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...

[Patrick]

What about dropping the NS altogether, amd doing the bittering addition with something high alpha like Green Bullet, then massive doses of NZ cascade at 15,5, and 0? Still haven't put in the order so I might not even end up brewing it this weekend. Work keeps interfering with my day-time web surfing/brew planning.

[vdog]

That'd definitely work - if you think it sounds like something you'd like to drink (I do) then just go for it and see what happens.

[Patrick]

Righto, I placed the order this morning and Mike will have it ready for me tomorrow.
5kg MO
.5kg Munich
.2kg Crystal 120
.2kg Torrified Wheat

100g Nelson Sauvin
100g NZ Cascade

Still undecided with the hopping, thinking about:
15g of each at 60
15g of each at 30
20 of each at 15
30 of each at 0

This should give me OG 1056 and 66IBU

I will also have 20g of each left over, which I could add to the primary after 7 days or so, leave it in there for a week before bottling. Or I could save them and make a mongrel beer with 20g each of NS, NZ C and imp fuggles that is in the fridge... Comments??

[Reviled]

Definately add the hops to the fermenter, dry hopping is a MUST for an IPA imo!!

[Patrick]

Yeah I may as well - I will brew another blonde in a couple of weeks so will have plenty of beer to keep me going anyway - even if the IPA needs a couple of months in the bottle. (that blonde recipe is quite drinkable after a fornight in the bottles :)

[JackoNZ]

I posted this in the WnBC group (Imperial Hybrid) but it's probably better suited in here:

I've been giving this beer some thinking and decided I liked the idea of the crossover of styles for the hybrid element. A Black IPA sounded like a goer but then I thought that's already been done so how about instead of getting the black colour with the roasted grains how about racking an IPA onto some dark plums in secondary. I stew plums most weeks with some sugar and a cinnamen stick to put on cereal for breakfast. The colour is outstanding and I think would look great in a beer.

However I have a couple of concerns, with an IPA generally being very hoppy, do you think any plum aroma would be lost? I'd like the colour to come through as well as some flavour and aroma. Has anyone ever brewed with plums? Did it work well? Would it be better to just pull back on the hops to allow the plums to come through?

Another problem I have is never having brewed with fruit, I've read differing views from removing the skins to chucking it all in, blanching but not boiling. The dark plums do have quite a dark flesh but I think the really dark red/purple colour mostly comes from the skin. Would a couple of kilo be adequate? Those brewers out there that dabble with fruit in beer, any advice to heed?

[Patrick]

OK How should I go about dry-hopping this IPA? I was thinking of boiling then cooling some water, adding the hops to make a slurry, and pouring it thru the air-lock hoile on the primary fermenter after 7 days of fermentation. Then I was going to give the fermenter a big swirl and prop it up on something so the sediment and yeast settles away from the tap (to hopefully reduce the amount of hop particles getting into the bottles). Ideas?

[Reviled]

Nah mate sounds like way too much effort, just throw the pellets loose into the fermenter and bobs your uncle!

I usually wait about 4-5 days after pitching yeast, then throw the pellets into the fermenter and leave the beer for another 7-10 days then keg...

[JackoNZ]

Yeah mate, don't bother with all that fuss! Open the fermenter and chuck your hops in. I had 40g of dry hop in my recent pale ale for 4 days, they had pretty much dropped out on bottling or settle to the bottom of the bottle anyway.

[Reviled]

I dont get why people dry hop for less than 7 days? Seems like a waste of alot of goodness to me, cos I notice a massive difference in hydrometer samples going from day 4 to 7, even sometimes from day 7 to 10 it seems a bit hoppier/resinous...

[JackoNZ]

Only second time I dry hopped, the 4 days was advice from a certain Yeastie Boy! I would say the aroma of the hops in the pale ale is outstanding. Not so good in my Irish Red but then I'm not sure 25g was enough. I might try a longer dry hop in my IPA as I wouldn't mind the resinousness you talk of in that style!

[Reviled]

Interesting - Stu, do tell, why only dry hop for 4 days??