Brooklyn Brew Shop's Grapefruit Honey Ale - Tips and Advice

[ericbw]

When I bottle my beer, I generally leave it alone for 2 weeks, then put my labels on. While putting them on, I take the opportunity to look and see if the bottles appear to have carbonated. In reality, I am probably just guessing, but it hasn't failed me yet.

While applying the labels, the bottles get jostled around a bit, which stirs any yeasts and ensures that if any bottles haven't carbonated fully, they will. After this, I leave the bottles alone for another week, then put them in the refrigerator at least over-night, or until I drink them.

I don't know if this is "proper" or not, but it has worked for me, so I don't see much reason to change, unless someone has a good reason or a better way.

Based on this time table, I should be reporting on this beer next weekend!

Good process! I chill longer - usually 3 days minimum but a week is ideal.

 

[Aristotelian]

Hmmm. I just bottled their Afternoon Wheat kit. I imagine it is supposed to be a light beer but the sample tasted pretty watery. Anyone had this experience? No off flavors or anything. I think my sanitation was good. Just tasted watery. I am pretty sure I followed the instructions to a T. Mashed 145-150, mashed out to 170, then poured 170 water over the grains. The only thing different was that I mashed in a grain bag. I weighed the grains and it came to 2 lb 2 oz for the 1 gallon batch.

Anything I can do to improve my efficency next time? I really like the idea of all grain.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I haven't had that issue, Aristotlian - mine have all come out quite well. I have noticed that the longer they condition in the refrigerator, the better and more "full-bodied" they seem; the most dramatic example of this was with my Kentucky Rye Brown Ale, but it is true with all as far as I can tell.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I sampled my Grapefruit Honey Ale today, and was truly impressed. I must definitely give a huge "shout-out" to The Beautiful Mrs. Tas for getting this for me and opening the door to my brewing interest! I was a little worried about this one, because it sat in the fermenter far longer than I had intended, by about 2 months. Fortunately, the extended time had no effect on the quality, except perhaps to improve it.

The beer itself was a little over-carbonated, but that was my fault. If one is careful opening the bottle, the effort will be worth it, for sure. This American pale ale has a wonderful aroma, which is rich, malty and slightly sweet, but with a fresh and bright citrus highlight. This combination seemed to really bring out the honey as well, as when I close my eyes it was the first thing I thought of. Pouring into the frosted mug, it came out with a beautiful, deep-golden hue, just slightly hazy from the touch of wheat in the grain bill. There was a very nice, very white and very creamy head, which lingered kn the sides of the mug, promising a smooth mouthfeel.

The flavour of this beer is really unique and very good, as well. A light and bright balance is achieved with the hops and grapefruit, bending the sweetness of the malts, grapefruit and honey into a whole new flavour profile that is nothing short of amazing. It really was good in every way, and I would most certainly recommend that anyone who brews beer at home should try this, either using Brooklyn Brew Shop's pre-packaged, all-grain mix, or by using the recipe. In every way, this is a very nice, easy-drinking, refreshing beer that I will definitely be making again!

 

[Aristotelian]

I haven't had that issue, Aristotlian - mine have all come out quite well. I have noticed that the longer they condition in the refrigerator, the better and more "full-bodied" they seem; the most dramatic example of this was with my Kentucky Rye Brown Ale, but it is true with all as far as I can tell.

Just following up on this in case anyone encounters the issue of a Brooklyn kit tasting watery at bottling. After 10 days in the bottle, I could not resist and cracked one of my Afternoon Wheat brews. I am pleased to report back that the body has improved significantly. It is definitely a light beer but I think that is by design with the high proportion of wheat and no dark malts. I probably should have chosen a different recipe for my first kit, but this turned out OK and will probably improve with a few more weeks in the bottle.

My one critique is that there is very little hop flavor at all. The kit came with only 7g of Palisades, a relatively mild hop. The brew is light enough that it is not cloying, but still would be better with a little more bitterness.

 

[ericbw]

Just following up on this in case anyone encounters the issue of a Brooklyn kit tasting watery at bottling. After 10 days in the bottle, I could not resist and cracked one of my Afternoon Wheat brews. I am pleased to report back that the body has improved significantly. It is definitely a light beer but I think that is by design with the high proportion of wheat and no dark malts. I probably should have chosen a different recipe for my first kit, but this turned out OK and will probably improve with a few more weeks in the bottle.

My one critique is that there is very little hop flavor at all. The kit came with only 7g of Palisades, a relatively mild hop. The brew is light enough that it is not cloying, but still would be better with a little more bitterness.

Maybe you're not a fan of simple wheat beers? The wheat should give it some body, but I like wheat beers with a little crystal malt - 10 or 20 - to give it some more character.

What commercial beer do you like? Pick a kit that is close to that, although Brooklyn's recipes tend to be a little quirky flavored.

Or just add more hops next time. Boulevard makes a wheat that is not bitter but very hoppy up front. Maybe try the same recipe with more hops at 60 minutes and more at 0 or dry hopped.

 

[Aristotelian]

Maybe you're not a fan of simple wheat beers? The wheat should give it some body, but I like wheat beers with a little crystal malt - 10 or 20 - to give it some more character.

What commercial beer do you like? Pick a kit that is close to that, although Brooklyn's recipes tend to be a little quirky flavored.

Or just add more hops next time. Boulevard makes a wheat that is not bitter but very hoppy up front. Maybe try the same recipe with more hops at 60 minutes and more at 0 or dry hopped.

I think you are right. I have made a Belgian Witbier with a bit of caramel in it, similar to a Blue Moon, that I like better. The BBS Afternoon Wheat kit came out more like a Hefeweizen, probably by design, so I can't hold that against BBS. This beer tasted very similar to Ommegang's Witte, which I had at the airport the other day.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42/16506/

 

[Aristotelian]

After 3 weeks in the bottle, this beer came out totally great! Flavors came together. Nice wheat flavor, mild sweetness, citrus flavor. Really good carbonation with a persistent head. I would brew this again next summer. Amazing after the sample at bottling tasted like sweetened water.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I have also been learning that time in the bottle will do wonders!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I forgot that I had this photo, from late October. It's an iPod photo and I was still "practicing" as I was learning the camera, but you get the idea:

The beer was slightly cloudier than it should have been, due to my carelessness when I opened it, but it was really, really good beer. I'll be making this again, and will report.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I'll be brewing this one again sometime this week - hopefully tonight.

I plan to do everything basically the same, except I will use Amarillo hops, which are known for their grapefruity-character. Brooklyn Brew Shop's BEER MAKING BOOK will be my guide, and I'll see what I come up with as far as a modified hops schedule goes.

More to come, etc. & c....

Ron

 

[ericbw]

I used that as a jumping off point for my summer ale this year. I didn't roast the grapefruit, just added to the boil at 5 minutes.

I used Meridian hops.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hey, Eric - how's it going? I'm brewing this one late (September instead of June!), but late is better than never, when it comes to beer, right?

I haven't used Meridian hops yet - will have to look into them ~ from what little I've read, they would really work well with this beer.

One other note: The recipe book specifies S04, so that's what I'm using, instead of BBS's generic yeast that comes with their mixes.

 

[wishingiwasfishing]

Hi Tas!

Haven't used Meridian hops either...you'll love the amarillo!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Hey! Good to see you here!

 

[TasunkaWitko]

It looks like my photo above didn't work....trying again!

Warning: Bad iPod picture of a great beer ~

 

[wishingiwasfishing]

Yeah, it's a nice site. I'm in the process of building my own brew area. If you remember, I'd normally brew at my buddies house, bring it home and oxygenate, temperature control and ferment...then keg, etc.

But with my own brew area...I'll be able to brew whenever the notion hits me...can't wait. I've got the kettles together, the stand together...largest thing right now is wiring the electric control panel. Then comes testing the system.


cheers
Dan

 

[TasunkaWitko]

You'll be loving it, I bet. So many different things to try. If you like hefeweizens, consider that Edelweiss that I mentioned. I shared the last bottle of the batch with my dad last night, and it was simply outstanding.

The mash is almost finished - onward to the sparge and boil.....

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Into the boil now. In a departure from the instructions, I am adding the zest of two grapefruits, rather than the peel of one. Also, instead of a mix of Columbus and Amarillo hops, I've decided to go with straight Amarillo. The hops schedule that I came up with is:

0.07 oz @ 60
0.10 oz @ 30
0.13 oz @ 1

This puts the IBUs at 26.57, which is a bit light for an American pale ale; however, when I add the grapefruit zest (with 5 minutes left in the boil), I am counting on it to push the bitterness up to around an equivalent of 30 IBUs, which is where I want it. Will it work? I don't know, but I'll find out.

At knock-out, I'll add the honey and Belgian candi sugar, then chill down below 70 degrees and pitch the S04.

More as it happens, etc. &c....

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Alright - this second brew of Grapefruit Honey Ale is in the books.

The entire brew went very well, with no glitches or problems. The rest of the boil etc. went pretty much as described above, and I think I struck a good balance - time will tell!

Once again, the beer seems as though it is going to be a bit darker than I expect it to be. This same thing happened with the first brew, but everything turned out just fine. I am pretty sure it will be fine this time, too.

I do have the recipe for this beer, from BBS's BEER MAKING BOOK. If anyone wants to try it, please feel free to shoot a PM - it is written for 1 or 5 gallons, so it's open to all.

Ron

 

[ericbw]

Hey, Eric - how's it going? I'm brewing this one late (September instead of June!), but late is better than never, when it comes to beer, right?

I haven't used Meridian hops yet - will have to look into them ~ from what little I've read, they would really work well with this beer.

One other note: The recipe book specifies S04, so that's what I'm using, instead of BBS's generic yeast that comes with their mixes.

I usually get a pound of Willamette hops that I use for most beers. The one I brew the most is Irish red, but also nut brown and amber. Willamette works for these.

I got some El Dorado and some Meridian to try with lighter beers, especially for summer. They are both fruity and almost like candy. I think Meridian smells a little like lemon candy, but not sweet or sour, just lemony. I probably won't get El Dorado again, but I will use Meridian.

This year, I used US-05 for the grapefruit summer ale and then used the slurry for a hoppier pale ale. I mostly use US-05 and then reuse the slurry so I get a couple of batches out of it easily.

 

[ericbw]

Into the boil now. In a departure from the instructions, I am adding the zest of two grapefruits, rather than the peel of one. Also, instead of a mix of Columbus and Amarillo hops, I've decided to go with straight Amarillo. The hops schedule that I came up with is:

0.07 oz @ 60
0.10 oz @ 30
0.13 oz @ 1

This puts the IBUs at 26.57, which is a bit light for an American pale ale; however, when I add the grapefruit zest (with 5 minutes left in the boil), I am counting on it to push the bitterness up to around an equivalent of 30 IBUs, which is where I want it. Will it work? I don't know, but I'll find out.

At knock-out, I'll add the honey and Belgian candi sugar, then chill down below 70 degrees and pitch the S04.

More as it happens, etc. &c....

You get a different kind of bitterness from the peel if you use it whole. I think it's a sharp bitterness that comes at the end. The zest will give you fruity grapefruit (but maybe not identifiable as grapefruit). I have zested oranges, and they didn't seem to have the same bitterness that you would with the whole peel. (This last one, I peeled the grapefruit, tore it up into chunks, then cut the grapefruit up into sections. I added it all in a mesh bag to make it easy to remove all the pulp and peel.)

My brother kept calling this a shandy, but I had him drink a Traveler's Grapefruit Shandy to show he difference. The BBS version is a pale ale. Mine was more of a blonde ale.

One other thing, grapefruit supposedly messes with some cholesterol medicines, so you might want to tell people before they drink it. I don't think there's much grapefruit in this, but it's fair to warn people.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

It sounds like the Meridian would be a good one to get acquainted with. I've been a big fan of the English and Noble hops, but with so many choices out there, it would be good to try as many as I can.

When I was zesting the grapefruits last night, most of the strips did have a bit of white in them; not much, but enough to be noticeable. I tried a piece, and there was a good amount of bitterness there, just as you describe, at the end. I think it will make things interesting. These grapefruits were big and juicy, and the zest was really fragrant. I dried the strips in the oven, as described in the recipe book, but I am not sure what difference that would make in the end.

I looked in on my Grapefruit Honey Ale this morning, and it looks like we're getting some good fermentation already. My understanding is that this is the norm with S-04. Before pitching the yeast, I ran the wort through a medium mesh in my funnel, then the fine mesh, so I caught a lot of the hop and hot break material. I'm hoping that this will allow me to squeeze just a bit more beer into the bottles.

I've got three beers going right now (Afternoon Wheat with Apricot, Bullberry Red Ale and this Grapefruit Honey Ale). My next brew will be a Strawberry Rhubarb Strong Ale, which will conclude my "summer" beers and allow me to start brewing my fall and winter beers.

 

[ericbw]

It sounds like the Meridian would be a good one to get acquainted with. I've been a big fan of the English and Noble hops, but with so many choices out there, it would be good to try as many as I can.

When I was zesting the grapefruits last night, most of the strips did have a bit of white in them; not much, but enough to be noticeable. I tried a piece, and there was a good amount of bitterness there, just as you describe, at the end. I think it will make things interesting. These grapefruits were big and juicy, and the zest was really fragrant. I dried the strips in the oven, as described in the recipe book, but I am not sure what difference that would make in the end.

I looked in on my Grapefruit Honey Ale this morning, and it looks like we're getting some good fermentation already. My understanding is that this is the norm with S-04. Before pitching the yeast, I ran the wort through a medium mesh in my funnel, then the fine mesh, so I caught a lot of the hop and hot break material. I'm hoping that this will allow me to squeeze just a bit more beer into the bottles.

I've got three beers going right now (Afternoon Wheat with Apricot, Bullberry Red Ale and this Grapefruit Honey Ale). My next brew will be a Strawberry Rhubarb Strong Ale, which will conclude my "summer" beers and allow me to start brewing my fall and winter beers.

It's funny because the first time I did this one, I followed their instructions to roast/dry the peel in the oven. On this forum, people are all, "Why would you do that?!?" I think someone contacted the BBS people (they are very good at responding), and I think they suggested NOT roasting.

I have since done some orange peel in saisons and Belgian styles without roasting. So this year, I decided to just throw it in. My guess is that it doesn't make a difference either way!

 

[ericbw]

If/when you're ready to get hops for new recipes, check Farmhouse Brewing. They have good prices on 4oz packs.

 

[TasunkaWitko]

If/when you're ready to get hops for new recipes, check Farmhouse Brewing. They have good prices on 4oz packs.

That sounds like a good idea, Eric - I will check them out ~

I bet there's a 1-800 number on the kit you could call for clarification if you can't decide which way though.

Hi, nrryes - I've been in contact with Erica and Stephen of Brooklyn Brew Shop about this and a few other subjects. One thing I can say is that they and their staff are outstanding when it comes to responding to customer inquiries. With a quick email, I can ask about and discuss ideas, get answers to questions and such. Both Eric and I have contacted them on this particular issue, and it looks like it can go either way, from what we can see. I can say that drying out the grapefruit the way I did this time was pretty cool - whether or not it actually contributed anything to the finished beer remains to be seen. I am guessing (and this is just a guess only) that it tones down the bitterness from the peel a bit, as the caramelisation of the sugars in the peel from the heat will balance things out. As far as whether one should use the whole peel or just the zest, it seems to be a matter of personal choice and/or experimentation.

I looked in on the beer this morning and it is fermenting away very nicely - nothing explosive, but active and steady. We're off to a good start with this one, and I am eager to see how it turns out.

Ron

 

[TasunkaWitko]

I checked on my beer this morning, and it's looking great. Fermentation is still active, but it has slowed down a bit, right on schedule. We are going to be out of town for a few days, so I will replace the blow-off tube with an air-lock before we go.

More later -

Ron

 

[ericbw]

As weird as it seems, put the whole peel in. It gives you a snap of bitterness in the after taste that is unique.

Glad someone else noticed it like I do. That's exactly how I describe it: a whack of bitterness at the very end. It's even funny when some people taste it, because there's about a 1 second delay where it's like, "that's pretty good," followed by, "wow now I taste it!"

It's different than hop bitterness or roasted malts.

 

[shellsbells]

Glad someone else noticed it like I do. That's exactly how I describe it: a whack of bitterness at the very end. It's even funny when some people taste it, because there's about a 1 second delay where it's like, "that's pretty good," followed by, "wow now I taste it!"

It's different than hop bitterness or roasted malts.

FYI - that was exactly as you'd described it. Your original post was re-posted by a spambot