Recipe Advice Thread

[denimglen]

Thought it might be handy to have a thread for some of the more advanced brewers to give some advice on recipes.

Let's see how it goes eh...

[Chris Banks]

With the efficiency that low what is the gravity of the last of your batch sparge run off?

If you hitting your temps etc with the mash for 60min surely you must be getting conversion but have you tryed the iodine test at the end of the mash?

[Michael]

Honestly, I have not done the iodine test.

 

If it were not so expensive, I would probably just go the route some people go, and not rinse the grains at all. However, since every bit of money adds up, I would like to get my efficiency up to around 75%, and have there on a steady basis, for predictability and costs.

[jt]

OK, I have a plan for another brownie, but change of tack with the hops
I've always had a fancy for the Brown Porter recipe on the Weyermann website http://www.weyermann.de/eng/hr.asp?go=detailrz&idrz=21&umen...

I'd figured that the goldings were 60 minute bittering hops and the Saaz a flameout addition
Anyone got an educated opinion on that ?

I also thought I'd sub in Motueka as I have that and it's a hop that I like and maybe it'll give me a New Zealand interpretaion of it
Also thought I'd like a bit more Motueka character to come through and might make 10 & 1 minute additons instead, maybe 1gm / litre ?

And yeast du jour in my part of North Welly is currently Windsor .. oh and I'll probably whack it back to 1034 too so it's a pretty liberal interpretation ;-)

Any thoughts ?

cheers, jt

[MrC]

That recipe looks to be closer to a Schwarzbier rather than a Brown Porter to me, at least from a BJCP perspective.

 

It does look like quite a nice beer though.  If you used both hops (1g/L each) at 10, 1 and maybe even a small dry hop you might end up with bookbinder style hopping or may even something from the "Sharp" series ;-)  Sound like a nice late winter quaffer.  I say go for it.

 

[jt]

Now there's a thought, I didn't consider mixing them .. I'd better Think Sharp!
Thanks Mr C

[jt]

OK Mr Cherry, Sharpie-Darkie it is after I look back at the notes of your B-Sharp and my attempts at a similar recipe too

I've still got a good whack of 60 minute and I've gone with 20 10 & 1 with 50/50 Goldings/Motueka
Progressive additions of 0.5 0.75 and 1gm/L

[MrC]

Nice! I've used that same kind of hopping in pale, amber and brown ales. They're all good but the hops are a lot less prominent in the darker beers.

[jt]

That's true Mr Cherry and the answer is to increase the hopping rates so that you're not left with  some namby-pamby malt tonic.

Currently looking at 1.033 and 46IBU and the previous Darkie was 1.032 and 60IBU

[jt]

Bugger, a smidge under 1032 on brew day, a little less than anticipated.
Oh well, I guess at that gravity I can afford to have two pints !

[Stu H]

Hey fellas,

 

I wanna brew a proper blonde grapefruit bomb. I.e. drinking, you can't stop thinking, "gaddam, that beer smells like grapefruit!"

 

I had a bit of a trawl around and it looks like NZ Cascade is the culprit? Any of you dudes know any better?

 

I'll probably just use golden promise, mashed high, and 1272 - so yeah real blonde. Any advice would be appreciated.

[JackoNZ]

I think you're onto it Stu, Cascade would be the way to go from what I've read. Have you got any US hops? I've also found Centennial to be quite grapefruity too.

[Stu H]

Cool cool. Nah I don't have any US hop ferreted away regrettably.