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

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This was probably the 3rd or 4th beer I ever made and was my first all grain. I brewed it about 9 months ago and really screwed up this beer. I didnt let it set in primary long enough and racked it from secondary too quickly as well (I was going by the calender and not the yeast). I just cracked open a bottle of this I had siting in a dark closet and it taste like beer champagne. There was no hop aroma at all LOL. I just couldn't drink it all, I had one small cup and pitched the rest. Of course this doesn't mean a properly brewed version wouldn't age well but mine sure didn't. As a side note, I have brewed this 2 more times since and both came out great:mug:
 
Here is the MCB after a couple of days in the keg. just a bit hazy from the cold. it was much clearer before i put it in the fridge, hopefully it clears up before the Super Bowl.

5396592217_ed72176e1e_b.jpg


The beer tastes a bit sweet even though i hit start/final gravity spot on. I think i'm going to take BM advise and mash at a higher temp...158-160 so as to not have too much malty taste. is this correct?
 
Here is the MCB after a couple of days in the keg. just a bit hazy from the cold. it was much clearer before i put it in the fridge, hopefully it clears up before the Super Bowl.

5396592217_ed72176e1e_b.jpg


The beer tastes a bit sweet even though i hit start/final gravity spot on. I think i'm going to take BM advise and mash at a higher temp...158-160 so as to not have too much malty taste. is this correct?

I think you want to mash lower to get more fermentable sugars (taking care of the sweetness). The Malty part can only be taken care of through hop additions. Although I could be mistaken.
 
The way I understand it, mashing at higher temps causes more malt to come through, a sweeter flavor with more body and mouthfeel.. where as mashing at lower temps results in more fermentable sugars, giving a beer that is cleaner, drier, with a higher ABV..
 
Just did 10 more gallons. Came in at 1.043.

People are now requesting this when they come over. "Do you have my favorite beer on tap?"

Great recipe!

-Joe
 
Just did 10 more gallons. Came in at 1.043.

People are now requesting this when they come over. "Do you have my favorite beer on tap?"

Great recipe!

-Joe

I used 5.2 for the first time.. my efficiency went way up to 73% from 64%... This brew came in at 1.042-.043...

11G bubbling away in the fermenters! What are the odds, that this will be kegged and carbed in time for the SB? Might have to do some trickery with the carbing!
:mug:

Next up, my frist AG attempt at a stone IPA clone..
 
I have brewed this beer and gone from grain to glass in (I think) 12 days!! I did pitch a MONSTER starter and fermented it in 70* temps.. I think (it has been a while) it fermented out to terminal gravity in 3-4 days...
Good beer!!
it was a house fav for quite awhile..
 
Brewed this on Saturday as my first all grain. Was bubbling away yesterday in the fermenter and has since calmed down a little bit. Is racking to a secondary necessary? What is the advantage? I'm not really understanding that concept yet. I'm still new to this...
 
I have brewed this beer and gone from grain to glass in (I think) 12 days!! I did pitch a MONSTER starter and fermented it in 70* temps.. I think (it has been a while) it fermented out to terminal gravity in 3-4 days...
Good beer!!
it was a house fav for quite awhile..

Jay.. Thanx for the tip on the 5.2.. That stuff definitely made a difference...
:mug:
 
I've got my system dialed in for 75 minute boils. I haven't brewed a beer this light in color yet. Will a 75 minute boil noticably darken it?
 
Brewed this on Saturday as my first all grain. Was bubbling away yesterday in the fermenter and has since calmed down a little bit. Is racking to a secondary necessary? What is the advantage? I'm not really understanding that concept yet. I'm still new to this...


Do some searching on the to secondary or not question, this seems to be one of the current hot topics/debates going on. There is a lot of good information/opinions out there from some very experience people. I'm new too, so I had the same questions, so i know the answers are out there with a search.

For what it is worth(again from a very new brewer), I did not secondary...
 
Mine has been kegged but needs a couple more days to bring it up a little/ I like it! Hops seem a little stronger than I expected but I was a little short. I didn't get the 5.5 gallons but ended up with 4.75 instead. This is my first time using cascade hops. Interesting....I like them. Party for the superbowl so I'll post some reviews then. Sterling Gold is on the docket for Saturday
 
Mine has been kegged but needs a couple more days to bring it up a little/ I like it! Hops seem a little stronger than I expected but I was a little short. I didn't get the 5.5 gallons but ended up with 4.75 instead. This is my first time using cascade hops. Interesting....I like them. Party for the superbowl so I'll post some reviews then. Sterling Gold is on the docket for Saturday

Any early hop "bite" will mellow pretty quickly.
 
There really isn't a hop bite. It s the flavor from the cascade hops. Its the first I've ever used them. I really like this beer. It is not as dry as I thought. Maybe I mashed a little higher than I thought or could it be the Cascade hops that make it seem a little sweet. I don't even know if sweet is the right word to use. Maybe fruity would be a better discriptor. I'll make this one again. Great Recipe
 
I'm brewing a 5.5 gallon batch tomorrow. My LHBS didn't have any Crystal 10 so I subbed .25 lbs Crystal 20 and .25 lbs Munich. Noticable flavor difference, or not worth worrying about?
 
What would be a good replacement yeast from White Labs, aside from Nottingham which my LHBS doesn't carry?
 
Here are my results, I posted earlier that I pitched S-04 (by mistake) in 5 gal and Notty in 5gal. Biermuncher was correct in that the s-04 was maltier, it also didnt seem to flocculate near as well, actually it never really cleared up. None the less, we drank the s-04 first grain to glass in 2 weeks (kegging), emptied the keg in 2 weeks. S-04 was quite a bit sweater up front finishing with a slight dry taste at the end. Everybody enjoyed it. Tapped notty keg 30 days after brewing, Just enjoying it now. Crystal clear, much drier, very refreshing, still needs a few more days on the gas. Summary: both were very good, infact probably one of the best beers i've brewed. We are entering the Nottingham version into the Konabrew fest next month, wish it luck, good preliminary feedback from lhbc-thanks biermuncher
 
What would be a good replacement yeast from White Labs, aside from Nottingham which my LHBS doesn't carry?

Can't Go wrong with California Ale yeast WLP001. If you want to change things up you could try their Kolsch WLP029 or the Cream Ale yeast blend WLP080: This is a blend of ale and lager yeast strains. The strains work together to create a clean, crisp, light American lager style ale. A pleasing estery aroma may be perceived from the ale yeast contribution. Hop flavors and bitterness are slightly subdued. Slight sulfur will be produced during fermentation, from the lager yeast.
 
thanks for the heads up about the 080... I'm looking for ways to create the basic beers I want without getting into lagers.. and two of the three are lagers... :D

Will conditioning or long ferments clean up the sulfer? How noticeable is it?

Is there an ale yeast out there that mimics the light euro lager styles?
 
thanks for the heads up about the 080... I'm looking for ways to create the basic beers I want without getting into lagers.. and two of the three are lagers... :D

Will conditioning or long ferments clean up the sulfer? How noticeable is it?

I actually haven't used it! I was just looking at the white labs site. As I re-read the description it sounds like steam ale yeast, but the ferm range is normal for ales (where the steam ale yeast is at like 60 i believe). I would think that cold conditioning would diminish the flavors, or it might just be alluding to the smells coming out of your fermentor during fermentation. So I guess I was asking you to experiment! haha :mug:
 
I need to get a couple 3G carboys, so I can try stuff like this without wasting a whole batch if it's a disaster...

The reason I'm asking all this, is that I recently brewed EdWrots HPA recipe.. my mash efficiency was about 5pts low, and I fermented it near the bottom of the ale range..

I came out tasting like what I remember Fosters Special Bitter (oil can) to taste like... but it's been a few years.. Fosters Draught was one of the clones I wanted to make when I started brewing... But I'm not set up for lagers, and I really don't want to be if I don't have to..

So I was surprised that this simple and inexpensive Ale reminded me of the Fosters... Seeing as I also wanted to do a clone of the Euro beers some day (ie heineken draft/can, grolsh, becks, etc.)... I've been wondering if this is possible with an ale yeast... maybe by fermenting at the bottom end of the temp range, or using a hybrid yeast like you mentioned..

I could then be able (have the capability) to brew an ale that would please friends in every category of drinker...
 
Ya, half batches can be great for experimenting! I like to keep some dry malt extract around in case something happens and I am off with the gravity, I just do a little math and add some DME or water to bring it up to the right amount. This is much easier with a refractometer!

I would do this with the WLP001 and see what your friends thing, it is really good and tame in my opinion. Nothing a BMC drinker wouldn't enjoy! You can get some "lager like" qualities with certain ale yeast and certain temps, but don't think it will taste exactly like a lager.
 
First and foremost, it's gotta please 'me'... LOL

I actually like heiny and fosters (on occasion) as long as it's not the bottled versions.. I know my brother would like both of them if I got reasonably similar ales to them.. Friends can be all over the map...

If not, there's always Tequila!
:mug:
 
I need to get a couple 3G carboys, so I can try stuff like this without wasting a whole batch if it's a disaster...

The reason I'm asking all this, is that I recently brewed EdWrots HPA recipe.. my mash efficiency was about 5pts low, and I fermented it near the bottom of the ale range..

I came out tasting like what I remember Fosters Special Bitter (oil can) to taste like... but it's been a few years.. Fosters Draught was one of the clones I wanted to make when I started brewing... But I'm not set up for lagers, and I really don't want to be if I don't have to..

So I was surprised that this simple and inexpensive Ale reminded me of the Fosters... Seeing as I also wanted to do a clone of the Euro beers some day (ie heineken draft/can, grolsh, becks, etc.)... I've been wondering if this is possible with an ale yeast... maybe by fermenting at the bottom end of the temp range, or using a hybrid yeast like you mentioned..

I could then be able (have the capability) to brew an ale that would please friends in every category of drinker...

White Labs has a yeast called Cry Havoc that is a Lager yeast that ferments at ale temps. It was developed by Charlie Papazan. I have been wanting to experiment with it buthavent goten around to it.
 
White Labs has a yeast called Cry Havoc that is a Lager yeast that ferments at ale temps. It was developed by Charlie Papazan. I have been wanting to experiment with it buthavent goten around to it.

Thanks! That's something I can look into... I really need to get some small fermenters for experimenting...
 
Brewed a partial mash 5 gallon of this 10 days ago and finally finished fermenting. I had a starting gravity of 1.050 and finished at 1.011. However when i racked into the secondary it was very cloudy. I have never had a cloudy batch at the end of fermenting.... wondering if anyone else experienced this and if chilling while force carbonating would help clear this or if pectic enzyme might help.
 
mine was a little cloudy also. I stuck it in the fridge for a quick cold crash before filling the keg. It'll be fine
 
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