American Amber Ale House Amber (AG & Extract)

Schlenkerla said:

Sounds like a go. Do it man!

Then let us know your results.

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Finally got to trying this. Basically a cross between an existing 15 minute Pale Ale recipe on this site, and your Amber. I used darker crystal malt to make it more of a West Coast Red. It's fermenting right now, and smells awesome!

Here is what I brewed:

Hop Burst Red

Fermentables
6.3 lbs Amber LME (half @ 15, half @ flame out)
1 lb Amber DME (add @ 15)
.5 lbs Crystal 60L
.5 oz debittered black malt

Hops
2 oz Cascade (7.3 AAU) @ 15 min
2 oz Cascade (7.3 AAU) @ 5 min

Yeast
US-05

OG: 1.055
IBU: 38
SRM: 14.8

Not sure, but I may dry hop this. Worried it might be overkill, as all of the late additions will contribute a lot of flavor and aroma.

Like I said, the aroma from the fermenter smells great. I'll keep you posted.

If you have fresh whole leaf hops, cascade. Do the dry hopping. If all you have is pellet then I would say no. Dry hopping with pellets is kind of a pain.

Schlenkerla said:

If you have fresh whole leaf hops, cascade. Do the dry hopping. If all you have is pellet then I would say no. Dry hopping with pellets is kind of a pain.

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I dry hop with pellets all the time. I put a nylon paint strainer over my siphon to filter out the hops.

That said, I have about a pound of fresh cascades that my brother-in-law gave to me from his yard. Maybe I'll use some of those in this beer.

CrookedTail said:

I dry hop with pellets all the time. I put a nylon paint strainer over my siphon to filter out the hops.

That said, I have about a pound of fresh cascades that my brother-in-law gave to me from his yard. Maybe I'll use some of those in this beer.

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In that case definitely use the fresh whole hops. It will be awesome....

A new homebrew store is opening up in town next week and I plan on getting the ingredients to make this.
I like simple good recipes like this!!! Thanks

Schlenkerla said:

In that case definitely use the fresh whole hops. It will be awesome....

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I had used some of those hops in an IPA, but I guess I did a poor job of getting the air out of the bag for the hops that were left over, because when I opened the bag to dry-hop this beer, they looked kind of nasty.

So I ended up going to my LHBS, and they had some fresh Nugget hops from a local farm. I threw two ounces of them into the fermenter.

CrookedTail said:

I had used some of those hops in an IPA, but I guess I did a poor job of getting the air out of the bag for the hops that were left over, because when I opened the bag to dry-hop this beer, they looked kind of nasty.

So I ended up going to my LHBS, and they had some fresh Nugget hops from a local farm. I threw two ounces of them into the fermenter.

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If they smell like cheese then they are spoiled. Nugget is not a bad choice. I have done pale ales with nuggets. They have high alpha acids for bittering. They smell pretty good.

Finally gave it a try. The combo of amber extract, C60, and pinch of debittered black malt produced a gorgeous red color. And the nugget hops gave it a pleasant nose.

But at the moment, I'd say it's just Ok flavor-wise. It definitely seems more bitter than 35 IBUs. I think it still is a little green, to be honest. Also, there is a very slight yeast flavored aftertaste.

Like I said, it may still be a bit green. So I'm going to give it a few weeks to mellow out.

A few weeks later, and this beer has improved quite a bit! The yeasty aftertaste is gone. It is still pretty bitter, but in a good way. And it is crystal clear. It's beautiful-looking.

I'd say this is a definite re-brew. I might try using Amarillo or Centennial hops next time, just to see the difference it makes.

Here's how it looks:

Been thinking of doing an adaptation of this recipe. I'm not a HUGE fan of bitter, so I did lower the amounts of the hops to fit my taste profile based on what I have had in the past. (going low, can always up them later)

This is also a 3 gallon batch, rather than the 5 gallon batch that is listed. No 5 gallon carboy yet.

Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: Nottingham Dry
Yeast Starter: None
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: None
Batch Size (Gallons): 3
Original Gravity: 1.053 (per BeerSmith)
Final Gravity: n/a
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 11.6 SRM
IBU: 15.1
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): n/a
Additional Fermentation: n/a
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): n/a
Tasting Notes: Unsure as of yet

3.5# Amber DME
8 oz. Crystal 40L
4 oz. Victory
4 oz. CaraPils


.25 oz Cascade (60 mins)
.25 oz Cascade (5 mins)
.25 oz Cascade (Flameout)

30 Minute steep at 155 F


I added the victory to add the extra depth, and I do like a bit of a bready/biscuity taste, just a hint.

Any opinions to this inexperienced brewer as to if this is worth the $20 in supplies and 3 hours of a precious weekend off? (which are 1 out of 3 off is all)

Schif

So.. We just brewed the original Extract recipe. Smells delicious, but seems to be too hoppy for an ale. Does the 3 oz. disappear in flavor? I know the sweetness will disappear with the fermentation, but I wasn't ready for this bitter flavor. Any thoughts?

My roommate accidentally put the second batch of hops in at 45min left of boil, I figured that would effect the aroma and not the flavor.

bberg said:

So.. We just brewed the original Extract recipe. Smells delicious, but seems to be too hoppy for an ale. Does the 3 oz. disappear in flavor? I know the sweetness will disappear with the fermentation, but I wasn't ready for this bitter flavor. Any thoughts?

My roommate accidentally put the second batch of hops in at 45min left of boil, I figured that would effect the aroma and not the flavor.

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For a point of reference ales can be slightly sweet to very bitter. It depends on the style.

Hop additions done 60 to 15 minutes left in the boil are for bitterness, balancing sweetness of the malt to certain level of bitterness.

Hop additions done 15 to about 5 minutes left in the boil are for flavor. Slight bitterness is achieved during this time.

Hop additions done 5 to 0 minutes left in the boil are for aroma. Very slight to no bitterness can be achieved during this time. This is only thing that will dissipate with time.

Bitterness is locked in by the boil and the time of the addition. Going by the recipe matters to this regard. If you did everything else properly the beer should be good. However probably much more bitter than you wanted. People who like IPAs will most likely enjoy your beer.

Schlenkerla said:

For a point of reference ales can be slightly sweet to very bitter. It depends on the style.

Hop additions done 60 to 15 minutes left in the boil are for bitterness, balancing sweetness of the malt to certain level of bitterness.

Hop additions done 15 to about 5 minutes left in the boil are for flavor. Slight bitterness is achieved during this time.

Hop additions done 5 to 0 minutes left in the boil are for aroma. Very slight to no bitterness can be achieved during this time. This is only thing that will dissipate with time.

Bitterness is locked in by the boil and the time of the addition. Going by the recipe matters to this regard. If you did everything else properly the beer should be good. However probably much more bitter than you wanted. People who like IPAs will most likely enjoy your beer.

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Greatly appreciated. I guess you live and learn. I thought he was going to follow the directions, but I guess you can't trust someone else with a beer

The roommate (who messed up) enjoys IPAs, I'm not the biggest fan, and my other roommmate hates them. Looks like we'll be bottling this guy.

Thanks again for the response.

Sorry to double post here...

Any way we can change the outcome of the bitterness from the hops once it start fermenting?

bberg said:

Sorry to double post here...

Any way we can change the outcome of the bitterness from the hops once it start fermenting?

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Not really unless you add more unhopped wort to your beer. The other thing you can do blend the beer with another. But not sure how you'd do that with any certainty about the results.

I'd let it go. The 2nd addition was only 15 minutes early. You could calculate the bitterness difference. Anything less than 5 ibu is hard to distinguish a difference.

I'll do the calculation this week. Thanks for the tips mate.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Home Brew mobile app

Awesome! We just finished fermentation! Tastes delicious!!!

We're moving it to the garage to cold shock it until we move it to our keg.

Thanks for the recipe. Do ya'll have any tips for CO2 pressure in the keg?

bberg said:

Awesome! We just finished fermentation! Tastes delicious!!!

We're moving it to the garage to cold shock it until we move it to our keg.

Thanks for the recipe. Do ya'll have any tips for CO2 pressure in the keg?

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Try 12-14psi around 40F

Schlenkerla said:

Try 12-14psi around 40F

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Thanks for the reply mate, we've had it @ 12psi... she's basically kicked

I need to fix my beer lines (I have about 5'... should be 10' woops) and need to work on keeping my faucet cool... I always have a foamy 1st glass everynight.

bberg said:

Thanks for the reply mate, we've had it @ 12psi... she's basically kicked

I need to fix my beer lines (I have about 5'... should be 10' woops) and need to work on keeping my faucet cool... I always have a foamy 1st glass everynight.

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Until you can run a longer line you can do a few things.

1) Use a carbonator calculator to make sure you have temps, and pressure correct for the style you want it carbed for serving. Http://www.recipator.com

2) Carb at one pressure, serve at 2-5psi or the equivalent metric setting.

3) If you do #2, at serving time cut the gas off, dial down the pressure, vent your keg, then serve at the lower pressure. Sounds like a pain, I do this all the time. Not an issue for me.

If you go with longer lines decide if the ID is correct for the longer line with a one (carb and serve) pressure setting. You might want smaller lines, so you can carb at a higher setting.

Schlenkerla said:

Until you can run a longer line you can do a few things.

1) Use a carbonator calculator to make sure you have temps, and pressure correct for the style you want it carbed for serving. Http://www.recipator.com

2) Carb at one pressure, serve at 2-5psi or the equivalent metric setting.

3) If you do #2, at serving time cut the gas off, dial down the pressure, vent your keg, then serve at the lower pressure. Sounds like a pain, I do this all the time. Not an issue for me.

If you go with longer lines decide if the ID is correct for the longer line with a one (carb and serve) pressure setting. You might want smaller lines, so you can carb at a higher setting.

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So.... For #2, how come after a glass... The serving of beer seems to be reasonable (amount of foam)?

If I come back and pour another glass an hour or two later... I have the foam issue again!

There is threads based on cooling the tower, that sounds like your issue

skitter said:

There is threads based on cooling the tower, that sounds like your issue

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I would agree, if the second glass is normal. I was thinking you were going back and forth on carb pressures vs serving pressure. Balancing the line is all for nothing if the line tower gets warm.

skitter said:

There is threads based on cooling the tower, that sounds like your issue

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Schlenkerla said:

I would agree, if the second glass is normal. I was thinking you were going back and forth on carb pressures vs serving pressure. Balancing the line is all for nothing if the line tower gets warm.

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Yea... I just have a door faucet... Old refrigerator. I've insulated around the collar, but that doesn't seem to help.

On my to do list...

I have that issue too but never considered it a problem, per say... assuming requiring another beer is not a problem. LOL

Maybe we need to turn the gas off, pull numero uno. Then gas on, as
normal. Drink a little less foam...Then pull the 2nd. I'm going to do this tomorrow...

Has anyone posted the extract recipe on beersmith? I have 6# of amber lme I need to use and this recipe sounds like a perfect candidate.

Schlenkerla said:

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.10 16.7 60 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Pellet 5.10 8.5 30 min.
1.00 oz. Cascade Whole 5.75 0.0 0 min.

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Forgive my noobness, but is that last addition meant to indicate I should add it at flame out, or is it meant to indicate dry hopping? Haven't done either before

Bought the materials for this one this morning, figure I'll be brewing it next weekend. Sounds delicious.

It's meant to be at flame out. I've done both flame out and dry in the secondary.

Schlenkerla said:

It's meant to be at flame out. I've done both flame out and dry in the secondary.

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Thanks for the clarification. I brewed this yesterday morning. Wound up using WLP002 yeast (second generation from a starter), but otherwise followed the recipe.

I left the whole-leaf hops in for about 15 minutes, give or take. Put 'em in around 190, took 'em out around 145. Couldn't let it sit much longer, the three-year-old was chomping at the bit to get to the pool .

Sitting in the swamp cooler at about 62 now, bubbling away happily.

Dumped the swamp cooler water out this evening and, since I was playing around down there anyway, took a hydrometer reading. Came in at 1.011 (1.0105 if I'm being pedantic). Looked *really* good, tasted about as good as a warm, flat beer in a plastic cylinder can taste. Gonna leave it sit for a couple weeks down there, then bottle it around the 20th.

I have a quick question regarding the DME. Is it important that the DME be Muntons brand? Would Briess Sparkling Amber DME work the same or impart a different flavour?

Appreciate any input.

Wargoul said:

I have a quick question regarding the DME. Is it important that the DME be Muntons brand? Would Briess Sparkling Amber DME work the same or impart a different flavour?

Appreciate any input.

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Any amber DME would work.

I have a quick question. This is the second beer I am going to brew and my first all grain. I am planning on brewing it this Friday. My question is about the volumes. Your 35 IBU version says that the batch size is 6 Gal and the wort size is 6 gal. My plan was to have about 6.25 gallons of wort for about 1.25 gallons boil off and a final volume of ~5 gallons. Does this sound right? Thanks.

I brewed this last night and ended up with an OG of 1.049. I cooled the wort to 68 degrees and pitched my Nottingham.

I have had the beer in the fermenter for about 14 hours now, and the fermenter is sitting at 60 +/- 2 degrees. I'm hoping to get a clean beer by fermenting this low. The fermentation hasn't taken off yet, but is starting to show signs of life.

masaba said:

I have a quick question. This is the second beer I am going to brew and my first all grain. I am planning on brewing it this Friday. My question is about the volumes. Your 35 IBU version says that the batch size is 6 Gal and the wort size is 6 gal. My plan was to have about 6.25 gallons of wort for about 1.25 gallons boil off and a final volume of ~5 gallons. Does this sound right? Thanks.

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Yes, that's pretty typical if the boil is vigorous.

masaba said:

I brewed this last night and ended up with an OG of 1.049. I cooled the wort to 68 degrees and pitched my Nottingham.

I have had the beer in the fermenter for about 14 hours now, and the fermenter is sitting at 60 +/- 2 degrees. I'm hoping to get a clean beer by fermenting this low. The fermentation hasn't taken off yet, but is starting to show signs of life.

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60 is pretty cool, but you should get the results you are after.

Sorry for the late post. I was out of the country and no WiFi access.

Was cruising the Bahamas....

I took a hydrometer reading tonight after sitting in primary for two weeks, and the beer is now at 1.008. The smell is awesome and the color is really nice. I plan to add the dry hops in a few days and then bottle about a week from today!

I couldn't wait and I broke open the first bottle tonight after a week conditioning. It is already awesome with an amazing scent, head, and taste. As you can see, I already drained half the glass before I remembered to take a picture. This is definitely a great recipe.

I bought a pound of Cascade hops when I made this bad boy, and I already know what I am brewing with the half pound that I have left-over. Prost!

Looks good....

Quite of monster of a thread you have going on here, Schlenkerla! I'm brewing the extract version this weekend, and partial mashing the grains in my 6qt mini-mash tun. Thanks for the recipe, 7 years ago! Haha

Schlenkerla said:

Any amber DME would work.

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*this* Brand of DME doesn't matter. Only significant difference between DMEs is "light", "dark", etc., which only impart color to your finished beer, not change the flavor.