stuck brewing...

i'm stuck... i'm either brewing variations of IPAs, sours or experimental crap... and everything i brew (sans sours and experimental) tends to be high gravity.

to that point i brewed a BMC the other day and the gravity was 1.074 (planned on 1.070 but my efficiency was higher than i anticipated)... i need help... i want a lower alcohol beer (4-6%) that i can geek out on... right now my choices are;

- pale ale (i checked, only brewed one in the last year+) - but booooring.
- kolsch (i have no desire in brewing a lager of any sort)

i don't care for stouts, but i do love porters... i wouldn't mind it being something weird or odd, just no lagering - i have no capability or desire to lager.

any ideas?

I found myself in a similar situation, so I'm going to brew a mild american brown ale. I've actually never brewed one, but I like them. Seemed like the obvious choice when it hit me..

English Mild.

Hard to beat a good ESB.

I am brewing a French Saison soon and aiming to hit 4.5% ABV. Another great choice is Dry Irish Stout.

If you want to do some off the wall brews you could mash 6 apples or pears in your Kolsh or how about a corn centric spicy chocolate Myan/Aztec thing?

I recently had a Point Brewery Cascade Pale ale and it was super aromatic with mild bitterness and flavor, nice light and crisp. Light Pale Ales done well are not so easy to make...

ClayHenry said:

Hard to beat a good ESB.

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+1 This!

When the IPA/IIPA seems to become too commonplace go for the Euro's like an ESB.

If you like porters then do one. You can go crazy by experimenting with imparting oaked flavors, vanilla (with vanilla beans, soaked in bourbon) and chocolate and coffee in the secondary.. Just not all at the same time

Just an English Bitter. Lower gravity than the ESB.

I'm a hop guy, but I LOVE experimenting with porters. There is so much you can do in secondary. If you have the capacity to split a batch, and age one on coffee and one on oak and bourbon, or whatever you can dream up, go for it. It is amazing how different the exact same beer will taste when aged differently and might hook you into a different aspect of brewing.

Wheat? California Common?

looks like i'll a bitter or ESB - likely a porter, thanks guys - it'll give me something else to brew packed with flavor. haven't brewed an ESB in over a year so i might go with that... thanks!

Check out the cream of three crops recipe in the recipe section. I brewed it recently for something different....I was kind of in the same situation as you. I popped one open the other night to try it and was pleasantly surprised. It needs another week or so, but this stuff is pretty good. It's amazing how well the Willamette hops come through in such a light beer that has really good flavor. It looks like fizzy yellow water, but it isn't.

My club has been brewing a bunch of lower gravity stuff for an upcoming festival. So far this year I've done a Dry Stout, Sweet Stout, Cal Common, and Kolsch, and I will be doing a Mild next. Someone else in the club will be doing a Hefe this coming weekend, too.

how about an irish red or a scottish or an amber?
reds are always favorites!

jtakacs said:

rght now my choices are;

- pale ale (i checked, only brewed one in the last year+) - but booooring.
- kolsch (i have no desire in brewing a lager of any sort)

any ideas?

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Why not combine these two options and do a Wheat Pale with a Kolsch yeast. Great spring/summer beers. 50% wheat, tons of late hop additions, and light fruitiness from the Kolsch yeast fermented on upper end of range. Huge flavor, low bitterness, low ABV, and tons of fun.

good idea ty... think i might try that for a summer beer - i have some white wheat lying around that clarifies very well...

i've settled on a rye ESB using crystal rye, crystal 15, maris, WY 1968, simcoe and 7Cs... should be about 5%, dry, hoppy, malty and clear.

thanks guys - good ideas here, love this place...

smalliewader said:

Check out the cream of three crops recipe in the recipe section. I brewed it recently for something different....I was kind of in the same situation as you. I popped one open the other night to try it and was pleasantly surprised. It needs another week or so, but this stuff is pretty good. It's amazing how well the Willamette hops come through in such a light beer that has really good flavor. It looks like fizzy yellow water, but it isn't.

Click to expand...

had some fun with that recipe lately...i just brewed an imperial version of this... OG clocked in at 1.074... german pils, rice, corn, tettnang, saaz, and US-05... was able to keep the SRM under 3.

not sure what it's going to be like... we'll see..

i just realized the above recipe is probably undrinkable in my defense, i brewed it for a friend who only drinks BMC but wants them higher alcohol...

Ah, the "emperor of beers!"