AHA homebrewer of the year

[Steveruch]

He did it with an extract batch.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Zymurgy, Sept 2021, p 33 (Homebrewer of the Year announcement) and p 44 (recipe: 1B American Lager, SRM 4).

DME (with late addition), rice solids, dry yeast (made a starter for a lager), soft muni water with added CaCl, ...

 

[hout17]

This is why the snobbery must stop. If you are a good brewer, you are a good brewer.

If you make crappy beer you'll probably make crappy beer whether it's with extract or grain.

Good ingredients are good ingredients and make good beer whether from extract or grain.

Kudos to him for this honor!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Some anecdotal reports from brewers on sources for fresh LME in a different forum (Topic: You can brew award-winning beer with extracts).

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

This is why the snobbery must stop.

Over the next decade (or so), there will be people who continue to accept that the hobby has "levels" that need to be "advanced".

That's OK.

There is a secret level, above brewing with all grain, called

 

[dmtaylor]

<--- Proud snob.

That's not to say you can't make great beer with extract. And here's how I would do it:

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

... a gold medal at the 2021 National Homebrew Competition for the American Porter [...] using

Zymurgy | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 | 9​

 

[abweatherley]

How do you Make a starter with dry yeast?

 

[dmtaylor]

How do you Make a starter with dry yeast?

Most people don't. It's one of the big advantages of dry yeast -- that you don't need to make starters.

 

[abweatherley]

Most people don't. It's one of the big advantages of dry yeast -- that you don't need to make starters.

Right I knew that, So how would you create a starter with dry yeast?

 

[hout17]

Right I knew that, So how would you create a starter with dry yeast?

Here's a good post from @BrewnWKopperKat
Referencing a good PDF.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...ng-splitting-up-dry-yeast.688249/post-9033491

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Right I knew that, So how would you create a starter with dry yeast?

What is your goal with the starter?

With a "vitality" starter with liquid yeast, the primary goal is to 1) ensure the yeast is alive and 2) to provide a friendly environment for the yeast to build up reserves and cell structure. It is not so much about building up yeast cell counts. Based on my limited understanding of how dry yeast is made, it is already in a state similar to a liquid yeast after a vitality starter. So this type of a starter should not have a massive benefit for dry yeast, though I am sure it would reduce lag time.

If you are looking to build up cell counts, then a typical process like a 2L starter on a stir plate that is fermented, crashed, and the spent wort decanted should work fine with dry yeast. In theory dry yeast is cheap enough that spending $4 for a second pack is easier, but more and more I see dry yeast selling in the $8 per pack range.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I suspect that this ...

... from the recipe in #1 (above) is the motivation for making a starter.

 

[eric19312]

Wow thanks for sharing. Amazing story.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

... from the recipe in #1 (above) is the motivation for making a starter.

If the AHA Homebrewer of the Year is making starters with dry yeast, it cannot be too bad of advice!

Personally, I have made a whopping 2 real lagers in my brewing years. Both times I added 1 pack of dry yeast to a 2.5 gallon batch. The general recommended pitch rate for a cold fermented lager is 2x that for a warm fermented ale. I would be fine with pitching 2 packs of W-34/70 into the published recipe (5 gallons of 1.040 OG wort), but making a 3L starter seems to work fine as well.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Here's a good post from @BrewnWKopperKat referencing a good PDF.

Lallemand has a Brewing Best Practices section (link) on their site.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Aside: this reply is inspired by @CascadesBrewer 's reply in #15.

There are a number of things in this recipe that are different than a "typical" extract based recipe:

• starter using 34/70 (mentioned above)
• 60 min boil with first hop addition "@ 45"
• four additional items for clarity & yeast health
• soft (low mineral content) municipal water with additional CaCl
• a detailed fermentation and packaging plan

 

[eric19312]

• a detailed fermentation and packaging plan

I don't see that in the posted pics...what was the plan?

Also what is the meaning of 70% efficiency in an extract beer? That can't be right...

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

• a detailed fermentation and packaging plan

I don't see that in the posted pics...what was the plan?

In the magazine, there's an additional column of information on the right side.

Also what is the meaning of 70% efficiency in an extract beer? That can't be right...

It could be based on OG/FG: (44 - 14) / 44.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Also, if you are an AHA member (this one is a member exclusive) the recipe is here: Canoe-Chuck Lager

There are a number of things in this recipe that are different than a "typical" extract based recipe:

Something else that might be a little different than one would expect from an award winning lager...the beer was bottle conditioned. The recipe also calls for adding half of the extract at the start of the boil, even though the instructions call for a full volume boil.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

The recipe also calls for adding half of the extract at the start of the boil, even though the instructions call for a full volume boil.

A full volume 60 minute boil with half the DME at the end of the boil would reduce the color some (maybe ? 0.5 SRM ?). In the SRM 3-4 range, a 0.5 SRM reduction would be noticeable.

There was a topic earlier this morning ("Diluting wort post boil") in another forum that linked to an experiment on concentrated boils of DME. The experiment was a 1 gal batch with (if I did the math right) a boil of rate of almost 2.5-ish quarts per hour. The associated pictures strongly suggest that concentrated boils will noticeable darken the wort.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Regarding extract brewing, Annie Johnson is a big proponent of using extract.

Of course all of you know who Annie Johnson is.

We have not used extract (LME / DME) for over 3 decades.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Looks like she is currently writing articles over at Craft Beer and Brewing.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Looks like she is currently writing articles over at Craft Beer and Brewing.

Correct. Most of her recipes are extract based. At least at Craft Beer & Brewing.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

She has also presented 4 times at Homebrew Con on a range of topics (other than extract).

 

[Steveruch]

Annie won homebrewer of the year in 2013 with a simple non extract beer which was the inspiration for my Last Call piece in the September 2014 BYO.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Regarding extract brewing, Annie Johnson is a big proponent of using extract.

I have noticed that. I see to recall her being a big proponent of decoction mashing and traditional lagering for making "good" Pilsners. It struck me as odd to see her now advocating for extract based Pilsners.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

I have noticed that. I see to recall her being a big proponent of decoction mashing and traditional lagering for making "good" Pilsners. It struck me as odd to see her now advocating for extract based Pilsners.

Yes, me too. Wonder what made her take a deep dive into extract?

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Maybe fresh "extract" is just another ingredient

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Annie won homebrewer of the year in 2013 with a simple non extract beer which was the inspiration for my Last Call piece in the September 2014 BYO.

Also in Homebrew All-Stars (book).