Blonde Ale Centennial Blonde (Simple 4% All Grain, 5 & 10 Gall)

Williams 728
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I brewed this up yesterday afternoon. A slightly higher initial centennial addition. I also clocked in around 1.042 OG. My AA% were a bit lower than yours, so I had to up it slightly to get the IBU back up. Despite some minor spills, everything seemed to go well. Turns out the fermentation was slightly more vigorous that expected. I went to my parents house for the day, and returned to find the top had popped itself off. I'm not sure how long it has been off. Somewhere between 0 and 15 hours. Hopefully it didn't get contaminated. It doesn't seem to be bubbling in the airlock anymore, but perhaps it needs time to re-establish pressure or something.

Unfortunately, the all the lights are out in my house, so I can't see the extent of any over flow. It doesn't seem to be bad.
 
I decided to go with this instead of the New Castle clone for my first AG. Boiling it right now. As far as I can tell, everything couldn't have gone better. Unfortunately, I had to switch the Centennials with Sorachi Ace. Bumped them down to .20 ozs because they're at 14%. I'm waiting to for the sample to cool so I can figure my efficency. Looks good though. Thanks for the recipe.
 
BWRIGHT said:
I decided to go with this instead of the New Castle clone for my first AG. Boiling it right now. As far as I can tell, everything couldn't have gone better. Unfortunately, I had to switch the Centennials with Sorachi Ace. Bumped them down to .20 ozs because they're at 14%. I'm waiting to for the sample to cool so I can figure my efficency. Looks good though. Thanks for the recipe.
Click to expand...

Let us know how the sorachi turns out.
 
Biermuncher, my LHBS has Cascade in pellet form and Centennial in whole leaf form. What should I do? Should I bother with hop bags? If so, which of the hops would benefit the most from using the hop bag? Will I have any problem with the fact that the hop pellets will be more utilized than the centennials?
 
Brew Dude said:
Biermuncher, my LHBS has Cascade in pellet form and Centennial in whole leaf form. What should I do? Should I bother with hop bags? If so, which of the hops would benefit the most from using the hop bag? Will I have any problem with the fact that the hop pellets will be more utilized than the centennials?
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Either form of hops will work and the difference in utilization shouldn't be a concern.

Use your hop bag like you normally would (if you use one). I usually use the bag for the pellets and let the whole hops float since they don't pose quite the siphoning challenge that pellets do.
 
I'm going to brew this later today or tomorrow. My LHBS doesn't have any crystal 10. Should I use crystal 20 but just use half as much?
 
Any thoughts as I get ready to do this today on how badly my lack of planning has let me down since I could only get muntons, coopers, or windsor dry yeast...? Which would you recommend?

-- Jon
 
Brewing this tomorrow; my LHBS didn't have Crystal 10 either... so i'm just using crystal 20. I'm expecting a little more caramel sweetness and a bit darker beer but not by much. Any other issues with using 20?
 
nealf said:
Brewing this tomorrow; my LHBS didn't have Crystal 10 either... so i'm just using crystal 20. I'm expecting a little more caramel sweetness and a bit darker beer but not by much. Any other issues with using 20?
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The flavor difference will not be noticeable. The color will probably come in around the same as a Miller Genuine Draft.

Good luck.
 
Uh oh, I dialed in my beersmith settings today and I will need almost 7.5 gallons pre-boil volume to hit the target volume of 5.5 gallons. My 30 qt pot is exactly 7.5 gallons.... I will need to get my evaporation down somehow or boil a smaller volume to avoid boilover. Should I just do a 5 gallon batch, and lose the 0.5 gallons to the trub, or is there another solution for me? I don't know how to slow down the evaporation rate. I do a full blast to get it boiling (with the lid on), and then I turn it WAYYY down to just enough to keep the boil (with the lid off). I lose a little more than a gallon by doing this.

I'm open to suggestions.
 
Brew Dude said:
Uh oh, I dialed in my beersmith settings today and I will need almost 7.5 gallons pre-boil volume to hit the target volume of 5.5 gallons. My 30 qt pot is exactly 7.5 gallons.... I will need to get my evaporation down somehow or boil a smaller volume to avoid boilover. Should I just do a 5 gallon batch, and lose the 0.5 gallons to the trub, or is there another solution for me? I don't know how to slow down the evaporation rate. I do a full blast to get it boiling (with the lid on), and then I turn it WAYYY down to just enough to keep the boil (with the lid off). I lose a little more than a gallon by doing this.

I'm open to suggestions.
Click to expand...

Brew according to your setup. You'll end up with a smaller volume, but a higher gravity and you can always top off the fermenter to get your 5.5 gallons.
 
Brew Dude said:
Uh oh, I dialed in my beersmith settings today and I will need almost 7.5 gallons pre-boil volume to hit the target volume of 5.5 gallons. My 30 qt pot is exactly 7.5 gallons.... I will need to get my evaporation down somehow or boil a smaller volume to avoid boilover. Should I just do a 5 gallon batch, and lose the 0.5 gallons to the trub, or is there another solution for me? I don't know how to slow down the evaporation rate. I do a full blast to get it boiling (with the lid on), and then I turn it WAYYY down to just enough to keep the boil (with the lid off). I lose a little more than a gallon by doing this.

I'm open to suggestions.
Click to expand...

If you only lose a gallon while boiling you need to adjust your boil loss in beersmith to reflect that. That will fix all of your numbers. Beersmith makes it adjustable because the boil loss is determined by a lot of variables. You are not going to start boiling off more water all of a sudden because you are now using beersmith.
 
I ran my experiment again yesterday, this time taking more careful measurements and measuring before and after the wort chiller addition. I also turned the flame down enough to BARELY keep it at 212 degrees for the whole hour. I only lost 9 cups to evaporation this time, which is about 0.56 gallons. Evaporation is closer to 8.7 percent. I lost 3 cups to the chiller. I left the "lost to trub" at the default 0.5 gallons, which sounds about right. I dont' know exactly because I've never measured this.

The new numbers say that I will boil down 6.75 gallons to 5.5, which is much better. I will probably drop this to 6.5 and top off with 0.25 gallons of water if I have to. I heard that 6.5 gallons is pretty much the maximum for a turkey fryer set up, and that STILL requires that i watch the boilovers like a hawk.

I'm brewing this tomorrow..... wish me luck.
 
It looks like there was just too much time with the fermenter lid off. The beer has a very distinct vinegar/acid taste. From my experience, and the experience of others I have read about, this is simply not something you can age out. I may have gone through all the work except bottling, but it's better than having to sit at the sink and pour them out one by one.

I will brew this one again. It was smelling and tasting quite good when I transfered to the secondary. A blow off tube will definitely be in order. I will also make sure the beer is down to a good cool temperature as well. I may have pitched the yeast a bit hot.
 
Here is my version... had to substitute Columbus for the Centennial hops... also had to use Safale-05 on my second batch. Scaled back the hops to account for the 13.5% Columbus hops and the grains to account for my 77% eff... I love this beer, nice summer drinker! Total cost: $14!!

Here is the recipe!

Style Blonde Ale Efficiency 77.00 %
Pre-boil Volume 6.80 gallons US
OG 1.039
IBU 22.6
Mash Ratio 1.25 qt/l
Post-boil Volume 5.50 gallons US
FG 1.010
SRM 4.1
Mash Time 60 min
Boil Time 60 min
Yeast Danstar Nottingham Dry Ale Yeast
ABV 3.8 %
Evaporation 1.3 gallons
Attenuation 75.00 %
Mash Schedule
Mash in with 2.4 gallons US of water at 168.4 F
Sparge with 5.4 gallons US at 170.0F to collect 6.8 gallons US
Fermentables
American Crystal 10L 0.5 lb 6.5 % 1.035/lb/gal 10 Mash
American Two-Row 6 lb 77.4 % 1.037/lb/gal 1.8 Mash
Belgian Carapils 0.75 lb 9.7 % 1.030/lb/gal 7.9 Mash
Vienna 0.5 lb 6.5 % 1.030/lb/gal 4 Mash
Totals: 7.75 pounds 100% 1.039 4.1
Hops
Name Quantity Form Alpha Stage Time
Columbus 0.12 oz Pellet 13.5 Boil 60
Columbus 0.25 oz Pellet 13.5 Boil 40
Cascade 0.25 oz Pellet 6.5 Boil 20
Cascade 0.25 oz Pellet 6.5 Boil 5
Totals: 0.88 ounces 22.6 IBU
Fermentation
Primary 7 68.0
Carbonation
CO2 Volume Presure Serving Temp
2.7 13.34 psi 38.0F
 
My first batch of this was a rush job to get my new kegerator filled, but was so tasty at the end that I wanted to get it back in rotation. Second batch, which I just tasted last night for the first time, I used Saflager S-23. Calling it the "Steaming Centennial Blonde." 8 weeks since brew day and it doesn't have the yeast bite that my first batch suffered from at first due to being green when the keg started flowing. It's got a bit more mouthfeel, but still very excellent.
 
Biermuncher, I wanted to ask one more thing about the recipe...

The cascades I bought were the 3.2% versions from Argentina. It is all that my LHBS had. I compensated for the lower percentage by adding more. I have since read that these are NOT good substitutes for the american Cascade. The guy at the LHBS actually recommended that I use amarillo in place of the cascades, but I declined. Should I have taken his advice?
 
Brew Dude said:
Biermuncher, I wanted to ask one more thing about the recipe...

The cascades I bought were the 3.2% versions from Argentina. It is all that my LHBS had. I compensated for the lower percentage by adding more. I have since read that these are NOT good substitutes for the american Cascade. The guy at the LHBS actually recommended that I use amarillo in place of the cascades, but I declined. Should I have taken his advice?
Click to expand...

This recipe isn't about the grapefruit(y) hop flavor. It's just a good clean tasting session beer....easy for non-hop lovers.

The A-cascade should work just fine.
 
I just tasted this beer on my lunch break and something is off. The ibu's seem to be about double what they should be. I had to switch the Centennials with Sorachi Ace. I know the the Sorachi's are higher AA so I cut the amount down from .5 to .2. I have no idea what is going on. It's not like there is anything wrong with the beer, it tastes fine. It is rather crisp and clean, its just that the sorachi bitterness seems to be overpowering for this type of beer. I hit all my gravity points. Did a full boil like always. What gives here?
 
I brewed this a month ago and it has turned out great. I bottled up 5 gallons for a friend that had a baby recently, no time to brew, nothing even in his fermenters right now, figured he needs some good homebrew to get through the first few months :)

Anyway, I plan on dry hopping my other 5 gallons of this. I've never dryhopped but I have a brewpub down the street and I always love the aroma from their brews, so I think this may get me closer.

I plan on using some whole leaf cascade, zip tied to the dip tube and some SS balls in the hop bag. Should I do a full ounce, only .5? Also do I need to take it out at some point or wait for the keg to blow?
 
I like the dry hop idea but you'll start to shrink the audience a bit...but that's okay.

I'd do 1/2 ounce and don't worry about leaving it in the keg until it's empty...unless you think that will take months.
 
BWRIGHT said:
I just tasted this beer on my lunch break and something is off. The ibu's seem to be about double what they should be. I had to switch the Centennials with Sorachi Ace. I know the the Sorachi's are higher AA so I cut the amount down from .5 to .2. I have no idea what is going on. It's not like there is anything wrong with the beer, it tastes fine. It is rather crisp and clean, its just that the sorachi bitterness seems to be overpowering for this type of beer. I hit all my gravity points. Did a full boil like always. What gives here?
Click to expand...

If you measured the hops correctly and boiled for 60 minutes then you will have the correct ibu's. The higher AA hops just probably need more time to mellow than Centennial. If you give this beer the full 6 weeks I bet it will taste perfect.
 
I thought maybe that was the case. I'm just not sure. The hop flavor right now is definitely not in balance. I know that at the 20-22 IBU range it should not be as bitter as it is now. BM mentioned something about the centennials being "nice" enough to drink this beer quickly. Maybe my Sorachi's are just not playing well with others. I hope it mellows because I seem to be the first person to have a problem with this beer. I'll drink this no problem, I just wanted to share this with my friends that think anything other than BMC is "hoppy." Meatheads.
 
BWRIGHT said:
I thought maybe that was the case. I'm just not sure. The hop flavor right now is definitely not in balance. I know that at the 20-22 IBU range it should not be as bitter as it is now. BM mentioned something about the centennials being "nice" enough to drink this beer quickly. Maybe my Sorachi's are just not playing well with others. I hope it mellows because I seem to be the first person to have a problem with this beer. I'll drink this no problem, I just wanted to share this with my friends that think anything other than BMC is "hoppy." Meatheads.
Click to expand...

Sorachi can be feisty. Park it for few weeks.

If you need something a bit more mellow, try the cream ale recipe..it's pretty quick from grain to glass.
 
Yeah, that was actually my next course of action. I should tell my friends to eat it, and brew what I want. I suppose nothing good can come of it anyway. If I make something they like they're going to drink up all my work. Why exactly is Sorachi that way? Is it the high AA% or just that certain types of hops need to be aged longer?
 
It's been 9 days since I brewed this beer. I will be bottling it on Wednesday, which is a full two weeks. Does this sound about right? I know you said this beer doesn't take a lot of aging.
 
Brew Dude said:
It's been 9 days since I brewed this beer. I will be bottling it on Wednesday, which is a full two weeks. Does this sound about right? I know you said this beer doesn't take a lot of aging.
Click to expand...

Longer is always better, but this grain bill is very light and the IBU's are low enough that you can get by with less time than normal. Plus, your bottle conditioning, so that gives you an added 3-4 weeks of conditioning before serving.
 
I wish I could stretch it out for 3 weeks in the primary, but I am taking a vacation that forces me to bottle it this next coming week.

Hopefully the bottles will be ready when I get back.
 
I made this last Saturday 6-28, used partial mash, hit OG on the button. It was bubbling like crazy on Sunday, very slow Monday..
 
I started drinking my attempt at this beer over a week ago, and despite my many concerns with the process, it turned out fantastic. I had to change a few things though. My LHBS was out of Notty so they gave me windsor instead. I converted to an extract recipe w/ steeping grains, and i believe i steeped too hot. It fermented too hot (close to 78 degrees), and after a week in primary it tasted a little like band-aids, so i decided to experiment and dry hopped with 1/2 ounce cascade in the secondary for 2 weeks. I bottled and started drinking after only 1 week and it tasted great. I learned alot about patience with this one. Next time i will make it without dry-hopping so i can get the original flavor. Great beer either way though!
 
BierMuncher said:
Give this a try next time...
Click to expand...

thanks for the idea, i actually have 2 similiar containers that i use just like that, but for some reason i got cocky and decided i didn't need to use it. Also, i scored a chest freezer from a relative, so the swamp baths will be needed no more!
 
I've brewed this twice so far and both times the kegs didn't even last a week before they were sucked dry. I can't seem to brew this one fast enough. Everyone from craft beer snobs to Coor's light drinkers like this beer. This is going to be my first 10g batch next weekend. Big thanks to BierMuncher.
 
So here is 2 weeks in primary
y1p6vVQnMhlJxfVpDLlUfl_Y1-Imx7hWbOORaIh3TUi9CX39BSXmeAr7RMdSTROnoc5

Secondary
y1ptJhfDqqFFaqUXMAK1mn_nD3YwupbjgxPlKUF70YPrwUaJ1HXnQlkqP9YunHReZ7M

Empty Primary
y1pWN3Gv3QQtQ0w2bZq5_QwlH_9z7pqMh3HjUqIE4VM0iA3ei-5ggcUsS47Nhz_jkN8
 
BierMuncher, just kegged this baby yesterday morning. Had to try a sample today and damn this is a good recipe. You gotta love cascade and cent hops!
Thanks, this will be a summer staple.
 

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