Has anyone brewed this one yet? I'm doing it on Sunday, but I'm doing two firsts with this kit and I'll be curious to see how they work out. First off, I'm NOT lagering the beer. I know it's a lager kit, but I wanted to try using washed yeast for the first time, so I'm using washed Danstar West coast dried yeast that came with N. Brewer's Smash Pale Ale kit. Secondly, this will be my first starter as well. So, has anyone made the kit and if so, how did it turn out? Secondly, N. Brewer told me my "modifications" should result in a beer very tasty and similar to that of Sam Adams Boston Ale, which I honestly can not remember ever having. I've had at least of dozen of their beers, if not 2 dozen, but can not remember ever having their regular BOSTON ALE. Hope it all works out, but you don't learn unless you experiment. That's how we all grow as brewers, right?
N. Brewer's John Q. Adams kit
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augiedoggy
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I think you meant "Boston Lager" right? I dont recall them making a boston ale? there is usually a noticeable difference in lager vs ale yeast so while it will likely turn out very good I dont think the ale version would be as close to the original if you keep the temps low during fermentation you will be close though as long as its a clean strain of ale yeast. (yeast strain makes a huge difference in the taste of the beer)...
FYI SA Boston lager is kind of a unique beer because it doesnt follow any true traditional style...
I do the same thing and mix it up but then I also try to brew it again differently to see what my changes effect in the beer. its tougher to do if you always change the recipe because you really dont know whats effecting what.
First off that kit is not a lager kit it is a hybrid. It is a lager that is fermented at ale temperatures.
As to the starter, are you actually making a wort starter or are you just rehydrating the yeast. For dry yeast it is better to just rehydrate.
Making a wort starter actually depletes reserves that are engineered in the yeast by the manufacturer.
I made the John Q. Adams recipe with my own ingredients (all grain). It was very good.
You should have a nice JQA ale.
As to the starter, are you actually making a wort starter or are you just rehydrating the yeast. For dry yeast it is better to just rehydrate.
Making a wort starter actually depletes reserves that are engineered in the yeast by the manufacturer.
I made the John Q. Adams recipe with my own ingredients (all grain). It was very good.
You should have a nice JQA ale.
There is a Boston Adams BOSTON ALE. I know they're largely known for their Boston LAGER, but if you go to their website, you'll see they offer BOSTON ALE as well.
As for my starter, I am making a yeast starter with harvested formerly dried yeast (Danstar West Coast yeast).
The beer will be fermenting in the low/mid 60's.
As for my starter, I am making a yeast starter with harvested formerly dried yeast (Danstar West Coast yeast).
The beer will be fermenting in the low/mid 60's.
I just brewed this kit 11 days ago. I am likely transferring to the secondary in the next few days. I am lagering it, and am really interested in how things come out.
My wife is a big Boston Lager fan, and although it's not a clone, it may very well fit the bill for her as well. I'm interested in the difference in taste between wagered, and not.
I used Saflager S-23 Lager Dry Yeast.
My wife is a big Boston Lager fan, and although it's not a clone, it may very well fit the bill for her as well. I'm interested in the difference in taste between wagered, and not.
I used Saflager S-23 Lager Dry Yeast.
mpremise - let me know how yours turns out. Like I said, I "experimented" with this batch in that it was my first yeast starter AND my first time using harvested yeast. Surprisingly, it was a little slow to start fermenting (I expected fast and vigorous given what I've read about starters), but it was a little sluggish and never to got become "vigorous." However, once I warmed up my primary a few degrees, the airlock started bubbling away at a more rapid rate. I hope to rack it on Monday and take a gravity reading at that time. Here's hoping I have created a decent "middle of the road" homebrew. By that I mean one that's nicely balanced between the malt and hops. Also, I hope my gravity reaches its target as I wanted to learn if I pitched the right amount of yeast using 1 mason jar worth of harvested yeast and a 1L starter made up of 650 ML of water and a 1/2 cup of DME.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
I'll keep you updated for sure. I was quite surprised with the airlock bubbling I got this time around. This is the same yeast I used for the Oktoberfest and I didn't have nearly the amount of bubbling within the same set of variables.
I see you have N. Brewer's SMASH pale ale on deck. I've made that kit twice now and like it. However, next time I want a session IPA/APA I'm going to try this from them, which is new: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/conundrum-session-ipa-recipe-kit.html Sounds yummy, quick turnaround and it's cheap too! 
We'll see how it turns out. I added some sweet orange peel and put in about 2/3 of the .5 ounce of the spice pack. It really smelled good and the gravity sample tasted decent (as gravity samples do anyhow). Time will tell... Hoping for some blowoff tube activity. I added an extra pound of light DME to boost its gravity a touch too.
The John Q. Adams you racked on Sunday? I made mine with that harvested Danstar West Coast dried yeast. It certainly did its job. I was pleased with the flavor and aroma of the gravity sample I took. We'll see how it turns out here in a few more weeks. Next weekend I bottle Caribou Slobber if I so choose. I might let it sit another week. We'll see...
I bottled my John Q. Adams last weekend - looking forward to a test bottle next weekend. Tasted good on bottling day. I ended up adding some coriander seed and the rest of the spice to secondary for the winter spiced ale as I thought it was a little to orange heavy. We'll see how it turns out here around mid-December.
My John Q. Adams turned out well. I liked it a lot better after 2 weeks in the bottle than one week in the bottle (as to be expected). It really improved and I think it will continue to do so. My friend really liked it too. Wednesday I brew vanilla porter and Sunday I bottle the NB holiday spiced ale. I added coriander and the rest of the spice pack to secondary (after adding only about 2/3 of it the the end of the boil). However, at racking time, I thought it needed a little something, thus the additions to secondary, which hopefully help.
So I finally had a few. After two weeks in the bottle, I notice a sweetness that I'm not quite fond of. It's not an off flavor sweetness, and it falls off after a sip of two.
I suspect that it will round out in another week or so. Not disappointed, just different than I expected.
I suspect that it will round out in another week or so. Not disappointed, just different than I expected.
What yeast did you use for the John Q.? I'll be curious to see how others receive that beer. Like I said, if I made it again, I might try traditionally lagering it or at least use the suggested liquid yeast that works well at ale temps, according to NB. It was my first time using harvested yeast (Danstar West Coast) and my first yesat starter, so it was very experimental. That being said, I like it. Some others have, while others were not sold on it. I tried a bottle of my winter spiced ale last weekend. It had only been in the bottle one week, but I always try one bottle at the first week just out of curiosity, even though I know it will be flat. It was very flat, but it had GREAT flavor, I think. Glad I added the coriander, orange peel and remaining spice to the secondary. I hope it's more carbonated this weekend. I will also try a bottle of my chocolate stout from NB this weekend (1 week into bottle conditioning) this weekend. Lastly, I'll be bottling my Adventures in Homebrewing vanilla porter. That beer's FG was 1.010 - pretty low. It was fairly dry, but I hope the vanilla beans help its flavor. It wasn't bad flavor, but just drier than most other extract kits I've done. They normally finish around 1.015. Oh yeah - I currently have a NB nut brown ale in the primary. I added a pound of light DME and a pound of honey at flameout to boost gravity. OG was 1.060. Made a healthy starter of WYeast 1098. I got the pipeline rolling these days...
Sounds like you have a great stash building up, nearing completion.
I used Saflager S-23 dry yeast, as recommended on the order page. I haven't tried liquid yeast yet and certainly haven't traveled down the yeast starter path either.
After my SMASH Ale is brewed, I think my next kit will be ordered with a liquid yeast. At least a smack pack to give it a shot.
I used Saflager S-23 dry yeast, as recommended on the order page. I haven't tried liquid yeast yet and certainly haven't traveled down the yeast starter path either.
After my SMASH Ale is brewed, I think my next kit will be ordered with a liquid yeast. At least a smack pack to give it a shot.
I was a little "fearful" of liquid yeast and yeast starters for a while. Now I don't "fear them" at all. Doing a starter is really easy, and to me, whenever I can "play with my beer" I'm having fun. Just youtube making a starter and you'll see it's something anyone can easily do in about 30 minutes. Plus, if you do liquid yeast, that yeast will be harvestable/reusable (when pitched with a starter) for a lot more generations than harvesting yeast from dried yeast. I have used harvested dried yeast with a starter though and didn't have a bad experience. You can also youtube washing/harvesting yeast to show you that process which is really easy too. I do it to save $. Say you buy a kit with a $7 yeast Smack Pack. When you're ready to rack that beer you're left with a bunch of yeast at the bottom of the fermenter. You can "wash" and "harvest" that yeast for future batches. You can easily get 4 or more mason jars of good yeast. So, for $7 for the original yeast, you've now got $28 worth of good "liquid" yeast. Add in the $5 you spent on a pound of DME, but you're still ahead. I brewed a chocolate stout, vanilla porter, nut brown ale and will be brewing the Caribou Slobber and Irish Ale kit from NB all from my original batch of Wyeast 1098. Good luck on your next kit!
Thanks for the info. Just cracked one of the Marblehead Lagers three weeks after bottling. The off sweetness I had described is gone and I'm happy with the brew.
I think after I brew my Smash, I'm ready to start a few more involved techniques, such as harvesting/washing yeast and following some recipes as opposed to a pre-made kit. I'm only four brews in and I definitely have the bug.
I think after I brew my Smash, I'm ready to start a few more involved techniques, such as harvesting/washing yeast and following some recipes as opposed to a pre-made kit. I'm only four brews in and I definitely have the bug.
laughableman
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Hey all,
I just brewed the John Q. in January (WLP810 San Fransisco Lager at 52 degrees for two weeks, diacetyl rest for two days at 65 degrees, and lagered for four weeks at 39 degrees) and bottled it a few days ago, so don't know how it's turned out yet. But my question is, what kind of BJCP style is this beer? I've been racking my brain trying to figure it out because it doesn't seem to fit any category (I'm thinking about entering it into a competition if it is any good). At first I was leaning toward German Pilsner, but the Chrystal Malt makes it too dark and amber-colored and the flavor it would give it is inappropriate for the style. Now I'm thinking Northern German Altbier? The John Q. is a little light colored (it's amber, and altbiers are supposed to be light copper) but at least altbier is supposed to have chrystal in it. What do you guys think? OG: 1.052, FG: 1.015, SRM: 7, IBUs: 29. I've never had an altbier, so I don't know how close this would come. I'm going to try to find some this week and compare them.
I just brewed the John Q. in January (WLP810 San Fransisco Lager at 52 degrees for two weeks, diacetyl rest for two days at 65 degrees, and lagered for four weeks at 39 degrees) and bottled it a few days ago, so don't know how it's turned out yet. But my question is, what kind of BJCP style is this beer? I've been racking my brain trying to figure it out because it doesn't seem to fit any category (I'm thinking about entering it into a competition if it is any good). At first I was leaning toward German Pilsner, but the Chrystal Malt makes it too dark and amber-colored and the flavor it would give it is inappropriate for the style. Now I'm thinking Northern German Altbier? The John Q. is a little light colored (it's amber, and altbiers are supposed to be light copper) but at least altbier is supposed to have chrystal in it. What do you guys think? OG: 1.052, FG: 1.015, SRM: 7, IBUs: 29. I've never had an altbier, so I don't know how close this would come. I'm going to try to find some this week and compare them.
Sorry - can't help you. I don't know anything really about beer classifications. I just brew and hope it tastes okay. That was my first beer with harvested yeast. I used Danstar west coast dried yeast. That beer turned out fair. I have about 8 left. I have not been racing through them. They're drinkable, but if I did that kit again, I would certainly use a suggested yeast from NB.
