I hit the LHBS today and picked up ingredients for my second-ever homebrew! I did some looking around and stumbled upon Cheesefood's Caramel Cream Ale recipe, and decided to give it a shot! I didn't take as many photos this time around, since we all know what homebrewing looks like. But I do have a couple photos for you.
1lb of cracked/steeped Caramel 60L grain. I forgot to mill it at the store, so I just used a large zip-lock bag and a rolling pin to crack the grain.
Malt extracts (3lbs each extra-light DME and Bavarain Wheat DME):
Lactose for sweetness/body:
Hops!
Irish Moss:
German Ale yeast:
What I enjoyed whilst brewing!
So, the basic process was this:
Before pitching the yeast, I had a slight panic attack when I took my OG reading. It was insanely low, at 1.022! But others told me that I just needed to stir the wort with the top-off water more thoroughly, and then my OG read much better, at around 1.052.
The additional DME will be instead of corn sugar for priming the bottles. After 1 week in primary, I'll rack to secondary for 2 weeks. When I'm going to bottle, I'll add additional lactose, vanilla, and DME. Then the bottles sit for 3 weeks to condition.
I wonder if I'll even make it that long before I crack a bottle! It sounds delicious. Anyway, I'll post updates as I go along. This was definitely a little more involved than my first brew, but I'm enjoying it! I'm interested to find out what effect the lactose will have on my brew.
On a side note, the Central Waters Peruvian Morning was quite delicious! It's a bourbon-barrel-aged stout. You definitely notice the bourbon aroma and flavor, but it's not overwhelming. It has a nice, smooth (almost creamy) mouthfeel, and medium-to-full body. It's tasty, but it's seasonal and a little pricey at $10 per 4-pack. Definitely worth checking out, but more than I'd normally pay for everyday beer.
1lb of cracked/steeped Caramel 60L grain. I forgot to mill it at the store, so I just used a large zip-lock bag and a rolling pin to crack the grain.
Malt extracts (3lbs each extra-light DME and Bavarain Wheat DME):
Lactose for sweetness/body:
Hops!
Irish Moss:
German Ale yeast:
What I enjoyed whilst brewing!
So, the basic process was this:
- Steep grains at around 160°F for 40 minutes.
- Add all 6 lbs of DME.
- Add Cascade hops and boil for 60 min.
- Add Saaz hops @ 40 minute mark of the boil (add to boil for 20 minutes)
- Add 4oz of lactose at 45 minute mark (add to boil for 15 minutes)
- Add 1 tsp of Irish Moss at the 50 minute mark (add to boil for 10 minutes)
- Add Tettnang hops at flameout.
- Cool to room temperature, add 2oz of pure vanilla extract. Aerate (shake) the wort, and pitch the yeast.
Before pitching the yeast, I had a slight panic attack when I took my OG reading. It was insanely low, at 1.022! But others told me that I just needed to stir the wort with the top-off water more thoroughly, and then my OG read much better, at around 1.052.
The additional DME will be instead of corn sugar for priming the bottles. After 1 week in primary, I'll rack to secondary for 2 weeks. When I'm going to bottle, I'll add additional lactose, vanilla, and DME. Then the bottles sit for 3 weeks to condition.
I wonder if I'll even make it that long before I crack a bottle! It sounds delicious. Anyway, I'll post updates as I go along. This was definitely a little more involved than my first brew, but I'm enjoying it! I'm interested to find out what effect the lactose will have on my brew.
On a side note, the Central Waters Peruvian Morning was quite delicious! It's a bourbon-barrel-aged stout. You definitely notice the bourbon aroma and flavor, but it's not overwhelming. It has a nice, smooth (almost creamy) mouthfeel, and medium-to-full body. It's tasty, but it's seasonal and a little pricey at $10 per 4-pack. Definitely worth checking out, but more than I'd normally pay for everyday beer.