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

paulster2626 said:

It doesn't work like that. If it did, we'd all be dead.

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Actually, it kind of does work like that.

I'm curious why you think we'd all be dead of it did work that way. Are you concerned that infection would take over and poison your beer? Because some beers use open fermentation where they are fermented in large open containers (Bigfoot Barleywine for one). As I understand it, CO2 creates a barrier between your beer and the baddies floating around in the air.

I wouldn't just leave foil over hole as I try to eliminate all possibilities for inconsistency. However, it's most likely not going to lead to contamination.

I think I will just make a simple blow off that will vent when hooked up 1 way and then swap the hook up on the blow off and it will handle vacuum. It will filter incoming air through sanitizer before entering the fermenter. It shouldn't take a hour to build and $20 in parts. I will create a new thread with a couple pictures when it is done and put a link here if anyone is interested. Thanks for everybodys help.

kirbcheck said:

Actually, it kind of does work like that.

I'm curious why you think we'd all be dead of it did work that way. Are you concerned that infection would take over and poison your beer? Because some beers use open fermentation where they are fermented in large open containers (Bigfoot Barleywine for one). As I understand it, CO2 creates a barrier between your beer and the baddies floating around in the air.

I wouldn't just leave foil over hole as I try to eliminate all possibilities for inconsistency. However, it's most likely not going to lead to contamination.

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Hes saying that if co2 just fell and o2 sat up top we would all be dead since all the o2 would be far above our heads and we'd only be able to breathe the heavier gasses and we would all die due to lack of o2.

Since there is convection currents and because of gas diffusion all the gasses end up mixing into each other and we don't have separate layers of gasses.

The thing is, in a mostly closed container with co2 and a little bit of o2 with nothing to move the air around it would take longer for the co2 and the o2 to mix. Also the o2 would sit a top the co2 at first but eventually would be fully mixed in.

Ah, so his comment was not referencing possible hazardous brewing practices. I just assumed this was the case as the application was such. Thanks for the clarification.

From what I've been told by some very science-y people, any O2 inside a space as small as a fermentation chamber and/or a fermenting bucket or carboy would be evenly mixed with the CO2 in a matter of minutes, convection or not.

I don't believe it's something to be overly concerned about, as I never have been and have good beers that have lasted longer than a year in bottles (the yeast are going to consume the O2 in there anyway as it carbs up the beer). But at the same time I don't assume there is a protective layer of immovable CO2, and just minimize the amount of messing around with the fermented beer.

Brewed 5 gallons of this on Saturday. Well, I didn't have Centennial, so I subbed Amarillo. And I wanted to try some Citra, so I subbed the Cascade for Citra too.

But other than that, it's identical to Centennial Blonde!

The only thing i did differently is dry hop .5 oz of centennial for 1 day before cold crashing. had some extra and wanted to add a little bit of hop aroma and flavor.

The 10-grams-of-cascade-in-a-tea-ball-in-a-keg version is carbing up nicely and is tasting great!

Used Cascade and Falconers Flight in this and it came out perfect. Having one right now and its 98 degrees out. Timed this beer perfectly!! Just in time for the heat.

Brewing up my second batch of this right now, my brother and a buddy of mine drank most of the first batch I did in one sitting! Had no centennial, but swapped in cascades for it this time. Should pair nicely with our hot Canadian summer

Wow... One sitting! Lol

Mine dropped from 1.042 to 1.007 in 7 days. Cold crashing now, in a keg tomorrow. Should be perfectly carbed and ready to roll for Memorial Day.

Now... to dry hop or not to dry hop. That is the question.

comet said:

Brewing up my second batch of this right now, my brother and a buddy of mine drank most of the first batch I did in one sitting! Had no centennial, but swapped in cascades for it this time. Should pair nicely with our hot Canadian summer

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Hopefully this year's summer is a warm week, that is a lot of beer to drink in that short period of time though

I just wanted to chime in and mention how resilient this stuff is. I brewed up a 5gal batch at the end of January, bottled sometime in February, and then life happened and didn't get around to drinking much of it until last night. Popped a bottle open expecting little to no hop flavor and aroma but to my surprise it was still there. For a basic blonde ale, this stuff is liquid gold!

BierMuncher said:

It's a light enough style that any spice or fruit would come through pretty well.

It would probably lend itself very well to adding some bitter orange peel. I’ve added orange peel to light blondes before and they’re been well received.

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I have never used bitter orange peel before, how much of that do you suggest adding and when? Thanks.

justineaton said:

I have never used bitter orange peel before, how much of that do you suggest adding and when? Thanks.

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I'm making a wit this weekend that calls for 3/4 Oz if that helps. Add 10 minutes left in the boil.

Started a batch 12 days ago. Lost a gallon due to a unsecured hose on whirlpool (Protip: always check that, unless you want to wear boiling wort, like I did [fortunately without severe injury]), but the OG ended up being so high I diluted with a gallon of water anyway.

Took 18 hours to get going but was done and dropping clear on day 5. Waited until this morning to keg (mostly on account of being lazy) and am currently on my third pint, even the leftovers on the bottom of the carboy were fantastic. I hope this lasts til the party tomorrow.

This recipe is a winner, make no mistake.

McRoth said:

I'm making a wit this weekend that calls for 3/4 Oz if that helps. Add 10 minutes left in the boil.

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Thanks, I was kind of in the mood for a wit but this sounded good so I decided to compromise and add the orange peel to this recipe. Is that for five gallons?

justineaton said:

Thanks, I was kind of in the mood for a wit but this sounded good so I decided to compromise and add the orange peel to this recipe. Is that for five gallons?

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Yep.

Brewed this today, used us05

Has anyone dry hopped this? I looked through some of the posts, but haven't seen anything. I am going to brew this tomorrow, but I'm thinking about dry hopping 1 oz cascade whole leaf.

Also thinking about using California ale yeast WLP 001.

Any thoughts?

J-Wood said:

Has anyone dry hopped this? I looked through some of the posts, but haven't seen anything. I am going to brew this tomorrow, but I'm thinking about dry hopping 1 oz cascade whole leaf.

Also thinking about using California ale yeast WLP 001.

Any thoughts?

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I have dry hopped this recipe and I have used several different yeasts as well. Cali ale yeast turns out good but the best I have found for this recipe is German kolsh wlp029. I would just advise not to over hop the recipe



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I've got this fermenting with wlp002. Was thinking about possibly dry hopping with some citra, but I think I'll hold of and use that in my pale ale.

I've dry hopped with 1oz FF 7Cs in the keg. Adds some lovely fruit aroma but the base beer itself is still delicious without it


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PeteNMA said:

I've dry hopped with 1oz FF 7Cs in the keg. Adds some lovely fruit aroma but the base beer itself is still delicious without it


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I am going to dry hop 1 oz cascade whole leaf.

basementbrewbrad said:

I have dry hopped this recipe and I have used several different yeasts as well. Cali ale yeast turns out good but the best I have found for this recipe is German kolsh wlp029. I would just advise not to over hop the recipe



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Brad how do you like the wlp029? I'm using wyeast 2565 for the first time on a similar recipe to this to see how it differs from my usual safale 05 and if I like it better.


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This was the most violent ferment I have ever had and still going strong. My five gallon carboy was pretty close to the top and I have a blow off tube on it. Last night I lost nearly a gallon of my beer through the blow off tube.

justineaton said:

This was the most violent ferment I have ever had and still going strong. My five gallon carboy was pretty close to the top and I have a blow off tube on it. Last night I lost nearly a gallon of my beer through the blow off tube.

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When ever I have this issue, I salvage the blow off beer. I use a sanitized growler for my blow off container. When it's blowing off, the gas is so fervent and strong that no air pollution will get in the growler. Once the blow off slows down a little - at least enough for the foam to subdue from the top of the carboy - I remove the blow off, pour it back into the carboy, and replace the airlock.

Boom, just saved a gallon of beer!

Nice, I will see how it is doing when I get home from work but it is probably past the worst of it now. I will definitely remember that for next time though. Thanks.

You're welcome!

Made this with Amarillo bittering and Citra late hops. Tasted it last night when I racked to secondary. Seemed a bit harsh. Not sure the bittering adjustments were on target. Then when I got in the house and tasted it again, it didn't seem so bad.

I hate colds. I won't be able to tell how good it will be until I feel better. I barely even drank half a glass of beer yesterday!

Anyone had any success using liquid yeast for this recipe and if so what kind?

Also I was thinking about putting in some orange zest at flameout, opinions?

T

Heres mine. Drinking it right now. Def gonna brew this again but prob tweak it for a little more hop flavor and aroma.

trapae said:

Anyone had any success using liquid yeast for this recipe and if so what kind?

Also I was thinking about putting in some orange zest at flameout, opinions?

T

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My favorite yeast is wyeast 1007 with this beer

Wow, kicked the keg already. I bottled some and gave away a 6 pack to my sister and another 6 was in my fridge for my other sister. Its down to a 4 pack now lol. She better get them before its all gone.

This works well with pressure fermenting.

Just about finished fermenting two corny kegs of this. Filled right up to the weld (5gal/19l), split the Nottingham between the two, added about 10 drops of fermcap to each, set pressure to 3 psi and let her go.

Cooler dropped the pitching temp of 68 to 64 within 12 hours and at 36 hours raised the pressure to 5 psi and then 1 psi every few hours to peak at 24 psi.

No blowoff at all!

Test samples are still cloudy and a little over hopped but very clean tasting.

Tom


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Took a quick look through some of this epic thread, didn't see an answer, so I'll ask:

How quickly can this be turned around? Going on vacation in roughly 3 weeks. Is it plausible to get this in the bottle in a week and a half, so it'll have a week and a half to bottle condition? Equipment shouldn't be any problem. I have temp control and oxygenation gear.

The_Bishop said:

Took a quick look through some of this epic thread, didn't see an answer, so I'll ask:

How quickly can this be turned around? Going on vacation in roughly 3 weeks. Is it plausible to get this in the bottle in a week and a half, so it'll have a week and a half to bottle condition? Equipment shouldn't be any problem. I have temp control and oxygenation gear.

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Yes, its possible to do that. I did grain to glass in 14 days, but i keg so i force carbed. it was still a little green though. was better a week later.

My schedule was @ day 10 checked gravity and was at TG so i then cold crashed for 2 days, then kegged and force carbed, was drinking it by day 14.

Ok, thanks. Looks like I'm brewing tomorrow.

To the hop questions: I've upped the hops, last time 25% on the Centennial 50% on the Cascade. Good, but too much. This time I just added one extra gram on each addition, about 14%.