American Amber Ale Caramel Amber Ale

My only suggestion is to go one color below where you want to go, and then cool it off, since it will keep cooking a little bit.

haha well i just finished so I guess I'll have to wait and see. The color looks decent. Guess I won't know until I try the beer. Just another learning experience.

KingBrianI said:

I think it would be good. More floral and less citrusy but probably very tasty.

Click to expand...

Don't you have that reversed? I thought Centennial was more citrus?

DrawTap88 said:

My only suggestion is to go one color below where you want to go, and then cool it off, since it will keep cooking a little bit.

Click to expand...

Very good point, that is exactly what happened to mine.

Yeah that is what I ended up doing. It came out a bit light, but it looks like somewhere between 280 and 290ish. I didn't even think to look at my thermometer until it was already getting to boil and then realized it doesn't go that high, so I just said whatever and winged it. I think the beer will be fine.

jm195907 said:

Yeah that is what I ended up doing. It came out a bit light, but it looks like somewhere between 280 and 290ish. I didn't even think to look at my thermometer until it was already getting to boil and then realized it doesn't go that high, so I just said whatever and winged it. I think the beer will be fine.

Click to expand...

Trust me, you would have known if you went much above 290. I did that on my first batch and it came out thin and uber-better!

CoalCracker said:

Don't you have that reversed? I thought Centennial was more citrus?

Click to expand...

I find centennial very floral with some citrus while chinook have a bigger citrus component to me with lots of herby and piney notes. Everyone tastes and smells something different though and I think the addition of centennial to this beer would be a fine substitution for the chinook.

Hey King Brian: I have a comment, and a question.

Comment: This beer was very popular, and I will certainly be making it again. But the sugar, combined with the low mash temp, made for a very dry (1.008) finish to the fermentation. Not a problem, but it leads to my question:

Would there be any benefit to a slightly higher mash temp? Might bring out the "amber" a bit more. Have you tried that, or am I thinking all wrong about this?

Anyway, like I said, very popular. My sister-in-law couldn't keep her hands off the stuff. One in every crowd, I guess.

My sister, on the other hand, took one sip and exclaimed "Wow, that's bitter!" I guess there's one of those in every crowd too.

Cheers!

frazier said:

Hey King Brian: I have a comment, and a question.

Comment: This beer was very popular, and I will certainly be making it again. But the sugar, combined with the low mash temp, made for a very dry (1.008) finish to the fermentation. Not a problem, but it leads to my question:

Would there be any benefit to a slightly higher mash temp? Might bring out the "amber" a bit more. Have you tried that, or am I thinking all wrong about this?

Anyway, like I said, very popular. My sister-in-law couldn't keep her hands off the stuff. One in every crowd, I guess.

My sister, on the other hand, took one sip and exclaimed "Wow, that's bitter!" I guess there's one of those in every crowd too.

Cheers!

Click to expand...

Mashing higher would definitely add more body and perhaps a little sweetness. If you up the crystal a bit you will get both body and sweetness. Or you could lessen the bittering charge slightly for more percieved sweetness. Or, of course, you could use a less attenuative yeast strain and that will give you sweetness and body too. As you can see, there are several ways to skin that cat. Just go with whatever feels right to you.

KingBrianI said:

Just go with whatever feels right to you.

Click to expand...

Well, I'll have to ponder the possibilities. One thing I won't be doing though, is reducing the hops. Those were great.

I used Cascade for the first wort hop addition. Came out kind of fruity, which might help you out in the sweetness category.

So tomorrow is my first jump into brewing anything that did not come as a kit. Excited, but a little unsure at the same time! I'm not sure about the hop schedule for this recipe. I understand that the first hops go in for the full 60 minutes of the boil, but what about the hops that are listed as "0 min?" I take it those go in when you take the wort off the flame, but when do I take them out?

0.78 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 40.2 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -

Thanks a ton for the help. Looking forward to trying something a little more complex than my simple kit extract beers!

skelrad said:

So tomorrow is my first jump into brewing anything that did not come as a kit. Excited, but a little unsure at the same time! I'm not sure about the hop schedule for this recipe. I understand that the first hops go in for the full 60 minutes of the boil, but what about the hops that are listed as "0 min?" I take it those go in when you take the wort off the flame, but when do I take them out?

0.78 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 40.2 IBU
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.00 oz Willamette [5.50 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -

Thanks a ton for the help. Looking forward to trying something a little more complex than my simple kit extract beers!

Click to expand...

Hey man, I'm glad you decided to do my recipe as your first non-kit beer! I'm sure you'll love it. The 60 minute hops are first wort hops, meaning that you put those in your kettle while you are collecting your first runnings. That way they sit in the warm runnings until you have collected your total volume and then you bring it to a boil and start the timer for 60 minutes.

You're right about the 0 minute hops going in at flameout. They stay in the wort until it is cooled. By putting them in late like that, you don't boil off much of the aromatics, so they will contribute a lot of aroma to the beer.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I'm starting to get it figured out I think.

A few more questions as I'm making my shopping list. From looking at their website, it looks like my LHBS may be out of the Chinook hops. Is there another hop I should look for that would work?

And what's the importance of the alpha content of the hops vs. the kind of hop? For example, they have the Willamette hops, but those have an alpha of 4.3, which is lower than the recipe lists. Just trying to figure out how I might need to modify things to get a good balance.

As far as the candi syrup goes, is the DAP what my LHBS has listed as "energizer" nutrients?

Thanks again. This is a great learning experience!

skelrad said:

Thanks for the info. I'm starting to get it figured out I think.

A few more questions as I'm making my shopping list. From looking at their website, it looks like my LHBS may be out of the Chinook hops. Is there another hop I should look for that would work?

And what's the importance of the alpha content of the hops vs. the kind of hop? For example, they have the Willamette hops, but those have an alpha of 4.3, which is lower than the recipe lists. Just trying to figure out how I might need to modify things to get a good balance.

As far as the candi syrup goes, is the DAP what my LHBS has listed as "energizer" nutrients?

Thanks again. This is a great learning experience!

Click to expand...

There's really no hop quite like chinook but the beer will still be good if you have to sub for something else. Simcoe would really work well for this beer, but it might also be hard to find. Do you have a list of hops available. I could look at it and tell you what would work the best.

As far as alpha acid percentage, the higher the number, the more bittering power the hop has. If a recipe calls for 1 oz of a 10%aa hop and your hops are 5%aa, you'll have to use 2 oz. to get the same bitterness. Hops added at flameout don't contribute any bitterness though (or at least a negligible amount) so it isn't imperative to match bittering power. An equivalent weight of hops of a different aa% should work fine for a flameout addition.

DAP is diammonium phosphate. Check the ingredients list on any "energizers" or whatever. If it isn't 100%, or at least mostly DAP, then it won't work. Ammonium phosphate will work too, but you'll need to use a little bit more.

I haven't gone there in person to look yet, but here are the hops listed on my LHBS website: http://www.wineandhop.com/CatalogBeer/hops.shtml

If the chinook is out of stock I think the two best subs on there are simcoe and amarillo. Go with simcoe if you would like a more sweet, tropical fruity hop character or amarillo if you want a more citrusy, orangey hop character. Both would work very well with this beer.

Well, first all grain batch done (and my 2nd brew ever)! I did a small 2.5 gallon batch using the BIAB technique. I'm still trying to figure out how to take hydrometer readings correctly, but as best as I can tell, my efficiency was at 67%. Not great, but I'll take it for a first try. I mashed in the bag at 52 degrees for an hour, then mashed out at 168 in the same kettle for 10 minutes. My plan was to sparge in a different pot, but it turned out not to be big enough. I'll get a second pot before my next brew, and I'm assuming my efficiencty will go up since I could sparge then.

Now the hard part - waiting! Thanks for the recipe and the help.

First taste from the keg tonight!

It needs to carb up a little bit but the flavors are definitely there. The candi sugar really comes through and the chinook blends with it surprisingly well. This is going to be a keeper!

Thanks brian

I brewed this three weeks ago. Just pulled a hydro sample tonight. I don't want to get my hopes to high, but this might be my best yet. The sample was a perfect caramel/cherry color, and it smelled fantastic. The taste was exactly what I had hoped from the description. I am going to let it sit for another week then bottle. I am thinking I will brew this again to be my first kegged batch later this spring. Thanks Brian!

mmmmmmm this looks tasty.

I agree about amber ales. way underrated.

I made a recipe for one that I am brewing tomorrow, but definitely wil try this one soon.

Mine has been in the primary 14 days and when I just tested it it had already hit 1.010. What should I do?

TimothyChurch said:

Mine has been in the primary 14 days and when I just tested it it had already hit 1.010. What should I do?

Click to expand...

Leave it be for another week then keg or bottle it.

Will all the yeast drop out that soon? Should I rack it to a secondary to help clear it up?

Not all of the yeast will drop out but most will. You can secondary it if you would like to help the clearing along, but it isn't necessary. Do you bottle or keg?

EDIT: I see from your signature that you do both. Which do you plan to do for this beer?

FYI, mine chugged along for 2 and a half weeks (yes, you can get info from airlock activity!), aided and abetted by the simple sugar and low mash temperature. It finished at 1.008, so I would say that at 1.010 it may well want to keep going.

Well, I am having my first go at AG today with this recipe...wish me luck. Making the candy syrup was a hoot...I can't seem to stop testing it to make sure its holding its flavor..lol..will report back when I have something to taste.

Cheers

If I can empty my keg this week I'll be doing that. I guess I'll have to have some friends over. I really need to buy more kegs.

TimothyChurch said:

If I can empty my keg this week I'll be doing that. I guess I'll have to have some friends over. I really need to buy more kegs.

Click to expand...

If you're kegging it what I would do is to rack it to secondary on top of some gelatin when it hits 3 weeks. Give it at least 3 days then rack it to the keg. If you can get that secondary cold that is even better. That way it should be very clear when you go to the keg so very little sediment drops out and you'll be serving clear pints from the start. It will also prevent sediment from kicking up in the keg if you move it or something.

Thanks for the help. I guess I'll have the group eat some food when we empty the keg so I can have room to cold crash the secondary.

i brewed this and everyone loved it, changed the hops to cluster but it was still great. i was asked if i could make an imperial version of this... how does 14lbs of 2 row and 2lbs of the crystal 80L and a bit more of the candi sugar sound so its still high on alcohol but that's not all you taste.

95civiclx said:

i brewed this and everyone loved it, changed the hops to cluster but it was still great. i was asked if i could make an imperial version of this... how does 14lbs of 2 row and 2lbs of the crystal 80L and a bit more of the candi sugar sound so its still high on alcohol but that's not all you taste.

Click to expand...

To make an imperial version I would bump up the base malt but leave the crystal 80 at 1.5 lbs. I'd also bump the syrup up to 2 lbs. Increase the hops a bit to keep everything in balance. I think that would make a beer that tastes great fresh when the hop still shine, but may be very interesting if left to age a while as well.

Just wanted to check back in and say how great this beer came out. I mashed a little higher and used that Dusseldorf yeast. Came out crisp and clean. I have nothing to compare it to but the IBU's were perfect for me, and the aroma, flavor and color are amazing. Far surpassed my expectations.

Thanks KBI! I will be brewing this again. Also I think this would make a great start for a winter brew. Maybe a little more hops and a little higher gravity, some vanilla?

Old_E said:

Thanks KBI! I will be brewing this again. Also I think this would make a great start for a winter brew. Maybe a little more hops and a little higher gravity, some vanilla?

Click to expand...

Hmm, higher gravity, hops, maybe 2-4 oz of pale chocolate malt, and I think you would have an excellent winter warmer.

Just got my ingredients today, will be making steam this weekend!

KingBrianI said:

Hmm, higher gravity, hops, maybe 2-4 oz of pale chocolate malt, and I think you would have an excellent winter warmer.

Click to expand...

Exactly. Pale chocolate is a good idea.

I will probably wait until next year. By the time I got that carbed up, it will be 91* in the shade here.

My very first all grain batch of this is in the barrel and Im very happy to report I hit both my OG and my 5.5 gallons. AG isn't as hard as I thought!


She's bubbling already at 2 hours, I went with WL029 Kolsch.

Thanks KBI this is a great thread and Im hoping my try is a good one.

I bottled a batch of this that I brewed a few weaks ago. I ended up with a FG of 1.006. I hit the OG on the nose as well as my mash temp. Has anyone else experienced this or know what would cause it? (The low FG) Btw, it was still the best flat beer Ive ever tasted.

6 glasses in and I have nothing but praise for this beer. The wonderful hoppy flavor with the finish of caramel. This amber elixir shall bring happiness to everyone who enters my home.

JGarner said:

I bottled a batch of this that I brewed a few weaks ago. I ended up with a FG of 1.006. I hit the OG on the nose as well as my mash temp. Has anyone else experienced this or know what would cause it? (The low FG) Btw, it was still the best flat beer Ive ever tasted.

Click to expand...

Are you sure your thermometer is correct? It sounds like you might have mashed low.

TimothyChurch said:

6 glasses in and I have nothing but praise for this beer. The wonderful hoppy flavor with the finish of caramel. This amber elixir shall bring happiness to everyone who enters my home.

Click to expand...

That's awesome, glad you like it!