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

SSBrew - 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
volks_r_us said:
Because it will be more clean that way. Leaving more yeast, protein, hops... moving in the fermenter will take longer to clear Specially if you don't cold crash the fermenter, plus I needed the Cake for another beer.
99% of my beers are done with only a primary bucket, takes +25 days to have a clear beer.
Using a secondary when doing an express beer always been a advantage to me. I do the switch as soon as the activity slow down or when the Kräusen drops. I will keep it at 68 for 2 weeks then keg and carb, instead if cooling it after only 7 days
Click to expand...

So you take your beer off the yeast as soon as the krausen started to drop? Probably not the best idea.

If you keg, there really isn't a reason to do all of that in the future. Will save you plenty of time!

I ferment mine in a fermentation freezer.. Once it's within a point or two of final gravity, I will allow it to warm up to room temp for a D-rest for a day or so.. Then I lower the temp in the chamber to 35. This drops EVERYTHING from the beer. My beer is clear in primary days after fermentation is done. Rack to the keg and it's already close to keg temp, so it'll actually carbonate faster.. I was pulling clear beer off of it after a day in the keg while it was carbing, and had little to no yeast that even settled in the bottom of the keg.

All of that, and I'm not moving the beer from the yeast, allowing it to finish AND to clean up the by products of fermentation.

Might look into it, if you are into getting lower gravity beers to the keg faster. A higher gravity beer I wouldn't rush as much, but this little beer isn't a big deal.
 
Mojzis said:
Use this free calculator to generate a recipe based on what you have.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator/

You should be good to go.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link here is what I got.

3.7 kilos 2row
1 kilo vienna malt
.2 kilos Crystal 40, original called for more but want to keep the color light

Hops the same and yeast S-05

OG:1.042
FG:1.012
ABV: 3.95
SRM:5.23
IBU:27.47

Thanks guys
 
FATC1TY said:
I ferment mine in a fermentation freezer.. Once it's within a point or two of final gravity, I will allow it to warm up to room temp for a D-rest for a day or so.. Then I lower the temp in the chamber to 35. This drops EVERYTHING from the beer. My beer is clear in primary days after fermentation is done. Rack to the keg and it's already close to keg temp, so it'll actually carbonate faster.. I was pulling clear beer off of it after a day in the keg while it was carbing, and had little to no yeast that even settled in the bottom of the keg.

All of that, and I'm not moving the beer from the yeast, allowing it to finish AND to clean up the by products of fermentation.

Might look into it, if you are into getting lower gravity beers to the keg faster. A higher gravity beer I wouldn't rush as much, but this little beer isn't a big deal.
Click to expand...

Described my approach on this one quite well. I ran this in primary for 9 days, hit FG, cold crashing for a short 3 days and kegging tomorrow. I've been doing low and slow carb again lately but I might shoot the gas to this one and then back it off and test it out this weekend. Been jonesin' for an easy drinker.
 
FATC1TY said:
So you take your beer off the yeast as soon as the krausen started to drop? Probably not the best idea.

If you keg, there really isn't a reason to do all of that in the future. Will save you plenty of time!

I ferment mine in a fermentation freezer.. Once it's within a point or two of final gravity, I will allow it to warm up to room temp for a D-rest for a day or so.. Then I lower the temp in the chamber to 35. This drops EVERYTHING from the beer. My beer is clear in primary days after fermentation is done. Rack to the keg and it's already close to keg temp, so it'll actually carbonate faster.. I was pulling clear beer off of it after a day in the keg while it was carbing, and had little to no yeast that even settled in the bottom of the keg.

All of that, and I'm not moving the beer from the yeast, allowing it to finish AND to clean up the by products of fermentation.

Might look into it, if you are into getting lower gravity beers to the keg faster. A higher gravity beer I wouldn't rush as much, but this little beer isn't a big deal.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips Ill give it a try next time. :rockin:
 
hops2it said:
Described my approach on this one quite well. I ran this in primary for 9 days, hit FG, cold crashing for a short 3 days and kegging tomorrow. I've been doing low and slow carb again lately but I might shoot the gas to this one and then back it off and test it out this weekend. Been jonesin' for an easy drinker.
Click to expand...

Because I was a little low ( only 3 kegs with anything pouring ) I ramped up the pressure on 2 new kegs, one being this blonde.

Hit it for 20 psi for 3 days, and dropped it to 9-10psi for the time being. It's pouring with a head already after being kegged 3 days ago.
 
Well I think I blew the original recipe a bit

Supposed to be 1.039 start 1.008 finish, 4%ABV

Result: 1.044 start 1.002 or 1.001 finish 5.5% + ABV


Is this because I extracted too much sugar? Or because mash temps dipped a few degrees in the middle? I followed the recipe in amounts exactly.

I pulled a sample today to taste and get my first FG reading, 1.001-2, 10 days in
 
TheDarkChemist said:
Well I think I blew the original recipe a bit

Supposed to be 1.039 start 1.008 finish, 4%ABV

Result: 1.044 start 1.002 or 1.001 finish 5.5% + ABV


Is this because I extracted too much sugar? Or because mash temps dipped a few degrees in the middle? I followed the recipe in amounts exactly.

I pulled a sample today to taste and get my first FG reading, 1.001-2, 10 days in
Click to expand...
The only time I've ever had a beer finish that far below predicted FG was because it was infected. Your case may be different, but that's my experience.
 
Tastes from my most recent batch are great. Fermented out in 2 days. Gonna take a it and the ginger version I made up to Tahoe for a weekend vacation with friends and throw the kegs in some ice and serve side by side.
 
FATC1TY said:
What temp did you mash at and what yeast ?
Click to expand...

Tried mashing at 150-152 but when i stirred partway in it dropped to 145, ididnt have enough hot water ready, so it sat at 145 for 20ish minutes before icould get it back up to 148.

I dont think it is infected, looks clean and I was a stickler on sanitation.
 
TheDarkChemist said:
I dont think it is infected, looks clean and I was a stickler on sanitation.
Click to expand...
How did it taste?
A beer won't get that low with just sacc yeast, no matter the mash temps, which is why the other poster said it might be infected (ie a bacteria like lacto, or wild yeast like brett).
We don't sterilize our equipment like with an autoclave- so even with good sanitizing, sometimes the bad bugs survive and you have to replace plastics and/or bleach bomb stuff.

Also check and calibrate your hydrometer.
good luck!
 
I've had this kegged for a few days now. As I'm primarily an ipa or stout type of guy, I brewed this only to appeal to my folks and bmc drinking buddies.
And dammit, I can't stop drinking it!! Its really a nice brew, and i see myself having this on tap often (maybe all the time). Its especially nice on these 80+ degree summer days, really hits the spot.
Gave my hophead buddy a glass and although he tried not to like it, he did. He said its almost like a macro lager, but without the piss. Seemed really confused about the whole situation. Next up: Cream of Three Crops.
 
I've had 3 bottles of this thus far after 2 weeks conditioning. I think it taste fantastic, does everyone else get a low amount of head? If I get an aggressive pour I get nice head and retention, but anything else is fairly pitiful. It definitely taste carbonated although I'm sure more time in the bottle conditioning at room temp will continue to help with the head issue ;).
 
(Re: Why transfer to secondary if the goal is to finish the beer quickly?)

volks_r_us said:
Because it will be more clean that way. Leaving more yeast, protein, hops... moving in the fermenter will take longer to clear
Click to expand...
How so? If fermentation has finished, then any convective activity in the fermenter has ceased. Any particles remaining in suspension are falling to the bottom.

Racking to another fermenter simply mixes those particles uniformly back into solution, whereas if left in primary, the "top half" might already be clear as the particulates precipitate out.

Racking to secondary for "clarity" has been debunked.

Needing the yeast cake for another brew, of course, is a totally different, valid reason.
 
I brewed this for the first time on Sunday and followed the recipe exactly. I have it in a glass carboy, sitting in a laundry tub in my basement, half-filled with water. Ambient temperature of the room is 65-70° F. I've been keeping a frozen 2L bottle in the water, replacing it twice per day. The temperature of the water bath the carboy is sitting in is around 55° F. The krausen looks healthy, about 1" thick, and white with obvious chunks of yeast. The carboy is kept covered with a t-shirt, draped into the surrounding water to keep it wet.

I'm optimistic that this brew is going to be delicious - can't wait to taste it!
 
Made this again last Sunday. This time I bumped up the hops slightly and split the batch and threw saison yeast in one. I'm interested to see how it turns out. The temp in my basement stays around 75 since we are in the south so I hope this is a good temp for both the notty and saison yeast.

I'm also planning on dry hopping both with about an .5 to 1 ounce of cascade each. Is that enough to dry hop with or should I bump it up some? Remember, this is a split batch so about 2.75 gallons in each.
 
PartTimeJedi said:
Made this again last Sunday. This time I bumped up the hops slightly and split the batch and threw saison yeast in one. I'm interested to see how it turns out. The temp in my basement stays around 75 since we are in the south so I hope this is a good temp for both the notty and saison yeast.
Click to expand...

It's probably OK for the saison, but Notty likes it cold. Get the Notty batch in a swamp cooler ASAP. 75° F is waaaay too hot for it.
 
PartTimeJedi said:
Made this again last Sunday. This time I bumped up the hops slightly and split the batch and threw saison yeast in one. I'm interested to see how it turns out. The temp in my basement stays around 75 since we are in the south so I hope this is a good temp for both the notty and saison yeast.

I'm also planning on dry hopping both with about an .5 to 1 ounce of cascade each. Is that enough to dry hop with or should I bump it up some? Remember, this is a split batch so about 2.75 gallons in each.
Click to expand...

The saison will love the temp.

The Notty will be disgusting at that temp. You are about 10* too high!
 
My imperial version of this awesome recipe. 11 gallon batch. Added 5# of honey and an ounce of Columbus (just because I had it). 6.8% abv!
It's still light and crisp. Which is exact what I wanted. Easy drinker but ya better be careful! She'll bite ya! I love playing with this recipe! Thanks BM!
image-1711072172.jpg
 
chefcurt said:
If I didn't know better. I think you guys are tryin to get a feller dunk. :drunk:
Click to expand...

I was going to scold him for forcing you to drink another beer, once you poured it for another picture.

But instead, I went to the garage fridge and got another brew to join you :tank:
 
Just brewed second batch of CB. Great beer and centered on all fronts so I'm gonna play with it just for fun. Great beer. I've upped the 2row to 8 pounds both times and landed closer to 5% abv which is IMHO perfect for this flavor. Russian IPA in the secondary.......
 
FATC1TY said:
The saison will love the temp.

The Notty will be disgusting at that temp. You are about 10* too high!
Click to expand...

It's actually been cooler than expected. It's only reached a max of 70 degrees in my basement during the day. Still to hot for the Notty?
 
PartTimeJedi said:
It's actually been cooler than expected. It's only reached a max of 70 degrees in my basement during the day. Still to hot for the Notty?
Click to expand...


Yep... Too hot. You will have some off flavors like bananas, and fusel alcohol tasting.

If it's 70 ambient, it could be anywhere from 75-80 depending on how active the fermentation is.
 
My basement is running 70 degrees right now, however my basement floor cement/dirt is about 60 degrees. So i am able to keep my fermentation between 67-68, which is on the high side but still works. I have no source of heat in my basement example oil furnace.
 
Wow, I am excited to drink this in a few weeks! Tested a sample (fermented for 13 days) and it's at 1.004 down from 1.044. Tasted fan-effing-tastic too. Was my first AG batch and the best tasting coming out of the fermenter of all my beers.

photo-bm.jpg
 
Plan on brewing the extract version today. Any recommendations a for fermentation and bottling schedule if I need this ready to drink in 4 weeks?

Or just follow the original post - 4 days primary, 5 days secondary, then bottle and drink when I need 4 weeks from now?
 
dukedevil0 said:
Plan on brewing the extract version today. Any recommendations a for fermentation and bottling schedule if I need this ready to drink in 4 weeks?

Or just follow the original post - 4 days primary, 5 days secondary, then bottle and drink when I need 4 weeks from now?
Click to expand...

Make sure you use your hydrometer to take readings. Secondary is not needed. I would let this go at least 7 days in primary then take a reading to see where the gravity is. If it's not low enough yet, and it seems like it's still going, then let it go longer.
 
Just kicked my first keg of this. Will be brewing again soon. Entered into the San Diego county Fair; being judged tomorrow. Will post results once received.
 
I brewed 5 gallons of this about a month ago, and have had it sitting in a carboy awaiting a free corny. Racked and force carbed it over the last 3 days, and it's finally reaching the proper carbonation level. It had a little BMC-type taste to it when it was just freshly racked, but after properly carbonating the flavor has completely changed. This beer is fantastic. I had to double-check my OG and FG readings, I couldn't believe this is only 4%. Very flavorful beer, a great beer to have on-tap at all times. This is definitely going to be one of my staple recipes. I think I'm going to have to make another 10 gallons of this next weekend.
 
I brewed this tonight but my boil was too vigorous. I ended up with an OG of 1.050. I topped of the carboy with filtered tap water so that it was 1.040. Do I have anything to worry about with using tap water to top off? I have never done this before?
 
zach1288 said:
I brewed this tonight but my boil was too vigorous. I ended up with an OG of 1.050. I topped of the carboy with filtered tap water so that it was 1.040. Do I have anything to worry about with using tap water to top off? I have never done this before?
Click to expand...

To be perfectly honest with you, I've topped off batches with tap water literally since I started brewing, and have NEVER had a problem with it. Relax, don't worry.....
 
zach1288 said:
I brewed this tonight but my boil was too vigorous. I ended up with an OG of 1.050. I topped of the carboy with filtered tap water so that it was 1.040. Do I have anything to worry about with using tap water to top off? I have never done this before?
Click to expand...

Am I the only one who sees higher alcohol content as a good thing?
 

Similar threads

Zippy123
Feedback on recipe to split mash for two different beers
Replies
2
Views
401
Zippy123
Zippy123
S
Autumn Wheat Ale
Replies
5
Views
1K
kwilson16
kwilson16
PashMaddle
Brew day #2 is done.
Replies
22
Views
1K
lumpher
lumpher
D
First Recipe: 1 Gallon Maris Otter / Goldings SMaSH (Comments, suggestions?)
Replies
6
Views
333
Northern_Brewer
Northern_Brewer
Gadjobrinus
Festbier - first lager back in.
Replies
17
Views
1K
Brooothru
Brooothru
CornyKegs 300

Latest posts

Back
Top