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...

[Michael]

Hey guys...Thanks for the advice...

I just found some caramalt and caraamber in the cupboard!

This means that I will forgo the competition, but I will be brewing a beer that I think will be very tasty. I love that caraamber!

BTW...I am betting that a stout would turn out OK with S04. Although I do not care much for the yeast, I think Mike is right...if I could keep the temp at 18, it would still be good. (I still have quite a bit of the S04 on hand as well.)

[jt]

Rakau light pale - to checkout this hop.

Question is, more pale crystal, or less and how much more rakau to add at the end - if any ?

68.5% Maturop
25% Global Kolsch
6% Pale Crystal
0.5% Chocolate
1.040 with '05
12 ibu Super Alpha @ 60
6 ibu rakau @ 30
6 ibu rakau @ 15
Probably 10-15g rakau @ 1 or 0 min.

[jt]

OK, in the absence of any suggestions, I've just mashed in.
Shit it's a grotty day out there

cheers, jt

[KJ Henderson]

Happy new year to all.
Anyone out there sampled the strawberry beer from 'Fruhli'? Just wanting to get any ideas for a recipe similar to it. From what I believe it is along the lines of a light wheat beer.

[jt]

A few people have done fruity beers, check out Mr Cherry's posts for one, I think

[MrC]

Hi.

I brewed a decent Raspberry Wheat Beer last year that I called Pink Panther :-) The recipe is here. I thought the beer was great and plan brew it again very soon but using boysenberries rather than raspberries just to see what the difference is. My base beer style was American Wheat Beer and it goes nicely with the fruit. I would recommend a clean ale yeast like US-05.

I've never brewed with strawberries but I've read that the strawberry flavour is very subtle and easily lost. Some others on here may have more advice on brewing with strawberries (or cranberries, rev?).

[KJ Henderson]

Thanks guys. The Mrs loves the strawberry beer but I actually found it a nice drop too, it was in a few good pubs in London when we were there. I think theres a bit of a feeling out there its a bit of a girly drink unfortunatly. Maybe those who havnt tasted a good one think its a bit of a sweet lolly beer, but the strawberry isnt overpowering.

[KJ Henderson]

I still am wanting to have a beer that tastes of beer but with a hint of strawberry flavour and scent. The only other recipe I have seen suggests as you say steeping the fruit and adding to the secondary. Do you think the flavour would be ruined if you added some during the boil? Any ideas on how far you could go with hopping?

[denimglen]

From what I've read -

Late hopping isn't a great idea with fruit beers as the flavours tend to clash.

Fruit shouldn't be added to the boil because of loosing volatile flavour/aroma compounds, it can also give you problems with pectin hazes.

I'd have some strawberry flavour extract (craftbrewer.com.au have a good range) on hand at bottling so you can top up the flavour if needed.

[Reviled]

Im drinking a cranberry cream ale at the mo, I used real cranberries, only thing if you want to use real fruit is you need HEAPS!! I did 10 litres and used 1.5kg, I should have used at least 2kg I think, I can taste the cranberrys, but its subtle, and due to the type of fruit slightly acidic but overall the beer is really drinkable!!

I just blended up some frozen cranberrys and added them to 2ndary and left them in there for 8 days before kegging... Ive got a wee bit of haze but the beers still fairly bright which im quite happy with!!

[Mike Neilson]

Ahh Fulli great beer but very very hard to recreate using natural ingredients!! just make a Belgian blonde mash high and add strawberry esscence and you will be closer than 10 brews using real Strawberrys.

[KJ Henderson]

Could be a good idea. I am thinking it would be difficult but not impossible to get enough both flavour and aroma showing through in the finished product with real strawberries.