Bells Oberon Clone

[JonM]

I was pretty relaxed about it because I didn't have a brew on deck - I just wanted to see how bottle harvesting works. Anyway, with my kinda lazy approach, it took about 2 weeks to build up the dregs from 4 bottles of the 4.8% ABV Third Coast Beer to 1L. I'm sure I could have done it faster though.

On the bright side, I just washed the yeast and put it into some pint mason jars donors ready to go into a starter then I DO have time to brew.

 

[soup67]

I was pretty relaxed about it because I didn't have a brew on deck - I just wanted to see how bottle harvesting works. Anyway, with my kinda lazy approach, it took about 2 weeks to build up the dregs from 4 bottles of the 4.8% ABV Third Coast Beer to 1L. I'm sure I could have done it faster though.

On the bright side, I just washed the yeast and put it into some pint mason jars donors ready to go into a starter then I DO have time to brew.

Good call on the Third Coast and its lower ABV.

 

[HopRodGR]

I was pretty relaxed about it because I didn't have a brew on deck - I just wanted to see how bottle harvesting works. Anyway, with my kinda lazy approach, it took about 2 weeks to build up the dregs from 4 bottles of the 4.8% ABV Third Coast Beer to 1L. I'm sure I could have done it faster though.

On the bright side, I just washed the yeast and put it into some pint mason jars donors ready to go into a starter then I DO have time to brew.

I'll second that, I harvested from some Pale Ale and it took I think 4 steps and almost two weeks to get it up to where I had enough to pitch in a 1L flask.

I know it's been said in here before multiple times but add me to the list of believers that the Bell's yeast is the key to the fruity, orangey characteristic Oberon has. I'm bottling mine tonight and even uncarbed I'm very pleased how close I got based on the taste of the FG reading I drew out last night. I will be buying a sixer next week when the 2012 batch comes out to compare once mine is carbed. Not sure what others have experienced with this strain, but I got 82% attenuation based on fermenting at 69, which which pushed my ABV to 6.2%, which is a bit high. I'm pitching part of a starter I put together this week using washed yeast from that batch into a Hopslam-ish type IIPA I'm doing tomorrow, and hopefully the rest of the starter will be used in an AG Oberon version I'd like to try in the next month.

 

[HopRodGR]

I plan to brew Crypto's recipe this weekend, with WY1010-- it will be my first decoction mashed brew. I think I have a handle on the process, but I have a basic question about astringency. I guess I'm trying to figure out why boiling decocted mash does not result in the astringent flavors that sparging too hot can.

Do I need to monitor pH while boiling the decocted mash? Does its thickness take care of the pH issue?

Thanks.

I wondered the exact same thing when I started learning about decoctions and I thought this BYO article summed it up nicely.

http://www.byo.com/stories/wizard/a...you-boil-part-of-your-mash-during-a-decoction

In short, you are right, the thickness of the decocted mash keeps pH low and should make tannin extraction in most cases a non-issue. That isn't to say some tannins aren't extracted, but it seems as though this imparts a desired flavor to certain types of beers that use a decoction mash.

 

[JonM]

I wish I could remember where I saw this, but somewhere on HBT, someone posted an email he got from someone at Bell's who recommended fermenting at 72 when makin an Oberon with Bell's house yeast.

 

[HopRodGR]

I wish I could remember where I saw this, but somewhere on HBT, someone posted an email he got from someone at Bell's who recommended fermenting at 72 when makin an Oberon with Bell's house yeast.

I remember reading the same thing. AdamWiz who posted a recipe a few pages back also said to go 72-73, which makes sense considering the estery profile of the Bell's yeast, and the impact that has on the flavor of Oberon. I had good luck at 69-70 and I know Crypto's recipe calls for low-mid 60's, so I guess it's really up to the individual brewer to find the sweet spot that works for their system and recipe.

 

[soup67]

I wondered the exact same thing when I started learning about decoctions and I thought this BYO article summed it up nicely.

http://www.byo.com/stories/wizard/a...you-boil-part-of-your-mash-during-a-decoction

In short, you are right, the thickness of the decocted mash keeps pH low and should make tannin extraction in most cases a non-issue. That isn't to say some tannins aren't extracted, but it seems as though this imparts a desired flavor to certain types of beers that use a decoction mash.

Thanks for that. Spot on.

 

[soup67]

Any problem with including rice hulls in the decoction, or should I wait and stir them in to the mash with the decoction?

 

[ScottSingleton]

Any problem with including rice hulls in the decoction, or should I wait and stir them in to the mash with the decoction?

I put mine in when the decoction goes back into the mash. I didn't see a need to decoct hulls which would probably kill their ability to keep the grain bed a touch looser.

Is it a problem? Not sure as I've never done it. Don't know if anything bad gets extracted if you boil rice hulls.

 

[Sparty-On]

1

 

[Sparty-On]

How long did you hold the above batch in primary and secondary fermentation? I'm guessing there is a need to hold this a bit longer than usual. I'd love to give this a shot. Thanks.

 

[Sparty-On]

How long did you hold the above batch in primary and secondary fermentation? I'm guessing there is a need to hold this a bit longer than usual. I'd love to give this a shot. Thanks.

 

[HopRodGR]

How long did you hold the above batch in primary and secondary fermentation? I'm guessing there is a need to hold this a bit longer than usual. I'd love to give this a shot. Thanks.

Not sure who you are asking this to, but I believe this one was 12 days primary and another two weeks dry hopping before I bottled it. I primary all my beers for 12-14 days, then another week in secondary if no dry hop, and two weeks if there is. I'd just transfer to the secondary whenever you are confident primary fermentation is complete, but I'd advise a two week dry hop, especially if you aren't using Bell's ale yeast.

 

[samiley216]

Just did the batch myself using a very similar recipe. We used 5 total oz of Saaz (2 oz at bittering and three separate 1oz 45m, 15m, and finish) along a combo of Briess White Wheat and 10L and 3.3lbs of Briess Pilsen LME and 3.3 of Wheat LME. I used the Wyeast1010 at pitch. Orig gravity came out at 1.044... starting to get worried as this was lower than anticipated and a suggest of 1.051... thoughts?

 

[MMJfan]

Hello everyone. I'm a noob when it comes to homebrewing and so most of these Oberon recipes are over my head at this stage of my homebrewing expertise.

I just had a queston about some of the extract kits available from some homebrewing suppliers.

Has anyone tried the extract kit available at Adventures in Homebrewing? I actually just brewed a batch of this kit last weekend but I can't find any reviews on it at all.

Right now it is in the primary fermentation bucket where I plan on keeping it for for around 24 days. Talked to a guy from AIH and he said he didn't see a need to transfer it to a carboy for secondary because it is a wheat beer so I'm just going to leave it go in the bucket unless someone thinks this is a bad idea.

Also, I've been reading about dry hopping with cascade? Would this be something I should add to this batch? I figured I could dry hop after 10 days and let it go for another 14 days before bottling. Does this sound like it would work?

Thanks, Matt

 

[JSomps6]

Hello everyone. I'm a noob when it comes to homebrewing and so most of these Oberon recipes are over my head at this stage of my homebrewing expertise.

I just had a queston about some of the extract kits available from some homebrewing suppliers.

Has anyone tried the extract kit available at Adventures in Homebrewing? I actually just brewed a batch of this kit last weekend but I can't find any reviews on it at all.

Right now it is in the primary fermentation bucket where I plan on keeping it for for around 24 days. Talked to a guy from AIH and he said he didn't see a need to transfer it to a carboy for secondary because it is a wheat beer so I'm just going to leave it go in the bucket unless someone thinks this is a bad idea.

Also, I've been reading about dry hopping with cascade? Would this be something I should add to this batch? I figured I could dry hop after 10 days and let it go for another 14 days before bottling. Does this sound like it would work?

Thanks, Matt

He's right - really no need to use a secondary unless you plan on leaving it there a long time, or plan to dry hop. If you drop hop in the primary, you can actually coat the hops with yeast and you don't get as much from them... If you are going to dry hop, transfer after 2 weeks, but don't leave it on dry hops longer than one week. If you can, purge the secondary carboy with co2 before racking. Worst thing you can do is add oxygen to your beer at this point. Good Luck!

 

[MMJfan]

He's right - really no need to use a secondary unless you plan on leaving it there a long time, or plan to dry hop. If you drop hop in the primary, you can actually coat the hops with yeast and you don't get as much from them... If you are going to dry hop, transfer after 2 weeks, but don't leave it on dry hops longer than one week. If you can, purge the secondary carboy with co2 before racking. Worst thing you can do is add oxygen to your beer at this point. Good Luck!

This is the first I've heard of this. My recipe kits said nothing about purging my carboy with Co2 before transferring. I just used a siphon to transfer the beer from the primary fermenter to the carboy on my first homebrew (an IPA) prior to brewing this Oberon clone...

 

[AdamWiz]

Purging with CO2 is only if you happen to have kegging equipment, and you just give a little blast of gas into your carboy before you rack into it. But it doesn't sound like you're that far along yet. Don't worry, it's not necessary.

 

[HopRodGR]

While thinking about the extract clone I attempted back in late February, it dawned upon me that some adjustment is probably needed with the ratio of DME used for base malt. Since I believe the feedback from Bell's was the base was American 2-Row, about 40-45% wheat, and a bit of crystal, the initial thought would be to translate that to the ratio of Extra Light/Wheat DME or LME. This is what I did, along with about 1lb of a mix of Carapils, Munich and Melanoiden. It came out pretty dark, which I attribute in part to the use of the Melanoiden and DME, which also seems to come out darker than anticipated. Good beer, had the Oberon ester/fruitiness profile, but not close to a clone.

What dawned upon me today is that if you are using Briess DME, the Wheat is actually a 65/35 Wheat/Barley mix. Ultimately, I believe using a ratio of about 2:1 Wheat/Extra Light DME gets you closer to the base malt indicated by Bells. I would think adding some Carapils to steep and making at least half of the DME a late addition would get you to a good spot for an extract clone.

Anyone ever gone this route? I'd try it myself but I've moved on to AG brewing and don't anticipate making another extract batch like this.

 

[ziggityz]

I'm brewing an oberon extract "clone" this weekend. Here's my recipe:

8lb Austin Homebrew Wheat LME (40% wheat, 60% 2 row)
8 oz carapils

1 oz czech saaz (30 mins) pellet (3 AA)
1 oz czech saaz (15 mins) pellet (3 AA)

1 oz cascade leaf dry hop
.5 oz czech saaz leaf dry hop
dry hop in secondary for 14 days

wyeast 1010

OG 1.057
FG 1.014
11.4 IBU

I'm not going to an exact clone, just something that will get me close and tastes good.

I'll come back and post some results when I brew

 

[Jhoss]

fermented in primary at 63ºF for five days. Racked to secondary, added hops, bottled after two weeks.

QUOTE]

Just to clarify, are you saying here that the beer will spend 9 days in the secondary on the dry hops - or 2 weeks in the secondary on the dry hops?

Jhoss

PS - Major Ditto's on the Thank You's!

 

[Jhoss]

This I cultured up from two bottles of Bells Pale Ale. I used it on the Two Hearted Clone, Washed and ready to go. Next Up..Crypto's Oberon-decocted clone.

 

[ColumbusAmongus]

I tried a clone from harvesting their yeast from an oberon bottle. Mine fermented at 68F and I feel like it was too clean so I would second the thought to ferment a bit warmer.

 

[CrackShotHolmes]

This I cultured up from two bottles of Bells Pale Ale. I used it on the Two Hearted Clone, Washed and ready to go. Next Up..Crypto's Oberon-decocted clone.

You won't be disappointed, this recipe is top notch. We've drank 20 gallons of this so far in 2012.

 

[JonM]

Try fermenting it at 72. I hear that's the magic zone for the distinctive fruity esters.

 

[Lakeman]

I have this one going in my kegerator currently. I didn't do the decoction, fermented at room temp (70 degrees plus whatever heat the yeasties kicked up). It's two weeks since I took it off the dry-hops and the current fave in my lineup - great for hot weather. Mine turned out to have a little more hop in the nose than the original, but I'm assuming that will die down quickly, if it lasts that long. The ester levels are perfect.

Thanks very much for the recipe!

 

[Streeter]

Hello everyone. I'm a noob when it comes to homebrewing and so most of these Oberon recipes are over my head at this stage of my homebrewing expertise.

I just had a queston about some of the extract kits available from some homebrewing suppliers.

Has anyone tried the extract kit available at Adventures in Homebrewing? I actually just brewed a batch of this kit last weekend but I can't find any reviews on it at all.

Right now it is in the primary fermentation bucket where I plan on keeping it for for around 24 days. Talked to a guy from AIH and he said he didn't see a need to transfer it to a carboy for secondary because it is a wheat beer so I'm just going to leave it go in the bucket unless someone thinks this is a bad idea.

Thanks, Matt

So how did it turn out- the kit from AIH? I was going to pick one up today but also found no reviews and didn't know if I should or try one of the other ideas?
Thanks!

 

[MMJfan]

So how did it turn out- the kit from AIH? I was going to pick one up today but also found no reviews and didn't know if I should or try one of the other ideas?
Thanks!

While I'm sure it's not quite as good as Crypto's recipe, I am very happy with the results! I actually changed up their recipe a bit and dry hopped with 1 oz of whole leaf cascade to try and get more of a citruicy flavor. While I don't have anything to compare to without dry hopping, I love the way it turned out with the dry hopping. Very happy with the result of this beer for being an extract kit!

In fact, I liked it so much, I already ordered another kit and plan on brewing batch #2 this weekend!

I also ordered their Fruit Wheat which I am making a Strawberry Wheat and I brewed that one last weekend.

 

[Streeter]

Hi,
AIH is by where I work so I will by buying a lot from them. They have a summer wheat beer on sale for $20 (w/o yeast) and said this is their 3rd year doing it and it is very popular. I may pick that up today instead to try. She said they recommend adding some dried bitter orange peel and coriander. I think she recommended the vial yeast and I can't remember the number (I think it was American ale 2- looked that up and it is -http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=11). So now I am wondering which one to do now. This (with adding orange and coriander> http://www.homebrewing.org/Summer-Wheat-Bier-Special_p_1223.html or the Oberon clone>http://www.homebrewing.org/Solsun_p_607.html

Sorry if this is slightly off-topic
How did you do the strawberry (real or extract) and was it this kit (this one-http://homebrewing.org/assets/images/PDF/AIHrecipes/CherryWheat.pdf)? You will have to let us know how it turns out. I wanted to do a strawberry or raspberry wheat and not sure if this generic one would be a good base for that, or the one you did, or if someone has a better idea. Also with fruit beers, generally is adding real fruit or puree to these is way better than extract or not too noticeable since you are trying to be subtle.

Here is their recipe for Oberon btw- Since I'm new to brewing I have no idea if this sounds right, but it is different than the ones posted.

Malt Base 6 lb. Wheat Malt Extract or 7.2 lbs Liquid
Specialty Grains: 1/2 LB Caravienne , 1/2 Lb Munich
Hops: 2.5 HBU. Hallertau Hop Pellets (bittering), 4.5 HBU Saaz Hop Pellets
(Flavor and aroma)
Other: Saison Ale Yeast , Muslin Bag, Priming Sugar
Suggested Yeast: White Labs Saison, Wyeast 3724

This is their summer wheat and I see it shows some generic hops so I can ask what it is

Malt Base: 6 lbs. Wheat LME
Specialty Grains: 8 oz Flaked Wheat, 8 oz Flaked Oats
Hops: 15 IBU Bittering Hops
Other: Hop Sack, 5 oz. Priming Sugar
Suggested Yeast : American Hefeweizen Yeast

Thanks

 

[MMJfan]

It's different because it's an extract recipe and it's difficult to clone Oberon using extracts compared to AG recipes. But with that said, I was very happy how this Oberon clone turned out.

As for your questions regarding the fruit beers, I actually called someone at AIH and asked them that very question regarding which wheat beer would be best to use for a fruit wheat. I was actually considering just adding fresh strawberries to the Oberon kit, but he did recommend using the fruit wheat kit as opposed to their summer wheat kit or the Oberon kit. I am using fresh strawberries that came from a local grower that I cut and froze and am planning to add to my beer after primary. From what I've read, most would recommend using fresh fruit or a puree over extracts, but I've also read plenty of people happy with extracts as well. I'm planning on just tasting my brew just before I rack to my bottling bucket and then if I want more strawberry flavor, I'm going to go ahead and add some extract to taste.

Are you working in the Ann Arbor store?