GrittyGrizzler
Member
I recently tried to brew the Zombie Dust clone refined by SkeezerPleezer et al. on this thread.
LHBS didn't have the required Grain for the specified grist, so I made the following subs: subbed Victory for Melanoidin, subbed Carapils for Carafoam, and subbed 1.44 of MO in for some of the 2-row b/c they ran out. So the final recipe:
Single infusion, batch sparge @ 152 deg F
Anticipated OG: 1.068
8.06# 2-Row
2.57 # Munich
1.44 # Maris Otter
0.5 # Carapils
0.5 # Crystal 60
0.5# Victory
0.75 oz 13.6% Citra FWH
1.25 oz 13.6% Citra 15 min
1.25 oz 13.6% Citra 10 min
1.25 oz 13.6% Citra 5 min
1.25 oz 13.6% Citra 1 min
3.0 oz 13.6% Citra dry hop
Safale US-04 Dry Yeast
Fermentation took off faster than any beer I've ever made (never used the US-04 before) and the krausen dropped after 4 days. Added dry hops after 9 days and bottled after 16 total days in primary. A bit fast, yes.
OG was higher than expected (1.072) (extremely fine crush at LHBS upped my usual efficiency) and FG was 1.018 (a bit higher than anticipated).
I tasted one last night after 2 weeks in the bottle and here are my notes:
- Looks like apple cider in color and turbidity.
- Aroma is pineapple, mango, ripe tropical fruits, not much citrus
- Very smooth and "round" tasting, almost too much so.
- Malt flavors are mild and the main contribution is a mild sweetness
- A bit hot, alcohol definitely detectable
- Hop bite comes late and lingers on the back of the mouth with alcohol heat
- Carbonation a bit weak and coarse
So, my main question here is what would contribute to smoothness and "roundness" of flavor that I experienced with this beer? It's almost too smooth/round and it kind of tricks the palette into experiencing a sweetness almost. I usually use bottled spring water for brewing, but this time I used half spring water and half tap water that sat sat open for a week to allow the chlorine to be driven off (city water).
I forgot to add Irish Moss during the brew and this beer is by far the most turbid brew I've produced. I know it will continue to clear with time, but I wonder if the high amount of suspended material is contributing to the mouthfeel; enhancing the roundness/smoothness and obscuring the abrasive hop bite. It's also carbing a bit slower than usual for me, and I wonder if a finer carbonation will increase the perceived abrasiveness and enhance the mouthfeel.
Anyway, it tastes pretty good and I'm sure that it will taste even better in two more weeks, but I wanted to start thinking about recipe adjustments.
LHBS didn't have the required Grain for the specified grist, so I made the following subs: subbed Victory for Melanoidin, subbed Carapils for Carafoam, and subbed 1.44 of MO in for some of the 2-row b/c they ran out. So the final recipe:
Single infusion, batch sparge @ 152 deg F
Anticipated OG: 1.068
8.06# 2-Row
2.57 # Munich
1.44 # Maris Otter
0.5 # Carapils
0.5 # Crystal 60
0.5# Victory
0.75 oz 13.6% Citra FWH
1.25 oz 13.6% Citra 15 min
1.25 oz 13.6% Citra 10 min
1.25 oz 13.6% Citra 5 min
1.25 oz 13.6% Citra 1 min
3.0 oz 13.6% Citra dry hop
Safale US-04 Dry Yeast
Fermentation took off faster than any beer I've ever made (never used the US-04 before) and the krausen dropped after 4 days. Added dry hops after 9 days and bottled after 16 total days in primary. A bit fast, yes.
OG was higher than expected (1.072) (extremely fine crush at LHBS upped my usual efficiency) and FG was 1.018 (a bit higher than anticipated).
I tasted one last night after 2 weeks in the bottle and here are my notes:
- Looks like apple cider in color and turbidity.
- Aroma is pineapple, mango, ripe tropical fruits, not much citrus
- Very smooth and "round" tasting, almost too much so.
- Malt flavors are mild and the main contribution is a mild sweetness
- A bit hot, alcohol definitely detectable
- Hop bite comes late and lingers on the back of the mouth with alcohol heat
- Carbonation a bit weak and coarse
So, my main question here is what would contribute to smoothness and "roundness" of flavor that I experienced with this beer? It's almost too smooth/round and it kind of tricks the palette into experiencing a sweetness almost. I usually use bottled spring water for brewing, but this time I used half spring water and half tap water that sat sat open for a week to allow the chlorine to be driven off (city water).
I forgot to add Irish Moss during the brew and this beer is by far the most turbid brew I've produced. I know it will continue to clear with time, but I wonder if the high amount of suspended material is contributing to the mouthfeel; enhancing the roundness/smoothness and obscuring the abrasive hop bite. It's also carbing a bit slower than usual for me, and I wonder if a finer carbonation will increase the perceived abrasiveness and enhance the mouthfeel.
Anyway, it tastes pretty good and I'm sure that it will taste even better in two more weeks, but I wanted to start thinking about recipe adjustments.
