slogger
Well-Known Member
Two weeks in primary fermentor and then force carbed it! It is pretty friggin good! I don't know that it will last long enough to mature, it tastes great as is! Definitely buying this again!
AHS Apocalypso Opinions
- Thread starter Zixxer10R
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KubelkaMonk
Member
I went ahead and just stuck to the directions. This will be my first batch with active fermentation temperature control. I have high hopes for this one.
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
I hope I like it as much as you did because recipes really don't get any simpler than this one.
Elweydoloco
Well-Known Member
Oddly enough, I'm brewing it right now and am doing a mini mash as well. I'm just gonna stick to the directions. Austin home brew knows what they're doing and I've yet to have a bad lot from them. I've also got their double chocolate stout in a primary right now. The best place to start for recipe modifications on one of their kits is on their website.
KubelkaMonk
Member
I appreciate the second opinion. I had my eye on the AHS Coffee Malt Stout as my next brew. Where would I find info about recipe modifications on the AHS website. Would it be in the comments left for the individual recipe? -Or- Would I have to e-mail or call AHS for Advise? -Or- Is there another place on the site for this inforamtion? - Thanks.
slogger
Well-Known Member
Yeah! It's hard to believe that this beer comes out as good as it does with such a simple recipe. I was tempted to dry hop but stuck to the recipe and I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger. It tastes great as is!
Elweydoloco
Well-Known Member
KubelkaMonk said:
I'm sorry I just now am replying. However if you read the reviews on the beer kits they offer, 90% of them will have people speaking of the recipe and what they felt it lacked or if it was spot on for them. Like the double chocolate I now have in it's first round of secondary, everyone said add more chocolate. So I added double the chocolate about 15 minutes left in the boil. When there is a consensus it's normally right so I'll listen to it.
Elweydoloco
Well-Known Member
Honestly the only thing I did was add some Irish moss to it as I'm trying to clear it up. I'm sure I'll secondary and try to cold crash too but we will see. Judging from how it came out of the brew kettle it looked hazy already.
Anyone try cold crashing this one yet or did secondary clear it up enough or you minis the chill haze maybe?
Anyone try cold crashing this one yet or did secondary clear it up enough or you minis the chill haze maybe?
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
just kegged this last week. as of last night it was pretty darn good. still hasn't completely cleared yet and was a little harsh from the bitterness but i expect that to mellow a little.
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
Definitely a good one for a first brew, doesn't get much easier.
That being said, and I won't debate the whole primary vs. secondary issue, but you sure you want to bother transferring to secondary? IMO, for a first timer it just adds an extra step of possible infection/oxidation/other mishaps and doesn't add too much benefit. Just my opinion.
The directions that came with the kit use a secondary but from what I've learned about brewing so far, it is probably optional.
From the kit:
5-7 days in primary
5-7 days in secondary
Best taste 3 weeks in the bottle
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
Definitely optional. In my humble opinion, it's better to just primary for 3-4 weeks (takes gravity test to ensure it's complete - which it more than likely will be), and then bottle.
Again, not to get into the argument, but this recipe is very basic, doesn't have dry hopping, no spices, etc...a primary for a few weeks should be good enough.
Again, not to get into the argument, but this recipe is very basic, doesn't have dry hopping, no spices, etc...a primary for a few weeks should be good enough.
I have two carboys almost done fermenting, one with 1272 and the other with notty. I'm at two weeks now and my yeast is still at Krausen and no where near giving up.
My OG before boil was ~1.045, with my after boil OG at 1.060 with 84%eff... not sure where you all are getting the 1.048 from.. Also BS list the IBU at
52, could be because I did a 10 gal batch tho?
I'm looking forward to this! I wanted greenbelt yeast but that strain doesn't ship well as I've had three slow starts with it. I was too lazy to harvest it...
edit: OOPS! just realized this is in extract forums..... Sorry, had a few.....
My OG before boil was ~1.045, with my after boil OG at 1.060 with 84%eff... not sure where you all are getting the 1.048 from.. Also BS list the IBU at
52, could be because I did a 10 gal batch tho?
I'm looking forward to this! I wanted greenbelt yeast but that strain doesn't ship well as I've had three slow starts with it. I was too lazy to harvest it...
edit: OOPS! just realized this is in extract forums..... Sorry, had a few.....
pattycakes888
Active Member
If you want a really good coffee stout (not that ive tried the one from AHS) but midwest's Peace Coffee Java Stout was one of my favorites, Easy and Quick and it went well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the glass
pattycakes888
Active Member
Any feelings on dry hopping? my friend just found some wild hops in his back yard that he dried and gave me for free so I've been anxious to use them in a beer. I figured this one is cheap so if i mess it up not too much collateral damage. I don't know exactly what kind of hops he's giving me though
Elweydoloco
Well-Known Member
Paulgs3 said:
I isn't realize it was extract either :-(. I did a mini mash which I'm never doing again from AHS not that it was hard or anything just that the amount of grain used might as well do all grain.
Anyway I think you're right on my OG was 1.059 on a full 5 gallon mini mash. It's been in primary for about a week and a half now.
Elweydoloco
Well-Known Member
rhamilton said:
Tell you what I you want to keep it primary I'll go secondary with it if you want to take pics and compare. The only benefit is going to be clarity but I already added Irish moss anyway.
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
And if you are really worried about clarity you can use gelatin. I've been using that on my last few brews and they have been crystal clear.
I racked it last night to secondary 
I do plan to clarify with gelatin before bottling. Stole a sample to test gravity and it was spot on to what the instructions said. Tasted it and I'm excited to see if it develops -- it was initially slightly malty/sweet but with a very very bitter aftertaste. Hopefully it'll blend and mellow in secondary/bottles.
As for the mini-mash -- the mini-mask works great for people who don't want to do a full boil. I use a ~1700 watt e-kettle and the mini-mashes work great since you only have to boil 2-3 gallons. I think my kettle would struggle to boil the full 5 gallons w. all grains.
I do plan to clarify with gelatin before bottling. Stole a sample to test gravity and it was spot on to what the instructions said. Tasted it and I'm excited to see if it develops -- it was initially slightly malty/sweet but with a very very bitter aftertaste. Hopefully it'll blend and mellow in secondary/bottles. As for the mini-mash -- the mini-mask works great for people who don't want to do a full boil. I use a ~1700 watt e-kettle and the mini-mashes work great since you only have to boil 2-3 gallons. I think my kettle would struggle to boil the full 5 gallons w. all grains.
KubelkaMonk
Member
Just finished bottling mine. Kept it in the primary for 16 days, then into the bottle.
Mine is a little cloudy, but I goofed up going from the brew pot to the fermenter and failed to prevent any of the break from being transferred. To make it worse, I even stirred in chilled water to help bring the batch temperature down and put a bunch of stuff back into suspension. Oh well, I'll work on that next time.
I am really excited about how it tastes. Can't wait until it is carbonated and ready to go.
Mine is a little cloudy, but I goofed up going from the brew pot to the fermenter and failed to prevent any of the break from being transferred. To make it worse, I even stirred in chilled water to help bring the batch temperature down and put a bunch of stuff back into suspension. Oh well, I'll work on that next time.
I am really excited about how it tastes. Can't wait until it is carbonated and ready to go.
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
Added chilled water after fermentation started or are you talking about before you pitched your yeast?
Just to add some pics to the thread -- here is my mini-mash batch. OG and FG were spot on. The first pic is right after entering the primary (stayed there for 7 days), the second pic is 20 hours after racking to secondary.
All grain batch:
Just took readings and a sample, I did a side by side one with notty and one with 1272, and the AAII was way better. I'd love to try this with greenbelt.
I can definitely taste the "apple" taste with the AAII, the notty overwhelms the hop flavor IMO. Of course the bitter is there!!
Its gonna be good, needs at least another week of conditioning and then a week of coldcrash.
Just took readings and a sample, I did a side by side one with notty and one with 1272, and the AAII was way better. I'd love to try this with greenbelt.
I can definitely taste the "apple" taste with the AAII, the notty overwhelms the hop flavor IMO. Of course the bitter is there!!
Its gonna be good, needs at least another week of conditioning and then a week of coldcrash.
KubelkaMonk
Member
Before pitching yeast.
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
Then that should be fine. You actually want to stir prior to pitching in order to aerate your wort. As long as you let the beer sit in primary long enough, it will settle.
Elweydoloco
Well-Known Member
cincybrewer said:
Yeah I'm old school I use Irish moss in all my lighter beers. I did rack to a secondary as well. This beer is very on the bitter side however it's expected the alpha acids in the hops used for this recipe were pretty up there.
I just did there blue moon clone for a friend and so far I don't know about it the OG was off a little which is odd for me I'm typically plus or minus .001. It was lower by the way not higher it wasn't too far off though. I did buy a fridge and have it set to about 60 for the ferm. I'm hoping it will give me a better FG I will see though.
I deleted my last comment. The wife had a wonderful suggestions, and that was to carb it some more.
Completely different beer now that it is fully carbonated.
The 1272 really put emphasis on the apple flavor of the hops, and the notty, although much drier, actually has more body. I'm leaning towards the 1272 being the better yeast for this beer.
Not a bad beer when properly carbed!!
Completely different beer now that it is fully carbonated.
The 1272 really put emphasis on the apple flavor of the hops, and the notty, although much drier, actually has more body. I'm leaning towards the 1272 being the better yeast for this beer.
Not a bad beer when properly carbed!!
Elweydoloco
Well-Known Member
Yeah I bottled mine last night as well. I cold crashed and used gelatin it came out crystal clear and had a great aroma.
I did drink about 6 oz or so uncarbed obviously and it wasn't bad at all.
I did drink about 6 oz or so uncarbed obviously and it wasn't bad at all.
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
My version is a little too bitter and not enough hop flavor. But that is being picky. Overall it's a very good beer. I also did a full boil and cut the bittering additions in half so I'm not sure how that affected the overall bitterness (I know cutting it in half lowered it) and hop flavor. Still it is a very good beer for the price.
I know this is the extract forum, I already made that mistake, but your beer looks nothing like the AG version. Out of curiosity, did that ship with DME and did you add it all at once?
Mine actually looks gold, like a corona. My recipe only had 10ish pounds of pale ale malt and 1 pounds of maltodextrine, there is no way mine could ever get that dark. Even beersmith puts my SRM obscenely low at like 3.
cincybrewer
Well-Known Member
I think it has more to do with the picture. Mine is much more golden looking in real life, though it still looks like it has body to it. I'll try to take a picture sometime with good lighting.
It was actually LME but I can't remember if I did a late addition or not.
It was actually LME but I can't remember if I did a late addition or not.
Could be I'm slowing getting drunk off of it combined with feeling bad I bashed it a bit after fermentation, but I have to post and say my AG version is absolutely incredible now.
For $20, this beer is wonderful. I'm back down to my 40F serving temp, carbonation has finally balanced out, both strain of yeast are way different but both are great now.
I have to figure out Notty, sometimes it gets that english alcoholy ale taste (that I dislike), and sometimes it has a great dry taste with emphasis on the malt. Guess I'm gonna have to brew some more to figure out whats going on.
I would have to think my only complaint is I occasionally taste a sweetness I'm attributing to the maltodextrine. I've never used it before, don't know if I would ever use it again, but the head retention is incredible with it. But I'm actually pondering getting another 10gal AG batch.
For $20, this beer is wonderful. I'm back down to my 40F serving temp, carbonation has finally balanced out, both strain of yeast are way different but both are great now.
I have to figure out Notty, sometimes it gets that english alcoholy ale taste (that I dislike), and sometimes it has a great dry taste with emphasis on the malt. Guess I'm gonna have to brew some more to figure out whats going on.
I would have to think my only complaint is I occasionally taste a sweetness I'm attributing to the maltodextrine. I've never used it before, don't know if I would ever use it again, but the head retention is incredible with it. But I'm actually pondering getting another 10gal AG batch.
The malto also gives you nearly a full coating of lacing on the glass as well. I've never used malto on any recipe before either but when i saw the lacing i was BLOWN AWAY. It literally covered my entire glass.
