samuelzero
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone. This is my first post.
Before I get to my questions, Id like to thank the members of this forum for all the information Ive received from reading through the archived posts. Im about to brew my first real batch, and Ive managed to find answers to most of my questions without even having to ask. Great forum!
Im brewing a 2.5 gallon batch with a Mr. Beer as the primary and bottling vessel, and a 3.5 gallon bucket as the secondary. After reading countless recipes and info about brewing, I decided to invent a recipe using ingredients that are used in some of my favorite brews. Though Im making a half batch, Im going to list the amounts as if I were making a 5 gallon batch, as thats what youre all probably used to.
Im going for an American IPA vibe. I settled upon 8 lbs of liquid pale malt extract as the base, with ½ lb steeped Crystal malt (60 Lovibond). Im using 2 oz. Chinook bittering hop pellets for 60 minutes, 1 oz of Cascade pellets for 15 minutes, and 1 oz of whole leaf Cascade to dry hop in the secondary. For yeast I chose Coopers Dry Australian Ale yeast purely because it seems to work at higher fermentation temperatures, which my apartment is sure to provide (it hovers in the low to mid seventies. Hopefully it wont be too warm )
Now to the questions. I chose Chinook bittering hops because Im a big fan of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Some of the literature Ive read claims that this hop will overpower a brew. What do you folks think? Do you think that 2 oz (assuming an alpha acid content of 11-13%) in the boil 60 minutes will overpower 8 lbs of liquid pale malt? I do love a bitter, hoppy brew, but I want it to be at least somewhat balanced.
Also, Im a little concerned about my Mr. Beer bursting like a daisy cutter. For those who may not be familiar with the design, the threads that the cap screws into have two small channels cut into them in lieu of an airlock (CO2 escapes through the channels). Does anyone have experience using Mr. Beer to ferment reasonably high gravity, all-malt beers?
I appreciate your opinions on this!
Before I get to my questions, Id like to thank the members of this forum for all the information Ive received from reading through the archived posts. Im about to brew my first real batch, and Ive managed to find answers to most of my questions without even having to ask. Great forum!
Im brewing a 2.5 gallon batch with a Mr. Beer as the primary and bottling vessel, and a 3.5 gallon bucket as the secondary. After reading countless recipes and info about brewing, I decided to invent a recipe using ingredients that are used in some of my favorite brews. Though Im making a half batch, Im going to list the amounts as if I were making a 5 gallon batch, as thats what youre all probably used to.
Im going for an American IPA vibe. I settled upon 8 lbs of liquid pale malt extract as the base, with ½ lb steeped Crystal malt (60 Lovibond). Im using 2 oz. Chinook bittering hop pellets for 60 minutes, 1 oz of Cascade pellets for 15 minutes, and 1 oz of whole leaf Cascade to dry hop in the secondary. For yeast I chose Coopers Dry Australian Ale yeast purely because it seems to work at higher fermentation temperatures, which my apartment is sure to provide (it hovers in the low to mid seventies. Hopefully it wont be too warm )
Now to the questions. I chose Chinook bittering hops because Im a big fan of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Some of the literature Ive read claims that this hop will overpower a brew. What do you folks think? Do you think that 2 oz (assuming an alpha acid content of 11-13%) in the boil 60 minutes will overpower 8 lbs of liquid pale malt? I do love a bitter, hoppy brew, but I want it to be at least somewhat balanced.
Also, Im a little concerned about my Mr. Beer bursting like a daisy cutter. For those who may not be familiar with the design, the threads that the cap screws into have two small channels cut into them in lieu of an airlock (CO2 escapes through the channels). Does anyone have experience using Mr. Beer to ferment reasonably high gravity, all-malt beers?
I appreciate your opinions on this!