Some clarity, please

[MazdaMatt]

Hi all,

I am starting my first beer brew in a few years. I brewed a half dozen batches in university with reasonable results and I've got a couple red wines going right now (also one white in the past).

Here's my evil plan:
Step 1 - win over SWMBO (see, i'm picking up on the lingo)
Step 2 - make good beer.

I'm currently in phase one of my plan. SWMBO is NOT a "beer drinker" she is a "coor's light drinker". She's had a sample of my last batch of home brewed beer and was not a fan.

SO my prime requirements are:
1. Clarity
2. Refreshing and downable

My game plan is to get ahold of the Coopers Cerveza kit and follow the Coopers Aztec Gold recipe - 1 can of Cerveza, 500g of LME.

This recipe calls for no boiling, just dissolve in hot water, mix with cold water, pitch yeast directly into the fermentor... rack, prime and bottle.

I'm definitely going to give it some time in a secondary to settle out as best as possible.

What else can I do to ensure a CLEAR beer?

Also, any comments on the lack of boiling with this kit and the lack of proofing the yeast?

Thanks!
Matt

 

[Becks]

For clarity you can always add finings to the beer such as Irish Moss and gelatin.
Here's a collection;
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_21_187_396

Edit: Didnt see where you said it was no boil. See below about Irish Moss and cold crashing!

 

[FromZwolle]

For clarity you can always add finings to the beer such as Irish Moss and gelatin.
Here's a collection;
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/index.php?cPath=178_21_187_396

irish moss is used in the boil. if you're doing a no boil kit you can always cold crash when fermentation is done and use gelatin. after you carbonate, the more time the beer is sitting at cold temps, the clearer it will become.

 

[MazdaMatt]

Excuse my ignorance for a moment... The cold crash happens after fermentation and clearing time but before prime+bottle, or after everything (ie, cold storage)?

 

[FromZwolle]

Excuse my ignorance for a moment... The cold crash happens after fermentation and clearing time but before prime+bottle, or after everything (ie, cold storage)?

you wait until fermentation is complete, then throw the whole bucket/carboy into a fridge/outside in cooler weather. It helps the yeast and other suspended particles drop to the bottom. After you "cold crash" for a few days, you can rack to your bottling bucket/keg as usual.

 

[MazdaMatt]

Giggity.

Thanks.

Requisite dancing banana:

 

[FromZwolle]

no problem.

if she likes this one, try a cream ale next. It's light, crisp, and pretty cheap to make.

 

[HempelNet]

I made a version of the SWMBO Slayer and added strawberry extract in the secondary. This was more than enough to get my wife to like homebrew. Now she like most of what I make but I have to warn you.. I have not been able to get the Strawberry SWMBO Slayer out of my beer making rotation now!

 

[BaldManBrew]

Blonde Ale or Cream ale, check em out ... I bet she (and you) would like either of those.

 

[MazdaMatt]

Thanks for the recommendations

 

[Hugh_Jass]

Why don't you brew what you'd like to drink and buy her Coors Light?

 

[MazdaMatt]

Do you have any idea what the price of beer is in Ontario? Coors light is significantly more expensive than homebrew, so if I can brew something she likes then she'll be on board for constant brewing to save money vs the cost of buying crappy beer.

 

[Caboose]

I made a version of the SWMBO Slayer and added strawberry extract in the secondary. This was more than enough to get my wife to like homebrew. Now she like most of what I make but I have to warn you.. I have not been able to get the Strawberry SWMBO Slayer out of my beer making rotation now!

Any chance you can provide more information on this SWMBO Slayer? My wife doesnt care for beer (except for Strongbow, which I wouldnt consider a beer) I would love to get her involved in this, but until I can produce anything she can down she wont be on board!

 

[Hugh_Jass]

If you're drinking your home brewed beer, you've reduced the store bought burden by at least half (I'm assuming you consume at least half of the beer in the household).

swmbo slayer:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/swmbo-slayer-belgian-blonde-26599/

 

[MaltMonster]

Blonde Ale or Cream ale, check em out ... I bet she (and you) would like either of those.

I was going to recommend these styles as well, but not as a no boil kit. If you really want to win your SWMBO over with 'good' beer you should at least consider an extract kit with specialty grains like this one: Northern Brewer Cream Ale

 

[fredthecat]

tell her she is wrong and ignore her

 

[Homercidal]

tell her she is wrong and ignore her

Funny, and true.

There is no harm in wanting to make something that she will enjoy, but don't feel disappointed if she doesn't care for your beer. LIGHT beer drinkers are hard to convert and not worth the effort. if she can't enjoy at least a premium European Lager now, I'd not get my hopes up.

But, some people actually like a stout, or an IPA, even if they don't care for "craft beer" of the pale ale variety. There is something about those extreme styles that pleases them.

I would recommend brewing what YOU want, and have her taste. If she doesn't like that, then work towards brewing a real light lager (once you get a freezer and temp controller and can make a good light lager).

If you are set on brewing for her now, then I do recommend a:

Cream Ale
Centennial Blonde
Belgian Wit
Steam Beer
Mild

Or, try some Apfelwein ! It's super easy to make, and lots of people like it. It's especially good for people who don't like beer, and it has the added bonus of being good at taking her clothes off...

 

[passedpawn]

Mead for mamma.

 

[Hang Glider]

Hi all,

I am starting my first beer brew in a few years.

Way to plan ahead!!

2013 ?
2014 ?

 

[MazdaMatt]

Thanks again for the input. I've decided on following the Coopers Aztec Gold recipe. Partially for the wife, partially for bbq season guests. My friend and I are already scheming on another brew - all grain and "proper" beer... plus I plan on trying a chocolate stout. So three beers, plus the two wines I've got in the basement already and I'm well on my way

 

[tomheff]

Thanks again for the input. I've decided on following the Coopers Aztec Gold recipe. Partially for the wife, partially for bbq season guests. My friend and I are already scheming on another brew - all grain and "proper" beer... plus I plan on trying a chocolate stout. So three beers, plus the two wines I've got in the basement already and I'm well on my way

Good choice. Coopers uses a hybrid yeast strain for the Cerveza. It's an ale/lager blend. Start fermentation at around 70F and bring down to low 60s within 12 hours if possible. I just made the Cerveza with BE2 and it's fermenting perfectly. It's been 5 days. I just took a sample. Perfect.

 

[KevinW]

Congrats on getting back into brewing. I have found that if you can try to identify what a beer drinker likes or dislikes you can tailor a beer around their prefernces for example, do they like, love, or hate hop flavor, bitterness, maltiness? It is pretty easy to eliminate or amplify these characteristics, especially with all-grain.

If you make a beer she likes, make it stronger little by little and in just a few batches she probably won't even know she is drinking better than BMC beer! (by "better" I mean a more traditional beer with more flavor) BMC are not "bad" beers they just don't have as much flavor as other beers, in my opinion

 

[brewit2it]

I might be in the minority here but I don't get the movement to get wives to drink homebrew that I often see on the forum. I'm sure most of you realize this, but EtOH is pretty toxic stuff and even more so for women who metabolize it less efficiently than men, and are more suceptable to the adverse health risks associated with regular comsumption.

With a SWMBO drinking homebrew, the best case senario, you get a fatter wife and run out of HB faster, worst case senario, breast cancer, fatty liver disease, neurotoxicity, depression, etc, etc,etc. You're better off getting her obscessed with working out. You get a happier, thinner, healthier, sexier wife, and more HB for you

 

[CaveBrewing]

That is kind of what I did with my SWMBO. She was mad that I was spending so much time with beer. So I told her to get a hobby too and she is now going for a run almost every day.

 

[brewit2it]

That is kind of what I did with my SWMBO. She was mad that I was spending so much time with beer. So I told her to get a hobby too and she is now going for a run almost every day.

There you go!! Running's free too except for all the money they spend on shoes, clothes, etc. Plus while she's out running for an hour you can toss back a couple HB's in peace. Then if you are up for it go for a visit after her post-run shower. It's a win-win

 

[Golddiggie]

That is kind of what I did with my SWMBO. She was mad that I was spending so much time with beer. So I told her to get a hobby too and she is now going for a run almost every day.

As long as she keeps coming back...

Of course, you could have tried to recruit her to help in the brewing... Make it a joint effort, with occasional batches more for her to drink... Unless she doesn't drink [good] beer that is...

 

[Docjowles]

tell her she is wrong and ignore her

Best advice :cross:

Do keep gelatin in mind if you get to the end of fermentation and it still looks cloudy. It's like $2 at the supermarket, easy to use and ridiculously effective. I used gelatin for the first time on my last brew and was completely blown away by how it went from very cloudy to as clear as commercial beer in 48 hours.

 

[CaveBrewing]

As long as she keeps coming back...

Of course, you could have tried to recruit her to help in the brewing... Make it a joint effort, with occasional batches more for her to drink... Unless she doesn't drink [good] beer that is...

I tried to recruit her but she just looked at me like I was crazy. But at least she can appreciate and drink good beer. She is a big fan of german hefe and belgium wit beers so I always try and keep one of those types on tap. The way I see it I am doing her a big favor and more beer for me!

 

[MazdaMatt]

Getting the wife on board just means a more amiable wife when trying to perform my hobby.

"Hey honey, my hands are tied, can you go grab me a hop bag from my workshop so I can make this beer that you absolutely despise? I'm making this one again because I prefer to only do things for myself."

"Hey honey, my hands are tied, can you go grab me a hop bag from my workshop so I can make this beer that you really liked last time? I'm making this one again so you can have your friends over next month and they don't have to bring their own beer."

Which one would be answered yes more times out of 100?

ps - drinking beer does not make you fat. Drinking too much beer and not offsetting those extra cals with exercise will make you fat.