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...

[vdog]

Just saw your post after I put mine up - from what I've read both Tuatara and Emersons use Riwaka (which is NZ B Saaz) as the key hops. I'd use Pac Jade to bitter because it's low-cohumulone so has a relatively smooth bitterness.

[Dan]

Does anyone have a good recipe for an American Amber Ale with plenty of hops? Ive tried a few lately and really enjoy them.

[Mark Weusten]

Tall Poppy clone?

http://www.forum.realbeer.co.nz/forum/topics/8-wired-pale-ale-7-clo...

[Richard Rice]

I don't know if anyone would call this an American Amber Ale recipe, but that's the description I was given by two commercial brewers.  I was inspired by Ballast Point's Fathom to make an IPL (India Pale Lager) as well as Gothenbrau, by 666 Brewing - where they used US05 and brewed at 15C.

Red Sonja - Red IPL (American Amber Ale)

Recipe Specs

Batch Size (L):           20

Total Grain (kg):         5.735

Total Hops (g):           245

Original Gravity (OG):    1.062 

Final Gravity (FG):       1.016 

Alcohol by Volume (ABV):  6.09 %

Colour (SRM):             14.5   (EBC): 28.6

Bitterness (IBU):         69.8   (Rager)

Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 69

Boil Time (Minutes):      90

 

Grain Bill

5.5 kg Maris Otter Malt 

0.150 kg Caraamber

0.085 kg Roasted Barley

 

Hop Bill

15 g Nugget Pellet (8.5% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil)

10 g Citra Pellet (11.1% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil)

15 g Nugget Pellet (8.5% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil)

10 g Citra Pellet (11.1% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)

25 g Nelson Sauvin Pellet (11.5% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)

15 g Nugget Pellet (8.5% Alpha) @ 10 Minutes (Boil)

20 g Citra Pellet (11.1% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)

25 g Nelson Sauvin Pellet (11.5% Alpha) @ 5 Minutes (Boil)

60 g Citra Pellet (11.1% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)

50 g Nelson Sauvin Pellet (11.5% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes (Aroma)

 

Single step Infusion at 65°C for 90 Minutes. Fermented at 15°C with Safale US-05. I also racked to secondary and let it lager/condition for 4 weeks.

 

Unfortunately, I overcarbed it and a bottle exploded, but the first few after two weeks conditioning were AMAZING.  The Caraamber gives it a sweet/caramel flavour that pushes it into that realm. 

 

[Dan]

Thanks guys for the suggestions. Hmmm now which one to brew?

[vdog]

My brewing partners are keen to have a crack at a pilsner and I'm keen to do something like either Emersons or Tuatara Pils. What I'm really not sure of is the fermentation profile, as it'll be only the second lager in about six years (due to insufficient patience). So two questions really:

1. Suggestions on yeast strain and fermentation profile?

2. How close will I get using US-05 at 15c - is it really worth spending the extra six weeks on a lager yeast? Or is there a way to cut down the time without sacrificing quality with a lager yeast?

[Des Ross]

I'm fairly sure Emmersons use US-05 on their Pilsner. That's all I have ever used with excellent results by starting at 17C and slowly rising to 21...personally I have never gone as low as 15C but give it go....it's a very adaptable strain of yeast!

[Richard Rice]

I used US05 at 15C for a beer.  I was trying to make an IPL, but the recipe was wrong and it was more like an American Amber.  I can tell you tho, that US05 at 15C works a treat and I just left it at the same temp for a full 2 weeks.  I still lagered it for 4 weeks and it came out really nice.  Now, if only I'd not overcarbed it...

So, you might manage to get away with not lagering, but I would question whether you'd get that real pilsner crispness.  Worth a try, tho.

[Peter Smith]

how did you carb it ?     All my overcarbs so far have been the yeast waking up and getting a bit more hungry once the sugar from carb hits them.... and the gravity moving lower.  somewhere I read that it takes 3 points to carb an ale, and when at the britomart brewery the brewer said they close the vent at 1.018 on there beers so that they carb from the final fermentation.

[Richard Rice]

I tried to put sugar straight in the bottles.  Worked for a couple of beers, then went completely haywire on this one. Mostly cos it finished higher than anticipated, i guess...as you say, residual sugars being consumed.

[Scott H]

Yeah. People have used 05 for kolsh s so should be fine. About the only thing you may miss out on is any yeast character from using a lager yeast.

[Peter Smith]

Vdog,  I don't see how in the NZ situation the small craft brewers could keep a beer at 2C for 6 weeks and still make $$$  commercially, maybe they just add more bright tanks into a mass cool room,  that said I have tried 3 different brews now with the full 2-3 week ferment at 10-12C then diactyl rest then 6 weeks lager, then bottle and IMHO wait 8 weeks min.

My first batch was a disaster - drained it, it tasted burnt???. but repitched the yeast, I think I had too small a starter...   anyways the 2nd batch with this yeast was better (I was  using Wyeast Munich lager 2308PC, malt forward seems to destroy the late Riwaka hops....)   I now have a 2124 boh pil yeast running as well as the Munich side by side in 23L carboys and do double batch brews and try across the 2 yeasts, for the next current version I doubled the Riwaka late addition and did a 1g/L dry hop during dactyl rest across both batchs, thats 2 weeks into lager now so I reckon in about 3 months I will know what its like.   

I really prefer mine bottled , 2 carb drops per bottle, and left under house vs keg.  In past batches I have bottled 1/2 and put the other 1/2 in a 9.8L keg I have.  it never seems to carb up/bitter up quite right....   

the Munich produces a nutty flavour profile, massively malt forward and possibly destroys the hoppiness I am after

The 2124 boh pil seems much more balanced and leaves the hoppines alone.

I would try the boh pil 2124 if you are only going to try one yeast, also do a massive starter I did a 2L steeped into a 8L small better bottle starter at 1.045 so basically an 8L starter for the 2124,   there are comments online here about using an old can of coppers etc extract , I did this but used bulk wheat extract, I don't think it matters you are just building up yeast cells. 

But I have had one real success,   there is the JamesP CS4 recipe, this was my first 2124 batch, I kegged 1/2 and was only ho-hum on it, but I bottled 1/2 on  22-March.  Opened one tonight damn its a good beer, perfect bitterness refreshing but with a great lasting hoppiness.   And I am not a fan of crystal in lagers, it reminds me of moa beers too much, still he has nailed the recipe.

 

I am not 100% convinced that this is how the commercial guys are making there lagers but I am going to perserve for the next year,  a bag of pilsner malt doesnt cost much and lasts a long time when you have a 3 month turnaround per 23L batch....   if you have a spare fridge that can take 2 carboys its worth the pain, if you only have 1 temp control fridge, I would probably just brew cold us-05 (15C) but you are probably stressing the yeast at this temp, I get super clean ferments at 17.5C with us05 in ales.   17.5C for 72 hours -> straight to 18.5 then +1C each day thereafter