new beer to brew

[impulserush]

I posted before on what type of beer to brew next.

I am looking to brew a lighter colored beer. Lots of flavor. All I have brewed have been amber or dark. What would be a good Brewers Best kit to try? Or another brand to try.

Thanks

 

[hcarter]

How about EdWort's Haus Pale Ale. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/bee-cave-brewery-haus-pale-ale-31793/ He's got All Grain Mini Mash and an Extract recipe. Take your pick.

 

[Brewmando]

The Brewers Best Continental Pilsner is a good one. It also ages very well. The American Micro Pale is also very tasty.

 

[impulserush]

Thanks, I will look into. Any one else with ideas?

 

[Boodlemania]

One vote for BM's Centennial Blonde.

 

[impulserush]

Boodle- What do you mean BM?

 

[BierMuncher]

Boodle- What do you mean BM?

Hi there....

 

[sdhucks7]

Brewers Best Cream Ale is a good choice. SWMBO loved it when i made it last winter.


SD

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Do you like hefeweizens? That's a great, full-flavored, unique, light-colored beer you ought to give a try.

 

[impulserush]

Do you like hefeweizens? That's a great, full-flavored, unique, light-colored beer you ought to give a try.

No I never tried one. Are they easy to do? What would you compare it to?
Do you have a recommendation of a kit or recipe to do?

Thanks

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Pick up a Paulaner or Weihenstephan from the beer store. A hefe is a wheat beer that has unique flavor profiles from the special yeast that's used. They're really unlike any other style of beer, so you've got to try one to experience it. Most people really like the style. They're often served with a slice of orange or lemon, but not everyone goes for that.

They're not any more difficult to brew than anything else. I don't know if they have brewers best kits or not, but I'll bet $$ that Austinhomebrew.com and the other big online suppliers have kits they'll put together for you. I think it should just be wheat extract, hallertau hops, and hefe yeast. Really simple.

 

[impulserush]

Well, Couldn't I just take lets say a Brewers Best american cream ale and change the amount of hops? Or ever change the hops used? I noticed that some kits have more hops then others. I know they make these kits so that there easy drinking. I am looking for a clear beer with a good flaver. Ever have a Weyerbacher Hops infusion? Thats a india pale ale with seven different hops. I am not saying using that many. What would be my best action?

 

[DeathBrewer]

Boodle- What do you mean BM?

Hi there....

that's not what I think of when i hear BM :cross:

 

[impulserush]

so a partial mash(all grain) is like a extract partial boil? it looks easy, i just have done extract because i am a newbie and i am working my way up.
What if any would be a "full mash"? please do not laugh I am learning

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Here's a good page with some illustrations of the difference between partial mash and all grain. Beer Making

 

[DeathBrewer]

so a partial mash(all grain) is like a extract partial boil? it looks easy, i just have done extract because i am a newbie and i am working my way up.
What if any would be a "full mash"? please do not laugh I am learning

you should read through my partial mash thread. there's a link in my sig below.

the main differences between steeping and mashing are the following:

1. a consistent temperature (usually somewhere between 145-160°F) is more important with mashing
2. amount of water compared to grains (usually 1.25-1.50 quarts per pound of grain)
3. enough base malts are used (these have the enzymes you need) along with the specialty grains (steeping should use ONLY specialty grains)

all of these factors are to create the ideal environment for the enzymes to work within the grains so that they can convert the starches into sugars. these sugars are then "flushed" out of the grain by the water, which makes wort. when you use extract, this step has already been done for you.

then you add hops and ferment and you have beer.

 

[impulserush]

Deathbrew- I get all that now. How long do you ferment a partial mash? Is it the same 2 to 3 weeks. Is the beer clearer when its done because you leave out as much of the hops as possible?
My only thing is how do I know whichs hops to use?, When to add them? Do I use a set amount? I really want to make my own recipe but I do not want to kill it and make a terribly bitter beer that no one will drink. Also with DME, how much of that to use? Which type of yeast? These are the questions I have and need answered so I can put something together.

Please help. And Thanks

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

I vote for a Vanilla Porter!

I currently have a batch in the Primary that my brother and I made. Its a Robust Porter kit from Brewers Best that I will siphon to secondary after 3 weeks, on top of some Vanilla beans, for another week or so. If you have never tried a Vanilla Porter, try to find a 6 pack of Breckenridge Vanilla Porter and see if you like it. If yes - then brew!

 

[Jonnio]

Deathbrew- I get all that now. How long do you ferment a partial mash? Is it the same 2 to 3 weeks. Is the beer clearer when its done because you leave out as much of the hops as possible?
My only thing is how do I know whichs hops to use?, When to add them? Do I use a set amount? I really want to make my own recipe but I do not want to kill it and make a terribly bitter beer that no one will drink. Also with DME, how much of that to use? Which type of yeast? These are the questions I have and need answered so I can put something together.

Please help. And Thanks

Impulse - with where your at now you are best off to stick with set recipes and work on your procedure. Once your comfortable with that and you have learned a little about what makes a particular recipe good, then you can worry about developing your own. I first started "recipe formation" by altering proven recipes to have more of the things I liked or less of the things I didn't.

If your looking for a specific type of beer and you can't find a recipe here there are lots of people that can give you guidance too.

 

[Weizenheimer]

Homebrew Heaven has a great West Coast Blonde kit.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Deathbrew- I get all that now. How long do you ferment a partial mash? Is it the same 2 to 3 weeks. Is the beer clearer when its done because you leave out as much of the hops as possible?
My only thing is how do I know whichs hops to use?, When to add them? Do I use a set amount? I really want to make my own recipe but I do not want to kill it and make a terribly bitter beer that no one will drink. Also with DME, how much of that to use? Which type of yeast? These are the questions I have and need answered so I can put something together.

Please help. And Thanks

the first thing i would do with recipe formulation is get promash or beersmith. you can download a trial version for free.

then i would look at other people's recipes. the database here is good, the recipator has a bunch and i would always check out jamil's recipes.

then, check out the bjcp guidelines.

and finally, i would post on here for review by some of the fine members of HBT.

 

[impulserush]

Well, Couldn't I just take lets say a Brewers Best american cream ale and change the amount of hops? Or ever change the hops used? I noticed that some kits have more hops then others. I know they make these kits so that there easy drinking. I am looking for a clear beer with a good flaver. Ever have a Weyerbacher Hops infusion? Thats a india pale ale with seven different hops. I am not saying using that many. What would be my best action?

So I should take a kit like this and then alter it with more hops, less hops, more extract, and so on, then see what happens?

 

[DeathBrewer]

sorry, dude...but it doesn't really sound like you understand.

in regards to hops...

- the longer hops are boiled the more bittering, less flavor you will get from them.
- hops that are in the boil for a shorter amount of time (~20 min) provide more flavor and less bitterness, perhaps a tiny amount of aroma.
- hops in the last part of the boil (<5 min) or dry hopped (no boil) will provide aroma.

basically the longer you boil hops, the more the aroma boils off and the more the flavor turns to bitterness.

so, your bitterness is determined by a number of factors:

- boil time, obviously
- alpha acid content...the higher the AA content, the higher the bitterness. this is where you need software (or you could find formulas to calculate IBUs)
- gravity of boil...the more sugar per volume in your boil, the less you will get out of the hops. to put this into context...you would get greater efficiency if you boiled them in water than if you boiled them in wort.

i would suggest starting with some SMaSH (single malt and single hops) recipes to get an idea of the flavors things will produce.

and like i said, just check it out and post your recipe ideas...we can help you along the way.

 

[impulserush]

Thank you, I did not know that about hops. I am tring to understand what the hops are doing in the beer. know it makes sense!!! I thank you. So that being said. Different hops have a more bittering effect then others?!

So I guess my next question would b, do you add hops later in the boil to get more flavor and less bittering? like this person had listed in another thread.
What would be the effects to the wort by doing this during a boil?
Boil & Hops
1.0 oz Cascade 6.6% at 60 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 30 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 15 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 5 min.

Thanks

 

[impulserush]

any other recommendations?

 

[DeathBrewer]

Thank you, I did not know that about hops. I am tring to understand what the hops are doing in the beer. know it makes sense!!! I thank you. So that being said. Different hops have a more bittering effect then others?!

yes, but mainly it's the alpha acid content.

So I guess my next question would b, do you add hops later in the boil to get more flavor and less bittering?

correct

like this person had listed in another thread.
What would be the effects to the wort by doing this during a boil?
Boil & Hops
1.0 oz Cascade 6.6% at 60 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 30 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 15 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 5 min.

Thanks

it would entirely depend on your recipe and how it balances with the malt, but in general:

60 minute additions are mainly for bitterness and will add a slight amount of flavor

30 minute additions will add a pretty good amount of both flavor and bitterness

15 minute additions will add mostly just flavor

5 minute additions will add mainly aroma with a slight amount of flavor

dry-hopping will add nothing but aroma (but your body may perceive it as taste...the nose and tongue work together sometimes.)

make sense?

now, using quantities such as "1 ounce at 60 minutes" will work differently depending on what your malt bill and total volume are.

obviously if you make a beer that is too light on the malt, but heavy on the hops, it will be too bitter. same if you add too much malt and not enough hops, it will be too sweet. you need balance.

this is why brewing software is nice to have. it will give you all the guidelines you need to fit within a style and show you your estimated gravity and IBUs, ensuring that you're not too far off from what you're attempting.

another thing i would suggest is reading about hops and malt and what type of flavors they impart. there is some good info in the wiki:

Grains and Malts

Hops

also...go to howtobrew.com and read the whole thing, several times. it will really open your eyes to the simplicity of brewing.

 

[impulserush]

Deathbrewer, I would like to say thank you. You have helped me out alot to understand what I needed to know. Thanks for all the info. I will read and think. Anything else I will come a knocking.