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...

[jt]

I picked this one up ages ago, think it might have been from James P ?

Pilsener Emerson clone
2-A German Pilsner (Pils)
Date: 03.08.09

Size: 22.0 L
Efficiency: 69%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 151.77 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.046 (1.044 - 1.050)
|============#===================|
Terminal Gravity: 1.011 (1.008 - 1.013)
|==================#=============|
Color: 10.71 (3.94 - 9.85)
|==========================#=====|
Alcohol: 4.49% (4.4% - 5.2%)
|=========#======================|
Bitterness: 51.6 (25.0 - 45.0)
|=============================#==|

Ingredients:
1.9 kg Pilsner Malt
1.5 kg Dry Light
0.26 kg Cara-Pils? Malt
0.08 kg Caramalt 15
0.13 kg Acidulated Malt
40 g Riwaka (5.1%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
20 g Riwaka (5.1%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
30 g Rakau (10.4%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
3 tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 15 min
15 g Rakau (10.4%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
20 g Riwaka (5.1%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min


I used the budvar yeast and the result are really close but that need maybe a bit more riwaka for aroma.

[Adrian Woodhouse]

Thanks

[Scarrfie]

Just a query on using Southern Cross late and hop astringency/harshness.

I have done two different recipes where I have used a blend of Southern Cross with Motueka late in the boil including flame out. I am talking 10g of SC at 20, 10 and flameout for a 20L batch. Both these beers are lovely up front but have a real nasty bite that lingers at the back of the mouth afterwards. Astringency is new to me so I am not sure if that is what I am getting. The bite has smoothed out after a couple of months although it is still there.

Should I cut back on the quantity or cut out some of the additions? Could this be a water profile issue?

[Josh C]

I need a crowd pleasing recipe for a 21st. Something suitable for a variety of palettes and it needs to be ready to drink in 7 weeks (3 weeks fermentation, 4 carbing).

I was thinking of doing a blonde ale. Around 5% ABV and maybe 20-25 IBUs. I would appreciate any tips/ideas formulating a recipe. 

I have a sack of Maris Otter so that will be the base malt. Other than that Maybe 5% each of Cara-pils and Caramalt. Anything else worth adding? Maybe some Munich?

For hops I was thinking a mix of Cascade/Riwaka but I am open do suggestions on hop varieties. I was thinking something with a reasonable amount of late additions, although I don't want to put macro beer drinkers off so I don't know. I probably won't dry hop.

Will need to be fermented in 3 weeks (including cold crashing) without secondary so I need a clean yeast, maybe US-05 yeast. 

[Josh C]

I should note I also have a sack of Pilsner malt if that would be better suited, or in combination with Maris Otter. I could potentially make do with hops I have on hand instead of using Cascade. In the freezer I have:

89g Riwaka

70g Motueka

70g Nelson Sauvin

50g Pacific Gem

Maybe a mix of Riwaka/Mot would do it. Is 160g of hops enough for 40-45l?

[Jono Galuszka]

I would recomment the Nelson Sauvin.

 

I did a 5.5% golden ale with all Maris Otter, 35IBU with Nelson Sauvin additions at 60, 15 and 5 minutes (can't remember the exact volume per addition off the top of my head) and turned out great. Also won over a few wine drinkers, which NS tends to do.

[Chris P]

Yeap a Smash would be great. Could also look at Columbus or similar at 60 mins and maybe a dry hop or nothing at all should give a nice easy drink for all.

[Josh C]

Not sure about dry hopping. I don't want to throw people off and from my experience it decreases clarity. Maybe a small dry hop would be nice though

[Josh C]

Would NS go well with either Riwaka or Motueka as well?

[Crusader-Rob]

Looking at using Kolsch yeast for blonde and kolsch coming up.

Can anyone give me an idea of whether i need a D-rest, and the length of lagering I need to do, if any?

WYeast 2565,

Will plan to ferment at 15 degrees.

Anyone have thoughts?

[Scarrfie]

K-97 has become my house yeast for now Rob although I use a mix of yeast harvesting methods rather than the dry. Great for top cropping! I have never had diacetyl so I think you are pretty safe there. I have a German Pilsner lagering now but it will be three weeks before I bottle it, but a sample tasted great. It was still fermenting when the garage got down to 10°C. I hope that one works out because it would be great to just have a single yeast to work with and just use the malt to modify the flavour. It was actually one bit of advice that Albrecht gave me early on, perfect the use of one yeast first.

  I notice Wyeast call it quick conditioning and the other term I have read for these types is "fast maturing". That has been my experience with it as well although I started a thread about yeast to try and get some discussion on this issue.

I originally got this yeast for the WBC altbier comp and it did benefit from lagering for a couple of weeks but to be honest that is probably sufficient. Chilling it down is useful if you can for clarity.

I have IPA's, stouts and brown ales with this yeast that taste great and it is proving to be a good all rounder thus far. Only issue is the massive Krausen and I have left quite a bit of beer on the garage floor because of it. Lol. 18L into a 22.5L and it still overflowed! It is a real beast. 

Because of the top cropping ability then perhaps plan brews a couple of days apart :-)

[Crusader-Rob]

Awesome Cheers Scarrfie,

Based on what alot of people are saying it doesn't really need a D-Rest. Fermentation at 15 degrees is mid range, and in theory if I wait maybe 10 days and ramp an extra couple of degrees toward the end, to help finish it off, and lager for probably 2-3 weeks it'll be all good. trying to nail down a good easy drinking blonde.

In my head that makes sense.