Cream Ale Cream of Three Crops (Cream Ale)

[unfairbeef]

I don't think that it has been discussed, but I have not ready every single page of this thread, albeit close. So. I made one of my first 'serious' mistakes with this brew. It is worth mentioning that this was my first BIAB batch, as well. So, I did not account for what the grains would soak OR boil-off. Obviously, I was left with a much smaller batch of beer than anticipated.

Here is the my real point/query:

Would you water it down (read: dilute it) until it reached the intended FG and consistency or would you try and serve it as some sort of freak "imperial" (lol) merikan yellow beer? Keep in mind I am serving to a bunch of barely adventurous (not that I'm knocking it) beer drinkers. They are BMC, all the way.

Help.

I need you, Liam Neeson of brewing.

 

[copyright1997]

I don't think that it has been discussed, but I have not ready every single page of this thread, albeit close. So. I made one of my first 'serious' mistakes with this brew. It is worth mentioning that this was my first BIAB batch, as well. So, I did not account for what the grains would soak OR boil-off. Obviously, I was left with a much smaller batch of beer than anticipated.

Here is the my real point/query:

Would you water it down (read: dilute it) until it reached the intended FG and consistency or would you try and serve it as some sort of freak "imperial" (lol) merikan yellow beer? Keep in mind I am serving to a bunch of barely adventurous (not that I'm knocking it) beer drinkers. They are BMC, all the way.

Help.

I need you, Liam Neeson of brewing.

How far off? (What was your post-boil specific gravity?)

 

[unfairbeef]

How far off? (What was your post-boil specific gravity?)

About 3 gallons...pretty damn far off, lol.

 

[Wingfan13]

Brewing this right now for a party we are having at the end of October and reading comprehension is difficult for me. I mashed for 60 instead of 90. Whoops....

 

[msa8967]

Brewing this right now for a party we are having at the end of October and reading comprehension is difficult for me. I mashed for 60 instead of 90. Whoops....

This won't be a problem. There are home brewers that will set the mash up the night before and let it mash overnight in order to brew the next day. You just want to be carefull that the temp of the mash did not drop too much.

I think your beer will be just fine.

 

[LonestarHB]

So, I am seven days in and it tastes like rice, is that normal? This is so far outside what I normally brew I have no reference for the flavor of the wort. Thanks in advance.

 

[D_Nyholm]

I don't remember mine tasting like rice, but I didn't try it until I was racking it to a keg. Of the 3 beers that I brewed that were similar to this, I liked this one the best, though my friends liked Yoopers fizzy yellow beer better. Give it time, the off tastes should subside a bit. It could be that there was a lot of stuff still in suspension from the fermentation.

 

[Jayhem]

So, I am seven days in and it tastes like rice, is that normal? This is so far outside what I normally brew I have no reference for the flavor of the wort. Thanks in advance.

You still have very green beer! Give it time. I have my 3rd 11 gallon batch of Cream of Three Crops in bottles as you read this! I notice that it has a fruity taste for the first week or 2 after bottling but then becomes much crisper and more "BMC" like after 3-4 weeks. The flavor will also lighten up even further if you condition your bottles in the fridge for at least 7 days before drinking.

 

[D_Nyholm]

You still have very green beer! Give it time. I have my 3rd 11 gallon batch of Cream of Three Crops in bottles as you read this! I notice that it has a fruity taste for the first week or 2 after bottling but then becomes much crisper and more "BMC" like after 3-4 weeks. The flavor will also lighten up even further if you condition your bottles in the fridge for at least 7 days before drinking.

Exactly what I have noticed as well

 

[mtngoat]

That is very encouraging! I wasn't very happy after a week in the keg crazy fruity finish...hopefully it will be ready for Sunday's game.

Go Broncos!

Brian

 

[Brewskii]

I've noted in my beersmith notes for this brew to let it bottle condition for 6 weeks because that's how long ago I bottled it and I cannot believe the difference from a few weeks ago.

I used Notty on my version so that may explain the extra time. I was really impatient with this one so I'm clinging to the last few bombers but, what I really need to do is brew it again. : D

 

[LonestarHB]

Thanks all, I will RAHAHB!

 

[Jayhem]

I've noted in my beersmith notes for this brew to let it bottle condition for 6 weeks because that's how long ago I bottled it and I cannot believe the difference from a few weeks ago.

I used Notty on my version so that may explain the extra time. I was really impatient with this one so I'm clinging to the last few bombers but, what I really need to do is brew it again. : D

Brew more! I always brew my next batch BEFORE I start drinking the previous batch of conditioning beer!

Cream of 3 Crops is the beer I now make every 3rd or 4th batch...it's just so drinkable and EVERYONE who has tried it loves it.

 

[Brutus Brewer]

I've made this a couple of times and there is an aftertaste that I just don't like. I'm thinking of making a small batch and eliminating the rice to see if that's it. The recipe for 3 gallons I have is

OG 1.044
2-Row 3#
Flake Corn 1.8#
1/2 oz Willamette
Nottingham

My only question if this is too much corn. Your thoughts?

 

[Jayhem]

I've made this a couple of times and there is an aftertaste that I just don't like. I'm thinking of making a small batch and eliminating the rice to see if that's it. The recipe for 3 gallons I have is

OG 1.044
2-Row 3#
Flake Corn 1.8#
1/2 oz Willamette
Nottingham

My only question if this is too much corn. Your thoughts?

What kind of aftertaste? This beer should be crisp and mellow if you ferment it at the right temps (mid 60's) and give it a good 3 weeks to ferment and condition and then 4-6 weeks in bottles. drinking this beer before it's ready and it will always taste fruity because of the corn and rice adjucts.

 

[Brutus Brewer]

I thought I'd remove the rice first and if that didn't get rid of it I'd do a batch without the corn and add the rice back in.

I don't know what exactly it is, I kind of get a wine-like after taste is maybe the best way I can describe it. I get the same thing from Budweiser and Old Mil Yuckie (I don't typically drink those beers unless there is ABSOLUTELY nothing else where I'm at). I entered the original recipe in a competition and it scored well but there's something I just don't like.

I started with eliminating the rice first as I drink Yuengling occasionally and don't get the same aftertaste from that beer knowing it's brewed with alot of corn. I know the lager yeast will produce a cleaner beer but just wanted to give this a try.

 

[edmanster]

Rice adds absolutely no flavor to beer.. I sub .5 lbs of table sugar all the time with no change in flavor..

 

[Wingfan13]

and give it a good 3 weeks to ferment and condition and then 4-6 weeks in bottles. drinking this beer before it's ready and it will always taste fruity because of the corn and rice adjucts.

Damn. Now I am worried about this beer being ready for our party. This is my first time brewing this beer. I am fermenting at 65 but I brewed this on 9/29 and our party is on 10/20. I was going to throw it in the keg on 10/10 and hope it was carbed up in time. I guess I should leave it longer and burst carb, which I have never done. I always use the 12psi set it and forget it method.

What do you think is the best course of action here ?

 

[PapaFoxtrot]

I don't know what exactly it is, I kind of get a wine-like after taste is maybe the best way I can describe it. I get the same thing from Budweiser and Old Mil Yuckie (I don't typically drink those beers unless there is ABSOLUTELY nothing else where I'm at). I entered the original recipe in a competition and it scored well but there's something I just don't like.

The first time that I brewed this beer(second batch is in primary now), I fermented at 70 degrees ambient with S05. After two weeks in primary and two weeks in the bottle, the only off flavor that I had was a very slight corn sweetness that completely went away after four weeks. No tart aftertaste at all.

How did you handle your water chemistry? I'm fortunate that my muni water is pretty good and I only add a little calcium carbonate to the mash water. This beer is so light that there's no hiding any astringency.

 

[Jayhem]

Damn. Now I am worried about this beer being ready for our party. This is my first time brewing this beer. I am fermenting at 65 but I brewed this on 9/29 and our party is on 10/20. I was going to throw it in the keg on 10/10 and hope it was carbed up in time. I guess I should leave it longer and burst carb, which I have never done. I always use the 12psi set it and forget it method.

What do you think is the best course of action here ?

As long as you have 2 full weeks after carbonation for it to condition and clear up it will be good, just a bit on the fruity side and possibly not fully cleared yet. It really starts to get crisp around the 4 week conditioning mark. Let it condition for 8 weeks or longer and it will be so clear people will wonder how you made beer like this without filtering it. :rockin:

 

[austintxeric]

I just wanted to add another picture of this very crisp and refreshing beer! This was my first attempt at BIAB and it worked great. This is a picture of the batch I brewed only 17 days ago...

 

[RVB]

Thanks for the recipe. I made this and it is as advertised. I'll try to keep some of this on hand for 'them'.

 

[jorgemog]

I'll be brewing 2 5gal batches this weekend. A good friend of mine is getting married and she wanted to buy some kegged beer. I'll give this and a pale ale as a wedding gift.

I'll keep you updated!!

 

[OCBrewin]

So I am brewing my second batch of this stuff. going to brew 10 gallons and split the batches between two 5 gallon fermenters. half on Wyeast cream ale blend and half on US 05 to compare the differences. The first batch I made was with US 05 and I really like the result, but want to see if I can get it even cleaner.

This is going to be for my brother in laws birthday on November third that leaves me 3 weeks from brew date to have this ready, do you think that's enough time?

Any tips on how to get this nice in clear and clean and ready to go by then? My plan was 10-14 days primary , cold crash with gelatin for 3 - 5 days, then keg and hold at 40 degrees in till serving... tips appreciated

 

[jsmcclure]

Just tasted my third batch after 2 weeks in the keg. Spectacular. Clean and crisp. A delightful experience without any fireworks. Thanks BierMuncher!

 

[msa8967]

So I am brewing my second batch of this stuff. going to brew 10 gallons and split the batches between two 5 gallon fermenters. half on Wyeast cream ale blend and half on US 05 to compare the differences. The first batch I made was with US 05 and I really like the result, but want to see if I can get it even cleaner.

This is going to be for my brother in laws birthday on November third that leaves me 3 weeks from brew date to have this ready, do you think that's enough time?

Any tips on how to get this nice in clear and clean and ready to go by then? My plan was 10-14 days primary , cold crash with gelatin for 3 - 5 days, then keg and hold at 40 degrees in till serving... tips appreciated

I like the taste of this recipe made with both US-05 and Cream Ale blends but the cream ale yeast usually takes longer to finish and then to drop out of suspension. Thus, the us-05 might be batch to try to have completely finished in the short time you have to work with. Have you ever tried transferring the beer to the keg, cold crash for 24 hours and then add the gelatin while the gas is on for the keg? I do this method and it work just fine if I am trying to get something ready sooner.

 

[OCBrewin]

I like the taste of this recipe made with both US-05 and Cream Ale blends but the cream ale yeast usually takes longer to finish and then to drop out of suspension. Thus, the us-05 might be batch to try to have completely finished in the short time you have to work with. Have you ever tried transferring the beer to the keg, cold crash for 24 hours and then add the gelatin while the gas is on for the keg? I do this method and it work just fine if I am trying to get something ready sooner.

You have a good point. I'll take the US 05 to the bday and save the cream ale yeast batch for myself....

On another note, Im planning on using a small amount of clean, but high alpha Magnum for a single bittering addition. Since the hops aren't really meant to shine in this one, I'm thinking this will be ok. I'm doing .6 oz of 14.7% Magnum at 60min for about 15 IBUs. Does this pose any problems? Brewing tomorrow so advice appreciated!

 

[Matteo57]

Anyone throw some wlp530 in here... I have an extra I was thinking of just for the fun of it to see how it comes out.

 

[grasshopperfirestarter]

Brewed this 28 days ago. It's been on gas 7 days. I like it more and more with each glass. My lady just took a sip and said it was good. Normally she wouldn't like a beer like this so that's exciting. I did dry hop in keg with 1/4 once of Cascade leaves using a ss herb ball but I'm not sure that little bit is coming off. Very refreshing on this hot day in southern California!

 

[Jayhem]

Just wanted to add my experience using Nottingham Ale yeast.

I made 3 batches of this before using US-05 and always had a fruity (green apple) taste for the first 2 weeks in the bottle, then it would crisp up with more aging.

With the Nottingham the initial taste is much crisper and after 3-4 weeks it is SUPER crisp, very BMC like, more so than it is with US-05. Also the Notty tends to flocculate a bit better so the beer clears faster especially when cold conditioned for 1-2 weeks before drinking.