Gluten Free Summer beer (extract)

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davemacrunnel

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Oct 26, 2013
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Location
Fort Collins
Hey guys,
Just brewed this for my wife (gluten intolerant) a couple weeks ago. Tried it this past weekend and I couldn't keep enough of them cold. She loved this beer, as did my regular beer drinking friends and it's still quite young. Hoping the supposed apricot flavor/aroma from the hops comes through a little more as it matures. Might even do an apricot addition in a future recipe.

I would probably change the sorghum to GF oats or do a blend. Not sure what the sorghum brought to the table but steeping oats has always given me a decent head and mouthfeel and that was lacking in this beer. I would probably up the coriander and back off the sweet orange as well.

Cheers

5 gallon batch
OG: 1.055
FG: 1.010

Steep (30 min at 150F)
1 lb lightly toasted ground Sorghum

Fermentables (added at 45 min.)
White Sorghum Syrup 3.5 lb
Brown Rice Syrup 3.0 lb
Maltodextrin 3 oz (all I had, I'd probably go 5 oz)

Hops
Mandarina Bavaria (DE) 0.5 oz 60 min Boil Pellet
Mandarina Bavaria (DE) 0.5 oz 20 min Boil Pellet
Mandarina Bavaria (DE) 0.75 oz 0 min Whirlpool Pellet 7.2%
Mandarina Bavaria (DE) 0.25 oz 4 days Dry Hop Pellet 7.2%

Yeasts
Safbrew T-58 Fermentis T-58

Extras
Bitter Orange Peel 0.5 oz 15.0 min
Sweet Orange Peel 0.2 oz 15.0 min
Irish Moss 1.0 tsp 15.0 min
Coriander Seed 0.5 oz 0.0 min
 
First time I have heard of Mandarina Bavaria (DE) hops. Googled it and I can see why you like them as the tangerine and citrus notes probably pair well with what the sorghum adds. Have you used cascade hops before and do you like the Mandarina Bavaria better?
 
I haven't used cascade yet but I should! I usually just stick with noble hops but these sounded interesting and perfect for this beer.

Hoping to do variations of this with raspberry and pink peppercorn (a wife pleaser), and also try mango jalapeño. Maybe switch it up and try cascade too.
 
I just did a GF blue moon clone, which used cascade. It's "not bad." I say this because I also used sweet orange peel, coriander and malto.


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you guys think honey would be a decent sub for the rice syrup? its soo expensive or maybe maple syrup although tha may not be any cheaper
 
i got the syrup at Hyvee in the health food section. 1lb 5oz for 5 bucks, I bought two and will sub 6 oz of honey that I already have at home. I also am doing oats instead of the sorgum and will probably mash it since I am a full on AG guy. heck I dotn even have a bag big enough to hold the oats if i wanted to steep. Im also going to add some apricot extract and maybe secondary over apricots as well. Ill let you guys know how it turns out if I can remember. Never done a GF. New things are always a litle more exciting.
 
Sounds great. The oats are a good idea. I wouldn't steep sorghum again, I think I got a slickness in the mouthfeel from it.

I did this again and used Crystal Millet from Grouse Malting Co here in CO. and that turned out really great.

I'm doing an all grain GF Apricot IPA (want to get close to Dogfish Head Aprihop) this weekend so hopefully that turns out to be even better.
 
Im assuming this will clear right? :) no hot or cold break to speak of..

cee gee 003.JPG
 
That looks typical for me. It clears pretty well after fermentation. Mine are hazy but a nice "wit" haze. :)


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Im also going to add some apricot extract and maybe secondary over apricots as well. Ill let you guys know how it turns out if I can remember. Never done a GF. New things are always a litle more exciting.


FYI I wouldn't use dried apricots. Found out they let off sulfur. Dumped a batch because I thought it was infected because of that. Hope it turns out! Here's the photo of mine, I really liked the color. ImageUploadedByHome Brew1403490784.121857.jpg



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no if I secodary over them Ill use either the puree or canned or fresh. It is chuggin aloing fine, built and odd looking Krauzen but has partially cleared already.. Smelled delicious, hoping the twang ferments itself out some though it seemed pretty prevalent.
 
you guys think honey would be a decent sub for the rice syrup? its soo expensive or maybe maple syrup although tha may not be any cheaper

I'm experimenting with *both* BRS and honey (buckwheat and/or wildflower) to offset the sorghum dominance. One day I'll steep millet or mash it but I'm not there yet

One note: careful with the BRS you use though: arsenic in some brands have been reported in the news. I'm using Lundberg Sweet Dreams GF BRS:

http://www.lundberg.com/products/syrup/Eco-Farmed_Sweet_Dreams®_Brown_Rice_Syrup.aspx

1lb 5oz jar was $5.50. They're claiming its arsenic free. That seems to be a little more pricey than White Sorghum Extract but less expensive then honey (typically).

That said, I snagged a quart of local wildflower honey for $15 the other day. That's actually a great price and I'm supporting some locals.

I used it in a new batch of this: http://ghostfishbrewing.com/ghostfishblog/gfhomebrewing-grapefruit-ipa/ where I halved the sorghum bill replacing it with BRS as an experiment. I'm hoping to reduce some of the twang. its in primary and will go to secondary this weekend. I should know more when i take a sip then if it an improvement or not.
 
no if I secodary over them Ill use either the puree or canned or fresh. It is chuggin aloing fine, built and odd looking Krauzen but has partially cleared already.. Smelled delicious, hoping the twang ferments itself out some though it seemed pretty prevalent.

i found that my first GF batch (where 5lbs of sorghum and about a pound of buckwheat honey were the main fermentables) the sorghum mellowed with aging in the keg. 2-3 weeks after kegging seems to be the sweet spot. i think the first 1-2 weeks were drinkable but it was green and twangy. i'm about 6 weeks out now and the keg is nearly gone. the twang is there but quite mellow compared to when it was kegged. unfortunately the hop freshness is also on decline. the good news is i have another batch about 2 weeks from being done and another batch kegged and almost carbed. pipeline is :rockin:
 
I agree, 2 to 3 weeks in the keg is probably the "sweet spot" but I usually can't wait that long to start drinking it! :)
I am now set up for 10 gal batches so I can at least get some conditioning time in on the second keg if I brew something that needs it.


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Ill be bottlling it so sampling wont be an issue but I typically let thigns sit for at least two weeks too. This stuff is really just for a couple frineds of mine who dont want the gluten. My kegs get the standard (everyone else) kind of beer (light ale wheat etc). Most other things go to bottles (IPA, Stouts, ESB, Dunkles etc). its still bubbling although its really slowing down now. Dont know about the arsenic thing, I used 3.5 pounds of sorgum from northern brewer and 1pound 10 ounces of rice syrup and 6 ounces of local honey.
 
I agree, 2 to 3 weeks in the keg is probably the "sweet spot" but I usually can't wait that long to start drinking it! :)

Yep, its a challenge indeed!

I'm actually in the market for a 3rd corny keg and will try to keep 2 kegs devoted to my favs (IPA, PA and darker styles) with the 3rd filled with some lighter fruity GF batch like the Tweasonale "clone" I just did or variants. 2 kegs for me should keep me from drinking out of the 3rd which will keep me in good graces with the boss. :)
 
Ill be bottlling it so sampling wont be an issue but I typically let thigns sit for at least two weeks too. This stuff is really just for a couple frineds of mine who dont want the gluten. My kegs get the standard (everyone else) kind of beer (light ale wheat etc). Most other things go to bottles (IPA, Stouts, ESB, Dunkles etc). its still bubbling although its really slowing down now. Dont know about the arsenic thing, I used 3.5 pounds of sorgum from northern brewer and 1pound 10 ounces of rice syrup and 6 ounces of local honey.

The arsenic issue is pervasive throughout many food lines but it appears that rice absorb it more naturally than some other grains: http://consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm

If you stick to organic BRS (and Lundberg's brands *appear* to be more proactive about the issue, see http://www.lundberg.com/Info/Arsenic/arsenic-in-food-the-science.aspx ) you're probably better off. As with a lot of things, stay away from sources in Asia.
 
i think I actually used lundbergs anyway, I took a pic of the ingredients for some friends and it appears from what I can see to be theirs. (back left)

10407951_309521305874911_4044395750738913675_n.jpg
 
Just a quick heads up that I bottled this last weekend and put some apricot extract in it. It shows some nice promise, looking forward to tasting it in a couple of weeks.
 
here it is a week in the bottle, if its gonna get better than it is then it will eb something pretty special. I brought a bottle to my friends house sunday and he and his wife both thought it w as atasty concotion as well!! Lots of folks interested in tyring this but im holding the rest off for two weeks to let it properly settle into th ebottle. Much of the "twang" is mellowed out already. Thanks for the recipe this will probably get made more than a few more times. I only wish it werent so expensive to make but oh well..

10514411_321640304663011_1935800760728391254_o.jpg
 
Awesome! How do the Mandarina hops play? I have been eager to try them. Also, what do you think of the amount of corriander you used? I just made a saison and threw in 31 grams (10 gallons) late in the boil. Seems a bit much. Smells amazing right now but, it isn't as balanced as I want it. I also used tangerine and grapefruit peel. It smells fairly close to Blue Moon. Too bad that isn't what I was aiming for. :D
 
The hops were a perfect match to the apricot IMHO and you could without a doubt smell the "orange citrusy scent" in the ones I got. The only hops I’ve ever used that smelled quite like these. I learned something about coriander in the process as well. I have always just used the preground coriander we had in our spice rack for making wits etc. It has always added a "peppery spicy" zing to the beer. Sometimes I used too much but its always drinkable. Well I knew we were out of it and had to order anyway so I ordered some unground coriander from NB with my regular stuff. I then ground it in my coffee grinder prior to use. WOW what a difference fresh ground is! Its the only way to go. The amount used in this seemed fine. it may be worth upping it a little bit at a time to see what that does. I dont sense nearly as much of the peppery taste it normally has imparted and fresh ground it smelled like oranges. So as this was my first time using fresh ground its tough to tell. If this was pre ground from my spice rack id bet it was a different situation. Also because I used apricot extract mine doesn’t smell like a blue moon ;-)
 
The few times I used coriander I either ran it through my mill or used a mortar and pestle to crush it. Makes me want to go back and visit one of those recipes. I always limited to 8 grams per 5 gallon batch. Seems you guys have had good results from a lot more!
 
Like jabba said, fresh is the way to go. Much more intense citrus aromas. I just crack them with a hammer and throw them in with 5 minutes left in the boil. Corriander is cheap so use it liberally. 12-13 grams in 5 gallons would not be out of the question. 1/2 ounce should be fairly intense.

I think I will back mine down a bit next time and use freshly zested fruit rather than the dried brewers best packs. Also, you get a treat after you are done zesting. ;)
 
Looks great Jabba. I'm lucky, my LHBS has Sorghum, brown rice, and tapioca extracts for a decent price. My batches run about $35 for 5 gal.

I like to put my coriander in a bag then use a rolling pin. Tried the coffee grinder and I feel like I got more pepper type flavor than I wanted.

I also did this again with Grouse Malting crystal millet and it added quite a bit of body and increased the mouthfeel without much sweetness.
 
Oh i doubt this cost me even 35 bucks but 5 gallons of my regular ale runs about half that (not counting gas and water). I mean thats about 8 bucks a 12 pack (12oz bottles). Thats pushing being able to buy it. I mean I get enjoyment in making it for people too but cost is a factor.
 
Ive just never been a fan of zesting its such a PITA..but admittedly it seems to proide better aroma than the dried stuff

I bought a microplane zester for brewing. Soooooo easy to zest. I can do grapefruit in less than a minute. I also use it for cooking. Lemon zest on grilled asparagus or salmon is now dead easy!
 
One thing to note about coriander is that the stuff you get pre ground from grocery store and even the whole seed from standard grocery store is likely a different variety to the one you want to use in your beer. Indian coriander seeds are orange and shaped oblong like a football whereas the common coriander seed is greyish Brown and more spherical. You get a much more citrusy aroma from the Indian coriander. You can either find it at the home brew shop or much cheaper at Indian grocers.
 
I'm going to give this a shot. Going to start with a 1 gallon batch. Don't want to risk wasting a 5 gallon batch.
 
Bottled my 1 gallon batch last night. Smelled terrific. Gave it a quick taste and it seemed to lacking a little bit of mouth feel consistency, but was very light and tasty. Hoping it will be a great easy drinking beer for the wife this Summer.

Will crack one open next weekend to see how the priming process is going.
 
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