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]

Question on starters - now that we're into big volumes, we'd definitely have to do a starter if we're using liquid yeast, to get the cell count high enough. Given that we have to use about 3 packets of dry yeast to get things started if we use that, I'm thinking of building up starters from a pack of dry stuff. Is it worthwhile? I'm figuring it could reduce our yeast cost by 2/3rds if we only need to start with one pack, and could be more if we culture and save some.

[JoKing]

for a 60 Liter batch of 1.050 wort, you could ferment about 8 Liters of a homebrew kit @1.040 with an 11.5g packet of US-05 etc. Once that beer has finished, you can either bottle 7 Liters of that beer and pitch the last liter with all the slurry in the bottom. You'd have to make sure that your sterilisation reigeme is as strict with the 8 liter batch as any of your other batches.

[vdog]

As an easier option what's the deal with saving yeast from a prior batch? Generally we're brewing every four weeks, bottling after two - so can I save what's left in the fermenter, and how should I store it to make sure it's 'safe' for the two weeks between bottling and putting the next brew down?

[Dale]

Well did this brew Monday and did a reading this morning and the SG is still the same as Monday. So do I order some more WYeast from Dunedin Malt House or is the Safe yeast I can get at Bin Inn going to be ok? Have also worked out my thermometer has been show temps about 6D higher they they were so all the mash and sparge etc was done low on this brew.

Thanks

[Reviled]

Sounds like youve massively underpitched.. How many litres was your starter? Was the starter active? What was your OG?

[Dale]

Yeah i was talking to Martin Bridges about starters on the page before this my yeast starter was one litre and i left for 2 days before pitching OG was and is 1.048. Starter was active when I air rated it round but not a lot of white stuff on the bottom. This is my second only starter so didn't know they needed to be sooo big and not to have airlocks on them.

[Dale]

So do I give the yeast some more time to get going?

[Tony]

Hop Advice

I am brewing a hoppy ale tomorrow. I have some Nelson sauvin and some Rawaka. I have not used either of them before, so I thought it was time to give them a try. Both are about 11.5 AA.

Which should I use for bitter/aroma or both. What are their characteristics?

[JoKing]

Tony - Clarify Rawaka 11.5%.....

Do you mean Rakau, or Riwaka?

I have used all 3 so can offer a bit here.

Oh... and post up your malt bill too - it's pretty important when considering IBU and end quantities mate.

[denimglen]

Give us a run down on them anyway mate, if you can throw any Motueka advice in there too it would be choice.

Am formulating an NZPA recipe as well.

[JoKing]

Well it's a little bit like this...

Sauvin - killer character. Lemon, Lime, Vinous... crazy shit. To keep this under control, use not later than 30mins to the end. Late additions can be unpredictable. So like - 25g at 30min will work towards some bitterness as well as some pleasant Sauvin notes in the palate and on the nose. Dryhopping works in small amounts - like .5 to 1g per liter to lift the hop brightness in a beer.

Riwaka - Tangerine citrus, bright clean, lemongrass. Very nice stuff. Originally was my #1 hop until Simcoe came along. Can be used late in the boil all the way to flamout to lift the brightness in a beer. It sort of needs a bit of caramel flavour to carry some of the higher notes if you want a large amount in a beer, but 50g late in the boil with the above Sauvin addition is killer.

Motueka - Low end citrus with some grassy spicyness. Goes well in dark beers as well as in Pale Ales in smaller amounts. Can be blended say 20g Mot : 40g Riwaka to increase hop spectrum in a brew... or half that if you SG is lower than 1.050. It's the hop in Sassy Red - so wrap your lips around that one. Can be used all the way through to the dry hop like Riwaka.

Rakau - I'm still on the bench with this hop. Not too keen on it as it lends a "Vodka" kind of smell to the beer, which is weird. Some of the hop perception is good... but you cant escape the other weird aromeit lends. EVERY beer I have tasted it in has the same flavour: My NZIPA, #2 at hallertau when Steve trialed it and also in Kid Chocolate... which may well not have even had it late in the boil. If it were any good, NZ Hops would advertise it on their website. Sorry Doug - dont mean to slag you guys off mate, but 3 out of 4 aint bad.

[denimglen]

Cheers, helpful...but unhelpful because you were supposed to say 'just use them they will be awesome' which would make my life easier.

What about my schedule here, too much NS maybe?

Sorry to jack your shit Tony.