8 Brew Plan

[Yob]

Thoughts on this one im planning for the weekend? Brew No 8
Cheers all
JPG attached.

 

[Aus_Rider_22]

By no means have I ever brewed a Scottish Ale so you could take this with a grain of salt, but the only thing I would look at changing for this style is upping the EBC and trying to a roasted/dark flavour.

What other spec grains do you have? Or you could swap the light extract for dark, but from many posts on here it is recommended that using spec grains for colour falvour is more desirable then simply subbing dark malt in.

 

[brendo]

If you are looking to brew a Scottish 80/ to style then you are not going to want those flavour/aroma additions and definitely no cascade, EKG, Fuggles or some other UK (or noble at a pinch) variety would be a better choice.

Scottish Ales are definitely a malt balanced beer with some caramel profile. Traditionally low hopped as they weren't grown in Scotland so they had to be imported from England and the tax was high, resulting in a less hopped beer.

Of course, this all only applies if you are actually shooting to brew something that approaches the style guideline as per your recipe sheet.

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Sorry to go OT (not that much, though).

Just noticed that your two dots (red and blue) are near each other. I'm finding with all programs (I use qbrew and beercalculus), that you can get the dots to line up (ie. colour, IBU, etc match up), but still be totally off target taste wise.

For instance, I can do a red ale, where I get the appropriate numbers, but the taste isn't correct. This may be because, although I hit the IBU, I may do so with the wrong hops (choose an american hop instead of English hop). Or the hops are in at a boil stage that isn't appropriate to style (eg - I might put 15g of hops at 60 m, get the IBU spot on, but there is no aroma).

I'm just pontificating - but in my (limited, I grant you) experience, all of these programs numbers can appear correct, but not be within style.

For instance, I would never have put in Cascade hops for a Scottish Ale. But I would put in Cascade, because I liked the hop and was experimenting with a Scottish-esque ale, with a twist.

Just a thought. Please don't take it as a criticism of your numbers or program, I use numbers and programs to vaguely get into a style, but I'm finding that the numbers aren't the only issue. I can get the number perfect, by tweaking the quantities and boil times until the numbers stack up, yet still make a beer that isn't what I was aiming for.

As a result of my stuff ups (and tasty stuff ups they were), I'm getting to the point where I'm going to make a number of SMASH ales, just to grasp exactly how a hop variety tastes, how the time of adding hops to the boil affects flavour, aroma and bitterness. Sure I understand the theory (thanks to this wonderful forum), but to get that into practice. I suppose my kitchen sink approach has made some good beers, but not furthered my understanding in my own head.

Anywho, sorry for hijacking your thread.

 

[Yob]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it is almost in no way related to style and I guess it probably should be <_<

Ive not long been into grain extract and hop additions to my kit brews but can already tase the benifit. However for the moment Im trying more to make a really nice beer full stop. Style, I think I can worry about when "I get sick of tasting the delicious brews that I can whip up at will"..which although some thouroughly drinkable beer has been made, aint happened yet... and although almost every brew has improved with the additions Ive been doing, well I guess im just looking for that :icon_drool2: factor...

this thread, for me, is more about an appraisal of the ingrediants selected and opinions on the outcome of the beer..??

Im expecting a few 'go all grain' responces... and one day... soon... I will, Ive got me a 19lt pot so maybe a small BIAB just to give it a go, however, I seem to still have a cupboard half full of the above ingrediants.. and well.. should I get more ingrediants or can I manage a nice drop from the above?

Cheers all
:icon_cheers:

 

[the_yobbo]

Thats something I also noticed with using spreadsheets and programs to put together brew recipes. By using only a few ingredients, you can tweak the quantites and boil times to match the IBU, SG, FG and alcohol percentage of pretty much any brew style. However, it clicked that it doesn't really make sense.
I assume the solution to this is to research the style of beer elsewhere to learn what hobs are traditionally used for bittering and aroma for that beer style.

 

[cubbie]

Thats something I also noticed with using spreadsheets and programs to put together brew recipes. By using only a few ingredients, you can tweak the quantites and boil times to match the IBU, SG, FG and alcohol percentage of pretty much any brew style. However, it clicked that it doesn't really make sense.
I assume the solution to this is to research the style of beer elsewhere to learn what hobs are traditionally used for bittering and aroma for that beer style.

Hobs are traditionally used to cook on.

Start here if you want to understand beer styles and the ingredients used to make them. http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php

 

[manticle]

That's because those figures are simply that - figures. The grams of fat or carbohydrate figures of a lasagne might be similar to that of tacos but that doesn't make them the same dish.

If you are interested in style parameters beyond figures then the BJCP guidelines are a decent starting point. Certainly not the be all and end all and certainly shouldn't be used to restrict your creativity or making beer YOU like.

 

[Yob]

I think all that info is avail in ianh's spreadsheet as well which Ive had a read of... but I dont see the style for mouth-wateringly delicious Australian Pale Ale in there... hmm I'll go back and have another read and look for it...

I guess at the end of the day its an experiment till I get something I really like.. let the tasting continue

 

[thalion]

Cool program. Where do I get a copy?

 

[Mayor of Mildura]

Cool program. Where do I get a copy?

It's a spread sheet. Latest version here from this thread here.

cheers