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

Williams 728
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Low 60's will get you a much cleaner yeast profile. Don't get me wrong, Nottingham's character can be desirable in some styles, but I don't think a ton of fruit is really desirable in a Blonde, just a bit.
 
Have there been any major developments to this recipe since post #1? It looks awesome. I am just a bit too lazy to read through 16 pages to see if I should make any tweaks. Thanks!
 
DocRobinson said:
Have there been any major developments to this recipe since post #1? It looks awesome. I am just a bit too lazy to read through 16 pages to see if I should make any tweaks. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Nope. :D

Well, everyone seems to start with the base recipe and then make adjustments they see fit. Some make adjustments on their first batch based on what they have on hand.

Brew it. Drink it. Repeat. :)
 
Biermuncher,

I am making this beer on Saturday Nov7, I need this beer to be ready by thanksgiving. I was planning on letting it sit in the primary for 7 days then racking it to a carboy, adding gelatin, and crash cooling for 4 days then racking the clear beer to a keg for it to carb at fridge temp for 1 week before thanksgiving.

Do you see any potential problems with this plan?

I am trying to get a good tasting clear beer to serve to my family members. I know I should have started sooner but I currently have you Captain Hooked on Bitters in my fermenter and I did not know the family was getting together for Thanksgiving until last week.

One note, I am using Irish moss in the boil and I though with the short condition time I would use the gelatin to speed things up. If you have any other suggestions please help me out.
 
quinnae said:
Biermuncher,

I am making this beer on Saturday Nov7, I need this beer to be ready by thanksgiving. I was planning on letting it sit in the primary for 7 days then racking it to a carboy, adding gelatin, and crash cooling for 4 days then racking the clear beer to a keg for it to carb at fridge temp for 1 week before thanksgiving.

Do you see any potential problems with this plan?

I am trying to get a good tasting clear beer to serve to my family members. I know I should have started sooner but I currently have you Captain Hooked on Bitters in my fermenter and I did not know the family was getting together for Thanksgiving until last week.

One note, I am using Irish moss in the boil and I though with the short condition time I would use the gelatin to speed things up. If you have any other suggestions please help me out.
Click to expand...
If I were going to push one through, I'd go 10 days in the primary. Two days crash cooled on gelatin and then rack to keg to sit until serving time. The extra three days on yeast will help give you a cleaner beer. A light grain bill like that only needs 48 hours to clear on gelatin.
 
BierMuncher said:
If I were going to push one through, I'd go 10 days in the primary. Two days crash cooled on gelatin and then rack to keg to sit until serving time. The extra three days on yeast will help give you a cleaner beer. A light grain bill like that only needs 48 hours to clear on gelatin.
Click to expand...

I'm a little confused. Post #1 calls for 4 days primary @ 68 and 5 days secondary @68. Shouldn't that schedule get 'er done in time? Also, when you say crash cooled, about what temp are we talking about? If I am not under these time constraints, what schedule would you recommend for the cleanest, clearest beer possible (in terms of primary time, secondary time, & temperature)?

I know that "time" isn't the best measure because fermentations vary, so in terms of attenuation % before racking to secondary, what are we talking about? 2/3 to 3/4 or past attenuation and basically into conditioning (so that primary ferm is totally complete)? Thanks, sorry for all the questions.
 
DocRobinson said:
Cue "Final Jeopardy" jingle until BM gets back...
Click to expand...

This recipe is suited for a quick turnaround, but the longer I brew, the more I realize the benefits of additional time on the yeast cake.

If you are not under constraints:
2 weeks in a primary.
1 week in a clearing tank at the same temp...on gelatin.
2 weeks in a cold keg (37 degrees).

I find that the extra time at room temp allows the last little bit of residual fermentation to finish out. This might not be noticeable when serving from the keg, but if you bottle from the keg and store the bottles at room temp...that little bit of unfermented sugars will continue to ferment and dry the beer out a bit too much.

The great thing about this recipe is it's very good for a rush-job beer. But it's phenomenal if allowed to age for several weeks.
 
Thanks for all your help BM. I just wrapped up my brew night. This recipe was my first all grain. I think for my first AG, it couldn't have gone better.

Summary:

1) 178deg to 164deg in mash tun
2) 60deg grain temp to exactly 150deg for the mash for 1 hour
3) Beer Smith estimated Pre-boil gravity @ 1.036: I hit 1.035
4) My PPG was 28
5) Beer Smith estimated OG @ 1.042: I hit 1.044

I underestimated my boil-off though so I ended up with 5g instead of 5.25g, but oh well.

I am very pleased.

Could you enlighten me on the "on gelatin" step? Once I rack, how much gelatin and what is gelatin? Like the straight gelatin that you get at the grocery?

I plan on holding the primary at 64-66 for 2 weeks based on your recommendations.

Again, thanks for all the help!
 
DocRobinson said:
Thanks for all your help BM. I just wrapped up my brew night. This recipe was my first all grain. I think for my first AG, it couldn't have gone better.

Summary:

1) 178deg to 164deg in mash tun
2) 60deg grain temp to exactly 150deg for the mash for 1 hour
3) Beer Smith estimated Pre-boil gravity @ 1.036: I hit 1.035
4) My PPG was 28
5) Beer Smith estimated OG @ 1.042: I hit 1.044

I underestimated my boil-off though so I ended up with 5g instead of 5.25g, but oh well.

I am very pleased.

Could you enlighten me on the "on gelatin" step? Once I rack, how much gelatin and what is gelatin? Like the straight gelatin that you get at the grocery?

I plan on holding the primary at 64-66 for 2 weeks based on your recommendations.

Again, thanks for all the help!
Click to expand...

Look Here for info about Gelatin

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/gelatin-finings-53912/
 
How would this be using WPL001 yeast?
I have an IPA bubbling right now and would like to reuse the yeast

thanks
 
BM, i'd like to thank you for this delicious recipe.

I brewed this October 17th, kegged today and pulled my first taster. Simply delicious. Probably going to need to start another batch soon, I fear this wont last very long at all!
 
MriswitH said:
BM, i'd like to thank you for this delicious recipe.

I brewed this October 17th, kegged today and pulled my first taster. Simply delicious. Probably going to need to start another batch soon, I fear this wont last very long at all!
Click to expand...

Back to back brew sessions.Gotta keep that pipeline full. :rockin:
 
Hey BM,

I just brewed a version of this for my first AG batch... it is just sitting there in primary teasing me... so since I subbed the hops I'm calling it my Fuggly Blonde. Can't wait to bottle and drink it thanks for the recipe.
 
My first all-grain batch has come to fruition. The picture doesn't do justice to how clear the beer actually turned out, but the picture is cool none the less.

BM_Centennial_014a.jpg


What I did, for others who might be interested:

I let it sit in the primary for 9 days. On day 10, I crashed to 38 degrees in the primary. On day 13, I racked to the keg on top of 1 tbs. gelatin in 12 oz. of hot water (which I bloomed for 30 minutes and brought to temp to pasteurize). I forced carbed at 20psi while shaking for about 10 minutes. Let it sit overnight to settle out and it turned out perfect on day 14.

Now if I could just stop drinking it. I am trying to put together a presentation for an hour long speech I have to give to the firm on Tuesday...it is going nowhere.
 
Skoper said:
How would this be using WPL001 yeast?
I have an IPA bubbling right now and would like to reuse the yeast

thanks
Click to expand...

I brewed my most recent batch of this with WLP001 washed from an IPA. It turned out really good. I think side by side I might prefer a yeast that shows the malt a little better, but it's a great beer on its own.
 
i made this beer today,had my smoothest brewday to date,until i came to the chill,and it plateaued at around 104f, i felt the water coming out of my chiller which also read 104 but it was cold. i borrowed a friends thermometer and sure enough my digital one was out by about 25f. which could mean instead of mashing at 150f i was actually at about 125f
i hit 1.045 with my post boil gravity and the sample tasted sweet so i obviously extracted something, i'm hoping something happened to the thermometer during the boil but if my mash was actually 125f then how is this likely to affect the beer and can anything be done to salvage it?:(
 
man i'm at a loss with this brew. on my 3rd AG attempt of it now and its clear and pretty but has a funky maltiness to it. I am still fairly new to AG, but my IPAs come out great!. any body want to be my taste tester and tell me what I'm doing wrong? as highly rated as this beer is, i am going to go nuts until i get it right.
 
I've encountered a bit of a mystery so I turn to the forum.

I recently brewed my third batch of this brew and made one small change.

I eliminated my chlorine from my filtered tap water. It's a long story but I discovered my city water had converted to chloramine and my carbon filter wasn't doing anything. So I've been brewing from day one with a full dose of chlorine in every batch.

So this batch was specifically designed to demonstrate what if any, effects the chlorine made. My previous brew was Centennial so this was a good way to compare with and without with regard to chlorine.

The beer turned out fine. It's been in the bottle for about 4 weeks. All steps and process stats were the same both going in and measured.

The difference is pronounced.

The hop favor is much more prominent. The hops seem to be brighter, stronger, and generally more pronounced. They're actually too strong for my taste. It appears the chlorine may have been oxidizing some of the hop contribution.

I used the same hop bill from the same LHBS and have a hard time thinking this is due to just stronger hops.

Has anyone experienced anything similar with respect to chlorine?
 
This stuff never gets old.
Always keep a brew on hand. Just brewed the 7th 5 gallon AG recipe since February this weekend and will be serving it up from Christmas through new years.
Thanks for a great house beer recipe.
 
I havent given up on it yet. my third try still had a funny taste to it but I also just discovered that I have been using recalled notty for the last few months. kinda annoying.
 
I just got back from a Christmas party of hardcore BMC drinkers. I brought a keg of Alpha King and a keg of this. While the Alpha King is my facorite this beer was a huge hit. I can't tell you how many times I heard. You made this? Anyway. I am going to have to brew another because there is an empty keg sitting in my car. This beer went fast

thanks
 
Hydro sample sitting in the fridge now to taste after bit. finished at 1.009. I was already to read the print on the jar behind through the plastic sample tube. I can't wait to get it cooled and in a glass to see how clear it is. May not even bother with gelatin.
 
Well after chilling it wasn't quite as clear as before.Granted it was only an hour. I went ahead and added a pack of Knox to the fermenter and it's in the garage getting cold. Kegs are cleaned and waiting for sanitizer and then beer later this week. The sample was good. I can't wait to taste it carbed.
 
BM, Doing a partial mash of this right now and the grain is going at 150*. Going to mash for about 60'. I don't care for dry extract so I converted it to LME. Using your 5.5 gallon recipe on page one and brewing an 11 gallon batch. Did I convert the extract right? I will be using 12.5 lbs of light pilsen LME. Any thoughts before I get to the boil process? Thanks.

EDIT: Brewed and in fermenters... OG is 1.050. All went well but just looking at it and it seems that its going to be a little darker than I thought and darker than the others that have posted pics. Maybe that will change before its time to drink - IN 2 WEEKS :rockin:
 
I decided to make this for my first AG about 3-4 weeks ago. It's been in the bottles now for only about a week but I already cannot stop drinking it. I have to say this is the first beer I've made that I really love! Don't think these 5 gallons are going to make it very long.

Thanks Bier Muncher :mug:
 
This finished up in the primary with just barely enough time to add a little POM juice to the keg and rack on top of it. Actually carbed it on the way from Reno to Nevada City (CA) by laying the keg down and hooking it up to ~35 PSI. I-80 and CA-20 are super bumpy and windy which really helped.

The Pomegranate Blonde ended up being quite excellent. The color was slightly disappointing as we were hoping for red or, at the very least, pink to aid in the Christmasiness of the whole thing. However, it tasted delicious; we kept the keg cold so the POM wouldn't ferment. The POM added something special to the hint of fruit flavors provided by S-04 and since the yeast were kept dormant there was a pleasant mild backsweetening. I highly recommend it for the Holidays or for when it starts to warm back up in the spring. The ladyfriend and I plan on experimenting further with larger POM sizes and maybe allowing it to ferment.

Thanks once again BM for provided the amazing recipe that was the base for our delicious Christmas concoction. It was a real hit!
 
I'm going to give this recipe a go ahead tonight. I'm using 6 pounds of plain light LME instead of dry exra light, though...not sure why, I guess I just can't leave well enough alone.

Hopefully this will make a good house beer, it'll be easy enough to brew and CHEAP too!
 
I brewed 2.75 gallon batch of this one tonight. I altered it a little bit to get the abv and IBU's up. I probaly should have left your recipe alone but I've been having fun trying to learn to adjust the recipes on my own. Hopefully it will turn out alright. Heres what I brewed..

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.25 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 77.13 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 9.07 %
0.38 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 6.90 %
0.38 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 6.90 %
0.33 oz Centennial [8.00 %] (60 min) Hops 17.7 IBU
0.19 oz Centennial [8.00 %] (35 min) Hops 8.4 IBU
0.17 oz Cascade [5.40 %] (20 min) Hops 3.7 IBU
0.16 oz Cascade [5.40 %] (5 min) Hops 1.2 IBU
0.55 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
0.55 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale


Est Original Gravity: 1.054 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.055 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.34 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.48 %
Bitterness: 31.0 IBU Calories: 245 cal/pint
Est Color: 4.7 SRM

Hopefully it will turn out decent.
 
I'm sure it will turn out delicious. However with your bitterness at 31 IBU that takes it out of the BJCP Blonde category (15-28 IBU.) The last batch we brewed was 18 IBU. You're looking at more of an American Pale Ale, which definitely is not a bad thing.

Enjoy that now. But in the future, do yourself a favor and follow the recipe completely. You'll be glad you did :mug:
 
Just put it in the fermenter...but being the dope I am I through in twice as much centennial as I should have :rolleyes:

I added 0.5 ounce instead of .25 on both additions. I ended up adding about .75 of the cascade byt the time everything was done as well, mostly so it wasn't JUST bitter...if it's gonna be hoppy, might as well do it right.

OG was 1.043...also added the extract at the 20 min part of the boil with the second centennial addition.

I think this'll be a good beer, even with the extra bitterness.
 
Been drinking the all Simcoe Blonde the last couple days. You know, research for the new years party tomorrow night. 10G - 5-6 pints on tap beside Orfy's Mild.
This is my clearest beer to date. Should go over well with the general public. I'm really getting a sense of what these simcoes are in this. Nice light, somewhat fruity, basic beer. Should be a hit tomorrow night. This may be one to keep on tap for the general public. May try your hop schedule out next time though.
 
Freezing them brings the bottle temp close to that of the beer going in. This is only for bottling from a Counter pressure filler froma keg. This prevents co2 from coming out of solution when hitting a warm bottle, giving you less loss of carbonation going into the bottle. Left over starsan will be fine.


Here's a shot finally of mine. Clearer even in real life, but I'm no photographer. Honoring such a nice clean beer in one of my Furnace Room Brewery Glasses :). You're looking at the Logo Through the beer. Hell yes to gelatin.
100_9947.JPG
 

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