Just When I Thought I Was Out, They Pull me Back In

[Clint Yeastwood]

I have been flooding the forum since I got the bug again. Now I am getting around to buying ingredients and a few other things. I have a used Braumeister coming Saturday, and I am going to try to get the grain and fermenter from an LHBS. It's 75 miles away, so I guess it's semi-local. SLHBS.

I was going to do a wheat beer with Amarillo, but because I am not set up for fermentation yet, I chose to do an ale I ferment at room temperature. I am planning to put it in the garage. It can't freeze here, and it is not likely to get warm for more than a few hours.

Comments welcome.

Here are the ingredients:

9# Maris Otter
2# 10L crystal
4oz. sugar
1.25 oz. Columbus 60 min.
1.00 oz. Crystal 15 min.
1.00 oz. Crystal 10 min.
WLP500 starter
1 tsp. Irish moss

The plan is to pop this stuff in the Braumeister, move to a bucket, throw the bucket in the pool to chill, take it out, pitch, move it to the garage, and wait. I plan to use a loose lid with no airlock. Then I'll be moving it to a Megamouth Torpedo Keg in my spare fridge.

I'm ordering the keg and related items so they'll be here before the fermentation is over. I still have tanks and a regulator. I'm picking up some Star-San.

I still have my old stir plate, and I am getting a new flask and bar. I found my hydrometer, so I will pick up a cylinder or maybe a refractometer. I found my old thermometer, and I also have a Thermapen.

What have I forgotten?

 

[DBhomebrew]

18% crystal, 2% sugar? What sort of ale are you making?

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I have never used anyone else's recipes or brewed to a precise style. I created my own recipes based on whims. I don't know what you would call this stuff, but I really enjoyed it. I like a lot of crystal malt.

My last try at this one was in September of '06, and my notes say this:

I cut the crystal malt down to 1 lb., and then I needed something to jack up the SG, so I added a fourth of a cup of table sugar. Then I changed my mind and added the crystal malt back in, and I mashed for an extra hour with a tablespoon of amylase added.

Beersmith says it went from 1.057 to 1.010.

People told me it would give me a headache because I fermented it at 75 degrees. Maybe it did! I don't remember.

I just noticed the bill is not consistent with my notes. The notes say 1 pound of crystal, and Beersmith says 2. Oh, well. I'll brew it and see what I get.

 

[Airborneguy]

Edit: disregard. I read it wrong.

 

[Sammy86]

Here are the ingredients:

9# Maris Otter
2# 10L crystal
4oz. sugar
1.25 oz. Columbus 60 min.
1.00 oz. Crystal 15 min.
1.00 oz. Crystal 10 min.
WLP500 starter
1 tsp. Irish moss

This thing is going to be sweet! 2 lb of crystal malt is going to be too much at least IMO and I would highly reccomend at least trying to control fermentation as best you can…fusel alcohols are no joke when it comes to headaches and hangovers. Simple wet t-shirt/towel wrapped FV will at least help control something!

Also, just a note most Wheat Beers are ales not lagers.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

When you say wheat beers are not lagers, I am guessing you mean they don't have to be fermented cold. I did know that, but this is the only beer I've made at room temperature.

We will be having cool nights (by our standards) in January, so I would guess the temperature of the fermenting wort will be in the 60's. I suppose there will be some little swings. I hope that won't be a problem. I assume it won't be, because beer is ancient, and people haven't always had temperature controllers.

As to the sweetness, I am going to stick with my ancient notes and see what happens. They are the only guide I have. I like to balance IBU's with sweetness. I find a lot of factory beers too dry. SNPA, for example.

I also cook, and what I have learned is that you don't try anything new when you're not sure of a recipe. You stick to it, because if you start changing variables early, you have no idea what you had to begin with, and you can't steer a course. The only reason I'm fermenting this in the garage instead of the house is that I will be using a loose lid, which I have never done before, and I don't know if anything will make its way out of the bucket.

I guess if this beer gave me headaches in the past, they must not have been very bad. I made it least 5 times, according to Beersmith. I don't drink that much, though. A three-pint day is a major event.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Try to mitigate the temp swings. A little cool, a little warm, oh well. But do try to keep the swings down.

Isn't it in your old notes that you used 1# crystal? That'd be 10% crystal which is on the high end, but still in the typical range. 18% (2#) on the other hand, that's a lot of crystal.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

The notes say I took one pound out and then put it back. I assume it's right. I didn't generally drink while using Beersmith.

We'll see what happens.

I picked up grain for a wheat beer today, so if this one is a problem, it won't be long before I have something to console myself with. Then I'll just correct the ale recipe.

 

[bracconiere]

People told me it would give me a headache because I fermented it at 75 degrees. Maybe it did! I don't remember.

good one


and yeah @DBhomebrew i thought 2lbs crystal was a lot, but then noticed it's only 10L crystal, so more like a caramunich, caravienna or something? and decided looks like a simple drinkable brew i might do myself....


(except the indepth hop schedule...but that's just me being lazy/cheap, and personal preferance)

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I will reiterate, I really liked it.

My favorite store IPA is Flying Dog Snake Dog, if that is any clue to my tastes. Sadly, I can't find it anywhere.

 

[Sammy86]

When you say wheat beers are not lagers, I am guessing you mean they don't have to be fermented cold. I did know that, but this is the only beer I've made at room temperature.

Not exactly. Wheat beers as a style are traditionally fermented with ale yeast not lager yeast. So when I said wheat beers are ales I mean as a category of beer they are ales not lagers.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I am missing something. Is there a connection to the beer I'm making?

 

[bracconiere]

I am missing something. Is there a connection to the beer I'm making?

wait did i miss something? you wanted toast, but didn't want the butter to melt....

I was going to do a wheat beer with Amarillo, but because I am not set up for fermentation yet, I chose to do an ale

Also, just a note most Wheat Beers are ales not lagers.

^^^^

he was just pointing out you CAN use wheat/butter and being a saturated fat it won't melt at room temps your talking about, i think?

but to tell the truth, you could toss out the 4 oz table sugar and use 1/4lb choclate wheat and still technically call it a hefeweizen, if your not a purist to style!

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Now I get it. I said "ale" instead of "barley ale."

 

[bracconiere]

Now I get it. I said "ale" instead of "barley ale."

no you said wheat beer, but decided against it because you don't have temp control? and i've had a hanker for some clint 'yeastwood' movies recently, so don't dissapoint and report back with results and a couple pics it in a glass!


i still think it's like a 9lb/2lb 10L munich thingy, probably be good

 

[Somesaymybeerisdrinkable]

I say brew it. Might turn out good or just okay, either way you get beer you made.

Personally I would not trust beer preference from 2006 me.

 

[Komodo]

Personally I would not trust beer preference from 2006 me.

I recently found a notebook with my very first 3-4 brews (30 years ago?). There were very detailed notes on what I did, and it was completely horrifying to read.

 

[beren]

I recently found a notebook with my very first 3-4 brews (30 years ago?). There were very detailed notes on what I did, and it was completely horrifying to read.

Don’t feel bad I’ve only been brewing a year and smh at things I forget. Whirlfloc, fermcap-s, once the spices for an allagash clone.