Sub 1.030 beers

[Schemy]

That was a typo, I edited it. Chocolate is ~0.3 black patent is ~0.03

not really sure how necessary that black patent is. It contributes only 3 SRM. I may re-listen to the CYBI episode and see if they mention is. I know people refer to the usage of black patent as waving a few grains over the kettle, but I figure you add it for mostly color and some roasted character.

Ah. 10-4. I guess it depends what you want. I recently brewed a Dry Stout that I left the black patent out of and it is not dark enough for my liking. I don't think it will score well in that area for NHC either. It will for sure give you some good color.

 

[progmac]

Brewing this tonight:

4# vienna
0.6# 40l
0.3# carapils
0.3oz zythos (60 min)
0.3oz zythos (10 min)
wyeast 2035 american lager yeast
5 gal, 80% effic. estimated OG 1.028
18.8 IBU
6.1 SRM
0.67 IBU/SG
singe infusion mash @ 157

thoughts?
i'm a little apprehensive about the zythos hop (it is a blend typically used for IPAs)

 

[urbanmyth]

I would shy away from bold citrusy hops in a lager. I don't brew them, but the few commercial lagers I have had with big bold hops seem off. Without the yeast character from ale yeasts, the hops just don't fit. Even a clean yeast like WLP001 has enough character to back up bold hops.

 

[progmac]

I would shy away from bold citrusy hops in a lager. I don't brew them, but the few commercial lagers I have had with big bold hops seem off. Without the yeast character from ale yeasts, the hops just don't fit. Even a clean yeast like WLP001 has enough character to back up bold hops.

good point. i may chicken out and use mt hood

 

[progmac]

Brewing this tonight:

4# vienna
0.6# 40l
0.3# carapils
0.3oz zythos (60 min)
0.3oz zythos (10 min)
wyeast 2035 american lager yeast
5 gal, 80% effic. estimated OG 1.028
18.8 IBU
6.1 SRM
0.67 IBU/SG
singe infusion mash @ 157

thoughts?
i'm a little apprehensive about the zythos hop (it is a blend typically used for IPAs)

i brewed this yesterday. i used 0.5oz mt hood at 10 min instead of the zythos

5 gallons @ 1.029. will report back when its ready (6ish weeks probably)

 

[shoreman]

Just put up a tasting on my Fuggles Belgian Pale I brewed about a month ago http://bit.ly/ZBTZr9 - nice little beer.

 

[Epimetheus]

Your recipes inspired me to try 1) non-alcoholic porter and 2) a 1.030 English table beer. They both worked very well.

1) Non-alcoholic porter (The Little, Brown Porter)
A tribute to The Little, Brown Handbook of Style for writers
I brewed a standard porter, an Edmund Fitzgerald clone from the HBT recipe bank. After fermenting and priming, I reserved 5 quarts for no-alcohol. The 5 quarts were heated in the oven at 180 F for one hour, stirring occasionally to drive off most of the alchohol. It was cooled and makeup water added to reach the original volume (about 1 pint or 4%). I stirred in one tablespoon of slurry from the fermenter to add yeast and bottle conditioned it for 3 weeks.

The homebrew club declared the non-alcoholic version was almost as nice as the whole version. The strong flavored full bodied malts certainly helped.

I will reserve a gallon from other "normal" batches of ales to make low-alcohol versions

2) English Table Beer
This was very good and I will make it again

BIAB
5.25 gallons into the fermenter
OG 1.031 - 1.027 depending on efficiency
FG 1.007

Grains
4.5 lb UK Maris Otter malt
1 lb Belgian Biscuit malt
1 lb American Crystal 60 malt (local Valley Malt)
0.25 lb American Chocolate malt (local Valley Malt)

Mash 80 min at 158 - 155 F
Boil 60 min
hops
0.5 oz Fuggles 4.0% alpha 60 min
0.5 oz Fuggles 4.0% alpha 10 min

Adjuncts
1/2 lb maltodextrine dissolved into the boil (time not critical)

yeast
Wyeast London Ale 1028 (actually, I fermented it on the yeast cake from the previous porter. Boom! It started instantly!)


Ferment 2 weeks at 65 to 68F ambient

Prime at 2.0% carbonation, about 1/2 c cane sugar

Bottle condition 3 weeks at 65 F ambient

Taste notes:
A bit thin compared to English Ordinary Bitter, however it holds up nicely. I enjoy it with dinner or at noontime before working outside. The flavorful MO, biscuit, and chocolate malts certainly help. The single ounce of hops becomes stronger over the 3 weeks of conditioning and adds proper bitterness. The color is a dark amber, not weak yellow, because of the chocolate. The small priming give good carbonation for an English style and it was not fizzy.

Lessons learned:
My BIAB efficiency was low at 1.027 OG. I think it would have tasted better at 1.031 OG.

The matodextrine was a quick fix for the thin body. I mentioned to Luke at the LHBS the wort was thin, and he suggested 1 lb of maltodextrine per 5 gallons at a starting point. I test-bottled 3 concentrations: zero MD, 1/2 lb to 5 gallons equivalent and 1 lb to 5 gallons equivalent. The 1/2 lb maltodextrine to 5 gallons gave the best body, and I included it in the recipe.

Next time I would add a little Carapils malt for head retention.

This is a keeper.

 

[shoreman]

Those both sound really cool - did the non alcoholic porter carbonate up properly? I wonder why a large brewer hasn't tackled something like that...great idea.

 

[shoreman]

I've got my Irish porter on tap today and its super balanced and very session able

7 lbs Pale Malt
10oz Crystal 65
10oz Chocolate Malt
4oz Black Malt
8oz Wheat Malt

2 oz Fuggle 60 minutes
1.5oz Goldings 60 minutes
1 oz Golding 15 minutes

yeast: safale 04

I got a higher efficiency in this one so it turned out at about 3.5%abv but anything in that 2-4% range is really what I'm shooting for

 

[bellmtbbq]

Brewed a 1.034 Mocha Stout last weekend.. dosed with nearly a pound of coffee at different points in the process, with lots of nice chocolaty character.. it'll finish around 3.2%

You've done an English Bitter, and Dry English Stout, but also look into Scottish 54 or 60 shilling beers. Hit it with Golden Promise basemalt, a bit of English Medium Crystal, and 2-3% of Crystal 120 and Pale Chocolate. Despite the stereotype, no peated malt is traditional, unless you really like peat flavor. Really nice body and flavor for a 1.028-1.034 kind of beer, and it'll finish pretty high on FG if you use a nice British yeast like 1469.

 

[zachattack]

I would shy away from bold citrusy hops in a lager. I don't brew them, but the few commercial lagers I have had with big bold hops seem off. Without the yeast character from ale yeasts, the hops just don't fit. Even a clean yeast like WLP001 has enough character to back up bold hops.

I have to disagree with you there. Get your hands on some Jack's Abby, they only brew lagers and have some very delicious, boldly hoppy offerings. Including what's basically a lager version of a IIPA.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26520/71820/?sort=serv&servT=8&start=0

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26520/75414

 

[shoreman]

Brewed a 1.034 Mocha Stout last weekend.. dosed with nearly a pound of coffee at different points in the process, with lots of nice chocolaty character.. it'll finish around 3.2%

You've done an English Bitter, and Dry English Stout, but also look into Scottish 54 or 60 shilling beers. Hit it with Golden Promise basemalt, a bit of English Medium Crystal, and 2-3% of Crystal 120 and Pale Chocolate. Despite the stereotype, no peated malt is traditional, unless you really like peat flavor. Really nice body and flavor for a 1.028-1.034 kind of beer, and it'll finish pretty high on FG if you use a nice British yeast like 1469.

Ya I love those small Scottish ales I brewed Jamils and went through the whole pulling 1 gallon off and boils down for carmelization - turned out to be an awesome beer.

Post up a tasting after you finish they stout sounds awesome

 

[urbanmyth]

I have to disagree with you there. Get your hands on some Jack's Abby, they only brew lagers and have some very delicious, boldly hoppy offerings. Including what's basically a lager version of a IIPA.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26520/71820/?sort=serv&servT=8&start=0

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26520/75414

I'll have to try these. I am not well versed in hoppy lagers, but, like I said, the couple I have had just seemed off.

 

[shoreman]

Any tasting updates from you guys that posted recipes?

 

[Weezy]

I hate this thread!!!

because every page there are two or three new recipes I really want to try. I have a 1.03 recipe that I'm hope to run soon but I won't post it until its done and tasted.

 

[progmac]

Any tasting updates from you guys that posted recipes?

my little vienna lager is still lagering. i was getting some sulfur so i'm letting it hang out for a bit.

 

[shoreman]

Just put up a tasting on the Irish Porter - blog link is in signature

 

[Weezy]

Just put up a tasting on the Irish Porter - blog link is in signature

The Irish Porter looks like a nice recipe. The style does seem like a really get session beer.

 

[shoreman]

The Irish Porter looks like a nice recipe. The style does seem like a really get session beer.

It's actually based of a porter from Scotland - the recipe from camra - but it was for st paddys so....

 

[gbx]

I attempted to brew the Thomas Hardy Ale on the weekend based off of this recipe: http://barclayperkins.blogspot.ca/2013/03/lets-brew-wednesday-eldridge-pope-1967.html

Out of the second runnings and 9oz of homemade invert I brewed a 1.028 small beer, using .75oz of EKG at 90min and .75oz of Styrians at 30min, fermenting now with wy1318. ...I'm almost more excited about the small beer (an AK I guess?) as I will be able to drink it within a couple weeks vs the better part of a year for the big beer.

 

[shoreman]

sounds like a nice little beer - how did the partigyle go?

 

[bellmtbbq]

I attempted to brew the Thomas Hardy Ale on the weekend based off of this recipe: http://barclayperkins.blogspot.ca/2013/03/lets-brew-wednesday-eldridge-pope-1967.html

Out of the second runnings and 9oz of homemade invert I brewed a 1.028 small beer, using .75oz of EKG at 90min and .75oz of Styrians at 30min, fermenting now with wy1318. ...I'm almost more excited about the small beer (an AK I guess?) as I will be able to drink it within a couple weeks vs the better part of a year for the big beer.

I looked at that recipe a few weeks ago. Interesting. I might do his Edinburgh 140 shilling ale recipe with Golden Promise, cap the mash with some crystal and pale chocolate, and run of a dark mild or bitter.

 

[gbx]

sounds like a nice little beer - how did the partigyle go?

It was a smooth brew day but I didn't get the gravity I was hoping for in the big beer - only 1.090 vs the expected 1.110. I had 2 turkey burners going so it didn't take much more time than a normal day (maybe an extra hour). The second batch was only 20 minutes behind the first one - as soon as one was chilled the other one was finished the boil.

Its tough to hit the gravities on partigyles with massive +1.100 big beers. If you are shooting for an 1.060 ESB/1.035 bitter, you can mash a few lbs extra grain and blend the runnings to get the desired OG's. With the huge beers that require all first runnings, you have to mash thick and hope for the best. I guess once I've done a few more with this setup I can figure out what the efficiencies are going to be for each batch.

...and the other neat thing you can do is mash only base malts and steep the specialty grains separately on the stove so you can do 2 completely different beers.

 

[Nomad]

Subbed. Thanks for all the info and killer ideas on low abv brews with big flavor.

 

[urbanmyth]

Popped the first bottle of my table saison (3.0%ish) today. It is rather nice. Not quite the yeast character I was hoping for from the 3711, but it fermented at about 70F. I will be rebrewing this summer when I can pop it in the garage to ferment at 80F+. The malt character is surprisingly characterful, considering it started at 1.025 and ended at 1.002. The Bo Pils has lent a very tasty grainy character. Carbonation could be higher, but it has only been in bottles (corked and caged because fancy) since March 21st.

 

[gbx]

I'm drinking the first pint of the "Ed Hardy" Ale (the douchy second runnings of the Thomas Hardy Ale). It finished at 1.007 and it is really really light....like coors lite light. The head on it is relentless (probably the flaked wheat?) It has a nice malt flavour (the pilsner and wheat are very prominent) and I definitely caught the ferment at the right time - great english yeast character. And the hopping is perfect - I had thought about dry hopping but i'm not going to mess with this. The 30min styrians are at a perfect level that doesn't drown out the malt. One thing that is completely absent is the crystal - its just not there at all. I guess nothing made it through into the second runnings.

 

[Halbrust]

Bump for the awesomeness of this thread!!!

I just found it today, and want to see more postings!

 

[shoreman]

Bump for the awesomeness of this thread!!! I just found it today, and want to see more postings!

I'm still brewing them but my ceiling has moved to 1.040 - just kegged an American bitter that will end up around 3% mainly from the Windsor yeast crapping out at 1.018

I'm working on a brown table saison in the 2-3% range that I'm gonna oak with French oak- got idea from jester king.

And

A black IPA in the 3-3.5% range with 80 ibus.

Of course milds, bitters and small saisons still brewing as well.

 

[Weezy]

I've got a 1.038 dark mild on tap. It's a Jamil recipe circa 2004. The recipe looked kinda sweet with a lot of caramels...and it was. But I wanted to start there. The next iteration is planned with a recipe I've been piecing together based on Daniels book and another post on here with a link to a great list of commercial mild recipes.

I'm also honing in on a low grav APA recipe. Its become a go to beer around here. Currently 3.5%.

I also want to work on a biscuity bitters too soooon. (I can only drink it all so fast, fellas!)

 

[shoreman]

I've got a 1.038 dark mild on tap. It's a Jamil recipe circa 2004. The recipe looked kinda sweet with a lot of caramels...and it was. But I wanted to start there. The next iteration is planned with a recipe I've been piecing together based on Daniels book and another post on here with a link to a great list of commercial mild recipes. I'm also honing in on a low grav APA recipe. Its become a go to beer around here. Currently 3.5%. I also want to work on a biscuity bitters too soooon. (I can only drink it all so fast, fellas!)

Weezy- get this book if you can http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1852492589/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Lots of good mild recipes to go off of.

APA sounds great - I brew a Sierra Nevada clone similar to that but use summits and cascades