Blonde Ale Miller Lite (Really Triple Hopped)

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skitter said:
Bottled this Sunday, I think next time I'll be dry-hopping with half as much, that was an almost overpoweringly strong smell of cascade. The sample I tried tasted like grass clippings >< I'm hoping the 3 weeks helps mellow it out. The Cascade I got was 7.1%AA so I ended up with .25oz for first addition, .25 for second, and .5 for dry hop for a 2.5g batch. I did 1lb 2 row, 1lb 6 row, and 1lb corn. Once this is done conditioning I'll see if it needs any changes for my palate, I am going to try Beirmunchers Cream of Three crops next and compare the two to find out which will be my go-to beer. The fact this is super cheap helps out a lot :D
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How long did you dry hop?
 
Well, think time will make it better. I don't ever recall a grassy taste in any that I have made. That said dry hop taste profiles diminish with time. The only taste that have not liked was the very parched dryness that comes from using AE. This does disappears with a week or so.

I hope this is what your tasting, others have made similar comments only to retract it after its aged.

Remember light beers are the hardest to make. Any taste flaws jump out on beers with very slight hop or malt profiles.

Just give it time... cheers
 
I plan on it, this one was my first AG batch. I did BIAB with a fine crush, and I mashed I think a little high at 150 for an hour, my SS pot was wrapped in a blanket and my jacket over that to keep it at temp, I didn't get any temperature loss during that hour. Now I just need to fine tune my starting temp so that I'm closer to 148, now that I know I can hold temp.

I won't pass judgment on this until it has had a chance to age, I have a 22oz bottle that I have off to the side that I won't be opening for 6 weeks just to see what the difference is. I'll be holding off on the rest of it for at least 3 weeks, maybe more depending on the flavor of the beer. I also have a MO SMaSH that I will be bottling this weekend so I'll have a little pipeline going.
 
Taste tested tonight. 4 weeks to the day from bottling. 4 of the longest weeks in my life! This is my first all grain attempt and it turned out GREAT! I used the recipe in the original post with suggestions on bottling from posters . My wife says it's damn good. I agree. The glass, right out of the freezer, frosted and kinda hides the beer, but I think you get the idea.

Mellow cascade aroma hits you first, then when tasting, the cascade is strong upfront but not bitter, overpowering or unpleasant, dissipates nicely with no after taste. Makes you want to reach for the glass.

Thanks everybody
p.s. the bottom of the glass is red

mlc2.JPG
 
krk said:
Mellow cascade aroma hits you first, then when tasting, the cascade is strong upfront but not bitter, overpowering or unpleasant, dissipates nicely with no after taste. Makes you want to reach for the glass.
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THis^^

One thing I did enjoy is that it gave me the chance to taste exactly what Cascade was all about, this beer was overpowering in hops BUT not in bitterness. According to all the statements that should mellow out over the next few weeks, but it did give me a chance to tell cascade profile from just hops in general.
 
So, what you made was Miller Lite with a hop flavor profile. Or a truely light beer with some triple hop taste.

I made this recipe out of annoyance of the Miller Lite triple hopped beer commercials during March Madness a few years back.

It doesn't do justice to call it a Miller Lite clone, even done with German or Czech hops. The base recipe without the two other additions is spot on Miller Lite though.

What you have is a truly unique beer that is hard to find commercially. Hence why we brew beer.

Cheers!
 
I have made this beer with Sorachi Ace before. This hop if you have not had it before has a lemony taste. So it has the same citrusy-like flavor of cascade. I always think grapefruit when it comes to cascade.

During the spring and summer either one makes for great lawnmower beer.

I suppose any citrus style hop would be good. Citra, Centennial, and Amarillo...
 
I'm going to half the secondary addition dry hop next time and see how it affects the beer, using a Mr Beer fermenter so I don't want to open and remove the hops after a week without bottling, to worried about removing that CO2 layer
 
Schlenkerla said:
The base recipe without the two other additions is spot on Miller Lite though.

What you have is a truly unique beer that is hard to find commercially. Hence why we brew beer.

Cheers!
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I believe I picked the perfect recipe for my first all grain. The base recipe is a fine place to start for future attempts/experiments, like using some of the hops you suggested.

So many possibilities, so little time!
 
i'm looking to try this but perhaps only use:

pale malt - 70%
rice - 10%
corn - 20%

and a very minimal hop addition at 60 - galena.

for a 70%ish efficiency, should i aim for about 1.030 to get about 4.2-4.8 abv?

does the enzyme completely obliterate the hop addition? i don't want it to be too noticeable anyway as it's a kind of corona, miller, bud lite clone.
 
themox said:
i'm looking to try this but perhaps only use:

pale malt - 70%
rice - 10%
corn - 20%

and a very minimal hop addition at 60 - galena.

for a 70%ish efficiency, should i aim for about 1.030 to get about 4.2-4.8 abv?

does the enzyme completely obliterate the hop addition? i don't want it to be too noticeable anyway as it's a kind of corona, miller, bud lite clone.
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No the enzyme helps the yeast eat up more sugar. It further converts leftover starches into sugar, thus providing more food for the yeast which in turn makes more alcohol.

Your final gravity should be zero.
 
I just made this yesterday. I substituted flaked rice for the corn. So it will be more like bud light. So I think, but with a hop flavor.
 
Schlenkerla said:
No the enzyme helps the yeast eat up more sugar. It further converts leftover starches into sugar, thus providing more food for the yeast which in turn makes more alcohol.

Your final gravity should be zero.
Click to expand...

thanks mate. i'm assuming you meant 1.000?

oh yeah i know that the enzyme does this but i see you mentioned it seems to remove the corn flavour, and wondered whether it might also strip away some of the hop characteristics too
 
themox said:
thanks mate. i'm assuming you meant 1.000?

oh yeah i know that the enzyme does this but i see you mentioned it seems to remove the corn flavour, and wondered whether it might also strip away some of the hop characteristics too
Click to expand...

No, it won't effect the hop flavor.

The corn flavor is removed due to the starch/sugar derived from the corn.

Your hops are not flush with starch or sugar. Basically, hops are not a fermentable.
 
2 cases gone! I will be making more of this beer very soon!

I took 12 bottles to a get-together and they disappeared immediately. Rave reviews by all!

This is how I chilled my Triple Hopped Miller Lite Clone last "Thirsty" Thursday. Living in Ohio in Feb. does have its benefits.

miller lite clone.JPG
 
krk said:
2 cases gone! I will be making more of this beer very soon!

I took 12 bottles to a get-together and they disappeared immediately. Rave reviews by all!

This is how I chilled my Triple Hopped Miller Lite Clone last "Thirsty" Thursday. Living in Ohio in Feb. does have its benefits.
Click to expand...

This stuff doesn't last long, took two kegs to party. Lasted 45 minutes.
 
Has anyone seen this blog post by Braukaiser?

http://braukaiser.com/blog/blog/2013/02/02/kaipa2/

I wonder if this recipe could be done without commercial enzymes this way...

Cliff notes version of Braukaiser's post:
Pull a gallon-ish of wort from the mash tun after a 30 min rest at 140 F. Cool and pitch yeast while main batch continues.

Raise mash to 158 F, and complete brew as usual.

Pitch the gallon 'starter' into cooled wort from main batch.
 
IvanBrew said:
Has anyone seen this blog post by Braukaiser?

http://braukaiser.com/blog/blog/2013/02/02/kaipa2/

I wonder if this recipe could be done without commercial enzymes this way...
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Yes - You can do several things to potentially not need 2ndary enzymes.

  1. Use a very high attenuating yeast. Like S-05
  2. Employ a low temp mash. Like 147F
  3. Use an enzyme rich base malt. Like 6-Row which is commonly used with adjuncts; rice, and corn
  4. Mash Longer than 60, like 90 or 120 minutes.
  5. Step mash until 95-100% conversion. Validate with iodine starch conversion testing.

This recipes has you do 4 of the 5 things I mention. The 5th is very doable too. Even with doing these things you might not get 100% starch conversion in the mash. So the enzyme does the rest later. People have also put AE in the primary too, with a lesser risk of spoilage with adding a enzymatic rich extract (unboiled, unhopped wort)

While it might work, it doesn't seem as easy to me to do a late AE addition. AE is readily available and pretty much a sure thing when added. The spoilage factor is low since its fermented already, has alcohol and some hops. This is same reason I don't do a gyle or Krausening for carbonating beer out of convenience sake. This is where you retain a very specific volume of unfermented wort, which is based on the original gravity, before pitching the yeast, then pitch it for carbonation purposes.

Interesting read though. One point worth mentioning is he wants no more than 95% conversion from the way I read it, whereas I want 100%. Another is the style; he is talking IIPA and we are talking a light hybrid ale (pseudo-light lager). The AE more or less removes the need to lager. Pretty much the whole purpose of why I thought this recipe is cool.
 
Thinking about brewing the extract version on the beer, but I have a few noob questions.

The hops and the amount of hops used differs in the extract version. I think I rather use the citrusy cascade so will I need to use 2.6 oz as stated in the all grain version, or 1.5 oz as per the extract version? Could I use sorachi ace instead of cascade?

My other question is about the rice syrup. They don't sell a powered form here in the UK, not that I've seen from a quick internet search anyway. I'm assuming a bottle syrup like this will be fine? - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Biona...=UK_HealthBeauty_Other_RL&hash=item1c3c4d2cfc


Thanks
 
Great taste. Ended up doing Citra for all hop additions. Over shot efficiency so she at about 5% and dry hopped with whole cone cascade.

Pleasant Valley Hops inc.
Carroll Brewing Company
Frederick Md

1393853478775.jpg
 
I brewed this;
2# 2 row
2# 6 row
1# flaked rice
.75# flaked maize
.75 Liberty@60
.75 Liberty @ 0
.5 Liberty Dry Hop
1/2 tab Whirlfloc @ 10 min
Water salts and 3 ml Lactic acid to 5.3ph mash

Mashed @ 148 for 90 min, (still not fully converted) direct heat to 152° for 30 (full conversion)
90 min boil
OG 1.031

Very interested in the results. Will check back in a couple weeks.
 
Today I'm at 1.002
Tastes pretty thin and still tastes corny.
I added 1/2 tsp. amylase and dry hop to the primary fermentor. I pulled it from it's swamp cooler @ 63° and put it at about 66° and gave it a good swirl. I'll check it in a couple of days, but I really think it'd have got down to 1.000 without any enzyme.
 
bullinachinashop said:
Today I'm at 1.002
Tastes pretty thin and still tastes corny.
I added 1/2 tsp. amylase and dry hop to the primary fermentor. I pulled it from it's swamp cooler @ 63° and put it at about 66° and gave it a good swirl. I'll check it in a couple of days, but I really think it'd have got down to 1.000 without any enzyme.
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It will be thin in mouth feel, its light and uncarbonated. I think the AE and time will knock out the corny taste. I noticed that on all of my my versions of this beer.

The enzyme might not have been necessary if you got down to 1.002. I have always used it and had great results. Maybe you mashed really well.
 
Anyone else have a small but distinct yeast flavor? The beer is good and my bottles have been sitting awhile and do not have a ton of yeast at the bottom and is super clear but I definitely taste some yeast even with careful pours. I would definitely make this again if I can avoid this flavor so I am hoping it is something I did.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Home Brew mobile app
 
All cascade. It is definitely yeast that I am tasting.

Sent from my HTCONE using Home Brew mobile app
 
Used 05 never had this issue before but also never made anything this light. It's been in the bottle for six weeks or so. My brother loves it, I like it. I am not tasting esters but rather actual yeast flavor. Also the actual beer has been in the fridge over a week maybe two and pours super clear.

Sent from my HTCONE using Home Brew mobile app
 
Without reading the entire thread, has anyone added anything to this post ferment to add additional flavors to this? (spice/fruit)

I'll keg mine on Wednesday after 2 full weeks in the fermentor. It's very clean and light and it'll be nice to see how it is carbed up.
 
bullinachinashop said:
Without reading the entire thread, has anyone added anything to this post ferment to add additional flavors to this? (spice/fruit)

I'll keg mine on Wednesday after 2 full weeks in the fermentor. It's very clean and light and it'll be nice to see how it is carbed up.
Click to expand...

I don't think anybody has tried making this with fruit or a spice. I could see lime peel either at flame out or dry hopping. Don't know how much to suggest.
 
Schlenkerla

What ended up as your favorite hop with this brew?
I used Liberty in the 1st batch and may try something else.

I'm planning a 20 gallon batch of this because I have such a nice yeast starter from the last batch. :D

I'm gonna modify it a bit but just some minor tweaks that are as follows.

2.5- 2 row or Pilsen malt (for just a hint of sweetness)
2.5- 6 row
1- Rice
.5- Corn

The amylase I added to the last batch took away the corn flavor but didn't really drop the gravity. The yeast alone took it to 1.002 and after a week with the enzyme it finished @ 1.001.
I'll see how this batch finishes, but I may leave out the enzyme if it finishes low and without corn flavor.
 
bullinachinashop said:
Schlenkerla

What ended up as your favorite hop with this brew?
I used Liberty in the 1st batch and may try something else.

I'm planning a 20 gallon batch of this because I have such a nice yeast starter from the last batch. :D

I'm gonna modify it a bit but just some minor tweaks that are as follows.

2.5- 2 row or Pilsen malt (for just a hint of sweetness)
2.5- 6 row
1- Rice
.5- Corn

The amylase I added to the last batch took away the corn flavor but didn't really drop the gravity. The yeast alone took it to 1.002 and after a week with the enzyme it finished @ 1.001.
I'll see how this batch finishes, but I may leave out the enzyme if it finishes low and without corn flavor.
Click to expand...

Actually - Sorachi Ace has been my favorite. It has that lemon citrus taste. After that I'd say the , perle, saaz or hallertauer. Any czech or german style. I like cascade but I really like it more in the traditional pale ale or amber.
 
this beer was the inspiration for my corona rip off and holy **** balls, it is just like drinking the same thing.

my recipe was:

85% 2 row
15% instant polenta (or flaked maize)
galena at 60 mins to 17ibu
1.030 - 1.000
us-05 at 60f with amylase enzyme added with yeast at primary
bottled carbonated to about 2.8

dunk a lemon or lime slice in and you can't tell the difference. amazing!!!!

thanks for the inspiration mate.

slowpoke (1).jpg
 

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