"Give it a Go" Ale

[Shuldawg]

Sooooooo I just wanted to try something new and just give an idea a whirl. I have been brewing extracts for about a year, but still have plenty to learn. If anyone has any feedback, the more the merrier. Thanks!

Honey Lemon Zesty Ale idea- idea is to create something like a farmhouse ale with hints of honey and lemon with a bit more bubbles

1 Can of ale extract
During boil add 1/2 lb honey and 1/2 bag hop pelleted (Cascade I think)
During steep, add the rest of honey & hop pellets.
5 gallon bucket for primary ferment with ale yeast
Secondary ferment in glass carboy, adding lemon zest (6 lemons) and add champagne yeast.

Only issue- I have a 6 gallon carboy that I use for wine making. What should I do with that extra space in container? Fill with distilled water, maybe boil honey with that?

Thanks all, and "Relax, have a Homebrew!"




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[369Brewer]

Sounds tasty!!!

How many pounds of liquid extract are you talking?

 

[fmr_army]

I have a six gallon carboy that I use a lot. Going against the conventional wisdom, I like having a decent bit of headspace, as my wife would strangle me if fermentation spilled out in the basement!

I rack over to secondary very quietly so as to avoid oxygenation - per conventional wisdom. After I'm done, I put the airlock on and give the carboy a gentle, but firm, swirl (not a shake). In my (limited) experience, this causes CO2 to come out of solution (like swirling a soda), which displaces the headspace air. I do the swirl thing a couple of times in the first day (the beer almost always continues to produce CO2 in secondary).

This technique does a few things: (1) it might actually work (2) it makes me feel better (2b) allows me to use bigger headspace, which keeps me from making a mess in my wife's house.

I hope this helps!

 

[Shuldawg]

Sounds tasty!!!

How many pounds of liquid extract are you talking?

Thinking of a 4 lb can of hopped liquid malt; an American Ale of some sort. Then I figured that adding the honey will help boost the alcohol% just a bit.