Cream Ale Cream of Three Crops (Cream Ale)

[ChshreCat]

Gelatin is not sugar and cannot be fermented.

Unless you use this

 

[philrose]

Unless you use this

lol, I just thought of some unsuspecting new brewer cleaning out the jello aisle of the grocery store and making the weirdest fermented beverage ever.


Anyhow, maybe someone should explain that the gelatin is just there to clear up the beer. Its used on the (near)finished product and not on the wort.

 

[Shamrock28]

Yes my thoughts were to clear the beer with the gelatin much like if i would have used AE...Does the recipe i use and all my procedures sound good. It stinks i have to wait a long time to find out if i messed up or not. One or two packets of US 05...Prim two weeks, gelatin 48hrs and then bottle condition for week

 

[philrose]

Yes my thoughts were to clear the beer with the gelatin much like if i would have used AE...Does the recipe i use and all my procedures sound good. It stinks i have to wait a long time to find out if i messed up or not. One or two packets of US 05...Prim two weeks, gelatin 48hrs and then bottle condition for week

I think the mash of the corn and rice will lead to haze in the beer and no fermentables. One pack of yeast, two would be a pretty big overpitch for 5 gallons at your gravity.

You need more time in the bottles. three weeks is the norm.

On gelatin: heres BM's procedure, I have used it one time with good results.

I use a tablespoon per five gallon batch.

Mix it with hot tap water in a sauce pot, about 1 cup of water per tablespoon.

Stir it up and let it sit for 20-30 minutes to hydrate and bloom.

Put the pot on the stove and heat until it looks like it’s about to start boiling…don’t boil.

Cool slightly (I put my pot in a cold water bath).

Add it (gently) to the secondary (or keg) as you’re racking your beer.

Maybe the gelatin will help get all that starch out of your bottles I'm not sure.

 

[bigred]

Hey guys, I posted a couple weeks back when my beer was only in the bottle for 1 week and had a cidery/ sour taste. Everyone said give it 2 more weeks and then chill and try it. So I just tried one last night after 3 weeks and a day in the bottles. It still has the same cidery/ sour taste it did on bottling day. Does anyone know what would cause this? Because I really want to brew it again because of how many people have said good things about it. But I'm a bit skeptical to brew it again until I figure out why it has this weird taste.

The thing that puzzles me is that 3 days before I bottled it, I took a gravity test and it tasted great, and 3 days later it tastes like shiet.

 

[Shamrock28]

Thanks I used two packs last time. I will only use one pack of yeast this time

 

[CharlosCarlies]

Thanks I used two packs last time. I will only use one pack of yeast this time

On a light tasting beer like this, I personally like using 2 packets to keep the yeast profile as clean as possible. Using one packet is obviously fine, but what's another $2-3 in yeast?

 

[bendavanza]

bigred
It's not the recipe, hundreds of other brewers have made it and loved it. It sounds like you got some kind of infection. I'd shelf it for another month and open one.

 

[philrose]

On a light tasting beer like this, I personally like using 2 packets to keep the yeast profile as clean as possible. Using one packet is obviously fine, but what's another $2-3 in yeast?

Its not economics, its flavor.

In that particular case shamrock had an og of something around 1035, using us-05 means 11.5g of yeast per packet, one packet is actually an overpitch.

Theres one flavor and one lack of flavor that I've tasted when overpitching, diacetyl and a synthetic quality thats hard to put your finger on. The diacetyl thing is not always there but that lack of yeast production did seem to lead to a certain flat flavor.

But hey, these are just a couple of my experiences. YMMV, as always.

 

[CharlosCarlies]

Its not economics, its flavor.

In that particular case shamrock had an og of something around 1035, using us-05 means 11.5g of yeast per packet, one packet is actually an overpitch.

You're right I didn't notice his low OG. Two packs is still not over-pitching by THAT much though and given how poorly a lot of people aerate their wort, I would expect it to improve the beer in most cases. A lot of homebrewers don't re-hydrate either, so IMO I wouldn't be too worried about over-pitching but you're right to at least bring it up.

And like you said, YMMV.

 

[jiggs_casey]

I am so doing this recipe next... I have too many hairly knuckle dragging friends that chuckle and laugh and look at me a little odd when I tell them I brew my own beer to not try this.

For some of them, it wouldn't matter if I handed them a craft beer (bought, from a store, with a receipt) or I hand them something I brewed. "Tastes like swampwater!", is what I hear... lol

 

[Shamrock28]

You both are making valid points...What to do what to do haha

 

[BierMuncher]

I am so doing this recipe next... I have too many hairly knuckle dragging friends that chuckle and laugh and look at me a little odd when I tell them I brew my own beer to not try this.

For some of them, it wouldn't matter if I handed them a craft beer (bought, from a store, with a receipt) or I hand them something I brewed. "Tastes like swampwater!", is what I hear... lol

Tell you what...pull out a half pound of the 2-row and a half pound of the corn and replace with 1 pound of simple table sugar. That will really lighten up and dry out this beer. That's a pretty normal practice for me with my "house" beer.

 

[Shamrock28]

Didnt mean to stir ya up...It is common sense but the beer calculatr was being stupid. Not to mean i had conflicting reports on or two packs of yeast

 

[EO74]

This is a very good recipe, i cut it in half.My next attempt i was thinking of cutting the faked corn down to 1#.So it would be 6#2row 1#maize 1# rice whadda ya think?

 

[GroosBrewz]

Hey guys,

I am a little concerned about my ability to convert the starches from the corn and rice adjuncts, with my current 2 row base malt. I just bought a 50 lb sack of Gambrinus 2 row Pale malt and noticed that the diastatic power of this is only 50..very similiar to that of a Belgian or British Pale Malt. Typically I use Great Western2 Row (D.P. of 140) or Maris Otter (D.P. of 120). So do you think I will have trouble converting the starches with this base malt? Should I increase the mash time?
Also, has anyone made this with Wyeast 1056? I searched the thread but didn't come up with anything.Thank guys!

 

[GateTwelve]

Just took another sample out of the keg and (due to my mistakes) was still a bit bitter, followed by too much sweetness. I added 1/2 gallon of water to the 3.5 gallons of beer I had and took another sample. It tastes much, much better - and is ridiculously clear. I think this is going to be a really great brew for the Superbowl and all the BMC'ers. Thanks for the recipe!

 

[bigred]

Has anyone tried this using a bit less 2 row and some amylase enzyme in the secondary? I have seen a couple light recipes where guys use it and was wondering how it would be with this one?

 

[Schlenkerla]

I have used AE in this recipe and it works pretty damned good. I use it regularly in light-style beers.

As for less two row, see my recipe drop down for Miller Lite (Tri-Hop)

Its definitely has less two row. The AE helps keep the ABV up and the cost down.

 

[impatient]

That will be one very dry...very crisp and very clear beer.

Cleared up very nice at a month in primary. I plan to bottle it this weekend. I have always used 3/4 cup of dextrose. Should I up it for something like this?

 

[stever]

I found that if I pull the corn and rice down by 50% and replace with table sugar, that cream ale characteristic (slight corn flavor) goes away and the beer gets much crisper.

so 2 pounds of Corn and .50 pounds of rice? I thought I saw in another comment where you backed off a 1/2 pound of each and replaced with 1 pound corn sugar. Also would corn sugar would give the same results?

 

[rcrabb22]

I just kegged this beer but I am tempted to rename it to Cream of Three Hops as I loosely followed BM's Centennial Ale hop schedule, galena to bitter, centennial and cascade for flavor and aroma

 

[BierMuncher]

...Also would corn sugar would give the same results?

Corn sugar would give the same results, but I like the cost and simplicity of table sugar since it doesn't require a trip to the LHBS. But certainly at one pound, they are interchangeable.

 

[gicts]

Well I had a go at it today and yesterday. I use a stove top and pots so I had to play around with the numbers a bit.


Yesterday I brewed with:
5 lb pale 2-row
2 lb flaked maize
12 oz Minute Rice
.5 oz Crystal and
.5 oz Williamette

I finished around midnight and it is already bubbling away

Right now I am working on:

5lb Pale 2-row
1 lb Honey Malt grains (mix it up a bit)
2lb Flaked Maize
8 oz Minute Rice (all I had left)
10 oz table sugar.
.5 oz Crystal and
.5 oz Williamette


I am really curious to see how these are going to turn our! I am really interested in seeing what the honey grain will add/take away from this.

 

[bendavanza]

Biermuncher:
I've made this recipe twice, and really liked it. I had higher gravity but that was due to an efficiency jump and also a heavier grain bill. Since this is such a faux-lager, I was thinking of dropping a ton of saaz in late additions with the following increased grain bill (5gal) since I've got a pound of saaz pellets and need to use them. Maybe a pilsner-ish imperial?
8.5 lbs 2 row
2.5 lbs corn
1.8 rice
1lb corn sugar
something around 76 IBU mostly saaz
70% eff + ~7.7% abv
does that sound tasty or nasty?

 

[BierMuncher]

Biermuncher:
I've made this recipe twice, and really liked it. I had higher gravity but that was due to an efficiency jump and also a heavier grain bill. Since this is such a faux-lager, I was thinking of dropping a ton of saaz in late additions with the following increased grain bill (5gal) since I've got a pound of saaz pellets and need to use them. Maybe a pilsner-ish imperial?
8.5 lbs 2 row
2.5 lbs corn
1.8 rice
1lb corn sugar
something around 76 IBU mostly saaz
70% eff + ~7.7% abv
does that sound tasty or nasty?

Any late additions on this otherwise non-hoppy ale will really (REALLY) come through. If you're brewing for your own hop-fix...go for it. If it's going to be a populist brew for other non-craft drinkers...ya might want to stick closer tot he original recipe.

 

[bigred]

So I made this again since my first attemp is un-drinkable so far. I am making it for an uncle that is comming to visit from march 13-20th. I brewed last monday and everything went smooth. My SG was a bit high, started at 1.048, and now, 10 days later it is down to 1.008. I am going to use AE to dry it out a bit and I have a few questions. First, when should I rack to the secondary and add the AE? The gravity is steady now, buy you can still see activity in the carboy. And then when should I bottle? I know I am cutting it close only having 5 weeks grain to glass, but I promised my uncle to have this ready for him.

EDIT: Also, how much priming sugar should I use for a 5 gallon batch?

 

[waldoar15]

One thing I've found is that the corny taste fades almost to nothing in the keg if you keep it cold for about 4 weeks. Three weeks on the gas, set and forget was corny. A week later it was gone.

I'm only saying this because I was really thinking of cutting back on the corn the next time. Now, I'm not so sure I'm going to. Also, the batch I bottled never really had much of the corny flavor by the time it was carbed up enough to drink.

 

[Blindguardian]

As there are 500+ post I am sorry if this has been ask before.

I am planning a 5.5 gal batch of this and I do not keg so I would like to know what is recommended for the amount of time this should carb/age in bottles?

 

[bendavanza]

You should always give bottles 2 weeks minimum and 3 weeks or longer is much better. It takes time for the Co2 to dissolve fully in solution and condition properly.

4.5 to 5oz dextrose is a commonly used amount of priming sugar for 5g, or somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 cup