Cherries in the Snowplow... looks good?

Hi y'all. I'm sure anyone who has the 'bible' has seen the "cherries in the snow" recipe. It's an extract in the book. Well, I'm thinking about brewing a slightly modified version of it this weekend, and I wanted to know if it looked good. Let me know what you think:

Cherries in the SnowPlow

Type: All grain
Yeast: Safale US-05
Starter: Not needed
Est. OG: 1.065
Est. FG: 1.009
Est. ABV: 7.25%
IBU: 27.6
Boil size: 6.52g
Batch Size: 5g

10.5 lbs pale 2 row
1 lb Cara-pils/Dextrine
1 lb Belgian Candi Sugar (CLEAR)
1.00 oz Santiam* hops @ 60m (18.5 IBU)
1.00 oz Santiam* hops @ 15m (9.2 IBU)
10 lb sour/tart cherries

*or Tettnang

Mash at 150 for 60m

After boil, Add cherries and cool if necessary to 170 degrees. Steep for 20 minutes at 160 - 180 degrees. Pour contents into bucket without straining. After five days, remove floating hops. Age well.



What I want is a light, clear beer that has light body but good head retention. A clean, dry finish with a touch of cherry flavor but not lingering sweetness or mouthfeel. I'm still a rookie but what I really want is to NOT use the Carapils, but I really want a good, thick head even if it doesn't last too long.

I love heavy, punch-you-in-your-face IIPA's so the reason I'm brewing this is as sort of a palate-cleansing refreshing beer. I'm planning on letting it sit for 6-8 weeks, bottle conditioning it for a few more.

Suggestions?

I can't help you much on the cherries (never done a fruit beer) but I'll say that clear candi sugar is a complete waste of money. Just use table sugar.

Carapils will thicken the body of the beer a bit, as well as aid head retention. You can also used some flaked wheat or barley. Lots of things affect head retention.

Hi y'all. I'm sure anyone who has the 'bible' has seen the "cherries in the snow" recipe.

The bible? I read some of Charlies flowing verbal gymnastics, when the book first came out. I couldn't take his flowing dribble or the weird names he called his swill. Anyway. I knew a brewer that made Charlies brew with canned malt syrup. She was hooked on the brew and brewed a lot of it, when it was cherry season. I drank a few bottles of her brew, after it was 6 months old. It was dark, almost a reddish brown. It was very dry, quite tart and thin. Kind of sticky and clingy on the palate. The head was white but didn't last. It smelled slightly of cherry. Very little taste of cherry. The bubble was coarse and rough, not tight and smooth. But, it wasn't too bad for canned syrup and not being aged long enough. Nowhere close to Liefmans Kriek. I'm not into fruit beer. But, if I'd make it. I'd use Mouterij 2 row malt and step at 148 for 20 minutes then at 160 untill conversion, to add a little sweetness to compensate for the dry, tart, thinness of Poopasians original recipe. Mouterij is a light Belgian malt, not overly assertive. Cargil carries it. You're making a Belgian style beer, so keep the candi sugar. It will kick up the fermentables. I'm not sure why you'd dump the carapils? Like I mentioned, the original stuff was thin. With the high amount of fermentables and the long aging that is needed. Adding a little body and something for the head isn't going to hurt. If you go from boiler to belly in 3 months it will be rough, it has to age out.

zachattack said:

clear candi sugar is a complete waste of money. Just use table sugar.

Click to expand...

this. even the belgian monks stopped using candi sugar because of cost/benefit, per the book "brew like a monk". very good reading, by the way, by stan hieronymus. guy did his research and wrote coherently