BeerBorg

A friend of mine at work asked me what I am going to brew with my new equipment. I told him I don't know. He asked me if I like Boulevard Tank 7. I said yep. I do enjoy one of those as a sipping beer. Though I wouldn't want to drink one after another. Then he asked me if I would brew some of that. Sooo I began my research at the Boulevard website and this is what I found.
Sensory Profile

A straw colored, light to medium bodied beer with an earthy, spicy, grapefruit aroma and flavor, a soft, sweet malt flavor and a prominent hop bitterness.
Aroma Floral, citrusy hops, Belgian yeast esters
Malt Soft, light, sweet flavor
Hops Prominent hop bitterness and citrusy, grapefruit, peppery flavor
Balance Hops
Body Light/medium to medium
Ingredients

Malt: Pale Malt, Malted Wheat
Adjuncts: Corn Flakes
Hops: Magnum, Bravo, Amarillo

Color (EBC) 12
Bitterness (IBUs) 38
Original Gravity (Plato) 17.3
Terminal Gravity (Plato) 2.5
Alcohol (ABV) 8.5%
CO2 - Bottles 3.5 vol. (7.0 g/L)
CO2 - Kegs 2.6 vol. (5.1 g/L)

If I substitute white wheat for the malted wheat all I would have to buy is the Magnum, Bravo hops, Corn Flakes, and Saison yeast. I am a good with a run to the Home Brew store in Lawrence with a stop at 23rd ST Brewery on my way home.

Now the question is the proportions. I am thinking my usual 60/30 white wheat to 2 row then add a pound of corn flakes. But the hops is what I question.
The gravity on that stuff drops from 1.071 to 1.010 so I will mash for 90 minutes at a low temperature if I make this stuff. Then possibly add a pound of sugar after the primary fermentation? They don't list sugar on the ingredient lest so maybe I should leave that alone.

It is a given the Amarillo hops will be for flavor and possibly aroma. What which hop do I bitter with? I am not familiar with Magnum or Bravo.

This might make an interesting project.

Magnum is a good bittering hop. Used in SNPA. I'm not familiar with Bravo.

Here's one from Home Brew Talk:

Boulevard Smokestack Series Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale Clone
Type: Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Description taken from Boulevard Website:

SRM: 6 or EBC:12
IBUs: 38
OG: 1.071
FG: 1.010
ABV: 8%


70% Efficiency

0.66 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Adjunct 4.04 %
10.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) Bel (3.0 SRM) Grain 64.34 %
4.50 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 27.57 %
0.66 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 4.04 %
0.66 oz Falconer's Flight (Magnum alt) [10.50 %] (60 min) Hops 18.6 IBU
0.66 oz Falconer's Flight (Simcoe alt) [10.50 %] (20 min) Hops 11.3 IBU
0.50 oz Centennial (Amarillo alt) [8.70 %] (15 min) Hops 5.8 IBU
1.00 oz Amarillo [8.70 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops - 0 IBU
1 Pkgs American Farmhouse Blend (Platinum Series) (White Lab #670) Yeast-Ale

Est Original Gravity: 1.077 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.077 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.022 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.022 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.17 %
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 7.20 %
Bitterness: 35.7 IBU
Calories: 355 cal/pint
Est Color: 6.1 SRM

A few comments:

Boulevard's Website states they use Simcoe, Magnum, and Amarillo.
I used other citrus/floral hops because that's what I had in my refrigerator.
It has also been suggested to increase the % of corn and reduce the percentage of Wheat in the grain bill

Alternate Option for Yeast - French Saison

Hops suggestions (taken from Head Brewmaster at Boulevard) -

Bitter - Magnum
Flavor - Touch of Simcoe
Finish - Amarillo
Dry Hop - 1 ounce Amarillo

That is interesting that they got different information from the Boulevard website than what I got. Boulevard must change their recipe a tad with each batch like Russian Rivers does with Pliney the Elder.

Just my .02 but maybe brew something you already know to see how the new system works out. That might be a good test to gauge the new equipment.
Or course, you could just go all mad scientist but we'd need proof with a full documented video, of course!

Interesting looking batch. I take that its a Saison?

Looks interesting to me; right in line with my interest in Belgian yeast & American hop recipes.... Gonna have to add something like this to my 'to brew' list.

FrozenInTime wrote:Interesting looking batch. I take that its a Saison?

Sure is, FIT

I can tell you that Magnum is a great neutral bittering hop. I use it my pale ales.

I haven't used Bravo, sorry.

FrozenInTime wrote:Interesting looking batch. I take that its a Saison?

Very much a hop forward Saison, but with American hops.

RE: the recipe posted:

> 1 Pkgs American Farmhouse Blend (Platinum Series) (White Lab #670) Yeast-Ale

That yeast has some brett in it. Just be aware and sterilize the heck out of your equipment after if you aren't used to fermenting with bugs. If it gets into the wild it may return one day.