Cream Ale Cream of Three Crops (Cream Ale)

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BierMuncher

...My Junk is Ugly...
HBT Supporter
Joined
Jan 17, 2007
Messages
12,440
Reaction score
952
Location
St. Louis, MO
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Safale - 05
Yeast Starter
Prior Slurry
Batch Size (Gallons)
11.5
Original Gravity
1.040
Final Gravity
1.005
Boiling Time (Minutes)
90
IBU
14.3
Color
2.9
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14 Days at 68 Degrees
Additional Fermentation
Kegged and chilled for 10 days
Cream Ale Recipe

This is a very simple, inexpensive cream ale recipe that will get every BMC drinker in the room enjoying homebrew. So named because of the three different crops that go into the grist (Barley, Corn and Rice).

I brewed up 10 gallons of this and after kegging, bottled up a case to take to a family event (Mothers Day). Even my 78-yr old FIL, who is strict Miller Lite drinker, ended up having two pints. The chics dug it and we ran out well before the end of the evening.

The grain bill is cheap and in this case, you can use Minute Rice instead of flaked rice. No step mashing required. Simply combine the ingredients and follow a simple single infusion mash at around 152 degrees. I also mashed this for 90 minutes to get a highly attenuated beer. FG was 1.005...leaving a very dry, crisp beer with no noticeable graininess.

While this doesn't adhere to the strict beer laws, and I don't consider this one of my "craft" efforts, it is without a doubt the beer that I get the most "you really made this beer?" comments.

So if you've got some hard core "If it ain't Budweiser it ain't beer…" drinking friends…give this a try.

This beer clears up quickest of any of my recipes.

clearestbeer.jpg


Batch Size: 11.50 gal
Boil Size: 14.26 gal
Estimated OG: 1.040 SG
Estimated Color: 2.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 14.3 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
12.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
4.00 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM)
1.00 lb Minute Rice (1.0 SRM)

1.00 oz Willamette [5.20%] (60 min)
1.00 oz Crystal [3.50%] (60 min)

 
Having tasted your beers first hand, I am betting that this is one tasty brew.

What do you think about using willamette the whole way through? This looks so low-hopped that I can't imagine the crystal makes a huge difference.

Hmmmmmm, summer is coming up fast and I need a crowd-pleasing easy/cheap quaffer.....
 
How about a 5.5 gallon grain bill?
5.5 lbs two row
2.5 lbs corn
1.0 lbs rice
Least that what beersmith seems to like.....
Thanks,

That works fine. This is a flexible grain bill. My second batch, I actually upped the rice a bit and lowered the corn. Just experimenting ya know...;)

Having tasted your beers first hand, I am betting that this is one tasty brew.

What do you think about using willamette the whole way through? This looks so low-hopped that I can't imagine the crystal makes a huge difference.

Hmmmmmm, summer is coming up fast and I need a crowd-pleasing easy/cheap quaffer.....
I think the willamette is just fine. It might be a bit "mintier" than the crystal, but the quantities are so low, it should make little difference.

Any of the low alpha's would work (Hallertau, Tett, Mt Hood...)
 
BM.

I am thinking of doing a 10gal batch of this .. and pitching kolsch in one and Notty in the other.

What are you thoughts on using a wp029? Kolsch?
 
BM.

I am thinking of doing a 10gal batch of this .. and pitching kolsch in one and Notty in the other.

What are you thoughts on using a wp029? Kolsch?

I love the Kolsch yeast. Cleans up well, even though it takes longer to do so.

Use your Notty for the quicker batch and let that kolsch batch lager a bit longer.
 
I am going to make 10gal of this on weekend. Looks like a perfect beer to have on tap all summer. leave my other tap for the more malty beers.
 
BM - This one is one of next beers.

I just sent SWMBO to get the ingredients for that & Jamil's Blonde SMaSH Beer.

:rockin:

SWMBO - Had to work today, LHBS is real close to the office. I gave her ProMash Reports and said giddy-yup!!!

I'm planning her strawberries today, so quid pro quo... :tank:
 
BM - This one is one of next beers.

I just sent SWMBO to get the ingredients for that & Jamil's Blonde SMaSH Beer.

:rockin:

SWMBO - Had to work today, LHBS is real close to the office. I gave her ProMash Reports and said giddy-yup!!!

I'm planning her strawberries today, so quid pro quo... :tank:

Nice. I just tapped a keg from my third batch of this. Company coming over. Beer is already flowing crystal clear...

Mash that puppy 90 minutes and you'll get a very crisp beer.
 
Few Questions...

  1. You can add the rice as it is out of the box. No cooking right?
  2. Has anybody done this w/o rice hulls? I didn't add rice hulls to my PM recipe. Therefore SWMBO didn't get it for me.
  3. The adjunct percentage is 30%. At what point are you at risk for stuck sparges if you don't use rice hulls?
Thanks!!
 
Few Questions...

  1. You can add the rice as it is out of the box. No cooking right?
  2. Has anybody done this w/o rice hulls? I didn't add rice hulls to my PM recipe. Therefore SWMBO didn't get it for me.
  3. The adjunct percentage is 30%. At what point are you at risk for stuck sparges if you don't use rice hulls?
Thanks!!

Right. The minute rice goes straight in to the tun. No precooking.
The sparge will also depend on your grain crush.

If you've never had problems with sparging with your setup, you'll likely be okay. One very important thing though...make sure to only open your drain valve about 25%. The idea is to slowly coax the wort out without the grain bed compacting any tighter. Open if full tilt and you'll create such a suction that you'll get a stuck sparge for sure.
 
90-min at 152? Can ya go a little bit higher 154? What will that do to it?

You could go higher. I find that the corn lends a bit of sweetness to the beer which is nice, but if you mash too high and end up drawing out more maltiness from the grains, it won't be a crisp.

I think 154 is fine though.
 
I made this last night. It had a rough start but ended up OK.

After adding my strike water the temp was too high. Had to add cold water. My calc for strike temps need to be redone. I've been measuring grain temps in the bag, but they are picking up heat from the preheated cooler. Simple fix is to take the grain out the fridge sooner.

I had to bump up the temp twice to stay 148-152F. I had 8.5lbs grain in a 12 gal cooler. I thinking sometimes it'll be better off using the 5 gal thermos cooler if the grain bill is smaller. The last two AG batches at 10lbs it wasn't an issue.

My efficiency was a surprising 91%!!! I aerated well, added the yeast, and within an hour I saw pressure in the airlock!!

Its going well now. :rockin:

BTW - Even though I batch sparge, This time I vorloff/sparged at a slow rate. Mainly from BierMunchers suggestion, because of gummy corn & rice.
 
I made this on Sat. the 14th of June and it was just the perfect brew day. Every thing went to plan hit all the temps on target.
And I introduced a friend to the process. Right now it's bubbling away in the basement. This is the first time I have used corn or rice in a recipe. The yeast I used is WLP060, the smell coming from this thing is awfull.....but very satisfying.

Man I can't wait for this one.
 
BM, I'm hosting a charity golf tournament Aug. 3, which gives me about 5 weeks. Would this be ready to go by then, if I brew this weekend? I've got to provide something that every beer drinker could enjoy. This sounds like it is about as close to a crowd pleaser as I can get. Any suggestions?
 
BM, I'm hosting a charity golf tournament Aug. 3, which gives me about 5 weeks. Would this be ready to go by then, if I brew this weekend? I've got to provide something that every beer drinker could enjoy. This sounds like it is about as close to a crowd pleaser as I can get. Any suggestions?

If you're kegging it's plenty of time.

If you're bottling, it would still be enough time with 20 days primary then bottle and hold at 70 degrees until one week out and chill.

May not be as crystal clear as kegged, but will certainly be enjoyed.
 
Today I racked this brew to the 2ndary after 14 days in the primary. $hit, I could drink this flat, warm and cloudy!!!

I'm gonna let this sit in the 2ndary another 2 weeks. Then bottle. I can tell right now this will be a real crowd pleaser!!!

What makes this great is its cheap & easy to brew. This & Ed's HPA could be summer regulars!!!

Thanks BierMuncher!!!

:mug:
 
I just recently(last night) had a chance to try an original BierMuncher bottle of this(thanks for sending one of these). This could please any crowd, beer geek to lite beer drinker, although for me I will probably up the flavor hops a bit when I make a batch
 
Today is Saturday the 5th of July. I just tapped this beer. My buddy Phil and the neighbors have all come over for this tapping. They were all here for the brew day of this beer. First reaction from the neighbor that only drinks Bud Light was, "Man, this is better that Bud Light. This has flavor! And it is soooo smooth." Phil, the one that I introduced to brewing that day, said, "This is some good beer. It tastes like beer...but with flavor." So, in closing I will post some pics of the beer, and I have to say I have converted two main stream drinkers into wanting to try more homebrew.

Great Lawn Mower Beer.

It is very clear the glass is frosted.


 
Today is Saturday the 5th of July. I just tapped this beer. My buddy Phil and the neighbors have all come over for this tapping. They were all here for the brew day of this beer. First reaction from the neighbor that only drinks Bud Light was, "Man, this is better that Bud Light. This has flavor! And it is soooo smooth." Phil, the one that I introduced to brewing that day, said, "This is some good beer. It tastes like beer...but with flavor." So, in closing I will post some pics of the beer, and I have to say I have converted two main stream drinkers into wanting to try more homebrew.

Great Lawn Mower Beer.

It is very clear the glass is frosted.




Sweet looking beer.

This can definitely turn in to a mass-brew beer once your friends get a hold of it.
 
can i use yellow rice i don't have any minute rice on me is it important enough to go out and buy the minute rice?

thanks.
 
BM-


My sisters wedding is in 4 weeks not the 8 i had thought it to be. I need a beer and not a Hefe. Will this bad boy be ready if i chill and the force keg 3 days before hand? needs to be ready by Aug. 10th.
 
BM-


My sisters wedding is in 4 weeks not the 8 i had thought it to be. I need a beer and not a Hefe. Will this bad boy be ready if i chill and the force keg 3 days before hand? needs to be ready by Aug. 10th.

That's plenty of time...I'm doing a batch this weekend for an August 2nd public event.

The corn/rice mix in this really clears very quickly.

I'd say...two weeks primary, rack to secondary with gelatin for 2 days (that's all it will take for 98% of the yeast to fall out)...then in to a keg and chill until the event.

That short stint in the secondary with gelatin will make a big difference.

Here's mine from last week after just 24 hours...notice you can see the imprint of the bucket behind the carboy.:
Gelatin_Carboy_1.jpg
 
Great!. Thanks for the quick reply. I have two packets of safale 05 sitting at home.

Im going to use polenta i think and do a cereal mash for the corn. The flaked maize at my LHBS is silly expensive. .......................wait for it.................waaaaiiiiittttttt. opps there it is, my laziness has just dictated that i buy the $2.50 flaked corn at the LHBS.

lol, that didnt take long. no cereal mash for me now!
 
Any way to do this with extract? I've about had it with extract- I've got the process down good and I'm making some great tasting beers, yet I feel very held back when I look at some of these recipes. I foresee myself buying an all grain setup very soon!
 
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