Please Critique my Bitter Buddy Honey Ale

[Rhoobarb]

I have a half day of vacation this week, so I'll be racking my stout, leaving behind a cake of White Labs Irish Ale Yeast in the primary. So as not to waste that yeast, I'll be brewing the recipe below, which I quickly researched and developed over the last couple of days.

Please offer any criticism or suggestions you can. I am shooting for a cross between an English Bitter and a light Budweiser-style Pilsener, with a touch of honey - a nice Summertime ale. The name is a play on words. I have a friend who should really like this ale. He likes to rant and rave and my friends and I tease that he's a bitter old man!

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Bitter Buddy Honey Ale
Recipe 2005 by Mark Pannell

Extracts:
3 lbs. plain extra light DME
2 lbs. plain light DME

Grains:
1/2 lb. British crystal malt, 2-row (40-L)
1/2 lb. torrified barley

Bittering hops:
.5 oz. Cascade [6.0% AAU] (60 mins.)

Flavoring hops:
.5 oz. Cascade [6.0% AAU] (30 mins.)

Finishing hops:
.5 oz. Kent Goldings [4.0% AAU] (5 mins.)

Fining agent:
1 tsp. Irish moss (20 mins.)

Misc. Flavorings:
1 lb. wildflower honey (30 mins.)

Yeast:
White Labs WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast

Primary: 7 days at 72o F

Secondary: 14 days at 68o- 70o F

Total boil: 60 minutes

Crack the grains, hold at 155o F for 30 minutes. Remove grains and increase heat to a boil. Add wildflower honey after 30 minutes. Cool wort to 70o - 80o F and top off to 5 gallons. Pitch yeast when cooled to 70o F. Prime with 1-1/4 cups plain DME.
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I appriciate any suggestions! Thanks!

 

[SwAMi75]

Using only .5oz of Cascades for bittering, I doubt it will be very bitter at all. Besides that, I think it looks pretty nice. I don't know much about using honey in the boil, but it sounds interesting.

Sam

 

[Dude]

Have you run that through Promash or any kind of recipe/brewing software? What did you come up with for IBU's? I can input the numbers for oyu and see what it gives you (if you don't have promash)
The reason I ask is I looked at some recipes for a bitter and I think you might be a touch low on hops. Its going to come out more malty than you may want. To tweak it I'd add a bit more bittering hops, say another half ounce to an ounce. I'm also intrigued by your choice of Cascades as a bittering hop. I think that will help make it more of a summery tasting beer vs. a Kent Goldings or Fuggles as a bittering hop, which are the primary styles of hops used for English bitters from what I've seen.....interesting....
Otherwise, that sounds like a damn good recipe. Please let us know how it turns out, as I'd like to try it!

One question--is 72 deg. the recomended temp for fermenting with that yeast? Seems that would come out way too "fruity" at that high of a temp......just wondering.... IMHO you won't get a pilsner "finish" with it being that fruity...if you fermented at the low end of the temp scale (67-68 deg.) for that yeast it might turn out more accurate to the style you are looking for, no?

Just some thoughts.....

Keep us up to date!!!

 

[Rhoobarb]

Thanks guys! Yes, I did run this through Q-Brew and it looks pretty close to style, although on the low end. According to Q-Brew, IBU = 39, color = 12o, estimated FG = 1.014, estimated ABV = FG = 5.4%. Good point on the temperature. The WLP004 is supposed to ferment between 64o-68o. I brewed this last Sunday night and I comprimised by keeping the temperature at 70o.

The actual OG was 1.050. It was a pretty violent ferment over the first 48 hours. It began to taper off this morning and I may well rack it to secondary tomorrow. Tonight (Wed.), the bubbles in the airlock are down to about one every 90 seconds.

I sampled it when I took the SG and it is light, with a small, slightly harsh aftertaste that dissipates very quickly. I am figuring that will eventually mellow out and be gone over time. I might add an ounce of hops in the seconday for a hop aroma, but I haven't decided what yet. Maybe Kent Goldings?

If this were strictly for me, I would have upped the hops. But I was aiming for a summery 'everyman' beer - a 'quality lawn-mower' brew, if you will!

 

[Dude]

Thanks guys! Yes, I did run this through Q-Brew and it looks pretty close to style, although on the low end. According to Q-Brew, IBU = 39, color = 12o, estimated FG = 1.014, estimated ABV = FG = 5.4%. Good point on the temperature. The WLP004 is supposed to ferment between 64o-68o. I brewed this last Sunday night and I comprimised by keeping the temperature at 70o.

The actual OG was 1.050. It was a pretty violent ferment over the first 48 hours. It began to taper off this morning and I may well rack it to secondary tomorrow. Tonight (Wed.), the bubbles in the airlock are down to about one every 90 seconds.

I sampled it when I took the SG and it is light, with a small, slightly harsh aftertaste that dissipates very quickly. I am figuring that will eventually mellow out and be gone over time. I might add an ounce of hops in the seconday for a hop aroma, but I haven't decided what yet. Maybe Kent Goldings?

If this were strictly for me, I would have upped the hops. But I was aiming for a summery 'everyman' beer - a 'quality lawn-mower' brew, if you will!

Like I said--I'd really like to try that, the recipe looked very nice.
Are you going to bottle it? I'd love to trade with you.
Can't wait to hear what you say about the finished product!

 

[Rhoobarb]

Like I said--I'd really like to try that, the recipe looked very nice.
Are you going to bottle it? I'd love to trade with you.
Can't wait to hear what you say about the finished product!

Yes, I am going to bottle it! I'd be happy to trade. Feel free to contact me offline!

I am racking it tonight (Thursday, I inadvertently typed Wed., above - it was already Wednesday when I typed that!). Now, I just have to figure what hops to add at secondary!

 

[Janx]

Kent Goldings would be a good one for sure. Cascade is another good choice if you want that citrusy Cascade thing.

 

[seven77]

send me a bottle or 10 and I'll give you an opinion

 

[Dude]

Yes, I am going to bottle it! I'd be happy to trade. Feel free to contact me offline!

I am racking it tonight (Thursday, I inadvertently typed Wed., above - it was already Wednesday when I typed that!). Now, I just have to figure what hops to add at secondary!

Any update on this baby? I'd be curious to see (errr, taste) how it came out!!!

 

[rixport]

Using only .5oz of Cascades for bittering, I doubt it will be very bitter at all. Besides that, I think it looks pretty nice. I don't know much about using honey in the boil, but it sounds interesting.

Sam

My comment here is regarding the honey in the recipe. Honey is one of yeast's favorite things to eat! I use it as a rule in my yeast staters. It ferments out almost completely in a kettle type application. The flavor will all be scurbbed off unless you add the honey in the last 5 minutes of the boil and that would be just to kill off any wild yeast or other bugs that the honey is sure to be carrying along. Honey, like maple syrup will hardly be detectable in your finished product and will likely just raise the alchohol content and possibly make it a bit dryer. Good luck with the recipe!

Ken

 

[DyerNeedOfBeer]

flavor will all be scurbbed off unless you add the honey in the last 5 minutes of the boil

Bah, I just used honey today in my brew. I put it in as an initial ingredient in the boil. I hate to hear that the flavor will be keeled off... Is there any possibility of getting a honey flavor post boil? Could it be that there is a way to add some to the secondary or so? If this is probable, what measures would have to be taken for sanitation?

 

[Rhoobarb]

I just got around to bottling it about a week ago, so it still needs time to carbonate. Last Sunday, I tried one just to see how it was coming along. I think this will be a nice, summer ale once the carbonation is complete. Even thought it was relatively flat, I finished the whole 12 ounces!

It had a nice, slightly sweet taste, only a hint of hop aroma, was a bit dry and finished clean. I think - or hope - that, after another three weeks or so for it to carbonate and mellow out, some of that sweetness will subside and the hop aroma will come out a little more.

 

[Sir Sudster]

The best research I have found for using honey is to pasteurize it @170 DegF for 2.5 hrs. Then add to your primary at prime fermentation. You can do this by putting the honey in a sauce pan with a lid. heat to 170 Deg F on stove top then put it in a preheated oven 170 Deg F covered for 2.5 hours. Then leave the cover on and let it cool. Add the honey to the primary at the hieght of fermentation. The document I found said that you will lose most if not all the honey flavor in the boil. It went on to say honey will ferment completely. I plan to do this next week. I will let you know how well it worked.

Your bittering hops appear weak. I am assuming you are brewing 5 gallons.
Since the alpha acids of Cascade are much lower usually 5.4 -5.7 % they are best for flavor and aroma. I would double your bittering amount if using Cascade.

Try using 3/4 oz Centennial then add 1 oz Cascade for flavor and 1 oz Cascade for aroma.

My 2 cents.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Is there any possibility of getting a honey flavor post boil?

Make an unflavored mead!

I've made about 7 batches. Never had a bad mead yet.

 

[Rhoobarb]

My friend and I had a few bottles of this over the holiday weekend and really liked it. It is a good summer beer with a very, very light honey flavor. It's pretty clean overall. Any typical MGD or Bud drinkers who are skeptical of trying a homebrew would like this, I would think. For the next batch I would like a bit more hop profile and will probably take your advice on the hop schedule, DBAib12.

I also might add the honey later in the boil, maybe during the last 10-15 minutes. I want a light honey flavor, but not the strength of something like a mead. Other than those two items, I wouldn't change anything.