Blonde / Cream Ale Adventure

[monsteroyd]

Got the first one bottled finally last night. Kind of lost track of time on that one. But the sample tastes great and it came out at 1.006, so about 6%. A little high, but it'll do ok. Very nice light color and nice Saaz flavor.

We'll report back in about a month on this one.

Monty

[monsteroyd]

Bottled the second Blond Ale last night. This one was fermented with some Safale K-97, a probably Kolsch yeast. The gravity sample came in at 1.010 so about 4.7% ABV, which is nice for the summer. This yeast made a ton of trub, with a little getting into the first and last bottles. The sample tasted nice and light. This should be a very nice light blonde ale. Can't wait to try it in a month.

Monty

[Dawg LB Steve]

I bottled up my Cream Ale test recipe from this thread Sunday, it finished at 1.010 and the hydrometer sample tasted pretty good. Don't ever remember drinking a CA but might have to get a Genny Cream to side by side taste test in a couple weeks. But from the sample taste I might have to do a full 5 gal. batch and go AG instead of the Pilsen DME !

[monsteroyd]

I still have not done a version of this with corn. I've been on vacation and too busy to do a PM with the corn. However, based on the way these are coming out, I am really starting to get curious about what the corn will do. Glad to hear yours is looking good. Can't wait for the pour.

Monty

[monsteroyd]

Ok, got the 4th installment made today. Just using up some left over stuff, but I bet this is a nice blonde anyway.

Recipe: Blonde Ale 4 Sorachi Ace
Brewer: Dog Breath
Asst:
Style: Blonde Ale
Type: Extract

Brewed: 19 Apr 2014
Bottle: 10 May 2014
Drink: 07 Jun 2014

Batch Size: 2.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.046 SG
Measured OG: 1.046 SG
Estimated FG: 1.010 SG
Measured FG: 1.010 SG
Estimated ABV: 4.7 %
Measured ABV: 4.7 %
Boil Time: 10 Minutes
Color: 10.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 25.2 IBUs

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2.25 gal Atlanta, GA Water 1 -
0.11 Items Campden Tablet (Mash 0.0 mins) Water Agent 2 -
1 lbs Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 3 34.0 %
0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 8.0 mins) Fining 4 -
2.00 Items Fermcap-S (Boil 8.0 mins) Other 5 -
1.00 oz Sorachi Ace [11.90 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 6 25.2 IBUs
2.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 0.1 mins) Other 7 -
1.0 pkg Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) [23.66 m Yeast 8 -
2.90 oz Malto-Dextrine (Primary 1.0 mins) Other 9 -
1 lbs 4.8 oz Munich Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM) Extract 10 44.2 %
7.2 oz Rye Liquid Malt (35.0 SRM) Extract 11 15.4 %
3.0 oz Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 12 6.4 %


Monty

[Brewbirds]

Monty if we could get Wings to restart his Borg MOM poll again I 'd have to guess that you would need a trophy room.

[monsteroyd]

Brewed up another one, basically the same recipe as the last one, but with Lallemand Windsor yeast and Crystal hops. I'm interested to see what the Windsor is like compared to Nottingham.

I have some flaked rice and some flaked corn on the way from Midwest, so the next ones will be incorporating a partial mash of corn or rice for some cream ale experiments. Maybe one with corn, one with rice and one with corn and rice. Don't know what hops would be good, but I have some Belma, Citra, and Sorachi and a bunch of various hops from a LabelPeelers sale a while ago, so I'll find something.

@BB - What's a MOM? - Madman of the Month?

Monty

[Brewbirds]

Brewed up another one, basically the same recipe as the last one, but with Lallemand Windsor yeast and Crystal hops. I'm interested to see what the Windsor is like compared to Nottingham.

I have some flaked rice and some flaked corn on the way from Midwest, so the next ones will be incorporating a partial mash of corn or rice for some cream ale experiments. Maybe one with corn, one with rice and one with corn and rice. Don't know what hops would be good, but I have some Belma, Citra, and Sorachi and a bunch of various hops from a LabelPeelers sale a while ago, so I'll find something.

@BB - What's a MOM? - Madman of the Month?

Monty

Hi Monty,
Borg MOM was from the old site where the Borg voted one of their own as member of the month. Then we all teased Wings because he kept coming in second place on vote counts.

You may try looking for the corn and rice in syrup form, sounds like they would be easier for the way you are making these.

By the way did you leave Mashani chained up in your Saison thread I don't see him here?

[monsteroyd]

No, I think Mashani has moved on to more exciting endeavors than herding me along making Saisons. I think he just really likes the Belle Saison yeast and was enjoying me trying it out over and over again. He sure helped me a ton as he is a beer encyclopedia, but no chains were employed, that I know of.

Yes I looked at rice sryup, but it is just basically sugar. I guess I would get the same thing if I mashed the flaked rice, but I think it might make a difference. As far as corn, the only thing I've ever seen is corn syrup/sugar which again may be what I'll get mashing flaked corn, but I think I'll get more flavor from mashing vs just throwing in karo Also I'm going to add a little 6-row, carapils, and some amylase when I do the PM. It will add some time to the brew, but I think I need the experience too. I really haven't done many PMs, maybe 4 all together.

Monty

[monsteroyd]

Alrighty, got some time tonight to do my partial mash for a Cream ale. As I type I am waiting on 1 tsp Amylase, 1lb Corn, .5 lb 6-row, and 4 oz of honey malt to mash. Not going to have time to finish, so it will go back for a quick boil and then straight into the frig for tomorrow night. First time for every thing I guess.

I'm hoping this is the start to a nice cream ale for the summer.

Monty

[mashani]

No, I think Mashani has moved on to more exciting endeavors than herding me along making Saisons. I think he just really likes the Belle Saison yeast and was enjoying me trying it out over and over again. He sure helped me a ton as he is a beer encyclopedia, but no chains were employed, that I know of.
Monty

Hah, nah, I just fear Cream Ale. Cream Ale brings back memories of shooting at and being shot by "friends" with potato cannons, bottle rockets, and roman candles. That's what we did back in the day before "paintball" when we were bored and consumed too many little kings.

[monsteroyd]

Dude you are hilarious.

Ok I did do a refractometer reading of 8 brix of the partial mash results, and I ended up not bringing it back to a boil, and I think it is a little sweeter today than last night. Beersmith says thats about 1.031, so not bad, but I think I have pH and temp problems with mashing, but still that's something. It will mean a lot I am sure towards the end result.

Speaking of end results, the very first Blonde Ale in this series has come in. 3 weeks fermenter / 4 weeks C+C. Man, I make some really good beer. I can't believe it. I am never entering any competition or anything. I am going to enjoy believing my beer is great. Ha Ha.

FirstPourBlondeAleBase.jpg (248.6 KiB) Viewed 1392 times

Monty

[mashani]

Hey that looks good.

:: whips out the potato cannon ::

[monsteroyd]

Funny. I haven't had a little king in so long I don't remember what they were like other than I liked them and 7 ounces was about right to not get warm before you finished. This was just as good, and I drank too much of it last night. Really good taste with lots of lacing etc. The little bit of oats I steeped in (2 oz) made the beer a little cloudy, but really did a number on foam and lacing. I think I'll try that with the next cream ale.

I did finish the cream ale, BeerSmith said OG of 1.044 and I got 1.046, so that's a good sign. Beside the PM ingredients, this one had 2.5 lbs of Pale LME, and a 10 minute boil with some 6.9% AA 'German Tradition' Hops. (FWH actually) I assume that's like Hallertau, at least it smelled like it. So we'll see in about 7 weeks how that turned out. Oh and I used Nottingham, because the blonde ale I was drinking used it. I really like Nottingham, and I can't wait to see how the one I did with Windsor turns out. Lallemand makes some great yeast I think.

I have some potato gun plans that a former work colleague designed. It uses lighter fluid and has a bic built in for a trigger. He said he could shoot a spud a quarter of a mile.

Monty

[monsteroyd]

Forgot to post the final recipe for the Cream Ale.

Brewer: Dog Breath
Batch Size: 2.25 gal Style: Blonde Ale ( 3A)
Boil Size: 1.50 gal Style Guide: BJCP 1999
Color: 8.2 SRM Equipment: My MB Equipment
Bitterness: 19.7 IBUs Boil Time: 15 min
Est OG: 1.044 (11.0° P)
Est FG: 1.010 SG (2.6° P) Fermentation: Monty's MB
ABV: 4.5% Taste Rating: 35.0

Ingredients Amount Name Type #
2.25 gal Atlanta, GA Water 1
0.11 Campden Tablet (Mash 0 min) Misc 2
1 lbs Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 3
8.0 oz Brewers Malt 6-Row (Briess) (1.8 SRM) Grain 4
4.0 oz Honey Malt (Gambrinus) (25.0 SRM) Grain 5
1.00 tsp Amylase Enzyme (Mash 60 min) Misc 6
1 lbs 4.2 oz Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Grain 7
0.50 Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 8 min) Misc 8
1.0 oz Hallertau [6.9%] - Boil 8 min Hops 9
2.00 Fermcap-S (Boil 8 min) Misc 10
2.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 0 min) Misc 11
1 lbs Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Grain 12
4.0 oz Honey (1.0 SRM) Grain 13