Australian Ale? More experimenting required?

[Jaded and Bitter]

This is something I have been kicking around for a while.

If you had have asked me 10 years ago I would have confidently said: Ale Malt, Crystal Malt and definately PRIDE OF RINGWOOD Hops.

Well a lot has changed (finally) in local Hop Horticulture and finally there are some varieties which dont need to be mentioned while signing the cross.

So I wanted to start a discussion on the current state of practice and experimentation with the new hops amongst fellow home brewers. I'm not interested in trying to pin down a "style" - creativity and inventiveness comes first, well before the bean counters decide to lable something.

Personally I'm planning on doing my own experiments along the lines of Brewing in Ones, ie:
One base malt ???
One specialty malt ???
One adjunct ???
One bittering Hop ???
One flavouring Hop ???
One aroma/dry Hop ???
Yeast ???

So what experience/preferences have you got?

Ohh.. I just also decided if a concensus (ok rough approximation) can be reached by you-all to fill in the above blanks for my recipe - I promise I'll brew it and share round as much as I can.

Only rule: NO POR!!!

 

[TimT]

Someone here was making beer with Weet Bix as an ingredient for Australia Day. I suggested adding Vegemite as a yeast substitute.

 

[beno1]

Pale malt
Crystal malt
Wheat malt
Centenial ( bittering)
Cascade ( flavour)
Sazz ( aroma)

 

[Spiesy]

Pale malt
Crystal malt
Wheat malt
Centenial ( bittering)
Cascade ( flavour)
Sazz ( aroma)

Saaz and Centennial?

This is an Aussie ale, right?

 

[TimT]

If it's going to be a pale ale, wheat beer, or a Saison you'd probably have much more choice as to adjuncts. Your simplest choice for adjunct, tea - for instance, Australian Bush Tea, which you should find in the supermarket. (A craft beer example of this style is the Yeastie Boys Gunnamatta IPA; they used earl grey tea leaves in the brew). Pale ales and wheats carry those herbal, tanniny, floral flavours and smells oh so well. You could even try eucalyptus....

 

[sponge]

There's a bit of a talk about Aussie IPA's here which may be somewhat relevant to this thread.

Interesting to hear different brewers interpretations on what is a fairly new and open style..

 

[manticle]

Yeast is the only thing we don't seem to have a variety of. Coopers yeast seems to be about it. Otherwise there's a heap of aussie grown malts and as you say - plenty of hops. There's also been some discussion around indigenous ingredients used to flavour (eg. wattleseed in a porter, lemon myrtle in a wit, etc)

 

[TimT]

Go Australian wild yeast! You could call it 'Wild Colonial Boy Ale' or something.

 

[manticle]

Some of the wild yeasts in my old back yard would have made wild colonial boy retch.

 

[TimT]

Yes, Australian yeasts have always had that sort of, er, reputation. I'm sure it's always a bit hit and miss with wild yeast. On the two occasions when I've tried to cultivate a wild yeast, I've instead found a] prolific mould growth (on top of an attempted sourdough culture), and b] a flourishing acetobacter colony. Curses! But I'm sure if someone had determination and went about it in a more methodical way they'd find some quite interesting wild yeast running about. This time of year should be good for it, I reckon.

 

[Bribie G]

Because Australian breweries largely abandoned ales in the early 20th Century and went to lagers, most of the yeasts used here over the last hundred years are European derived strains. I believe that if Aussie breweries ever have problems with yeasts they are immediately on the phone to Copenhagen. In the case of the Ale Revival I'd expect the likes of JS, White Rabbit would use Chico yeasts - Wicked Elf definitely does as posted by Warra48 - and a couple such as Murrays use English yeasts. Some like Wig and Pen reportedly just use SO4.

edit: that's why I have a giggle when liquid yeast snobs sneer at dry yeasts as only suitable for kit n kilo brews, despite the fact that a lot of the commercial ales they are paying tribute to in their home brews are actually done on dry anyway.

 

[Jaded and Bitter]

Ok so yeast = Coopers - I'm good with that.

What else? Remember it has to be drinkable.

One base malt ??? - JW/BB Ale?
One specialty malt ??? - JW/BB Crystal?
One adjunct ??? - Wheat Flour?
One bittering Hop ???
One flavouring Hop ???
One aroma/dry Hop ???

Lets make a (drinkable and uniqe) recipe!

 

[manticle]

If you need an adjunct ( I don't reckon you do) - a small amount of cane sugar. Bundaberg.
Bittering hop could easily be por as that is why it was developed and fresh it is quite nice.
Then galaxy if you like passionfruit in beer, vic secret if you like loquats or stella/ella if you're after more of a noble character. My vote would be stella if the things I've read about it are true but stone and wood have forged the way with galaxy.

Jw pilsner + med crystal + por to 20 ibu.
Touch of cane sugar + stella late for another 20 ibu.
Hint of lemon myrtle.

Cleaner yeast than coopers (or coopers at very low temps). Needs to be well attenuated.

 

[TimT]

Dunno about wheat flour as an adjunct. Your choice of course but if you add it during the mash, it will cause a lot of problems (as will large portions of any flour during the mash and sparge). Add it during the boil, I think it will just clog together and sink to the bottom of the beer. And as it's not malted or anything I don't think you'll get much for the yeast to work with. Just me, but I think wheat flour is more a dry recipe ingredient - ie, cakes, bread, etc.

Manticle's suggestion of cane sugar is more workable. You could get some CSR Brown Sugar, for instance....

 

[Black Devil Dog]

I'm doing an Australian Lager, using JW Pilsner, 20g POR @ first wort and 20g Halertau mitt @ flame out. WY Danish2042.

It's in the fermenter atm, but I'm going to do the same recipe again, and sub the WY2042 for Fermentis s-189 and ferment that at 18deg. Even though the S-189 is a lager yeast, it ferments well at ale temp.

 

[Jaded and Bitter]

Nice, were getting closer. This isn't my recipe - its a recipe by AHB consensus, almost a comittee recipe :unsure:

So far:
One base malt JW Pils
One specialty malt JW/BB crystal
One adjunct CSR Brown Sugar
One bittering Hop ???
One flavouring Hop ???
One aroma/dry Hop ???
Yeast Coopers at low temp

unfortunately the only rules are australian ingredients except POR which is banned

Hop: Stella, Galaxy and Vic Secret have been named, thoughts on this:
Bittering Galaxy
Flavour Stella
Whirlpool Vic Secret

Everythings still up for discussion

 

[manticle]

Something about harshness from early galaxy which is why I suggested por. Maybe fwh galaxy?

 

[Jaded and Bitter]

Theres still Summer and Sylva available

Maybe Ella bittering and either both the above flavour?

 

[Jaded and Bitter]

Weeell... Theres super pride -_-

 

[Midnight Brew]

Could always bitter with Australian grown cluster. I used it in what was suppose to be a coopers clone. Turned out more like Carlton Draught. Glad the old man finished that keg. What I missed from that brew in particular was a flavour addition. It was cluster FWH to about 30IBU. If I were to do it again Id be doing a soild hit of something noble like for flavour addition to maybe 1/3-1/2 of the IBU.

Keep the yeast clean as suggested.