I know this is not a typical request. My brother (for some reason) prefers Natty Ice 6.5%. I can't seem to find a recipe for it anywhere (not that I would drink it but would save him money if I could brew it!). Any ideas? I do all grain BIAB.
Natural Ice
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frankrhps
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Still looking for a recipe
madscientist451
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You'll probably have to figure this one out yourself, but it will be fun trying! Brew a 2.5 gallon batch and then tweak it one ingredient at a time until you get close.
I'd start with Recipe #3 in the article below and go from there, but maybe omit the Vienna (or cut it way back) and add more corn to get the ABV up to Natty Ice strength, which I think is 5.9%. Plugging the ingredients into the Brewer's Friend Recipe calculator will help.
https://www.brewersunion.com/american-lager-recipes/
Here's more info:
https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-standard-american-lager/
I'd start with Recipe #3 in the article below and go from there, but maybe omit the Vienna (or cut it way back) and add more corn to get the ABV up to Natty Ice strength, which I think is 5.9%. Plugging the ingredients into the Brewer's Friend Recipe calculator will help.
https://www.brewersunion.com/american-lager-recipes/
Here's more info:
https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-standard-american-lager/
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Would it really save money to brew it yourself? Or would it save him money because you wouldn't charge your own family to drink your beer?
estricklin
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I haven't tasted that beer in a long time, but I brew a lot of American Lite lagers, one of my favorite beers to brew. I think you could just go with 70% 2 row, and 30% long grain rice, cooked right before mash time. Mash low, you want this beer to be very dry and crisp. Toss in maybe 10-15 IBUs worth of a nice stand by like Fuggles or Cascade for an hour. Dry hop with an 1/8 oz of the same. Use a nice clean yeast like 34/70 and give it 4-6 weeks before bottling/kegging.
do you have a freezer that will fit the batch? i think the reason they call it 'ice' is it's very lightly freeze concentrated?
so i'd guess get a meat thermometer, or something like it and get the batch down to something like 30f for an hour or so, then quickly strain through a loose filter to get the bit of ice crystals out...?
just a guess...should lighten the flavor also....
so i'd guess get a meat thermometer, or something like it and get the batch down to something like 30f for an hour or so, then quickly strain through a loose filter to get the bit of ice crystals out...?
just a guess...should lighten the flavor also....
I’m certain this isn’t how it’s actually made, but my favorite AAL recipe uses roughly 50-50 flaked corn and Maris Otter, with around 5% Munich.
I do a cereal mash with rice and 5-10% pilsner malt, and use it in a step mash process for a dry (1.008- 1.010) lager.
catalanotte
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This will be the key to the higher ABV you want without the heavy maltiness of a normal brewing process.
Make any light lager to about ~5% ABV then figure out how much water needs to be removed as ice. For example
5% / 6.5% = 77%. So you’ll need to remove about 23% or a quarter of the volume by freezing.
This will likely take 6-12 hours depending on temperature. Last time I did this I put a big mouth bubbler outside in 10 deg temps for about 18 hours (much higher gravity beer going from 8% to 11%). The ice forms like slush and floats on top. You can drain the concentrate out if the spigot, or siphon out if the bottom.
Have fun with this process, I thought it was pretty cool.
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He said 6.5% in the original post. I can’t seem to find that anywhere with a search, it all says 5.9%. $22.99 here for a 30 pack.
If the 6.5% is a retired beer they don’t make anymore or is really hard to find or something then I could see someone wanting to try to brew this. I brew American lagers myself and I enjoy the challenge. Nothing wrong with that.
But when you can buy a 30 pack for about $23 it’s hard to believe you are saving any money by brewing it yourself.
if you can't seriously beat a $23 3 gallon batch, you're brewing A LOT differently then me.....
even with store bought malt at say $1.9/lb...i'd be able to brew a 10 gallon batch for $40, which would work out to $12 for a 30 pack....
fair enough to say what's the point if all you do is drink 2-3 before bed to help get to sleep, BUT.......
if you can't seriously beat a $23 3 gallon batch, you're brewing A LOT differently then me.....
even with store bought malt at say $1.9/lb...i'd be able to brew a 10 gallon batch for $40, which would work out to $12 for a 30 pack....
fair enough to say what's the point if all you do is drink 2-3 before bed to help get to sleep, BUT.......
Take everthing into account. Grain, hops, yeast, energy, your time. And how many of us are still amortizing homebrew equipment?
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Pffsh. How many of us *EVER* count our time?
Enjoyed the post! i think that'd be the ticket for a 'ice' homebrew....
(i really want to avoid the money stuff, i'm already having to bite my tounge thinking of drug dealers not wanting me to be able to make my own so they can charge whatever insane prices they want to screw people over with....)
catalanotte
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I believe that is the TTB and uptight politicians,, not the illegal drug dealers.......
you're trippin? when i was looking at living on the street using meth, $20 for 200mg mind you...naturally as a kid that got into homebrewing at 18 previously...i thought, how hard can it be to make my own? maybe i can save some money? you know the fit the gangsters threw with that thinking...
now i'm a lot better off...and one of the things that kicked my journey down the road after getting out of prison...was buying a bag of this, for a fair price, and just really feeling how bad i was getting burned....
https://www.nutrivitashop.com/phenylethylamine-hcl-pea-100-pure-powder/
$40 for a pound? and here is the molecules, only diference is monoamine oxidase instantly metabalizes the one without the alpha methyl....
compared to this....
i may have only made it through the 4th grade, but i know a scam when i see it.....and the fact i was supposed to be to scared to even 'think' about how it's made confirmed it, and i was done with that crap after 6-7 months.....
edit: and if you really are that naive about chemistry...then explain this...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2036675860...2NcXHYiMU7p4A+2o/IOIKq49Jk|tkp:Bk9SR5DG_K7jYA
at any rate i think the 'illegal drug dealers' are the bad guys charging kids that don't know better, and sometimes never learn better $20 a stupid 200mg baggie that they think makes them cool to weigh with a mg scale to make sure they don't get ripped off, lol
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Kickass
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I know it’s “ice” beer but I’ve been under the impression that there no freeze distillation occurring. It’s referred to as “ice” because it’s bone dry, higher abv and requires ice cold serving temps. All of these factors play into the mental model one thinks of when drinking an “ice” beer.
All this not to be confused eisbock which is actually freeze distilled.
All this not to be confused eisbock which is actually freeze distilled.
catalanotte
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The ice beers that gained popularity in the 90s we actually fractionally freeze distilled, likely borrowing from the Eisbock approach you mentioned. The smooth dry character you describe comes from the freeze distillation of a lighter lager to kick up the ABV. I really is a cool transformation of a beer. I have an Eisbock in the cellar I made that is pushing 12% ABV and you cant tell it apart from a 8% beer except for the depth of flavor and character. No harshness to the alcohol like you would get from a 12% fermentation. Thinking about trying this on a wee heavy or barley wine to make an ice version.
damn, barley wine 'ice'! i don't usually like marketing terms to sell beer, but if you could think up a down to earth common sense name for that...i want to hear it!
(something like some people get hot to try and be hard core, but we prefer to get cool!)
catalanotte
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Play on the Canadian Ice Wine.
Barley Icewine
or we could get silly:
Polar Vortex Barleywine
Hell’s Frozen over Barleywine
**** it’s cold outside Barleywine
Frozen Nads Barkeywine
just a few to get the thought flowing.
catalanotte
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frozen nads has got to be my favorite! just need to work it into a 'wee' something!
apparently you can’t say Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo here
no bar fighting here! but back on topic, frozen nads, 'wee'..and passing a stone?
well man, i'm not sure if this is what you were looking for...but were working on a name now!
frankrhps
Active Member
how would this translate to biab?
madscientist451
Well-Known Member
Not sure what you're asking.....
Like any recipe, you adjust it for your process. The recipes don't seem to be specific to 3 vessel, they could be BIAB as written if the efficiencies are the same.
frankrhps
Active Member
Wow! haven't checked this in way too long! Thank you everyone for the replies, never got notifications. Yeah, was mistaken, it is 5.9. was looking at too many things at once at the time. Can only get 24 packs here in TN for about $23. I figure brewing 5.5 gallons for about $45 total plus the fun of brewing is worth it lol. Just another excuse to brew a batch of something. And it is both saving me & him hahaha
Natural Ice is 5.9%. Natty Daddy is 8%. AFAIK, they don't make a 6.5% version.
For 5 gallons I would brew something like 6 pounds of pale malt, 2.5 pounds of rice, and 8 ounces of sugar. 1/4 ounce of high-alpha hops like Magnum or CTZ or Nugget (etc) at 60 minutes, and that's it. Ferment with lager yeast, or maybe a German ale yeast like K-97. With all that rice and sugar, a little yeast nutrient might be a good idea.
It won't taste like much, so any flaws will be very apparent. I have no idea if AB uses sugar in any of their beers, that's just how I would do it. For Busch Ice instead of Natty, use corn grits instead of rice.
For 5 gallons I would brew something like 6 pounds of pale malt, 2.5 pounds of rice, and 8 ounces of sugar. 1/4 ounce of high-alpha hops like Magnum or CTZ or Nugget (etc) at 60 minutes, and that's it. Ferment with lager yeast, or maybe a German ale yeast like K-97. With all that rice and sugar, a little yeast nutrient might be a good idea.
It won't taste like much, so any flaws will be very apparent. I have no idea if AB uses sugar in any of their beers, that's just how I would do it. For Busch Ice instead of Natty, use corn grits instead of rice.
frankrhps
Active Member
Ok, I went with 10 lbs breiss 2 row, .5 lbs vienna, 2 lbs maise, 1.5 oz hallertau, wlp001 white labs California (my apologies if the terminology isn't quite right). Brew In A Bag. Fermented 2 weeks at room temp about 72 degrees. Came out 5.95% & bro said tasted exactly like his natty ice! (Of course an alcoholic is gonna like that stuff regardless lol) Spent less than $40 total but that's not really the important thing. Was really a good excuse for me to start brewing again hahahaha! Thanks all for the input!
frankrhps
Active Member
5.5 gallon btw
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