Third Brewing - Need Opinions

[Maverick1965]

Greetings all,

Im looking forward to my third brewing. Ive been reading and contemplating, biting my nails, sweating it out, and at the end of the day, I cracked a bottle of my second batch of Irish Red and realized I am limited to what resources I have, and that is that its a warmer time of year in New England, and I dont have a spare fridge to do a cold fermentation for a lager.

Ive been strongly considering an American Pale Ale because of my fermentation temp restrictions but wonder if that will be any lighter than the Irish Red Im drinking now. Does anyone know of a "lagerish", perhaps Harp type of recipe recommendation that I can incorporate with my temp constraints? Am I better off just sticking to the APA or even an Extra Pale Ale at this stage of my inexperience? I think I can handle expanding the recipe or methodology from the Red Ales Ive already brewed, in fact I look forward to it. But, there is that warmer temp fermentation restriction til I can get a hold of a secondary fridge.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

Look up recipes for a "cream ale" It is a light, somewhat lager-ish brew that is great for summertime.

 

[billl]

If you want something lager-ish, the a pale ale would be good. Many wheat beers can be done at warmer temps as can many belgian styles. Just do a little research before you pick a yeast. Some yeast strains start throwing off some funky flavors when you start ramping into the 70's.

As for recipes, look at the final gravity. Generally speaking, the lower the FG, the crisper and lighter the beer will feel. Your red likely has a fair amount of unfermentable carbs that make it feel a bit heavier. If you look at the recipe and it has a lot of amber malt or more than 1lb of caramel malt for steeping, it probably won't be as summery as you are looking for.

 

[Maverick1965]

Thanks for the quick response DrummerBoySeth! Im ordering now! It seems spot on for what I want.

Bill, Im going to check on that. Im so new to this but you guys are a tremendous help and I appreciate it. The hydrometer is still a puzzle to me, so I need to get a handle on it. I definitely used 6lbs of malt, its the recipe from NorthernBrewers for Irish Red.

Another question. Is it a common practice to break away from the recipe "kits" and start accumalating ingredients or wiser to just order on an "as needed" basis? I guess the question is whether there is shelf life considerations for things like hops, etc if you buy them in a bulk quantity.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

Thanks for the quick response DrummerBoySeth! Im ordering now! It seems spot on for what I want.

Bill, Im going to check on that. Im so new to this but you guys are a tremendous help and I appreciate it. The hydrometer is still a puzzle to me, so I need to get a handle on it. I definitely used 6lbs of malt, its the recipe from NorthernBrewers for Irish Red.

Another question. Is it a common practice to break away from the recipe "kits" and start accumalating ingredients or wiser to just order on an "as needed" basis? I guess the question is whether there is shelf life considerations for things like hops, etc if you buy them in a bulk quantity.

Yes, it is quite common. I bet most homebrewers have a small supply of hops and malt extract laying around. Some of the more advanced AG brewers probably keep some bulk grain handy. It is good to have a little malt and hops available when you want to modify a kit recipe, or when for some reason there is an ingredient missing from your kit (it happens, believe me!)

As for shelf life, DME will last quite a long time, maybe as much as a year. LME has a shorter shelf life, but will last a few months if kept in the fridge. Hops should be kept refrigerated and sealed away from air (ziplock bag) but can last a few months also.

 

[Maverick1965]

Ok, thanks.

Im keeping a journal of my brewing days, when I bottle, etc. I can see how as time goes on how I will become more familiar with the things I am particular to and will likely start gathering those ingredients so I can brew when I want or as you mentioned, modify a recipe at any point.

There is so much to learn here huh? Well, first thing I need to do is get an understanding of the hydrometer. I read somehere else here that the temp at reading time is key and I didnt have that in mind when I did my readings. Grrr.

As Bill mentioned, I think I also need to understand yeast and how it affects flavors. I am not sure my palate is refined enough to notice any of those hinted flavors but hell, I'll take one for the team and sample as much as I can. I actually have a small brewery nearby so I am going to go over there during the weekend and see if I can hook up with the brewmeister there. Worst case scenario I end up with a good burger and the beer sampler!

I ordered the Cream Ale Extract kit from Northern and will keep you posted on the progress.

Thanks gentlemen and have a great weekend!

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

Yes, temperature does affect hydrometer readings. There are correction factors for temperature that can be found online or in brewing reference books. If you do not have a copy, I strongly recommend getting "How to Brew" by John Palmer. There is a WEALTH of information in that book about every aspect of brewing, including such confusing topics as hydrometer temperature correction factors.

That being said, I must admit that I do not "correct" my hydrometer readings for temperature. I simply test all my samples at room temperature. Since my house is air-conditioned or heated to roughly 70 degrees year round, I make sure that my samples are at room temperature before testing them. The key is CONSISTENT temperature for all your readings. If you test gravity when you pitch the yeast, and the wort is 75 or 80 degrees, then check final gravity at room temp (70-ish) then there will be a discrepancy. As long as the before and after readings are at room temperature, I don't bother with the corrections... Some brewers may disagree with me (go ahead and yell, I can take it ) but it works for me!