How does this recipe look?

[Br3w4u]

4.5 gallon batch
8# Golden promise
4 oz. carapils
4 oz. victory

.5 oz. huell melon @ 30 min.
.5 oz. huell melon @ 15 min.
1 oz. el dorado @ 5 min.

Fermenting with white labs high pressure lager yeast.
This is just a completely random recipe that I came up with to try out the high pressure yeast.
I have a ton of hops to use up and thought this might be a slightly fruity refreshing lager.

 

[brewcat]

Any other bittering hops? Maybe move the huell melon for a whirlpool or dry hop. Bitter with the el dorado.

 

[Rocksville]

Looks tasty to me. I think you'll pick up just enough IBU's from those hop additions to keep it balanced. Bittering with all of the El Dorado would push it into IPL territory, but you could move 1/4 oz of that and use it as a First Wort Hop if you're worried about not getting enough supporting bitterness (and since you have this recipe set up this way, i'm assuming you're not). I've long since abandoned carapils in recipe's so I personally think it's not doing anything for you (and if you're looking for head retention, maybe sub wheat instead), but it certainly won't ruin the beer either.

 

[Br3w4u]

I have lots and lots of hops. If there is a hop that you think would be good in this recipe I probably have it. I have a pound of el dorado so not worried about running out. When I put this recipe in to brewers friend it came up to 37 IBU. Just trying to keep it low on bitterness and not sure what to shoot for. Should I put the huell melon and el dorado in at like 10 min and use some hallertau to bitter? Would it be bad to add some C15 to a lager? Sorry for all the questions.

 

[IslandLizard]

Good suggestions there ^.
I think the bittering is fine as is. 37 IBU is plenty for a Lager like that.

I'm still in the 30-60 minute bittering with a dedicated bittering hop crowd. Then adding flavor and aroma (plus some extra bittering) with one or more late additions followed by at least a 10-15' whirlpool at reduced temps plus some extra whirlpool hops.

Not sure you'd need Victory with GP.
You can replace the Carapils with your C15. Those low Lovibond caramel malts (20L and under) all help with foam retention while adding a subtle sweetness and a touch of color.

 

[Br3w4u]

How about this...

8# Golden promise
8 oz. C15

1 oz. hallertau @30 min.
1 oz. huell melon @5 min.
1 oz. el dorado @5min.

That’s 1.053 OG 1.013 FG 35 IBU

 

[IslandLizard]

Looks good!

After flameout, I'd bring it down to 150F as quickly as possible to stop the bittering process while retaining as much hop flavor and aroma as possible. Let it stand/whirlpool at 150F for an additional 15-20' to get more flavor from the late addition hops. If you don't whirlpool, stir every 3 minutes during the hopstand. Then proceed with chilling to pitching temps.

Are you going to ferment this under pressure, since you're using that yeast?

 

[Br3w4u]

Looks good!

After flameout, I'd bring it down to 150F as quickly as possible to stop the bittering process while retaining as much hop flavor and aroma as possible. Let it stand/whirlpool at 150F for an additional 15-20' to get more flavor from the late addition hops. If you don't whirlpool, stir every 3 minutes during the hopstand. Then proceed with chilling to pitching temps.

Are you going to ferment this under pressure, since you're using that yeast?

Do you think I should add some extra whirlpool hops? I don’t do lagers very often. If it was an ale I would for sure but I don’t want this to taste like hop water LOL. I am fermenting around 65 F at 15 PSI as recommended by white labs. Have you tried the high pressure yeast?

 

[IslandLizard]

No, don't add more hops, just let the late ones leech a while longer at low temps (~150F). That gives them the opportunity to lend some extra flavor. It's not going to be hop water.

I've not used that yeast, but I'm curious. Are you going to lager it for a few weeks?

 

[Br3w4u]

No, don't add more hops, just let the late ones leech a while at low temps (~150F). That gives them the opportunity to lend some extra flavor. It's not going to be hop water.

I've not used that yeast, but I'm curious. Are you going to lager it for a few weeks?

I expect that it will need some conditioning in the keg but on the white labs website it says ferment at 60-65 for a week, transfer, and carb at 15 psi for 3 days. I have never had a beer turn around that fast but we’ll see. I used Imperial L17 for Pilsner and I pitched at 50 and raised the temp 2 degrees every 6 hours or so with a diacetyl rest at 65 for 24 hrs then reduced temps to 32 over a week. So 2 weeks on the yeast and it turned out great after another week of carbonating at 10 psi.

 

[Rocksville]

Being "finished" or attenuated after 10 days, and being at it's best to drink are two different things. The beer is ready to drink when it's ready to drink. I've seen mixed results with that yeast, but the equipment required to both ferment at that psi and then hold temperatures appropriately, coupled with the general clean profile in lagers makes it a tougher beer to do correctly, which is why I think I've run into so much variation (and who knows what other stuff is in that package because....well...white labs).

I think either iteration is fine. I like subbing out the c-pils for something that is more useful to the beer (c15), and the little victory is ok but like was mentioned, GP has a good amount of character anyway. On the hop schedule, you said the first one was 37 IBU and then the second you have listed at 35 IBU despite doubling your boil hops? I'd probably move the el dorado to knockout and whirlpool it, and I probably would lean to the 1/2 oz hop schedule for that light of a beer.

 

[Br3w4u]

Being "finished" or attenuated after 10 days, and being at it's best to drink are two different things. The beer is ready to drink when it's ready to drink. I've seen mixed results with that yeast, but the equipment required to both ferment at that psi and then hold temperatures appropriately, coupled with the general clean profile in lagers makes it a tougher beer to do correctly, which is why I think I've run into so much variation (and who knows what other stuff is in that package because....well...white labs).

I think either iteration is fine. I like subbing out the c-pils for something that is more useful to the beer (c15), and the little victory is ok but like was mentioned, GP has a good amount of character anyway. On the hop schedule, you said the first one was 37 IBU and then the second you have listed at 35 IBU despite doubling your boil hops? I'd probably move the el dorado to knockout and whirlpool it, and I probably would lean to the 1/2 oz hop schedule for that light of a beer.

The IBU was reduced because I moved the hops to a later addition. I added hallertau at 30 min but it’s a low alpha hop so has little impact on the IBU but those are also just estimates from brewers friend so the actual IBU count could be even lower.

 

[IslandLizard]

I have a ton of hops to use up

Brew an IPA or NEIPA. Those will put a more sizeable dent in your hops supply before the new harvest comes in.

I probably would lean to the 1/2 oz hop schedule for that light of a beer

Do you think there will be too much hop flavor from the 2 oz of 5'/extended whirlpool addition?

Bitter with the el dorado

you could move 1/4 oz of [El Dorado] and use it as a First Wort Hop

This is still a good option, keeping the hop charge simpler. You won't need to use much, even as a 30' addition, to get 35-40 IBU.

 

[Br3w4u]

I have been making a lot of NEIPA and I’m just kinda burned out on them. That’s why I started back up with lagers. I also just really want to try this yeast and I have all the equipment to do it so just gonna try it out.

 

[Br3w4u]

Just an update for anyone that is interested. The beer has been in the keg for about 2 weeks now and is about to go down the drain. I don’t think that it is related to the high pressure yeast but most likely a contamination. The beer has a very disgusting burned rubber smell. If you can bring yourself to taste it the flavor is fine, tastes like beer. I have never smelled this in any beer that I have made but that keg will be getting a very thorough cleaning. I tasted it before transferring and it was fine. I did use a new keg that I just bought so I’m pretty sure that was the culprit. I saved some of the yeast so I will again see what happens.

 

[IslandLizard]

Just an update for anyone that is interested.

Damn sorry to hear that! :weep:

Definitely find out what the culprit is before brewing again. You sure it isn't that yeast?
I had jars of heavily autolyzed old yeast slurry smell strongly of burned rubber. I doubt that's your case.

New kegs need to be thoroughly cleaned, scrubbed, PBW soaked and scrubbed again, then passivated to remove any residues from the manufacturing process. I use BKF for most heavy duty old keg cleaning. You think that could be it? Not a bacterial infection from somewhere?

 

[Br3w4u]

Damn sorry to hear that! :weep:

Definitely find out what the culprit is before brewing again. You sure it isn't that yeast?
I had jars of heavily autolyzed old yeast slurry smell strongly of burned rubber. I doubt that's your case.

New kegs need to be thoroughly cleaned, scrubbed, PBW soaked and scrubbed again, then passivated to remove any residues from the manufacturing process. I use BKF for most heavy duty old keg cleaning. You think that could be it? Not a bacterial infection from somewhere?

Well I bought the yeast at only 1 month old. It tasted and smelled fine when I took the FG sample but about 3 days after transferring to the new keg it went nasty. It has chunky stuff floating in it too. I did use a floating dip tube that I wasn’t too confident about though. Next time I will pull that thing out and hold it under some iodophor and I will soak that new keg and double sanitize it. My biggest worry now though is my draft line eeek... I have to use it for a competition in a month. I will smell the yeast slurry tonight and see if it smells bad but I remember it just smelling like a good hoppy beer when I put it in the jar.

 

[IslandLizard]

Well I bought the yeast at only 1 month old. It tasted and smelled fine when I took the FG sample but about 3 days after transferring to the new keg it went nasty. It has chunky stuff floating in it too. I did use a floating dip tube that I wasn’t too confident about though. Next time I will pull that thing out and hold it under some iodophor and I will soak that new keg and double sanitize it. My biggest worry now though is my draft line eeek... I have to use it for a competition in a month. I will smell the yeast slurry tonight and see if it smells bad but I remember it just smelling like a good hoppy beer when I put it in the jar.

Some (Lager) yeasts throw off nasty aromas during fermentation, but they dissipate usually, and don't end up in the beer. Especially after a good ramp up and diacetyl rest followed by a few weeks lagering. Some club member once brought in a homebrew cider that smelled and tasted like rotten eggs, upon pouring a sample. There was no way I could drink that.

Pump hot (homemade) PBW through your draft system to remove any residue, then rinse out thoroughly.