I brewed a favorite recipe today

[MHBT]

WIthout going into details (for now), water adjustments for 'all-grain' brrewing and for 'extract' brewing are different things.

True dat

 

[DBhomebrew]

Alrighty now. A comparison between two quick extract batches. Two bitters, one with Briess Pale Ale DME, the other with Munton's Amber DME.

Both were brewed to the following recipe.

~4gal into the fermenter
1.037
29 IBU

3gal water into the kettle
1.5# DME
~15IBU Fuggle @ FWH

Bring to boil. Add ~15IBU Fuggle @ 30m.

Dissolve 1/2# Invert in 1gal reserved water.
Add 1.5# reserved DME to invert solution.

Flameout. Add 1/2oz EKG. Add reserved invert/DME solution. Start water bath. Add 1/2oz EKG as it passes 170°F.

English ale yeast, this time Omega's Fuller's (OYL-016) @68°.

Bottled at 1.8 volumes.

First the Briess.

Pale gold and clear (pic has condensation)
Off-white head quickly dissipates to thin ring
Little to no hop aroma

Lightly pillowy
Low white bread maltiness, short lived
Low to moderate bitterness
Little to no hop flavor
Fairly dry

Boring

Warmer. Low invert flavors, caramel. Still boring.

Then the Munton's.

Gold and clear (pic has condensation)
Short off-white head which dissipated quickly to nothing

Low hop aroma on the pour

Pillowy
Low crusty bread, unsweet maltiness
Low to moderate soft bitterness, well balanced
Low hop flavor
Fairly dry finish

A bit warmer, malt aroma and mild toffee sweetness which carries through to the finish.

My take aways from these first attempts are as follows.

Munton's is worth the extra $
Add a pound of Wheat DME (55% wheat iirc)
Add a small dry hop
Look at water salts for flavor per @BrewnWKopperKat's method over on the advanced extract thread.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Alrighty now. A comparison between two quick extract batches. Two bitters, one with Briess Pale Ale DME, the other with Munton's Amber DME.

Does Muntons document what malts are used for their extracts? Briess says their Pale Ale DME is 100% Pale Ale Malt. I have never brewed all-grain with Briess Pale Ale malt, but I have used the Pale Ale DME a few times for small hop samplers. In the past, I have not had much luck getting details on Muntons products. Though Briess does not seem to document what is in their Amber DME.

It looks like the local shop that used to carry both Briess and Muntons now only lists Briess.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Does Muntons document what malts are used for their extracts?

Munton's doesn't offer much info on their website, merely a button to request technical information. I haven't bothered yet. I seem to recall finding somewhere that Amber didn't use crystal, but could be totally wrong on that.

I chose to use their Amber because that's what @D.B.Moody uses for much of his English-style recipes. I chose Briess' Pale Ale to help them put their best foot forward in regards to malty yumminess.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Today's recipe over at Ron's blog. Beers such as this are the inspiration for my extract (base malt) + invert quaffer. So very simple. With quality ingredients, so very tasty.

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2022/06/lets-brew-wednesday-1902-boddington-ta.html?m=1

 

[D.B.Moody]

Just a question, still grasping water and im referring to 2 tsp of gypsum

That's 2T, not 2t, and it probably is a lot. As @BrewnWKopperKat pointed out it's actually less than what the recipe calls for.
In responding to a similar question on a different recipe I said this:

I learned to brew with Charlie Papazian's books The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing and The Home Brewer's Companion. He seems to have been a fan of gypsum. It may have influenced my tastes.
I do not know my water chemistry. I filter my tap water to get rid of chlorine, but it removes other stuff as well. This may effect my preferences.
So the answer is trial and error. I use no software in my brewing.

That was post #69.
Sorry I took so long to respond. I was out of town and off line.

 

[BeerAndTele]

That's 2T, not 2t, and it probably is a lot. As @BrewnWKopperKat pointed out it's actually less than what the recipe calls for.
In responding to a similar question on a different recipe I said this:

That was post #69.
Sorry I took so long to respond. I was out of town and off line.

2 tablespoons?!?!? Into 5.5 gallons??? Yowza.

2 tablespoons of gypsum into 5.5 gallons of water will add 643 mg/l of sulfate on top of what’s already there. That’s more than ”a lot”. John Palmer’s “very bitter” range is 150-350 mg/l.

Not to mention 268 mg/l of calcium, which Brewer’s Friend places in the “harmful” range.

* based on the Brewer’s Friend Advanced Water Chemistry tool.

I‘m hoping I’ve misread something here.

 

[D.B.Moody]

2 tablespoons?!?!? Into 5.5 gallons??? Yowza.

2 tablespoons of gypsum into 5.5 gallons of water will add 643 mg/l of sulfate on top of what’s already there. That’s more than ”a lot”. John Palmer’s “very bitter” range is 150-350 mg/l.

Not to mention 268 mg/l of calcium, which Brewer’s Friend places in the “harmful” range.

* based on the Brewer’s Friend Advanced Water Chemistry tool.

I‘m hoping I’ve misread something here.

I've never read John Palmer. I am unacquainted with Brewer's Friend. You did not misread. My 2 tablespoons is less than the 8 teaspoons Charlie Papazian had for Toad Spit Stout, probably because I though that it sounded like a lot when I first brewed it. All I can say is that I liked my Toad Hall Stout.

 

[BeerAndTele]

To each their own. But again, yowza. I was stunned enough by the 2 Tbls reference that I did a Google search and found this online. The discussion is around 8 Tsps, not 2 Tbls.

Mr. Papazian's response to Toad Spit Stout - gypsum amount

EDIT: I do see that you're referring to 2 tbl and he's referring to 8 tsp, and that didn't come across in the comment above, so I've edited. But my 'yowza' still stands.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Here's a quick reply for now.

So I [Papazian] tell myself that there's good reason for it [Toad Spit Stout] being so popular. In my naivety in the early days of brewing, I may have stumbled upon a procedure (adding too much gypsum) that indeed enhanced a recipe formulation.

There are a number of extract-based recipes from the early 1990s [2] that, in 2022, have unexpected brewing salt additions.

Focusing on just stout recipes in that book [2], a couple of the recipes list "1 package Burton water salts" and a couple of other recipes list higher than anticipated amounts of gypsum.

'yowza' or 'hmmm'? Either response is certainly appropriate.

So I [Papazian] tell people that if they really wish to know any difference split a batch into two 2 1/2 gallon vessels to which you add 4 teaspoons to one of them and one teaspoon to the other.

Experimenting with 'salts in the glass' (see [3]) would be another low cost way to try this out.

Yet another approach would be to brew a six gal batch. Post boil, ferment 5 gal with the 'standard' recipe and 1 gal with post-boil changes.

---

If one is curious and decides to pursue this further, be equally curious about mineral content of various brands of extract. There is sufficient information available on extract brands (as well as good experimental approaches) to make a good decisions to dial in the recipe without over-mineralizing a 5 gal batch.

---

[1] link to quote (Jan 2002)
[2] Homebrew Favorites, Storey Publishing, (c) 1994.
[3] link: this is obviously not a new idea; it's just me sharing my process.

 

[D.B.Moody]

I brewed a favorite recipe today. Today I brewed "Simple" which is designed to feature the hops used. The recipe is simple and non-specific. I've brewed this twenty-two times over the years. Eleven of those featured Tettnang hops with Munton's DME and Nottingham yeast. The others often feature a US hop like Cascade, Mt. Rainier, or, like this one, Mount Hood:

5 1/2 gal. water
5 lbs. Briess Pale Ale DME (the recipe does not specify brand)
1 1/4 oz. Mt Hood alpha 5.7 (BOIL) 7.8 HBU adjusted (the recipe just targets 6 to 8 HBU)
1/4 oz. Mt. Hood (FLAVOR)
1/2 oz. Mt. Hood (AROMA)
1 US05 ale yeast (the recipe just says ale yeast)

Dissolve 2 2/2 lbs. DME in 1/2 gal water for late addition
Dissolve 2/12 lbs. DME in 1 1/2 gal water for boil, begin heating
30 min. boil
10 min. add flavor hops
0 min add late addition and aroma hops
Cool in sink bath before pouring into fermenter
Top to 5 gal. with chilled water, pitch at 70 F

7.1 HBUs are adjusted down 10% for 30 min boil and up 20% for late addition of half the extract

 

[DBhomebrew]

Very recently, I brewed an all-grain grisette based on this recipe. Today, I brewed a quick extract version.

1.040 OG
30 IBU

30m boil, half the DME plus the sugar reserved for flameout.

Added 2g CaCl, 3.5g CaSO4, 1g NaCl to my rather soft water. Estimated 100 Ca, 0.8:1 Cl:SO4.

4 gallons of water, 1.5 reserved
2# Munton's Wheat DME, 1/2# reserved
1# Munton's Extra Light DME, reserved
1/2# Demerara, reserved

1.9HBU Saaz FW
1.9HBU Saaz 30m
3.8HBU Saaz 15m
4g Fuggle Dry Hop

OYL-042 Belgian Saison II
500ml SNS starter pitched @ high krausen @ 72°F

I'll let it heat up on its own, then help it to 80 or so to finish.

 

[D.B.Moody]

Today I brewed what I hope will become a favorite recipe. I hoping for something close to Civil Life American Brown. Civil Life Brewing in St. Louis is local to me, and their flagship brew, American Brown, is wonderful. I'm calling this batch Buster Brown Ale. Although the comics character was not known for his civility, the shoes named for him were produced in St. Louis.

5 1/2 gal. of water
6lbs. Briess Pale Ale DME
1/2 lb. brown malt
1/4 lb. Carafa II
11/4 oz. Cascade alpha 7.2 (BOIL) 9.9 HBU adjusted
1/2 oz. Cascade (FLAVOR)
1/2 oz. Cascade (AROMA)
1 US05 ale yeast

Dissolve 3 lbs. DME in 1/2gal. water for late addition
Dissolve 3 lbs DME in 1 gal. water for boil, begin heating
Steep grains in 1/2 gal. water 30 min. at 150-160 F
Strain into boil kettle, bring to boil, add boil hops
30 min. boil
10 min. flavor hops
0 min. add late addition and aroma hops
Cool in sink bath before pouring into fermenter (This takes longer when it's 100 outside and tap water is barely cool like it is today. )
Top to 5 gal., pitch at 70 F

HBUs adjusted: 9 -10% for 30 min. boil, +20% for late addition

 

[DBhomebrew]

+1 Civil Life Brown Ale! I look forward to your tasting notes!

 

[Brews and Blues]

+1 Civil Life Brown Ale! I look forward to your tasting notes!

@DBhomebrew @D.B.Moody That's one of my favorite beers in the world from my favorite brewery. I will echo your thoughts. If that comes out anything close, I'm brewing this right away!

 

[JesterMage]

I brewed our new favorite beer. It is really hitting the spot during this hot summer. I will be on constant rotation for some time to come. I do 30 min boils with 1/4 to 1/2 the sugar in the kettle and the rest at flame out.

Americana Light

Brew Method: Partial Mash
Style Name: American Light Lager
Boil Time: 30 min
Batch Size: 3 gallons (fermentor volume)

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.033
Final Gravity: 1.011
ABV (standard): 2.86%
IBU (tinseth): 11.77
SRM (morey): 2.76

FERMENTABLES:
1 lb 6 oz- DME Pilsen Light (49.7%)
10 oz - Flaked Rice (23.2%)
5 oz - Pilsen Malt 2-Row (11.3%)
2 oz - Bonlander Munich Malt 10L (4.5%)
1 oz - Distillers Malt (2.3%)
4 oz - Caramel Malt - 10L (9%)

HOPS:
0.2 oz - Artisan - Willamette (7.1 AA)IBU: 7.96 - 30 min Boil
0.2 oz - Artisan - Liberty (4.7 AA)IBU: 2.49 - 10 min Boil
0.3 oz - Artisan - Saaz (Czech) (3.5 AA) IBU: 1.33 - Flame out


OTHER INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp - Irish Moss, Time: Boil 10 min

YEAST:
CellarScience - German Lager

 

[ncbrewer]

My last brew was pretty much designed out of necessity. I brew a hefeweizen with Williams Brewing’s Weizenmalt, and prefer Lallemand Munich Classic Wheat Yeast. Williams doesn’t carry the Classic any more - I use the Munich Wheat Beer Yeast, now renamed Lalbrew Wit. It makes a good beer, but it’s not really a hefeweizen. The last time I brewed it, I tried mixing some of it half-and-half with Nut Brown Ale to see if it was anything like a Dunkelweizen - I thought it was close, and more importantly, I liked it. So last brew was this:

4 lbs Williams Brewing Nut Brown LME
4 lbs Williams Brewing Weizenmalt LME
1/4 tsp CaCl (depends on your water and the extract)
0.66 mls lactic acid (depends on your water)
Campden as needed for chlorine in tap water
1.19 oz Willamette hops at 3.8% AA - for 15 IBUs (Tinseth)
1 packet Lallemand Lalbrew Wit yeast.

Boil enough water for 2.6 gallons including the early LME
Remove from heat and stir in 4 cups of LME (Early LME)
Return to boil and add all hops
Boil 40 minutes
Add remaining LME (Late addition LME), cover, and let stand 10 minutes
Chill as needed so that top-off water will bring it to 60F
Top off to 5 gallons - stir well
Sprinkle dry yeast and fold into the wort gently
Ferment at 67F for four days, then at 76F for the duration

It seems like the addition of the Nut Brown LME changes the character and goes well with the Lalbrew Wit yeast.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Very recently, I brewed an all-grain grisette based on this recipe. Today, I brewed a quick extract version.

1.040 OG
30 IBU

30m boil, half the DME plus the sugar reserved for flameout.

Added 2g CaCl, 3.5g CaSO4, 1g NaCl to my rather soft water. Estimated 100 Ca, 0.8:1 Cl:SO4.

4 gallons of water, 1.5 reserved
2# Munton's Wheat DME, 1/2# reserved
1# Munton's Extra Light DME, reserved
1/2# Demerara, reserved

1.9HBU Saaz FW
1.9HBU Saaz 30m
3.8HBU Saaz 15m
4g Fuggle Dry Hop

OYL-042 Belgian Saison II
500ml SNS starter pitched @ high krausen @ 72°F

I'll let it heat up on its own, then help it to 80 or so to finish.

Brewed another of these grisettes. This time with French Fuggles* throughout.

*Thanks @wardens355!

 

[JesterMage]

HB Irish Red

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

"Citra Hop Steep": A resized favorite recipe (and brewing process) for the new equipment. With a little luck, I should have adjusted the hop amounts properly to account for batch size and cryo hops.

OG 65-ish; FG 15-ish; SRM 7-ish​

• 3 gal water; 1 g gypsum
• 3 lb Briess Golden Light DME; 1 lb Brewers Crystals; 8 oz sugar
• 1/2 oz Citra (AA 12-ish); 1 oz cryo Citra (AA 23 ish)
• 1 pkt Lallemand New England

1. Heat water to 140F, add CaS04, DME, brewers crystals & sugar.
2. Heat wort to 180F, add hops
3. Hold at 180F-ish for 20 minutes,
4. Chill

Note: one could combine steps 1 & 2: heat water to 180F, then add all the ingredients.​

​

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

"Citra Hop Steep" - hydrometer sample

​

Lookin' good and tastin' good.​

 

[D.B.Moody]

These go to eleven. Today I brewed the first of three batches of Spinale. This one is with Briess Pale Ale DME in place of the usual Muntons light DME

5 1/2 gal. of water
5 lbs. Briess Pale Ale DME
1 11/16 oz. East Kent Golding alpha 5.9 (BOIL) 11 HBU adjusted
1/2 oz. East kent Goldings (FLAVOR)
3/4 oz. ast Kent Goldings (ATOMA)
1 Nottingham ale yeast

Dissolve 1 1/2 lbs DME in 1/2 gal. water for late addition
Dissolve 2 1/2 lbs DME in 1 1/2 gal water for boil
30 min. boil
10 min. flavor hops
0 min. add late addition and aroma hops
Cool in sink bath before pouring into fermeter
Top to 5 gal., pitch @ 70 F

HBUs adjusted -10% for 30 min. boil and +20% for late addition.

Next week I'll brew this with Munton's so I can compare the two malts. In a few more weeks I'll brew it with 4 1/2 lbs. Muntons and 1/2 lb. of invert sugar, because I'd like to see what invert brings to the party.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

"Citra Hop Steep" - early bottle in a pint glass. I poured it warm to check color / clarity.

 

[D.B.Moody]

+1 Civil Life Brown Ale! I look forward to your tasting notes!

@DBhomebrew and @Brews and Blues we did a comparison tasting today of my Buster Brown in post #133 and Civil Life American Brown.


Buster Brown is slightly darker and a bit foamier. It tastes like Civil Life Brown, but I and my fellow taster described Civil Life as a bit smoother. This was far more noticeable at the first couple of sips. As time went on, we found the difference less noticable.
For now, I deem this a success, and this will replace my previous brown recipe as a favorite. I will do several more tests. If my assessment changes, I'll post further.

EDIT: Oddly, both of us misidentified the two after open glasses were pulled from the refrigerator after being in there for about a half hour and while I wrote the above assessment. I don't know what that means.

Sept. 10 tasting: We did another comparison today. I poured carefully to control foam. Civil Life, left, is slightly lighter.

The two beers taste very much the same. Civil Life has more bubbles in the mouth feel. This difference pretty much went away after the the beer sat out. I will be brewing this again. BTW, These beers were tasted at about 50 F.

 

[D.B.Moody]

+1 Civil Life Brown Ale! I look forward to your tasting notes!

@DBhomebrew, we did another tasting yesterday, and I posted it as an edit to the previous posting.

@DBhomebrew @D.B.Moody That's one of my favorite beers in the world from my favorite brewery. I will echo your thoughts. If that comes out anything close, I'm brewing this right away!

@Brews and Blues, you should be "brewing this right away" because it is very close.

Edit note: the Carafa II in the recipe is the special (dehusked) version.

 

[D.B.Moody]

Yesterday we compared Spinales #298 and #299 from post #142.

#298, left, was made with Briess Pale Ale DME; #299, right, was made with Muntons light DME. This picture was taken before the bottles were chilled. #298 was in bottle 4 weeks and 2 days; #299 was in bottle 3 weeks. I was not expecting the difference. The beers look more the same after chilling to about 45-50 and poured. #298, left, and #299, right:

The beers were the same color and equally carbonated. They both had light heads and had bubblies rising in the glass. About ten or fifteen minutes later the beers had cleared, the Muntons a bit more than the Briess, and looked very much the same in the glass:

They did not taste alike. Breiss lacked taste. It wasn't bad, just too bland. Muntons had enough character to be a nice session bitter. My conclusion, as @DBhomebrew found in his comparison in post #122, is that Muntons is worth it.

 

[D.B.Moody]

Today I brewed Dark Ale. I'm calling this batch "Christmas Red."

5 1/2 gal. water
2 1/2 lbs. Muntons light DME and 1 1/2 lbs. Muntons dark DME
1/2 lb. 45 L crystal malt
3 Tbsp. black malt
1 1/2 oz. Tettnang alpha 3.9 (BOIL) 6.4 HBU adjusted
1/2 oz. Tettnang (AROMA)
1 Nottingham ale yeast

Dissolve 2 lbs. DME in 1/2 gal. water for late addition
Dissolve 2 lbs. DME in 1 gal. of water for boil, begin heating
Steep grains at 150-160 in 1/2 gal. water for 30 minutes
Strain into boil kettle, bring to boil, add boil hops
30 min. boil
0 min, add late addition, add aroma hops
Cool in sink bath before transferring to fermenter
Top to 5 gal. with chilled water, pitch at 70 F

The HBUs are adjusted down 10% for the 30 minute boil and up 20% for the late addition.

 

[hout17]

Keep it up I love this thread!

 

[Mr.IPA]

I think I'd like a thread posting favorite extract recipes and brews that I might like too. So here's one:

Today I brewed "Edmond's"
I've brewed this a number of times, but this is only the second time with Challenger hops. It was excellent the first time which happened because East Kent Goldings were in short supply. It's based on Charlie Papazian's "Jack's Union Classic Pale Ale."

5 1/2 gal. water
5 lbs. Munton's light DME
1 lb. 40L crystal malt
1 oz. Fuggles & 1/2 oz. Challenger (boli) 6.9 HBU
1/2 oz Challenger (flavor)
1 oz Challenger (aroma)
2 tsp. gypsum
1 Safebrew S-33 ale yeast

Steep grains for 30 min. @ 150-160
60 min. boil
15 min. flavor hops
2 min aroma hops

I do a partial boil of 1 1/2 gal. Yes, I still refer to HBUs. No, I don't take gravity readings.

View attachment 711188

Mr. Moody. It's been a while since I got on this sight. I have been considering going to dry yeast for some time. After reviewing your Favorites post I made the jump today and ordered several packs. Your IPA and summer ale recipes got my interest peaked.Will give both a try once the Hollidays are over with.Hope this finds you well. Randy

 

[D.B.Moody]

Today we compared Spinale #299 and Spinale #300. These brews were from post #142. Batch #300 differs by having 1/2 lb. of extract being replaced by 1/2 lb of invert sugar. #299, right, and #300, left, in the picture:

They looked the same in the bottle and the glass. They had similar heads and carbonation. They did not taste alike. #300 had what I called "softer" taste. My fellow taster, a visiting grandson, described it as more mouth feel, less taste turning to bitter. We both preferred the more definite and lasting taste of #299. If this assessment changes over time, I'll post further. For now, I have to report to @Miraculix and @DBhomebrew that my exploration of invert isn't yet productive, but I'm not ready to give up.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

SHAMEful Amber (single hop and malt extract, also because it's shamefully simple)

[4 gallons into fermenter]
5 lbs Briess Sparkling Amber DME
0.8 oz Cascades (7.2% AA) @ 60 min
0.2 oz Cascades (7.2% AA) @ 10 min
0.2 oz Cascades (7.2% AA) @ 0 min
US-05 dry yeast, once cooled to 70F

OG: 1.055, FG: 1.011, ABV: 6.0%, IBU: 29, BU/GU: 0.53

Just made it this afternoon, still cooling. I've tried a number of slight variations, with various different steeping grains, but more often than not, it seemed like I was just adding some different stuff solely for the sake of adding some different stuff, and there's just no need, if all one wants is a really good amber ale.

pro-tip: A plastic ferment bucket holds heat better than a stainless steel boil kettle! Took over 4 hours for my 135F wort to reach 70F, while sitting outside in 40F weather!

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Is it weird that the beer I made one post up (shameful amber) was spot on with the OG (1.055) and volume (4 gal), but has reached a lower than expected gravity (1.007, maybe 1.008 - by hydrometer) and the krausen is still floating on top of the beer? It's only been 11 days, so maybe I'm just being impatient, but the slightly lower than expected gravity has me concerned -- presumably it's going to go even lower, if the yeast is still at work.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

@Hoochin'Hank Two initial questions on the FG measurement:

1) What does the hydrometer read in tap water?​

2) Are you reading from the top, middle, or bottom of the meniscus?​

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Two initial questions on the FG measurement:

1) What does the hydrometer read in tap water?​

2) Are you reading from the top, middle, or bottom of the meniscus?​

View attachment 807337​

It's been spot on at 1.000 for tap water (double-checked this morning, before taking a reading on my porter which has definitely finished fermenting).
This picture (taken moments ago) was from the amber sample drawn some five hours ago, so I suspect those bubbles are "new" (not shown: aluminum foil wrapped around top of tube). It smells fine, haven't tasted yet. Also, temp in this room is 68F.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Thanks @Hoochin'Hank !

• 5 lb DME at 44 PPG is 220 GPs.
• In 4 gal water, OG is 55.
• At 80% attenuation, estimated FG is 11.

Based on a FG of 8, attenuation is ~ 85%. This seems high to me.

If FG remains stable, it should be safe to bottle.

---

I have been curious about the impact of minor differences in amounts (4 lb vs 5 lb of fermentables, 3.75 gal vs 4.25 gal water, ...). I may finish the spreadsheet this evening (or a 'squirrel' may come along). It may offer some ideas (or not).

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

I bottled the beer (shameful amber) on the 9th (3 weeks ago). It's carbonated nicely and doesn't seem overly thin, but the taste is just "okay". It was definitely better when I used S-04. Next time I make this, I'm going to go back to S-04, and bump the IBUs a little bit more.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Made this about 6 weeks ago (I think? I've been drinkin'...), and it tastes WEIRD for at least the first 5 weeks!
But after that? Oh, this is pretty awesome! The midnight wheat + slight over-carbonization gives it a great head that sticks around forever, and a full, creamy mouth-feel despite a fairly low FG.

Chocolate Porter
-------------------
3 gallons into fermenter, OG: 1.056, FG: 1.010, ABV: 6.1%, IBU: 32

5 oz Briess caramel 40L (steep at 155F for 30 mins)
5 oz black (patent) malt (steep at 155F for 30 mins)
4 oz midnight wheat (steep at 155F for 30 mins)
3 lbs Briess Golden Light DME at end of steep, and bring to boil
add 8 oz table sugar to boil
add 5 oz Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cacao Powder to boil

0.3 oz Magnum [15% AA] @ 60, for 27 IBU
0.2 oz Kent Goldings [5.5% AA] @ 15, for 5 IBU

US-05, ferment at 62F for 1 week, then 68F for 1 week
primed for 2.8 volumes CO2 before bottling

EDIT: almost forgot my water: 2 gallons RO water, 2 gallons almost-London water (Hastings, MN tap water is pretty close to London water). Chloramine treated with the tiniest pinch of Potassium Metabisulfate.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Chocolate Porter
-------------------
3 gallons into fermenter, OG: 1.056, FG: 1.010, ABV: 6.1%, IBU: 32

5 oz Briess caramel 40L (steep at 155F for 30 mins)
5 oz black (patent) malt (steep at 155F for 30 mins)
4 oz midnight wheat (steep at 155F for 30 mins)
3 lbs Briess Golden Light DME at end of steep, and bring to boil

Woof, this has NOT held up very well. Starting to taste a kind of "ashy", as if I'd used way more than 5% black patent. And the chocolate is barely noticeable. It was really nice for a good 2 week window, tho -- any ideas?

 

[RM-MN]

Woof, this has NOT held up very well. Starting to taste a kind of "ashy", as if I'd used way more than 5% black patent. And the chocolate is barely noticeable. It was really nice for a good 2 week window, tho -- any ideas?

You may be seeing the differential settling of some of the suspended particles that are so close in density to the beer that they take a long time to settle out and the ones you thought were the tastiest settled first.

Put the rest of the beer in a safe place for another couple months and try it again. I'm betting you will have a completely different beer then, probably a very tasty one.

 

[Pehlman17]

Alrighty now. A comparison between two quick extract batches. Two bitters, one with Briess Pale Ale DME, the other with Munton's Amber DME

Then the Munton's.


View attachment 771683

Gold and clear (pic has condensation)
Short off-white head which dissipated quickly to nothing

Low hop aroma on the pour

Pillowy
Low crusty bread, unsweet maltiness
Low to moderate soft bitterness, well balanced
Low hop flavor
Fairly dry finish

A bit warmer, malt aroma and mild toffee sweetness which carries through to the finish.

My take aways from these first attempts are as follows.

Munton's is worth the extra $
Add a pound of Wheat DME (55% wheat iirc)
Add a small dry hop
Look at water salts for flavor per @BrewnWKopperKat's method over on the advanced extract thread.

Nice looking beer! That's the color that I still prefer for my pale ales and IPA's over the modern straight pils malt stuff. If you were to brew a similar batch with some steeping grains do you think you'd still use the Amber DME or would you prefer to use one of Muntons' lighter DME's in that case? Do you have a favorite DME from them?