I'm in the process of moving from my house to a one bedroom apartment. I currently brew on a 10 gallon all-grain single-tier system that's connected to the natural gas line in my house. I have to scale that down to be able to brew in a small kitchen. I plan on writing some posts about my previous system and my future system once everything's up and running. Oh and yes I did cry a little when I had to brake down my awesome brewstand. Stay tuned.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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