What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[jt]

Racked this, the first of the seasons lagers last night, from 1.039 to 1.008 which I was pleased with. The hydro sample tasted good, the yeast seems to cope with 18C ok.

I'll let this sit a week, maybe two and depending on the keg situation I may bottle it and keep it a few months (rather than keg and consume)

Got the grains & hops weighed for the second. Grains the same as #1, 3.5kg Aussie Pale, 500gm Vienna
Hops are Southern Cross 60 & 30 minutes and Pacific Hallertau 15 & 1
The combination's from a recipe on the NZ Hops site http://www.nzhops.co.nz/recipes/microlightlager.html.
Thought I'd give it a go during my current Pacific Hallertau trials

[Edward Siddle]

Hi JT
finally did my blonde ale last week, which was like this:
450g munich type 1
250g wheat malt
250g carahell
3.4kg pils malt
hallertau to bitter, then largish doses of riwaka at 10 mins and 1 mins - total 30 IBU estimated. fermenting for almost a week now with wyeast 1338 - slow but steady worker.

am thinking of a brown ale in the next month. what's your best AG recipe for one of these that you've done?

[jt]

Whats the gravity there and what IBU of hops when Ed ?
Your grain's similar to one of my incarnations but your IBU's are at the high end. My three have been 20, 25 and 30 IBU (which was a little sharp in a 1.040 beer)

The best brown to style must have been the place getter - though I didn't like it myself, lost the hops. It's more to my liking with W1968 and without the wheat.

Never been particularly happy with my grain browns, standard recipe of 3kg LME 250 Crystal, 125gm Choc just never made the transition well. Currently drinking a batch 300gm caramunich iii, 80gm choc and lightly hopped with cascade which I think will become a standard at home

Anyway
Gervin yeast, 1.040
Aussie Pale 2.970
Medium Crystal 0.280
Chocolate 0.125
Roast Barley 0.025
Flaked Wheat 0.600
15IBU Super Alpha @ 60, 8 IBU Goldings @30, 5 IBU Goldings @15

[Edward Siddle]

interesting. yeah i'm tossing up between a pretty basic pale plus crystal at 250g, choc at 100g to get to 1048, or something more radical with lots of crystal, lots of amber and a little chocolate malt.

my blonde was to 1048 and i happily hit it bang on. i'm basically treating it like a kiwi koelsch really (hence the riwakas). i think 30 IBUs should be ok, especially considering some of that total came quite late in the boil.

[jt]

i haven't used amber in Browns, but enjoyed it as an addition to my extract pales/bitters some time ago.
I found it gave a much better flavour than the typical crystal addition. Haven't used it in an all grain but must do one day.

OK, 30:48 is the same ratio as my first blonde = 60% or so. One went to 80% - partly due to lower efficiency than planned for. The third is anticipated about 45%

I think I've got three distinctly different attempts - should give me an idea where to standardise the recipe

[Edward Siddle]

i've only used it once and it was a relatively negligible amount (50g) in a bitter that already had some crystal in it too. i'm not sure i can isolate the flavour difference and so at some point will do a bitter that has only amber and no crystal and compare with one that is the opposite.

the recipe i was looking at was a graham wheeler one for sam smiths nut brown ale and had what i consider (but american homebrewers probably wouldn't) whopping amounts of crystal and amber - 440g and 430g respectively for a 20L batch size (with pale and 60g choc as well).

[jt]

I've been upto approx the 250-300gm mark of amber & cara/crystal with good results. The amber adds good flavour without sweetening.

Nut brown ? can't go past brown grain & crystal. 300-400gm each

[denimglen]

Heating the mash water for this now:

APA 1.053 37 IBU 20L

4.3 kg Barrett Burston Pale
300g Cara
100g Crystal

30g Cascade Storebought (60)
30g Cascade Homegrown (30)
20g Cascade Homegrown (15)
20g Cascade Homegrown (0)

US05

Basically a recipe I've brewed before, wanted to give the homegrown hops a shot. Also wanted to see what the Aussie pale was like compared the the UK Pale Ale before dedicating myself to a 50kg sack.

Cheers and beers everyone.

[jt]

Just bought a 25kg lot - Mike'll sell you 25kg @ the bag rate - mus tbe hard to shift 50kg lots I guess - I just have trouble storing 50kg

[denimglen]

Awesome, thanks, was gonna enquire about a smaller bag size, 50kg would last me ages.

[Bambule]

Onwards and upwards, Anzac day brew session planned

3kg weyerman pilsner
3kg weyerman vienna
.4kg Crystal

50g Fuggles 60min
20g styrian goldings 20mins
20g styrian goldings 10mins
20g Styrian goldings 2 mins
Maybe some more at flame out, wouldn't mind something else to throw in there but all out of options

SAF 04
Makes me thirsty just thinking about it.

[denimglen]

Really have no idea what but gonna do something ANZAC day, maybe an Irish or Scottish influenced ale.

Decisions Decisions...