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...

[Ralph]

Hey Paul, I would tend to err on the side of more cascade than pacifica and I tend to add some sauvin at each addition as well... but what you have proposed sounds good as well. I would be keen as to try it!

I think that having some dry hop can add some nice fresh hop flavours.

I think the Dennys starter is going ok.... but am not 100% sure. I have plenty of Sandiego Super Yeast WL090 if the Dennys is not great... I have 50L of pale fermenting in the conical with the 090 if you want that instead or as well as. Easy as to drop some out the bottom of the conical for you!

[jt]

What's the yeast Paul ... and what's your Sauvin tolerance?

[Paul Fraser]

I think the Dennys or San Diego should work well with this recipe. If it's easier for you i'd be happy to try the San Diego. Tolerance for sauvin is good. I loved the Digital IPA clone i did which had heaps.

The reason i erred to the side of Pacifica was cos it's the first time i've used it so wanted it to come through for me. I have actually got 10g Cascade , 10g Pacifica and 5g sauvin pencilled in at flameout so they are fairly even.

Always happy to share too!!

[Ralph]

Yeh, the Dennys starter is on the stir plate, but I am not absolutely sure it is as good as it could be. The viaI opened monday managed to spurt everywhere and so I only got about half it in the jar. I think it is growing, but have not checked it properly yet... I can probably tell tomorrow whether it is good or not... but the WL090 is on hand if it is not playing ball!

[Edmund Barker]

Hiya, this is my first post! Yay! I'm a novice Wellington home brewer with 3 brews under my belt, but am stoked with my progress:

1. larger kit

2. larger kit with hops

3. LME with steeped grains,  hop additions (NZ cascade & Riwaka) and US-05 (APA)

4. This is where I need your help. I'm planning on doing an extract hefe , as that's what my fiance likes. I know you're going to say "just stump up the cash and go AG" but I can't afford it just yet. Does anybody have a good recipe for a 23L extract hefe?

 

Thanks heaps in advance.

 

 

[Kelly Milligan]

Should take a look online and see if you can find Jamil's recipe from Brewing Classic Styles, theres bound to be an extract based hefe in there ;) The big thing with a Hefe is using the right yeast, I'd splash out and grab the correct liquid yeast strain for it:

http://www.brewshop.co.nz/hefeweizen-iv-yeast-wlp380.html

http://www.brewshop.co.nz/american-hefeweizen-yeast-wlp320.html

http://www.brewshop.co.nz/hefeweizen-yeast-wlp300.html

[Edmund Barker]

Hi Kelly, that's very kind of you. Any preferences for any of those yeasts? I've used a US-05 before and dumped it straight into the APA. Will I need to make a starter for this one? If so, are there any useful guides on how to do this? Looks like I'm going to need a better thermometer for this!

[Kelly Milligan]

No worries mate, 

Which strain to use really depends on your taste, as you'll see in the descriptions of the 3 each one puts off different flavours during fermentation. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of really banana'ry wheats and would probably lean more towards the American Hefe strain. Saying that though, I'd probably also take a cue from 8Wired and pack it with hops too ;) You could say I'm not hugely traditional when it comes to my brewing!

As for Starters/dry yeast there are some excellent resources out there to help you. I absolutely and un-dyingly recommend How To Brew by John Palmer This is THE best $25 you will spend when starting out. It's also available for free online (outdated, it's worth getting the 3rd edition paper version!).

You should always re-hydrate dry yeast first, which is outrageously easy. As for a starter, you don't need to make a starter. The packs sold by WYeast and Whitelabs are made to be direct pitchable. However, calculating the right amount to use, and making an appropriate starter will give you a healthier fermentation - and in turn a better beer :)

Welcome to the hobby dude, won't be long until you're obsessed (aren't we all?)

K

[Edmund Barker]

I've already read the entire newbies section for a background, so you could say I'm on my way to an obsession, and already experimenting (bottling in Islay whiskey bottles with a little whiskey left in them).

Thanks for the info. Here's a recipe I found from Jamil:

Hefeweizen

(5 gallons, extract with grain)

Ingredients:
• 7 lbs. malt extract syrup (70% wheat malt/ 30% pale)
• 1.5 lbs. Munich pale malt
• 0.5 lb. carapils or dextrin-type malt
• 0.25 oz. Perle hops (7.3% alpha acid) for 60 min.
• 0.75 oz. Hallertauer hops (3.5% alpha acid): 0.5 oz. for 30 min., 0.25 oz. at end of boil
• Wyeast 3068 (Weihenstephan weizen), 1 pt. starter, or White Labs WLP300 (hefeweizen) 
• 2/3 cup corn sugar for priming

Step by Step:   

In a nylon bag, steep crushed grains in 5 gal. of 150° F water for 30 min. Sparge grains with enough 170° F water to make 5.5 gal. Heat to boiling and add extract syrup.  Total boil is 60 min. At beginning of boil, add Perle hops and continue for 30 min. Add 0.5 oz. Hallertauer hops and boil for 30 min. more.  At end of boil, add remaining Hallertauer hops. Whirlpool and cool to 69° F and pitch starter. Oxygenate/aerate well.  Follow the fermenting instructions and refer to the specifications for the all-grain version.

I have a question though. I currently have a 15l pot and a 7l pot and that's it; can I steep the grains, top up, boil, hop etc in the 15l pot and top the fermenter up with water? It's pretty much how I did my last brew which I bottled on the weekend and it seems fine. What say you?

Also, How to Brew is in the mail, looking forward to getting it! Cheers for you time and info!

[Scarrfie]

Haha another addict. You can start work reading the recipe thread now:-P

Edmund one thing to maximize your use of hops is to keep the gravity down for the boil. Nothing wrong with your process but you don't have to add all the extract in to the boil, just do your boil up in the 15L and the you can top up the fermenter with the extract and water you need. You can steep a bit hotter also at 70 or even 75°C as there is no enzyme action you have to worry about, just low enough to avoid tannin extraction.

What you could do is steep the grains in 10L or so at 70 (strain) then add in half the extract and top up with water to commence the boil, adding in your hop additions as you go. Top up the fermenter with water as you say, but the rest of the extract as well. You won't need as many hops this way, although you will have to work out your utilisation. Do you know about the hopville beer engine?

[Edmund Barker]

Thanks for the info Scarrfie! Used beersmith for my last brew with pretty good success, although I'm worried about bottle bombs with 1c sugar syrup gently stirred into a 19l batch! (3kg LME, 200g hops, us05 and light crystal malt) It was what beersmith said though.

I don't have a hydrometer as my friend broke it, so am still guessing my way through it (and of course LOVING it!) 

What's the reasoning behind less hops with less malt? I haven't heard anyone discuss this yet, and it'd be great to save some pennies! Thanks heaps for the info. If you're ever in Welly, there'll be a brew waiting.

[Scarrfie]

John Palmer explains all about boil gravity versus hop utilisation. But also keep in mind that hop bitterness fades with conditioning, so if you overdo it then just leave it in the bottle a bit few more months:-)

There are calculators to work out carbonation and yes 1c is  on the high side. 90-120 gms would be about the range for 19L. Maybe not bottle bombs, but probably gushers lol.

Mate there is an electronic way of measuring specific gravity that I found out recently from the forums here. Have a hunt around because although double or triple the cost of a hydrometer, it would be a lot more versatile. You could also taste the beer to get an idea also, the unfermented sugars will give it a sweeter taste.