What do I brew for my girl?

[Thegundog]

Gundog, can you brew lagers with your setup? I think making the rounds of lagers might work. Consider cutting them down to 3.5-4% ABV if she drinks light beer. I would think most bud drinkers could stomach a helles. A session marzen isn't out of the question.

I truthfully have never brewed a lager and only surfaced skimmed the process.

So I don’t exactly know if my setup will afford it, but I like lagers and maybe it’s something I should consider, brewing a lager…

My equipment is pretty basic compared to many… propane burner, spike flex and a keezer that holds three kegs. Can I lager with this setup? would I need a separate cooling system to cold crash or could I use my keezer I keep it 38F?

 

[Thegundog]

Wow, did you consider just asking her? She might just say not to bother.

When I brew, she always asks why in he$& don’t you brew something I like…

She’s definitely driving the need and I want to brew something we both can enjoy…

Truthfully I have NEVER had a beer type that I didn’t like, so whatever she will enjoy I will enjoy as well.

She really is against spending our hard earned $ on commercial kegs.

 

[Thegundog]

I assume that was more a preventative measure to avoid such comments, but you're also giving yourself the best way to deal with this: you don't want to exchange her and probably you don't want to change her (taste) either. Don't go for something you want her to like, but what she likes - and personalize it.

I do not know the beers you mentioned, but from what I've found out so far, these beers
- don't seem very bitter,
- are no full meals (that's what my girlfriend says about wheat beers)
- and neither are they malt bombs.
So your best option might be a (light) lager, blonde or juicy ale with a very low haziness.

Use some maize for extra dry-ness, stay at the low side of the IBU scale, aim for a slightly fruity flavour by decent dry hopping with e.g citra, galaxy, mosaic, riwaka, nelson sauvign... just think of her favourite fruits.

Great points that are well taken.

 

[scrap iron]

I always start people new to the different styles with a low ABV [4-4.5%] and low IBU [20-25] Blonde Ale. If they don't like the normal citrus hops I use some noble German or maybe English hops. Several years back I had a cousin from Oregon and her husband visit. He tried a Blonde Ale I brewed with American citrus hops and one I used English hops . He preferred the one with EKG with a little Willamette finishing hops.
You could try a Blonde Ale with a percentage of wheat malt or corn to lighten the color and flavor.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Lager brewing is all about fermentation temperature control and big starters. Making the worts is the same whether ale or lager. One of the major yeast companies has a dry lager yeast purported to produce clean lager at ale temps.

Even if lite BMC is truly enjoyable to her, brewing a clone of American light lager is silly. It's everywhere, cheap, and difficult to brew as well as the experts.

I stand by the possibility she steers toward lite BMC as a default against the fact that so much American 'craft' beer is as 'extra' as it is. Hoppy is hoppy. Bitter is bitter. Strong is strong. Sweet is sweet. We just don't understand balanced and drinkable very well.

Classic European lagers are widely varied and many are thoroughly delicious to a wide variety of palattes.

Does she enjoy Mexican beers such as Dos XX? Try a Vienna lager.

Kolsch ale is really delicious in a very gentle, thoroughly drinkable way. Cream ale is the Americanized version of the style.

British bitters are definitely not. An ordinary bitter with a faint hint of UK dry hops is nothing like your typical American pale ale.

Find a good bottle shop that has a wide selection and sells singles. Find a local Brew pub that produces classic styles. Search for drinkable styles. They're so many more of them than the American 'craft' beer market will have you believe.

 

[mac_1103]

Even if lite BMC is truly enjoyable to her, brewing a clone of American light lager is silly. It's everywhere, cheap, and difficult to brew as well as the experts.

^this^

 

[pvtpublic]

I call this one The Studfinder
50% pilsner
50% wheat
I shoot for 1054 sg
Hulls as your system requires for the wheat.
152*F
Boil until hot break (no hops) add 1 qt per 5 gallons of wort of zinfandel concentrate from Coloma Frozen
Cool, transfer to fermentor
Pitch 1 pk Philly sour for every 5 gallons
Ready in 3 weeks or add some oak

 

[Stikius]

Lager brewing is all about fermentation temperature control and big starters. Making the worts is the same whether ale or lager. One of the major yeast companies has a dry lager yeast purported to produce clean lager at ale temps.

Even if lite BMC is truly enjoyable to her, brewing a clone of American light lager is silly. It's everywhere, cheap, and difficult to brew as well as the experts.

I stand by the possibility she steers toward lite BMC as a default against the fact that so much American 'craft' beer is as 'extra' as it is. Hoppy is hoppy. Bitter is bitter. Strong is strong. Sweet is sweet. We just don't understand balanced and drinkable very well.

Classic European lagers are widely varied and many are thoroughly delicious to a wide variety of palattes.

Does she enjoy Mexican beers such as Dos XX? Try a Vienna lager.

Kolsch ale is really delicious in a very gentle, thoroughly drinkable way. Cream ale is the Americanized version of the style.

British bitters are definitely not. An ordinary bitter with a faint hint of UK dry hops is nothing like your typical American pale ale.

Find a good bottle shop that has a wide selection and sells singles. Find a local Brew pub that produces classic styles. Search for drinkable styles. They're so many more of them than the American 'craft' beer market will have you believe.

Are you referring to Fermentis Saflager s-23? I have really good experience with that one and can recommend it to all who don't have access to temperature control

 

[DBhomebrew]

Are you referring to Fermentis Saflager s-23? I have really good experience with that one and can recommend it to all who don't have access to temperature control

I was thinking NovaLager. Their published temp ranges are similar if not their flavor profiles. I have no experience with either.

 

[mashdar]

I truthfully have never brewed a lager and only surfaced skimmed the process.

So I don’t exactly know if my setup will afford it, but I like lagers and maybe it’s something I should consider, brewing a lager…

My equipment is pretty basic compared to many… propane burner, spike flex and a keezer that holds three kegs. Can I lager with this setup? would I need a separate cooling system to cold crash or could I use my keezer I keep it 38F?

Lagers generally require a separate fermentation fridge or other means of hilding ~50F.

But if lagers are off the table, you could tey Kolsch/cream ale/etc as others suggested. A ~3.5-4% ABV Kolsch might be worth a try.(Can just take a typical 4.5% Kolsch recipe and cut it down a little.)

Do you do all grain or extract brewing?

 

[Thegundog]

Lagers generally require a separate fermentation fridge or other means of hilding ~50F.

But if lagers are off the table, you could tey Kolsch/cream ale/etc as others suggested. A ~3.5-4% ABV Kolsch might be worth a try.(Can just take a typical 4.5% Kolsch recipe and cut it down a little.)

Do you do all grain or extract brewing?

The extra temperature control method is why I haven’t really explored Lagers. I don’t have ability to add another fridge/freezer. But I am interested in lagering and might look into it deeper.

I do BIAB and extract kits as well.

I took a little hiatus and recently two of my kids gifted me IPA kits which I completed over the past couple of weeks - this sparked the discussion with my girl to brew something she likes.

 

[mashdar]

The extra temperature control method is why I haven’t really explored Lagers. I don’t have ability to add another fridge/freezer. But I am interested in lagering and might look into it deeper.

I do BIAB and extract kits as well.

I took a little hiatus and recently two of my kids gifted me IPA kits which I completed over the past couple of weeks - this sparked the discussion with my girl to brew something she likes.

So you could try this, maybe cutting pilsner malt to 7lbs. If you want a little more character, you could up the Vienna or add a little munich malt.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/2015-big-brew-recipe-3-killer-kolsch/
Note the 90min boil, helps with DMS when using a lot of pilsner malt.

edit: Oh and ignore "whole hops". Pellets are fine, possibly superior if well packed. Can also ignore mash steps and water stuff. If you need a dry yeast recommendation, others here likely have good ideas.

 

[AlexKay]

So you could try this, maybe cutting pilsner malt to 7lbs. If you want a little more character, you could up the Vienna or add a little munich malt.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/2015-big-brew-recipe-3-killer-kolsch/
Note the 90min boil, helps with DMS when using a lot of pilsner malt.

edit: Oh and ignore "whole hops". Pellets are fine, possibly superior if well packed. Can also ignore mash steps and water stuff. If you need a dry yeast recommendation, others here likely have good ideas.

Lallemand Koln is a perfectly lovely dry option for German ales (and many more styles.)

 

[AmarikinBrew]

Lallemand Koln is a perfectly lovely dry option for German ales (and many more styles.)

Discontinued.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

https://www.lallemandbrewing.com/en/united-states/products/lalbrew-koln-kolsch-style-ale-yeast/

 

[AlexKay]

https://www.lallemandbrewing.com/en/united-states/products/lalbrew-koln-kolsch-style-ale-yeast/

View attachment 844644

Holy **** that is terrible news. Losing London was bad enough, but Koln is probably my favorite dry yeast, bar none. I will have to see if I can stock up …

 

[mac_1103]

Still a few left at Amazon. Pricey though. London too. But Ritebrew has 22 packs of that at a better price.

 

[leedspointbrew]

Holy **** that is terrible news. Losing London was bad enough, but Koln is probably my favorite dry yeast, bar none. I will have to see if I can stock up …

AK, you've said so many good things about this yeast, that I just bought a packet. I'll have to try a Kolsch with it in the fall.

 

[McMullan]

If it’s not ‘kveik’ or ‘hazy’ enough, it risks being discontinued. ‘Progress’ to some, especially those who don’t like beer that much. I used Lallemand’s London yeast last year when I was assessing dry yeast. It worked very well for me straight out of the pack for a Porter. I had to use isinglass to clear things, but it turned out surprisingly nice. Makes no sense to discontinue it, imo. It’s a nice low-attenuating English strain, better than some ‘comparable’ liquid yeasts I’ve tried, tbh. I guess it was a business decision associated with limited yeast lines/driers and making more profit from their time packaging other better marketed strains. Shareholders like that more than anything, in their quest to takeover the world and everything in it.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

If it’s not ‘kveik’ or ‘hazy’ enough, it risks being discontinued. ‘Progress’ to some, especially those who don’t like beer that much. I used Lallemand’s London yeast last year when I was assessing dry yeast. It worked very well for me straight out of the pack for a Porter. I had to use isinglass to clear things, but it turned out surprisingly nice. Makes no sense to discontinue it, imo. It’s a nice low-attenuating English strain, better than some ‘comparable’ liquid yeasts I’ve tried, tbh. I guess it was a business decision associated with limited yeast lines/driers and making more profit from their time packaging other better marketed strains. Shareholders like that more than anything, in their quest to takeover the world and everything in it.

I have to wonder though, (cause I am bit cynical), if it’s more of a change in the name and package decoration than of the actual yeast itself. Just saying….