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

i see that your recipe calls for this to go to the secondary after 4 days, mine went into the fermentor 4 days ago but this doesn't account for any lag time. I was thinking about racking but didn't want to do it too soon. Would it be ok to go ahead or should i wait until tommorow evening.

I believe it calls for it to go to secondary after 14 days.

edit: no. sorry. false alarm.

Regardless - IGNORE the number of days. DON'T rush your beer.

Transfer it when hydrometer readings indicate that fermentation has halted.

Chriso said:

I believe it calls for it to go to secondary after 14 days.

edit: no. sorry. false alarm.

Regardless - IGNORE the number of days. DON'T rush your beer.

Transfer it when hydrometer readings indicate that fermentation has halted.

Click to expand...

yeah, but i don't have a way to pull a sample

kjones said:

yeah, but i don't have a way to pull a sample

Click to expand...

If you don't have a wine thief you could always use an auto siphon. I lost my thief and have resorted to this on the last batch.

Just leave it in the primary for a couple weeks. If it hasn't finished by then, it's probably not going to.

I never used a secondary on mine, I just left it in the primary for 2 weeks and it still came out awesome.

how do you recommend boosting this one to 5 or 6% abv?

bkov said:

how do you recommend boosting this one to 5 or 6% abv?

Click to expand...

Choose a different recipe. You could add base malt to this recipe but then it will be a different recipe.

Well I bought the supplies today to do a 10gal batch of this. I got it all shipped for 49.57 that is 0.465 per 12oz. No bad.

This will be my first all grain batch ever. I decided to jump in with both feet and just go with 10 gallon batches. I'm going to do a double batch sparge and see what comes of it.

I probably won't get time till the weekend of 12/13 or 12/20 but I will keep you all posted.

evandam said:

Well I bought the supplies today to do a 10gal batch of this. I got it all shipped for 49.57 that is 0.465 per 12oz. No bad.

This will be my first all grain batch ever. I decided to jump in with both feet and just go with 10 gallon batches. I'm going to do a double batch sparge and see what comes of it.

I probably won't get time till the weekend of 12/13 or 12/20 but I will keep you all posted.

Click to expand...

Just an FYI, I pieced this recipe together at midwest and it was $26.35+shipping, which is $11.62 to Huntsville, so it would have only cost you $37.97 or $0.36/ 12oz bottle (assuming 106 bottles).

For comparison, it would be $44.50 at austin homebrew supply.

mew said:

Choose a different recipe. You could add base malt to this recipe but then it will be a different recipe.

Click to expand...

what about brewvint alc boost? its suppose to add an extra 1% without changing any flavor or noticble difference

Why not be more concerned with just making a good beer instead of what the alcohol content is?

bmarley5780 said:

Not sure- but mine has a citrisy feel to it?

Click to expand...

Thats to be expected - its what the beer tastes like.

Pretty good huh ?

This was one of the first All Grain recipes I tried and truthfully, probably one of the best beers I've ever made. Its been a while since I've made it, but I will probably make it again as soon as I get an empty fermenter to work with.

So, I am brewing this tonight to have for Christmas time for the "afraid of the dark and hoppy" folks, and because it just sounds like a great beer.

I have one package of Nottingham yeast (never used dry yeast before) and I looked at John Palmer's "How to Brew" page that tells about dry yeast. He recommends 2 packages of dry yeast to ensure viability. Is this something to be concerned about? Should I stop at the HBS and get another pack?

Also, I have a slurry of Rogue Pacman yeast...anyone try this beer with Pacman? I was thinking of splitting the batch to see how the yeasts differ.


Thanks for the recipe!

Tim

TimBrewz said:

So, I am brewing this tonight to have for Christmas time for the "afraid of the dark and hoppy" folks, and because it just sounds like a great beer.

I have one package of Nottingham yeast (never used dry yeast before) and I looked at John Palmer's "How to Brew" page that tells about dry yeast. He recommends 2 packages of dry yeast to ensure viability. Is this something to be concerned about? Should I stop at the HBS and get another pack?

Also, I have a slurry of Rogue Pacman yeast...anyone try this beer with Pacman? I was thinking of splitting the batch to see how the yeasts differ.


Thanks for the recipe!

Tim

Click to expand...

Use the Notty. It will dry the beer out to a nice crisp ale. No need for a second packet. One packet is plenty sufficient for a 10-gallon batch, let alone a 5-gallon batch.

I always hydrate my notty at the beginning of the brew session and split it between two 5-gallon batches.

Thank You!

Brewed this 11/21/08

Hit all the marks:
OG 1.040
Mash at 149.5 to 150 F
Great color! Looks about perfect.

Yeast started up in 5 hours and is going gangbusters at 68 F

Thanks again the recipe. What other beer styles do you recommend with the Nottingham yeast? (I may pitch a new batch on the yeast cake from the Centennial Blonde.)

how aggressive is the fermentation, does this require a blow off tube, say 5 gallons per 6 gallon better bottle?

No blow off- 6 gal carboy is fine for 5 gal batch-just good krausen about 3 inches

truckmann said:

Why not be more concerned with just making a good beer instead of what the alcohol content is?

Click to expand...

I do love good beer but i also very much enjoy the buzz from it also. takes a lot of 4%ers for some people

I know some people like low gravitys but dont be so uptight when someone is asking to try to turn a solid proven recipe into something different

The way I see's it, the allure to Centennial Blonde is that it's so light and refreshing, and mucking around with the recipe has a chance to lose that lightness to it. I think that's all the above posters were trying to get at. I don't think it was meant to be a slam to you.

Short answer is, if you're doing AG, add another 1.5# - 2# of base grain, or if you're making this extract, add another 1# DME. Or, as was suggested, just use Austin Homebrew's Brewvint Alcohol Boost, and don't worry about messing up the flavor.

What about making it as-is the first time, to get to know the recipe, then re-brewing it with whatever changes you feel it needs?

I'll be serving this one on Thanksgiving along with my Oktoberfest.

I brewed this beer 5 months ago. I started drinking it after a few weeks of brewing and it was ok. Cloudy and had a funky twang to it. So I unplugged it from the tap and just let it sit in the kegerator.

Last night I plugged the keg in again and pulled a pint. It was cloudy b/c of the stuff that settled out in the last few weeks of not drinking, but the second pint was crystal clear. The clearest beer I’ve ever brewed, just a clear as Coors light and it tasted amazing; light, refreshing, and had a slight sweet smell to it. My girl friend and I each pounded a few pints.

How come it took 5 months for the beer to become crystal clear? I think I’ve had this problem in all my beers. I also decided I hate the taste of yeast. I think the yeast in suspension was the "funky taste" I remember when I started drinking the beer when is was only a few weeks old.

But today its a whole different beer, and taste great. I'm going to brew it again.

edit: i forgot to mention i used WLP001 - California Ale Yeast

pcrawford said:

I brewed this beer 5 months ago. I started drinking it after a few weeks of brewing and it was ok. Cloudy and had a funky twang to it. So I unplugged it from the tap and just let it sit in the kegerator.

Last night I plugged the keg in again and pulled a pint. It was cloudy b/c of the stuff that settled out in the last few weeks of not drinking, but the second pint was crystal clear. The clearest beer I’ve ever brewed, just a clear as Coors light and it tasted amazing; light, refreshing, and had a slight sweet smell to it. My girl friend and I each pounded a few pints.

How come it took 5 months for the beer to become crystal clear? I think I’ve had this problem in all my beers. I also decided I hate the taste of yeast. I think the yeast in suspension was the "funky taste" I remember when I started drinking the beer when is was only a few weeks old.

But today its a whole different beer, and taste great. I'm going to brew it again.

edit: i forgot to mention i used WLP001 - California Ale Yeast

Click to expand...

I’m not a big fan of yeasty taste either.

Here’s a typical routine I have to clear the beer quicker and get a cleaner tasting product:

• Use a hop bag to contain your hops during the boil.
• Make sure you get a really good, hard, rolling boil. Breaking up those proteins is key to clear beer.
• Use Whirlfloc (1 tablet per 5-gallons) during the last 15 minutes of your boil.
• Cool your wort as quickly as possible. Cold break is every bit as important as hot break.
• Pitch adequate amounts of a high flocculating yeast. I usually use Safale-05 or Notty.
• Give your beer at least two weeks in a primary. If it’s bigger than 1.050, go for three.
• Rack to a secondary using gelatin and give the secondary 7-10 days. (you’ll see a lot of sediment fall out quickly using gelatin).
• Rack to a keg and crash chill it down to around 37 degrees.
• Get it on the gas and you should have crystal clear beer in about 10-15 days.

I also shorten my dip tubes in the keg by bending them a bit sharper. Getting that tube off of the very bottom of the keg will go a long way to leaving residual sediment in the keg and not in your glass.

I've never used whirlfloc or gelatin. i think whirlfloc is a must for my next beer. then maybe i'll try the gelatin. thanks!

i just pulled a glass only in the keg for 3 days at 25 psi and already has a pretty nice carb level. It is cloudy but i figured that would be the case since this is my first attempt at a beer this light in color. It is already tasting great though, my coors light drinking friends absolutly love it and think this is the best brew i have made. I only let it sit in the primary for the specified time and then put the fermentor in the beer fridge for awhile. I figure it would prob. drop clear in time but that really doesnnt bother me that much bc it will prob be gone this weekend when the coors light drinkers are over for the clemson vs. south carolina game. I will prob. do this again as my first ten gallon batch i just hope that my sq-14 can handle the bigger batch. Very happy with this beer

Just brewed a batch of this tonight. I had to use Cascade hop exclusively and US 05 due to the supply at the HBS. I'm pretty excited about this beer. I've never brewed anything remotely light and rarely buy lighter beers. It will be nice to have some variety.

I am brewing this beer as a lager today. I live in BFE, and have a hard time getting yeasts, so I'll be using the S-23 Lager Yeast that I have on hand. I'll post some results.

Oooh, BigK, do keep us updated, as a lagered CB sounds really damn smooth! Mmmmmmm. I'm drooling just thinkin' about it!

BigKahuna said:

I am brewing this beer as a lager today. I live in BFE, and have a hard time getting yeasts, so I'll be using the S-23 Lager Yeast that I have on hand. I'll post some results.

Click to expand...

It had crossed my mind to try that yeast with this beer, isn't that a lager yeast that will still work good at higher temps?

I've heard mixed reviews about S-23. I want to get my hands on the new W-34/70, apparently it's the same strain as used in many german breweries.

BierMuncher said:

I’m not a big fan of yeasty taste either.

Here’s a typical routine I have to clear the beer quicker and get a cleaner tasting product:

• Use a hop bag to contain your hops during the boil.
• Make sure you get a really good, hard, rolling boil. Breaking up those proteins is key to clear beer.
• Use Whirlfloc (1 tablet per 5-gallons) during the last 15 minutes of your boil.
• Cool your wort as quickly as possible. Cold break is every bit as important as hot break.
• Pitch adequate amounts of a high flocculating yeast. I usually use Safale-05 or Notty.
• Give your beer at least two weeks in a primary. If it’s bigger than 1.050, go for three.
• Rack to a secondary using gelatin and give the secondary 7-10 days. (you’ll see a lot of sediment fall out quickly using gelatin).
• Rack to a keg and crash chill it down to around 37 degrees.
• Get it on the gas and you should have crystal clear beer in about 10-15 days.

I also shorten my dip tubes in the keg by bending them a bit sharper. Getting that tube off of the very bottom of the keg will go a long way to leaving residual sediment in the keg and not in your glass.

Click to expand...

I just bought some gelatin today, mine says to add to cold water let set then boil. Do i just do that then add it right away after it cools?

Doing my first 10gal today, and this is the recipe I am going to try. LHBS was out of Centennial so they gave me Amarilllo. Any thoughts on if I should change the hop schedule because of this or keep it the same? Thanks for any help.




SD

sdhucks7 said:

Doing my first 10gal today, and this is the recipe I am going to try. LHBS was out of Centennial so they gave me Amarilllo. Any thoughts on if I should change the hop schedule because of this or keep it the same? Thanks for any help.




SD

Click to expand...

I did the same thing with my version of this recipe. My best beer so far by the way. (Thanks biermuncher for the recipe!) The Amarillo had a lower AA% than the recipe called for. I wish I'd had added a little more for bittering because it is a tad on the sweet side. But, it still came out great.

Good Luck

Anyone had the Terminal Gravity ESG? My slightly higher gravity version of the Centennial Blonde tasted very very similar to the ESG.

kjones said:

I just bought some gelatin today, mine says to add to cold water let set then boil. Do i just do that then add it right away after it cools?

Click to expand...

Don't bring the gelatin to a boil. Get it to about 180 degrees. Only heat it enough that it dissolves clear. Boiling will break down the gelatins effectiveness.

I just had the premiere of this beer yesterday for the Eagles game. In fact I had a tasting with 5 beers. This was unanimously chosen as the hit of the party. ( 4 weeks in bottle.)

I'm going to do a partial mash of this recipe and maybe add just a little lime extract at bottling for the BMC crowd at a party next month. Since I'm still using some extract, though, I'm a little worried about getting it to attenuate fully. If I have both US-05 and Nottingham available, would either of them give me (slightly) better attenuation, or would it not matter?

uncleozzy said:

I'm going to do a partial mash of this recipe and maybe add just a little lime extract at bottling for the BMC crowd at a party next month. Since I'm still using some extract, though, I'm a little worried about getting it to attenuate fully. If I have both US-05 and Nottingham available, would either of them give me (slightly) better attenuation, or would it not matter?

Click to expand...

Both attentuate well and fully so why not stick with Notty.

Lime? Are you sure? This beer is already that perfect easy drinking beer that should have appeal for the BMC crowd while still wowing the beer aficionados. I would think the lime would only appeal to the Corona crowd. It might be just me but I hate lime in my beer.

dontman said:

Both attentuate well and fully so why not stick with Notty.

Lime? Are you sure? This beer is already that perfect easy drinking beer that should have appeal for the BMC crowd while still wowing the beer aficionados. I would think the lime would only appeal to the Corona crowd. It might be just me but I hate lime in my beer.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm not 100% sure on the lime yet. I might bottle half, or 2/3 of the batch, and mix a little lime into the rest. SWMBO really loves Bud Light Lime (... but also SN Celebration, go figure), so I thought I'd give it a shot.