STANDARD AMERICAN LAGER

Apologies for the absence.


The most popular session beer in the world?  As I've said before on this blog, I'm not a macro lager hater, they have their place and the big breweries know how to brew this tricky style well.  So this time I thought I would try and brew the most consumed beer style in the world.


When brewing a Standard American Lager, the key is a clean flavor profile.  Not too much malt, not too much hops or yeast derived esters.  In fact, in the BJCP description it actually says, "strong flavors are considered a fault".  The devil for this one is in the ingredients.  I went with the standard American 2-row since pilsner malt would be too flavorful for this style.  Corn and rice adjuncts include a fair amount of the total grist and sometimes up to 40%.  I used a little less than 10% flaked rice (which I prefer over corn for it's neutral flavor but that's just a personal preference) and a little light crystal for body.


This was also the first time I tried the S-189 dry Swiss Lager yeast.  I had heard good things about it but I haven't had good success with dry lager yeasts in the past.  I tried Saflager W-34/70 and wasn't particularly impressed.  It threw a lot of diacetyl, which isn't a big deal on it's own, but the flavor profile also left something to be desired.  Also, I'm looking for a nice all around lager yeast and one that produces a lot of diacetyl is just going to be a pain.  


Anyway, Fermentis doesn't seem to sell small (~11 gram) packet to homebrewers but there's a sight (http://www.americanbrewmaster.com/product_info.php?products_id=2349) that buys in bulk and repackages into 11 gram packets.  Much better than buying a 500 gram packet.  I was worried about contamination due to the repackaging but the yeast performed well for me, so I have no complaints.

Standard American Lager (BJCP Description)

(6 Gallons, ~70% Eff, Tinseth)

OG: 1.043

FG: 1.011

IBU: 14

ABV: 4.2%

SRM: 3.8

9 lbs - Domestic 2-Row

.875 lb - Minute Rice

.5 lbs - Crystal 10

1 oz - German Hallertau (Whole Leaf) 3.8% @ 60 Min

.5 oz - German Hallertau (Whole Leaf) 3.8% @ 10 Min

1 oz - German Hallertau (Whole Leaf) 3.8% @ 0 Min

Yeast: Saflager S-189 Swiss Lager (22 grams re-hydrated)

Mashed 60 min @ 154, 1.25 qt/lb

Fermented for one month at 50 degrees.

Tasting Notes:

Look - Straw gold, brilliant white head that surprisingly sticks around (most likely due to the low adjunct content), slight chill haze

Aroma -  Sweet grainy malts, not much hop aroma, clean lager yeast

Mouthfeel - Medium-thin bodied, crisp

Taste - Sweet bready/grainy malts, spicy herbal/lemony hops, firm bitterness

Notes:  Overall I'm very happy with the beer and the dry yeast's performance.  It's a solid, flavorful, well brewed and very drinkable lager.  However, if I was to enter this into a competition I would probably enter it as a Premium American Lager because to me, it has too much malt/hop flavor for a Standard.  I would probably increase the percentage of adjuncts to eliminate some of the flavor from the 2-row, cut out the crystal malt and drop the last hop addition.

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Rob

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SAISON

One of my favorite styles and something I plan on brewing more often.  Historically brewed in the spring to last through the summer months when it's too hot to brew. This version is brewed in the "farmhouse" tradition and uses some oddball grains.  From my understanding, traditional Saisons were farmhouse ales which meant that the farmer usually threw in whatever grains besides barley they had laying around to increase the fermentable sugars. Sometimes these other grains were not malted like barley, and may or may not have contributed to the total fermentable sugars depending on the gelatinization temperature.  I love unmalted wheat so I threw some in. The gelatinization temperaute is low enough to include directly into the mash without any further processing (malting, flaking, etc.).

I also included Spelt which is the first time I've used this grain in brewing.  The gelatinization temperature isn't low enough to include in the mash, so I used flaked Spelt to avoid doing a cereal mash.  Hopping can vary greatly in Saisons from barely noticeable to assertively hoppy.  I shot for kind of a moderately hoppy mix of EKG & Saaz, since it's on the low side in terms of alcohol.

Saison (BJCP Description)
(6 Gallons, ~70% Eff, Tinseth)

OG: 1.040
FG: 1.006
IBU: 19
ABV: 4.5%
SRM: 3
90 Minute Boil

7 lbs - German Pilsner
1 lb - White Wheat Malt
1.5 lbs - Flaked Spelt (Bob's Red Mill)
.5 lbs - Unmalted White Wheat

1 oz - East Kent Goldings (Whole Leaf) 4.6% @ 60 Min
.25 oz - Saaz (Pellets) 5.5% @ 15 Min
.25 oz - East Kent Goldings (Whole Leaf) 4.6% @ 15 Min

.5 oz - Saaz (Pellets) 5.5% @ 0 Min
.5 oz - East Kent Goldings (Whole Leaf) 4.6% @ 0 Min


Yeast: Wyeast 3711 French Saison (2 Liter Starter)

Mashed 60 min @ 150, 1.25 qt/lb

Pitched yeast at 65 and let it free rise to 78

Tasting Notes:
Look - Light yellow, hazy, 1 1/2 finger white head with nice lacing
Aroma - Tropical fruit/citrus, very slightly peppery type phenols, sweet pils malt, earthy/spicy hops
Mouthfeel - Surprisingly light/medium bodied
Taste - Spicy/citrusy yeast, spicy/earthy hops, slight nuttiness, moderate bitterness

Notes:  This beer was delicious! I wish I had more.  Not sure if I was able to pick out the Spelt but it was the first time I used it.  It might have lent a slight nuttiness to the beer but it's hard to say.  I look forward to brewing this again.

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Rob

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MUNICH HELLES

A light golden, clean, and very drinkable lager that's perfect for summer especially when brewed to session strength.  I have a soft spot for lagers especially the full flavored continental variety, namely Weihenstephaner Original.  Although I'm not opposed to a Premium American Lager (BJCP Description) with my favorite being Shaefer but I've been known to enjoy a Budweiser every now and again. Die beer snobs! (sorry I got carried away).  Some might argue (link) that the most popular beers in America are session strength lagers (bud light, miller lite, etc.).

I was looking for a simple, tasty, no nonsense lager for the summer so I kept the recipe simple.  Mostly German Pils with a little Munich for character and all German Hallertau hops.  I used the WLP833 German Bock yeast because it's a supposed to be a versatile yeast which is what I was looking for since I plan on re-using the yeast for multiple batches.  I also decided to go with a single temperature infusion mash.  I thought about maybe doing a protein rest but this isn't a show beer so I'm not concerned with clarity.  With today's highly modified malts, there's no need for any sort of step mashing/decoction so why complicate the issue?

Like a lot of homebrewers I usually brew ales for obvious reasons.  This is only the second lager I've brewed and the first that came out well.  It seems like I've had nothing but bad luck with lager yeast with two separate starters getting infected (seriously has this happened to anyone else?).  When I finally did get a good starter going, I brewed a Premium American Lager.  Unfortunately I rushed the fermentation and ended up with too much diacetyl (even after a d-rest).  I also forgot to taste the sample after I took a gravity reading, woops.  Very disappointing so I realized I needed to do more research before my next lager. 

For this one I decided to leave it in the primary fermenter for twice as long to make sure there was no diacetyl.  After a month I tasted it and didn't find any diacetyl, so I kegged it and moved it to the keggerator for a couple weeks of lagering.  This fermentation schedule worked out well for me and I think I'll go this route again when brewing lagers.

Munich Helles (BJCP Description)
(6 Gallons, ~70% Eff, Tinseth)

OG: 1.045
FG: 1.010
IBU: 29
ABV: 4.6%
SRM: 4
90 Minute Boil

9.5 lbs - German Pilsner
1 lb - Light Munich

2 oz - German Hallertau (Pellets) 3.9% @ 60 Min
.5 oz German Hallertau (Pellets) 3.9% @ 20 Min

Yeast: WLP833 German Bock (4 Liter Starter with 2 Vials)

Mashed 75 min @ 150, 1.25 qt/lb

Pitched yeast at 52 and fermented for 1 month then 2 weeks of lagering at 42

Tasting Notes:
Look - Light yellow/golden, clear, 1 1/2 finger white head with nice lacing (no protein rest)
Aroma - Sweet pils malt, no hop aroma
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied
Taste - Sweet grainy malt, spicy/slightly earthy hop flavor, very clean with a lingering bitterness

Notes:  I'm extremely happy with how this beer came out.  It's much more flavorful than any light beer or even a Premium American Lager and very easy to drink.  All I need now is a glass boot.

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Rob

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CEREAL MASH

The purpose of this post is to give anyone who is thinking about doing a cereal mash a good place to start.

This is basically my blonde ale recipe with unmalted raw red rice from Thailand in place of the usual flaked/instant rice and unmalted white wheat in place of malted white wheat.

I thought it would be interesting to try red rice and thought it might even impart a pinkish/redish hue but it didn't.

It seems like there is a bias against using adjuncts in craft brewing. Most likely due to the fact that Bud/Miller/Coors uses adjuncts and in a sense the craft beer movement is a response to these boring flavorless mass market beers and I get it.

However, contrary to popular belief these adjuncts weren't used in order to save money (at first), they were used to cut the protein/nitrogen content of the domestic 6-Row barley that is better suited for growing in the US than 2-Row barley.

For a much more in depth and much better written explanation, here is a link for you (here)

Since the red rice is raw, you have to gelatinize the starches before the enzymes can get to work converting them into sugar during the mash.

In this case since the overall % of adjuncts is on the low side (<20%), you could just boil the rice/unmalted wheat for 15-20 minutes to gelatinize the starches and throw it in the mash, but I decided to do a proper cereal mash for the fun of it. This is the original website I used as a guide (http://www.ingermann.com/cerealmash.html). There's also a BYO article from Mar/Apr 2005 issue but you'll have to find that yourself since it's not available free online.

(6 Gallons, ~70% Eff, Tinseth)
OG: 1.047
FG: 1.011
IBU: 29
ABV: 4.7%
SRM: 4

3.5 lbs - 2-Row
3.5 lbs - Pilsner (German)
2 lbs - Red Rice (Thailand)
1 lb - Unmalted White Wheat
.5 lb - Crystal 20
2 oz - Rice Hulls

1 oz German Perle (Pellets) 9.1% @ 60 min
.5 oz Crystal (Pellets) 2.8% @ 10 Min
.5 oz Crystal (Pellets) 2.8% @ 0 Min

Yeast: US-05 (re-pitched 100ml thick slurry)

Fermented at 62 for two weeks

Mashed 60 min @ 150, 1.25 qt/lb

Main Mash:
3.5 lbs Pilsner (German)
2.5 lbs 2-Row
.5 lbs Crystal 20

Doughed in with 4.5 gallons of strike water to raise temp up to 122 for a protein rest and mashed for 30 min.

Cereal Mash:
2 lbs - Red Rice (Thailand)
1 lb - Unmalted White Wheat
1 lb - 2-Row

Crushed the rice and wheat in my malt mill with the gap setting tighter than normal.

Note, grinding up unmalted adjuncts is tougher than malted barley, you should prob do it by hand. The rice/wheat was ground to the consistency of grits more or less.

Heated up the adjuncts on the kitchen stove in a separate 1.5 gallon pot and the 1 lb of malted barley with 7.5 quarts of water (a very thin 2.5 qts per lb).

Heated to 122 and held for 30 min then raised to 148 for 25 min. with direct heat (stir constantly).

After that I boiled it gently for 15 min while stirring often to avoid scorching.

Then I added it directly to the main mash (with the rice hulls) which was siting at 122 which brought the temp of the main mash up to my target of 152.

This was the part I was most worried about since I've never step mashed in my cooler before this point but it worked out well. I had some hot & cold water on hand though just in case I had to adjust the temperature.

I was shooting for 1.75 - 2 qts per pound for the final mash with the adjuncts added. I mashed thin because I was worried about effeciency. I also rested the mash for 90 min to ensure conversion.

Hope this helps anyone thinking about using unmalted adjuncts in their brew.

Cheers!

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Rob

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BROWN PORTER

I've never brewed a Porter before so I figured I would start with the most basic of the sub-styles, Brown Porter. Brown Porter is characterized by the use of Brown Malt and in my opinion the lack of roasted barley.

I've never used Brown Malt in a beer before. It's basically a heavily toasted form of 2-Row malt. It's similar to Amber malt and is about 50-70 L and has very little diastatic power. Chocolate or Black Malt (or both) also contribute to the profile of modern Porters. There is a debate about whether roast barley is appropriate for a Porter. My feeling is that if it is used in a Porter it should be used sparingly. For me, the main difference between a Porter & a Stout is that Stouts rely heavily on roasted barley for the flavor profile.

In the past, Porters were made exclusively from Brown malt, however, it must have had more diastatic power in the past if it was making up 100% of the grain bill. The following recipe is based of Jamil Zainasheff's recipe, modified to use the hops I had on hand. I also did a 10 gallon batch split into two 6 gallon Better Bottles. One was fermented with Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire and the other with Wyeast 1318 London Ale III.

If you ever want a good base recipe either to introduce you to the style or to just produce a guaranteed good beer, I would suggest using one of his recipes as a starting point.

Porters and Stouts have a long complicated and sometimes intertwined history which I won't get into. Again if you're interested in the origins of the style I would check out the "Shut up about Barclay Perkins" website. I would also recommend the book, "Amber Gold & Black" by Martin Cornell which is a fantastic and well researched book about the history of beer styles in Britain.

Brown Porter (BJCP Description)
(6 Gallons, ~70% Eff, Tinseth)

OG: 1.050
FG: 1.015
IBU: 26
ABV: 4.6%
SRM: 25

9 lbs - Maris Otter (Warminster Floor Malted)
1 lb - Brown Malt
1 lb - Medium Crystal (Simpsons)
10 oz- Chocolate Malt (Simpsons)

2.5 oz Willamete (Whole Leaf) 4.6% @ 60 Min
.5 oz Willamete (Whole Leaf) 4.6% @ 10 Min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (Whole Leaf) 4.7% @ Flameout

Yeast: Carboy #1 Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire (2 Liter Starter)
Carboy #2 Wyeast 1318 London Ale III (Washed, 6 oz Thick Slurry)

Mashed 75 min @ 150, 1.25 qt/lb

Pitched yeasts at 65 and let it free rise to 72

Tasting Notes (Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire):
Look - Dark brown/black with ruby highlights, 1 finger tan head with nice lacing
Aroma - nutty & fruity yeast but still clean, some dark chocolate notes and slight earthy hop aroma
Mouthfeel - Medium-full bodied
Taste - Very balanced with a full malt character that isn't cloying. Nice dark chocolate flavor, little/none roasted character, sweet bready malts, medium bitterness, slight earthy/spicy hop flavor

Notes (Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire):
Overall this beer surprised me. It's much more complex than I thought it would be and all too drinkable. I enjoy the occasional stout/porter now and again but I was never a huge fan of the style but this beer has me re-thinking that. It's also really well balanced between the malt, yeast & hop flavors. This is the first time I've used this strain so I'm excited to try it in some different styles.

UPDATE:
Tasting Notes (Wyeast London Ale III):
Look - Dark brown/black with ruby highlights, 1 finger tan head with nice lacing (same as West Yorkshire)
Aroma - Fruity yeast esters but subdued (compared to WLP002), some dark chocolate/coffee notes and slight earthy hop aroma
Mouthfeel - Medium-full bodied
Taste - full chewy malt character. Nice dark chocolate flavor, roast coffee, nutty malts, medium bitterness, slight earthy/spicy hop flavor

Notes (Wyeast London Ale III):
Overall the London Ale III (LA3) batch was along the same lines as the West Yorkshire (WY).  The key difference I found was in the dark malt character.  The LA3 batch had more of a pronounced coffee flavor compared to more of a dark chocolate flavor in the WY batch.  The LA3 batch also had a little more fruity esters (although still restrained) and a slight mineral quality to it.  In the end I prefer the WY version as it was a little more balanced, however both yeasts made a very good Brown Porter.

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ENGLISH SPECIAL/PREMIUM/BEST

This is maybe my third version of an English Special Bitter, each time I've tried a different recipe/yeast/malt supplier etc. For this one I wanted to start from scratch in terms of the grain bill so I kept it very simple. It's mostly pale malt with some medium crystal and a little wheat malt for increased body & head retention. The hops are mostly East Kent Goldings with some Willamete late in the boil for complexity.

I usually use a combination of EKG and Fuggles but I was out of Fuggles so I used Willamete which is a US version of Fuggles.

For the yeast I decided to give the London Ale III strain from Wyeast a try because I've heard good things about it. I've previously used, WLP002 English Ale, WLP023 Burton Ale & S-04.

So far my favorite is the classic WLP002. It leaves a really nice "soft" malt character, has really nice "fruity" esters & of course it floccs like a ton of bricks which leaves the beer very clear in a minimal amount of time.


English Special/Premium/Best Bitter (BJCP Description)
(6 Gallons, ~70% Eff, Tinseth)

OG: 1.047
FG: 1.012
IBU: 30
ABV: 4.6%
SRM: 8.5

10lbs - Maris Otter (Warminster Floor Malted)
1.25 lbs - Medium Crystal (Simpsons)
.5 lbs - White Wheat (Weyerman)

2 oz East Kent Goldings (Whole Leaf) 4.6% @ 60 Min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (Whole Leaf) 4.6% @ 10 Min
.5 oz Willamete (Whole Leaf) 5.1% @ 10 Min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (Whole Leaf) 4.6% @ 0 Min
.5 oz Willamete (Whole Leaf) 5.1% @ 0 Min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (Pellets) 4.5% Dry Hopped 14 Days


Yeast: Wyeast 1318 London Ale III (2 Liter Starter)

Fermented at 68 for two weeks

Mashed 60 min @ 150, 1.25 qt/lb

Tasting notes:
Look - Deep orange, chill haze, small 1/2 finger head that sticks around, nice lacing
Aroma - Earthy/spicy/sweet almost candy like hops, stone fruit esters, bready/toasty malt, spicy earthy hop aroma/flavor
Mouthfeel - Medium-thin bodied
Taste - Spicy bitterness upfront gives way to a toasty bready malt character, firm bitterness lingers on the back end, very easy drinking.

Notes:
This is definitely a solid English Pale ale and I would have no problem brewing this exactly the same again.

I really like the London Ale III yeast and the fruity esters it produces. They're not sweetish fruits like WLP002, it's more of the stone fruit type esters if that makes sense.

I should note that this yeast loves to hang out at the top of the fermenter. It took about a week for the thick mat of yeast that hung around after fermentation to fall back into the beer. Obviously a very good candidate for top cropping.

It's a very easy drinking Pale Ale, which is nice with the hot weather we have right now. The only complaint I have is that it's a little one dimensional as far as the malt flavor goes. You get the nice marris otter malt character with a little sweetness from the crystal malt but that's about it. I'm going to try and maybe mix in some darker crystal or try a different crystal malt (special B, Carastan, etc.) I'm also going to lower the gravity a little since this almost drink like an ESB. Getting closer...

Crappy Cellphone pic but you get the idea

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Rob

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BLONDE ALE - VERSION 2

This is a slightly different version of my previous Blonde Ale. This verion uses all 2-row instead of a 50/50 mix of Pilsner & 2-Row, unmalted wheat instead of malted wheat, Crystal 10 instead of Crystal 20, Hallertau instead of Spalter and instant rice instead of flaked rice. As before, I was going for a nice easy drinking session beer. Nothing offensive but balanced & drinkable.

The biggest change was the use of 100% 2-Row. No real reason just wanted to try brewing the beer this way. Although it was still a very good beer I think it was missing the malt complexity that splitting the base malt between 2-Row & Pilsner malt. Went with Crystal 10 instead of 20 mainly for color reasons, I wanted to get it a little lighter in color. I couldn't really taste the difference, I would probably have to do a side by side comparison.

I love unmalted wheat because I think it gives more of a wheat flavor (or what people expect to be a wheat flavor). Since the starches gelatinize at a relatively low temperature (130-150 degrees Fahrenheit)it can be directly added to the mash without any pre-cooking. Even if the mash temp is below 150 (the upper end of the gelatinization temperature range for wheat) I wouldn't be worried about losing some conversion due to some un-gelatinized starches in the wheat with it making up only about 10% of the grist.

I used instant rice because I didn't have flaked rice on hand. Instant rice is pre-gelatinized so you can add it directly to the mash. There's plenty of enzymes in the 2-Row to confert the rice and unmalted wheat. I used instant brown rice for the record because all the instant white rice I found at the supermarket was enriched. I didn't notice any different flavor contributions from the brown rice (instant) compared to the white rice (flaked). This doesn't surprise me since rice in general adds little in terms of flavor.

I used Hallertau instead of Spalter just to change it up. Both are German Noble hops and in a beer where the hops play a supporting role as this one, you can really use any noble or noble-type hop without much perceived difference.

Blonde Ale (BJCP Description)
(6 Gallons, ~72% Eff, Tinseth)

OG: 1.044
FG: 1.011
IBU: 20.6
ABV: 4.4%
SRM: 4.1

7 lbs - Domestic 2-Row
1 lb - Unmalted Wheat
1 lb - Crystal 10
1 lb - Instant Rice

1.5 oz German Hallertau 3.9% @60 Min
.5 oz German Hallertau 3.9% @ 10 min

Yeast: US-05

Mashed 60 min @ 154, 1.25 qt/lb

Tasting Notes:
Look - Light straw color, haze, 1 finger head that sticks around, nice lacing
Aroma - Grainy malt, little hop aroma/flavor
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied
Taste - Incredibly clean tasting, grainy malts, slight noble hop flavor, creaminess from the unmalted wheat, very easy drinking.

Notes:
Overall this beer hit it's mark. As compared to the previous version, it lacks some of the malt complexity from the Pilzner malt, but has a really nice creaminess from the unmalted wheat. The only problem is the beer is very hazy from the unmalted wheat haha. I guess there's some trade-off but the haze is fine with me.

I entered this into the 15th annual B.E.E.R. brew-off and it won the silver in the Light Hybrid category. Woo hoo. As far as the comments go from the judges, they basically detected a minor flaw and said it is the only thing keeping this beer from scoring in the 40s.

There was a slight acetic acid character they noticed. I hadn't noticed this before I bottled the beer for competition, so I'm inclined to blame it on sanitation post-fermentation, but the beer was also getting a little long in the tooth so it could have always been present but just not yet noticeable. Anyway, the reason I enjoy competitions (enjoy may not be the right word haha) is because they are very humbling. As good as you think you're sanitation/process/recipe/etc. is, it can always improve.

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SCOTTISH 60 SHILLING

This beer ended up winning Gold at the 15th Annual B.E.E.R. Brew-off! (http://beerhbc.org/)

I've heard a lot of good things about this style of beer so I figured I would try and brew it. Scottish Ales (not to be confused with Scotch Ales) are all pretty similar, with the defining characteristic being the different alcohol levels. The 60 shilling refers to the tax which was based on the amount of alcohol in the finished beer. The 60 Shilling has the lowest alcohol content of all the Scottish Ales. It's a malty low gravity session beer characterized by a rich caramel malt flavor and low hop bitterness/flavor/aroma.

I won't get into the whole thing about, "Scottish Ales had low hop levels because hops were hard to grow in Scotland so they had to be imported from England" thing. Ron Pattinson over at "Shut Up About Barclay Perkins" shows historical records indicating that the hop rates of Scottish Ales vs. English Ales were the same. I tend to believe primary sources over repeated quotes from who knows where, but feel free to go over to his website to debate him. That being said since this is a low gravity ale I hopped it to about 18 IBUs which is on the high side of the BJCP guidelines.

In Jamil's Brewing Classic Styles book he lists two recipes for a Scottish ale. One uses crystal malts for the caramel sweetness, the other relies on kettle caramelization for the caramel flavor. Traditionally the kettle caramelization method was used so I went with that one. I boiled the first runnings (about a gallon) down by about half in a separate pot, then added that to the second runnings and boiled as usual

Scottish 60 Shilling (BJCP Description)
(6 Gallons, ~70% Eff, Tinseth)

OG: 1.034
FG: 1.009
IBU: 18
ABV: 3.3%
SRM: 9 L

* 7 lbs 13 oz - 2-Row Pale (Marris Otter)
* 3.2 oz - Roast Barley (500 L)


* 1.2 oz East Kent Goldings 4.5% @60 Min

* Yeast: White Labs WLP028 Edinburgh Ale

* Mashed 60 min @ 154, 1 qt/lb

Tasting Notes:
Look - Dark Red, Brilliantly Clear
Aroma - Sweet Caramel, Touch of Toffee, No Noticeable Esters
Mouthfeel - Surprisingly Medium-Full Bodied
Taste - More Sweet Caramel, Slight "Mineral" Quality, Faint Earthy Hops, Clean

Notes:
The caramel character of this beer surprised me since there are no caramel malts in it. Reducing the first runnings does a good job of creating those same flavors. This was a favorite around my house. This beer was fermented low around 62 and then cellared around 50 for two months. The Edinburgh strain is very neutral and lets the small amount of hops come through. I re-pitched the washed yeast from this beer for my most recent American Pale Ale and it worked great. I usually use US-05/1056/WLP001 but if I have some fresh Edinburgh yeast hanging around I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a hop forward beer like an APA or IPA. This will be a regular in my house.

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Rob

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ENGLISH DARK MILD

No one does session beers like the English. I'm a big fan of many English session beers but I've never had a commercial example of a Dark Mild and people rave about it so I decided to brew one and try it for myself. English Dark Milds are dark malty easy drinking ales with a flavorful yeast character, no hop flavor/aroma & minimal bitterness (basically a low alcohol brown ale). However this wasn't always the case and there's a long complicated history behind the term "mild" which I won't get into. If you're interested in it I would recommend this book.

English Dark Mild (BJCP Description)
(6 Gallons, ~70% Eff, Tinseth)

OG: 1.035
FG: 1.012
IBU: 16
ABV: 3.1%
SRM: 18 L

• 7 lbs - 2-Row Pale (Marris Otter)
  
• .5 lb - Crystal 60
  
• .37 lbs - Crystal 120
  
• .24 lbs - Pale Chocolate (200 L)
  
  
• 1 oz East Kent Goldings 5% @60 Min
  
  
• Yeast: Wyeast Neobritania (re-pitched 2nd Gen)
  
  
• Mashed 60 min @ 154, 1 qt/lb
  

Tasting Notes:
Look - Dark Brown "Coca-Cola" like color, Minimal off-white Head (From Low Carbonation)
Aroma - Caramel, Toasted Bread, Fruity/Earthy Esters, Slight Roastiness, No hop aroma
Mouthfeel - Medium-Thin bodied
Taste - More Sweet Caramel, Bready, Earthy, Slight Roast/Hop Bitterness, Well Balanced

Notes:
This is exactly what it's supposed to be, drinkable & flavorful. The large percentage of crystal malt with it's largely unfermentable sugars did the job it was supposed to by not letting the final gravity drop too low which would make the beer seem thin and watery. The low carbonation also keeps the beer from being too thin or harsh. This is derived from Jamil's Dark Mild recipe in "Brewing Classic Styles" and is a good point for further experimentation. I plan on trying out a few different English yeasts. The yeast I used is good, however it's on the low side as far as producing esters so I think a more characterful English yeast would make this beer even more flavorful. I would recommend everyone brew this beer.

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Rob

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BLONDE ALE

To kick it off I figured I would try a simple Blonde Ale as my first attempt. I was going for a nice easy drinking session beer. Nothing offensive but balanced & drinkable.

I decided to split the base grains 50% 2-row & 50% German pils malt because I was looking for a nice bready malt character, but nothing overwhelming which can happen with 100% German Pils, especially in a lightly hopped beer. The flaked rice will ensure enough attenuation to keep it nicely dry & drinkable. The wheat malt provides a subtle creaminess and keeps if from being too dry & harsh. A fair amount of Crystal 20 also helps in maintaining the body of the beer. I kept the hops mostly limited to the 60 min addition to provide a nice firm bitterness without much hop flavor (again, airing on the side of balance). It's harder than you think to use a restrained hand with the hop additions, especially if you love them as much as I do haha. I fermented this in the lower 60s and "cellared" it in my garage which was around 50-55 degress for about a month.

Blonde Ale (BJCP Description)
(6 Gallons, ~70% Eff, Tinseth)

OG: 1.043
FG: 1.009
IBU: 28
ABV: 4.4%

• 3.5 lbs - Domestic 2-Row
  
• 3.5 lbs - German Pils
  
• 1 lb - White Wheat Malt
  
• 1 lb - Crystal 20
• 1 lb - Flaked Rice
  
  
• 2.25 oz Spalter 3.8% @60 Min
• .5 oz Spalter 3.8% @ 10 min
  
  
• Yeast: US-05
  
  
• Mashed 60 min @ 153, 1.25 qt/lb
  

Tasting Notes:
Look - Light straw color, slight chill haze, 1 finger head that sticks around, nice lacing
Aroma - Sweet bready malt, little hop aroma
Mouthfeel - Medium bodied
Taste - Initially fresh milled grains followed by a solid but not over-powering clean hop bitterness, little to no hop flavor, very mild fruity ester from the yeast, almost imperceptible

Notes:
I think this came out really well and was just what I was shooting for. I think the low fermentation temperature and the extended cellaring helped make this beer come out nice & clean. This is a recipe I would definitely brew again exactly as it is but I'm going to try some different things next time. Maybe eliminating the rice (and lowering the mash temp) and upping the wheat. We shall see.

My brother and his friend Fast Freddy are both non-craft drinkers for the most part and they happily sucked down more than a few pints so it passed the test in my book.

Update:
I entered this beer into the 2011 Boston Homebrew Competition and it took 3rd place in the Light Hybrid Beer Category (http://www.wort.org/boston-homebrew-competition/2011-boston-homebrew-competition-results-winners.html)!

There weren't many critiques by the judges, one though the level of DMS was a bit high while the other judge thought it was within style. Both commented that it was a good "lawnmower" beer.

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Rob

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This Blog

I love session beers and homebrewing so I figured I would chronicle my experiences trying to create low gravity and flavorful beers. Unfortunately there's an utter lack of good low alcohol commercial beers which will hopefully change one day.

For me a session beer is anything below 4.5%. I am all too familiar with the overly heated debate regarding what is a "session" beer and I'm over it. Take your useless, waste of a time argument somewhere else. Rant over, bitches.

I have no problem with Double IPAs, Imperial Stouts, Barleywines etc. and enjoy/brew them but that's not what this stupid blog is about obviously.

Cheers!

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Rob

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