Cream Ale Cream of Three Crops (Cream Ale)

[cgoldberg3]

Brewed this today as a 2.5 gallon BIAB batch. Kept the grain bill and hops the same as OP except I added about 10% torrified wheat for head retention, since a lot of posters complained it wasn’t very good. Got an OG of 1.053, pitched US-05 at 68F and stuck it in the basement. Sounds like this recipe can be a quick turn-around so I’m hoping to be drinking this within 3-4 weeks.

 

[Saunassa]

Absolutely....although, since you're Canadian, my grudge against you for relegating us to silver medals in hockey in Salt Lake AND Vancouver is still strong.

I brewed 4 gallons. It was:

61.5% Vienna malt (4 lbs)
23.1% Flaked corn (1.5 lbs)
7.7% Minute Rice (.5 lbs)
7.7% Special roast (.5lbs)

.75 oz Tettenang @ 60
.50 oz Tettenang @ 30
.25 oz Tettenang @ 15

US-05 yeast

Primary 14 days; Secondary 10 days; Kegged

This version benefits from a week or two in the keg due to the subtle roast flavor, I believe. The longer it's been in the keg, the more a delightful caramel/nutty note has been developing, thanks to using Vienna malt as the base.

Drinking a pint now. It's lovely on a wintery 50 degree night here in San Diego.

After reading your recipe I scaled it up for a 5.5g batch. Due to how hot it is in Northern Minnesota I used a pack of Voss and am fermenting @85f and the beast was blowing water from airlock within 2 hours and 24 hours later down to 1.021
I like seeing the color of the beer and getting a taste before fermentation when possible. Poured a glass of the trub and let sit for a few hours in the fridge. I think color looks good and nicely flavored. Now to wait at least a week or 2 for it to drop clear.

 

[Romex2121]

Finally broke down and placed an order to make Cream of three crops , plan is to use the original recipe and see how it goes.
after browsing thru just about every post
(Whew !!) the one thing I’m nervous about is the corn taste & sweetness a lot of folks talked about , I’ve never used flaked corn or rice so I’m not sure what I’m in for.
Anyone have a good 5 / 5.5gallon break down of the original recipe ??
I’ve played with it in Brewers Friend a bit but was curious what others came up with ….

 

[Consigliere]

Finally broke down and placed an order to make Cream of three crops , plan is to use the original recipe and see how it goes.
after browsing thru just about every post
(Whew !!) the one thing I’m nervous about is the corn taste & sweetness a lot of folks talked about , I’ve never used flaked corn or rice so I’m not sure what I’m in for.
Anyone have a good 5 / 5.5gallon break down of the original recipe ??
I’ve played with it in Brewers Friend a bit but was curious what others came up with ….

Just cut the original recipe in half and adjust slightly for your efficiency if needed.

 

[ShepFL]

The corn and sweetness will ferment out. Wort is just like water from boiling fresh corn. Great entry beer that everyone will enjoy.

 

[catdaddy66]

Just bottled my cream of 3 crops, rendition 2021. Used 2row, flaked time and flaked barley. No corn this time. Got crazy efficiency with wlp080, OG was 1.054 and FG?? She was a dry 1.000!! 7.1% abv is a win in my book

 

[Romex2121]

How much Dextrin or Carapils would be good for a decent head (retention) ??
5.5 gallon brew using the following
6 lbs of 2 row
1.5 lb of flaked corn
.5 lb of flaked rice
1/2 lb or so of rice hulls ( just incase )
This grain bill gets me around 4.3 ABV
Using US-05 yeast.
Shooting for around 17 IBU,s using hops from original recipe at 60 min.

 

[Saunassa]

Dont worry about the corn or rice flavor. I use 8 ounces of red wheat malt in mine vs carapils for head retention.

 

[Romex2121]

I threw in a 1/2 Lb white wheat malt

 

[cgoldberg3]

I used I think 6 ounces of torrified wheat for head retention and it did the job very well. Only thing to consider is that it will hurt the clarity a bit.

 

[egotistic]

Any one use Philly Sour in this or a similar recipe?

 

[Saunassa]

Don't know if it is common with this recipe but the beer I kegged mid August was much better after a month and now almost 2 months later is so good that I have to be careful. Bit more malt flavor and smooth.
It has never lasted this long, others tend to drink it up. Is this common that a month in keg makes such a difference?

 

[cmac62]

Don't know if it is common with this recipe but the beer I kegged mid August was much better after a month and now almost 2 months later is so good that I have to be careful. Bit more malt flavor and smooth.
It has never lasted this long, others tend to drink it up. Is this common that a month in keg makes such a difference?

It was basically lagered for that month in the keg, so my experience is, yeah it is pretty common. With good Ox containment most beers are better with a little lager time.

 

[rtstrider]

Don't know if it is common with this recipe but the beer I kegged mid August was much better after a month and now almost 2 months later is so good that I have to be careful. Bit more malt flavor and smooth.
It has never lasted this long, others tend to drink it up. Is this common that a month in keg makes such a difference?

Yes that is very normal! I plan on rebrewing this with the White Labs Cream Ale yeast blend. I really don't care for US-05/1056 and don't feel like that's the best yeast for this recipe. I really feel using the White Labs cream ale yeast blend wlp080 or wlp029/Imperial G-03 would work exceptionally better here. My next choice would be Wyeast 1007 but the only thing is that takes forever to clear.

 

[brue]

I used 6.5lb pale 2-row, 2lb flaked corn and 1lb flaked rice for my 5 gallon batch. It came in a little higher than I expected at 5.7%. I also had a ton of acetaldehyde with this batch for some reason. I learned my lesson, don’t rush it, keep in fermenter for a few weeks at least, and make sure the sample tastes ok before cold crashing. Also build up a pipeline haha. I will say, the cidery, green apple taste is starting to calm down some but I can still smell it. I can tell the recipe is good though. I really like the slight corn aftertaste it leaves you with. Also has good head retention and leaves great lacing for what I thought might be a thin beer. Can’t wait to brew it again and hopefully avoid the acetaldehyde so I can get 5 gallons of good beer.

 

[cmac62]

beirmuncher, dang 100 pgs for pure Cream Ale magic. Congrats

 

[rtstrider]

I tried this before and deviated from the recipe a bit. Going to try this again using the original recipe this time. Brew day is this weekend. Will be using Minute Rice and Quick Grits in the mash instead of flaked adjuncts. I've never used either but have read of this being used so figured what the hey! Oh and will be dry pitching US-05 in here for giggles. Wanting to make this an easy/lazy brew day

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

I tried this before and deviated from the recipe a bit. Going to try this again using the original recipe this time. Brew day is this weekend. Will be using Minute Rice and Quick Grits in the mash instead of flaked adjuncts. I've never used either but have read of this being used so figured what the hey! Oh and will be dry pitching US-05 in here for giggles. Wanting to make this an easy/lazy brew day

US-05 is the only yeast I've ever used on this beer and it comes out great!

I'm all for deviation, but the flaked corn is the star of this recipe, in my experience.

Eager to hear your results with the grits.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

I used 6.5lb pale 2-row, 2lb flaked corn and 1lb flaked rice for my 5 gallon batch. It came in a little higher than I expected at 5.7%. I also had a ton of acetaldehyde with this batch for some reason. I learned my lesson, don’t rush it, keep in fermenter for a few weeks at least, and make sure the sample tastes ok before cold crashing. Also build up a pipeline haha. I will say, the cidery, green apple taste is starting to calm down some but I can still smell it. I can tell the recipe is good though. I really like the slight corn aftertaste it leaves you with. Also has good head retention and leaves great lacing for what I thought might be a thin beer. Can’t wait to brew it again and hopefully avoid the acetaldehyde so I can get 5 gallons of good beer.

I know there are people who condemn secondary fermentation, but I've found this beer does really well with a couple weeks in secondary and a couple weeks in the keg.

I follow this schedule with fantastic results (knocking on wood as I have my Vienna Cream Ale version sitting in secondary right now!)
1. Primary for 14 days (always US-05)
2. Secondary for 14 days
3. Cold crash
4. Gelatin for clarification
5. Keg
6. Let it sit in the keg at room temp for a week
7. Carb
8. Hits its stride after about 2 weeks carbed
9. Relatives who hate hoppy beer come over on a Saturday and drain the keg in one night

 

[Saunassa]

I tried this before and deviated from the recipe a bit. Going to try this again using the original recipe this time. Brew day is this weekend. Will be using Minute Rice and Quick Grits in the mash instead of flaked adjuncts. I've never used either but have read of this being used so figured what the hey! Oh and will be dry pitching US-05 in here for giggles. Wanting to make this an easy/lazy brew day

I always use the minute rice, and depending on which is in hand it is either the regular or jasmine one. I have used US-05 or Nottingham and prefer the US-05.
The grits interest me because I have some in the pantry and this would be a great way to use them up.

 

[rtstrider]

This was a lazy brew day. 1 5lb and 1 1lb bag Briess two row, quick grits, minute rice. Didn’t have to weigh the grains. Didn’t even rehydrate the yeast. Used Cellar Science American Ale yeast. Fermenting this at 66f. This ale is LITE! Really curious to see how it turns out

 

[rtstrider]

And we have krausen! I’ve never had a fermenter this clear with fermenting wort. This is really odd lol Really curious to give this a taste in a few weeks

 

[Miraculix]

This looks really weird

 

[rtstrider]

I just pulled a sample from the fermenter. It still has some conditioning that needs to happen before packaging. This beer is LITE! Hoping to keg this Sunday. This reminds me a ton of bud lite. This is one of those brews that hides nothing. It’s a really good barometer of your brewing process and skill for sure. Can’t wait to let this carb up!

 

[rtstrider]

Just kegged this batch. It had a pinch of sulfur on it and the willamette citrus came through nicely. I love the simplicity of this recipe and the price! I’ll probably change the bittering hops to cluster only so it’s a bit more traditional and less citrusy. My house blonde uses a single bittering charge of Willamette and has that same citrus note. Going to try rebrewing this with Charlie’s Fist Bump (at lager ferment temps) and wlp840 American Lager yeast just to learn the yeasts. Thanks for the great recipe!

 

[rtstrider]

Just tapped the keg this morning. Wanted the draft line to be chilled by supper time. The beer is carbd up but there’s definitely some sulfur in it lol If I didn’t know any better If say it tastes like a lager! Any tips on getting sulfur out of this brew? Has anyone else gotten sulfur when using Cellar Science Cali Ale yeast?

 

[balrog]

clean a 6" section of 3/8 copper tubing and gently stir the glass full of just poured beer, or put tubing in glass and pour over it.

it'll take sulfur out

 

[rtstrider]

clean a 6" section of 3/8 copper tubing and gently stir the glass full of just poured beer, or put tubing in glass and pour over it.

it'll take sulfur out

I still use ice baths for cooling the boil pot. Going forward would it be wise to invest in some cheap copper pipe to go in at the last 15 minutes or so to help prevent this?

 

[balrog]

I still use ice baths for cooling the boil pot. Going forward would it be wise to invest in some cheap copper pipe to go in at the last 15 minutes or so to help prevent this?

That's using copper prior to sulfur production by yeast, which I doubt would help. It's the yeast doing its thing that makes the sulfur. I'm no expert but I've read that copper is to be avoided for reasons of the unspoken word (rhymes with "mofo") causing early beer staling reactions. I have only ever had the sulfur in one beer, a light one like this thread's recipe, and I just used the pour-over-tubing method and was fine with it. I do recommend cleaning the bejeebers out of the tubing first.
The only other time I got sulfur, which never showed in the bottled finished product, was making Apfelwein; and no amount of yeast nutrient completely stopped that, but in all 9 batches I've made, I've gotten the rhino farts each time during fermentation, I've used the activated charcoal in a hop sock sitting on the airlock to keep the basement from smelling like I had the guys over for 16 beers and 9 bowls of chili to watch the game, while a dead yak decomposed on the carpet.

 

[rtstrider]

Actually I did some research and my senses screamed acetylaldehyde but I was hoping it was sulfur. I found a potential fix! Half a crushed campden tablet in a 5 gallon keg. I added a half tablet and the difference was almost immediate! The acetylaldehyde is still there but it’s half what it was. I went ahead and threw another crushed half campden tablet and will give this a few days to do its thing. I had this same issue with us-05 and another cream ale recipe. I haven’t had this issue with other yeasts and cream ales. Hopefully this helps someone that runs into this same issue!