here (T-58 & S-33) and Servomyces. All up cost was USD 63.25 plus USD 34.20 shipping = USD 97.45, converted to NZD 130.00.

Each whitelab yeast works out at less than NZD12 each landed.

Sorry for all that detail - I'm an accountant and couldn't resist! "smiley"

[jt]

Hmmm thanks DH .. might give it a go sometime .. see what other yeasts look good too .. or not avialble via wyeast / local store

[denimglen]

Tomorrow (if it's rain-free) is a special bitter. UK Pale, UK Amber, UK Dark Crystal malts and Willamette on the hop side.

[denimglen]

Brewed the batch, efficiency was pretty good so its an ESB now. Managed to do an allgrain batch, bake a cake and about to bottle a 10L batch, pretty productive day on the brewing front.

[Martin Bridges]

4BC Altbier is now sitting in the fermenter. Recipe (after much research and tweaking):
* 2 x 1.6kg cans John Bull Pale LME
* 0.5kg crystal malt (120L - quite a dark one)
* 0.5kg Munich malt
* 0.5kg Vienna malt
* 50g NZ Hallertauer hops (60 mins)
* 40g Motueka B-Saaz hops (10 mins)
* 1 tsp Irish Moss
* 5 tsps yeast nutrient salts
* 1 packet Safale German Ale yeast (K-97)

Measured OG was 1.046 and it tastes bloody gorgeous at this stage!

This is batch #4 and everything went pretty smoothly this time. After seeking advice I decided to go ahead and steep the grains and I seem to have got the OG and colour I was hoping for. Let's see how the finished product turns out.

There's some photos on my blog at http://www.electriclandlord.co.uk/

Cheers,

Martin