Imperial Cream Ale

[BeerAddikt]

So I was on NB's website and I saw this.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/empire-builder-imperial-cream-ale-extract-kit

An imperial cream ale? Just wow! Oxymoron? Isn't that like saying an imperial session ale? But don't get me wrong...I'd love to try it.

 

[Sadu]

Gotta say I'm a real fan of the cream ale style, don't mind saying it. It's basically a light lager but with a bit more flavour and none of that long lagering / diacetyl rest / 90 minute boil nonsense. To me brewing an American light/standard lager doesn't seem worth the effort when I could have a schwarzbier or Oktoberfest instead. But cream ale fills that gap perfectly because it's cheap / easy / fast to brew. Save the IPAs & Doppelbocks for people who appreciate them I reckon.

I'd try an imperial cream ale though - if you can boost the alcohol while kleeping the light flavour, that sounds ok to me. Maybe get all extreme with the hops and go from 20 to 30 IBU

 

[RM-MN]

Gotta say I'm a real fan of the cream ale style, don't mind saying it. It's basically a light lager but with a bit more flavour and none of that long lagering / diacetyl rest / 90 minute boil nonsense. To me brewing an American light/standard lager doesn't seem worth the effort when I could have a schwarzbier or Oktoberfest instead. But cream ale fills that gap perfectly because it's cheap / easy / fast to brew. Save the IPAs & Doppelbocks for people who appreciate them I reckon.

I'd try an imperial cream ale though - if you can boost the alcohol while kleeping the light flavour, that sounds ok to me. Maybe get all extreme with the hops and go from 20 to 30 IBU

Whoa, that's pretty extreme. Maybe the limit should be 25 IBU?

 

[Gemadrken]

Imperial Cream Ale sounds amazing to me; my only hesitation is that its from NB hah. They'd sell your children if they could make a buck off it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For 5 gallons (19 L)
9.75 lb (4.42 kg) | 2-Row Brewers Malt
1.25 lb (0.57 kg) | Flaked Maize
0.6 lb (0.27 kg) | Briess Cara-Pils Malt
1.25 lb (0.57 kg) | Corn Sugar (Add at boil and boil for 90 min.)
0.75 oz (21.26 g) | Hallertau Mittelfruh Hop Pellets, 4.5% alpha acid (45 min.)
0.9 oz (25.51 g) | Willamette Hop Pellets, 5.5% alpha acid (45 min.)
1.1 oz (31.18 g) | Hallertau Mittelfruh Hop Pellets, 4.5% alpha acid (5 min.)
White Labs WLP001 California Ale Yeast

SPECIFICATIONS
Original Gravity: 1.071
Final Gravity: 1.014
ABV: 7.45%
IBU: ~37
SRM: 3.8 (7.5 EBC)
Boil Time: 90 minutes
Efficiency: 75%
Pre-boil Volume: 6.12 gallons
Pre-boil Gravity: n/a
DIRECTIONS
Use a step mash with time +15-minute steps starting at 121°F (49°C) for 30 minutes, 145°F (63°C) for 45 minutes, and 158°F (70°C) for 60 minutes.
Mash out at 168°F (76°C) and sparge with 166°F (74°C).

Collect enough wort (about 6.12 gallons or 23.17 liters) to end up with 5 gallons (19 liters) after a 90-minute boil, chill to 68°F (20°C), rack to fermenter, pitch yeast and aerate well. Pitch two packages of yeast or a half-gallon starter.

Ferment at 61-62°F (16-17°C) for 4 to 5 days, then rack to secondary fermenter and cellar for three to four weeks at 45-50°F (7-10°C).

When ready, bottle and condition for a minimum of two weeks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To convert this recipe to extract; i'd suggest 5.85 lbs Light dry malt extract. Seep the Cara-pils and flaked corn as your specialty grains.

It looks like theres 1.25lbs corn sugar in the boil to up the ABV.

For the malt additions here is my suggestion'

Seep grains at 155 for 30 minutes; remove them and start a 60 minute boil
-60
+add 2lbs light DME; continue with hop schedule like normal
-20
+add the rest of your DME

^adding the bulk of your DME late in boil will make your beer a considerably lighter color




This is my 0.02.

 

[Kirkwooder]

Has anyone tried this? I hate to drag up an old thread but am very intrigued by this, but would love some constructive criticism from some one who has tried it. Seems to me like it might be a bit boozy.

 

[madscientist451]

I recently had a bottle of Founders DMKL, which is a barrel aged imperial pilsner.
It was an interesting combination of the boozy alcohol note and the bourbon flavor.
I think the Imperial Cream ale idea would work with the same treatment.
I was planning on skipping the barrel but adding barrel chips and bourbon instead.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

oh lord... i'm giggling now.

Imperial? On a cream ale? Why! If people are that much into alcohol, skip the beer, man up, and start distilling
Extreme with hops? Why! The neckbeards and man buns should just skip the beer and chew on hop cones instead

Isn't anything sacred anymore? Can't wait for the Imperial Kolsch or Double Urquel IPA

 

[Kirkwooder]

oh lord... i'm giggling now.

Imperial? On a cream ale? Why! If people are that much into alcohol, skip the beer, man up, and start distilling
Extreme with hops? Why! The neckbeards and man buns should just skip the beer and chew on hop cones instead

Isn't anything sacred anymore? Can't wait for the Imperial Kolsch or Double Urquel IPA

So glad you set me straight on this. How on earth could I have thought that this might make an interesting cold weather brew. Who would ever imagine that bigger beers tend to be a bit more enjoyable to me, and many others, this time of year. What with the wind chill being in the mid negative twenties right now here in western NY.

I should just go buy me a 12 of good ole lawn mower beer like a Mich Ultra and forget all about brewing up some thing a bit different. Or maybe I should just put on my big boy panties and brew up a batch of pure white lightning, set fire to a dozen shot glasses and shoot them down. That sure would be manly.

Oh wait a minute, neither of those have much interest to me, and brewing my own imperial cream ale does, so if anyone with something a little more to the point of what I was asking has anything constructive to add, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

If you find yourself giggling, your welcome for the laugh. I'm glad that at least one of us has amused the other.

(Big grin smiley added in an attempt to make my obviously sarcastic rhetoric seem more friendly.)

 

[Oyarsa]

I actually have it in my keg right now. Almost out of it, though.

It's not one I'll buy again. Not that it's bad. It's good but not great. Seems a bit bland to me aside from the alcohol kick. My opinion of it seems to be highly influenced by what I have or haven't eaten. I would rather have something with high ABV that has more flavor. I say this with the caveat that I'm no connoisseur.

Hope this helps some...

 

[Kirkwooder]

I actually have it in my keg right now. Almost out of it, though.

It's not one I'll buy again. Not that it's bad. It's good but not great. Seems a bit bland to me aside from the alcohol kick. My opinion of it seems to be highly influenced by what I have or haven't eaten. I would rather have something with high ABV that has more flavor. I say this with the caveat that I'm no connoisseur.

Hope this helps some...

Thanks, this is the kind of feedback I was hoping for.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

(Big grin smiley added in an attempt to make my obviously sarcastic rhetoric seem more friendly.)

hahaha... yep... I cringed at first, but who knows, I might need a batch of imperial cream ale sometime too. This 65F southern california winter is killing me. after a few pints of an 11% cream ale, it wont bother me

 

[z-bob]

Has anyone tried this? I hate to drag up an old thread but am very intrigued by this, but would love some constructive criticism from some one who has tried it. Seems to me like it might be a bit boozy.

"Imperial Cream Ale" is just a fancy name for malt liquor. Not that there's anything wrong with malt liquor. I have brewed cream ales at about 6% ABV, I haven't dialed one up to 8% yet...

 

[madscientist451]

For 5 gallons (19 L)
9.75 lb (4.42 kg) | 2-Row Brewers Malt
1.25 lb (0.57 kg) | Flaked Maize
0.6 lb (0.27 kg) | Briess Cara-Pils Malt
1.25 lb (0.57 kg) | Corn Sugar (Add at boil and boil for 90 min.)

Use a step mash with time +15-minute steps starting at 121°F (49°C) for 30 minutes, 145°F (63°C) for 45 minutes, and 158°F (70°C) for 60 minutes.
Mash out at 168°F (76°C) and sparge with 166°F (74°C).

Thanks for putting the recipe in, I think I;m going to try it.
Is that your recipe or from NB?
Also, if flaked maize (corn) is used, is the step mash necessary?
I've never used flaked corn, but I've read that it provides a different flavor than using corn sugar.
I'll probably increase the flaked corn and decrease the corn sugar.

 

[z-bob]

Thanks for putting the recipe in, I think I;m going to try it.
Is that your recipe or from NB?
Also, if flaked maize (corn) is used, is the step mash necessary?
I've never used flaked corn, but I've read that it provides a different flavor than using corn sugar.
I'll probably increase the flaked corn and decrease the corn sugar.

Here's NB's recipe: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2...uilder-1526773540762.pdf?13297997039463234811 I thought the hops schedule looked different.

I've brewed with grits before (just last week) and it does give a different flavor and aroma than sugar. Flaked corn probably does too, and you don't have to cook those. Corn flakes breakfast cereal works too...

 

[dzlater]

I brewed this
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/bosmos-imperial-cream-ale/
Turned out well.

 

[NGD]

hahaha... yep... I cringed at first, but who knows, I might need a batch of imperial cream ale sometime too. This 65F southern california winter is killing me. after a few pints of an 11% cream ale, it wont bother me

Local brewery near me recently had a 13% imperial cream ale on tap. It was interesting and scary smooth. It did not taste like 13%.

 

[z-bob]

I brewed this
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/bosmos-imperial-cream-ale/
Turned out well.

That looks almost exactly like a recipe I was toying with last night; except I used Crystal 10L malt instead of Carapils, and white table sugar (beet or cane) instead of corn sugar.