Beer smith Anchor Steam Clone. Amylase enzyme?

[chefeffect]

Has anyone brewed the Anchor Steam clone on the Beersmith recipe downloads? And if so did you use the amylase enzyme? I have dry enzyme which I assume is the same thing, should I add this or leave it out. Also beersmith doesn't seem to change the FG with the amylase enzyme in the recipe, I know it would vary but surely it would finish dryer than 0.014?

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Anchor Steam Clone
Brewer: David L. Fore
Asst Brewer: 
Style: California Common Beer
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (45.0) At bottling was pretty good.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 28.39 l
Post Boil Volume: 25.84 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 18.93 l   
Bottling Volume: 18.93 l
Estimated OG: 1.049 SG
Estimated Color: 13.8 EBC
Estimated IBU: 38.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 67.80 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.4 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
18.93 l               Pittsburgh, PA                           Water         1        -             
1.00 tbsp             5.2  pH Stabilizer (Mash 0.0 mins)       Water Agent   2        -             
4.49 kg               Briess Pale Ale Malt (5.9 EBC)           Grain         3        94.6 %        
0.14 kg               Briess Caramel Malt 90L (177.3 EBC)      Grain         4        2.9 %         
0.12 kg               Cara-Pils/Dextrine (4.0 EBC)             Grain         5        2.6 %         
37.70 g               Northern Brewer [7.10 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop           6        32.8 IBUs     
1.00 tsp              Irish Moss (Boil 30.0 mins)              Fining        7        -             
12.75 g               Northern Brewer [7.10 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop           8        5.5 IBUs      
17.01 g               Northern Brewer [7.10 %] - Aroma Steep 1 Hop           9        0.0 IBUs      
1.0 pkg               San Francisco Lager (White Labs #WLP810) Yeast         10       -             
0.50 tsp              Amylase Enzyme (Primary 3.0 days)        Other         11       -             


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 4.75 kg
----------------------------
Name              Description                             Step Temperat Step Time     
Saccharification  Add 31.30 l of water at 69.7 C          66.7 C        75 min        
Mash Out          Heat to 75.6 C over 7 min               75.6 C        10 min        

Sparge: Remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Notes:
------
Bottled 11-7-04.
1st taste 11-11-04...needs to age.  A little 'Hoppy" at this time.
11-23-04...Really mellowed out nicely.  Smooth & still hoppy!!!

Another Keeper!

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com

 

[Lurks]

I haven't but I brew a lot of California Commons in general. Baffled by the amylase. You'll be getting total conversion anyway if you're doing the mash right surely, and this is for 75 minutes as well... The only point in it is if you don't have enough base malt and this has plenty.

I doubt you'd notice binning it. Otherwise the recipe looks inoffensive enough.

 

[chefeffect]

Thanks Chinamat, Yeah I figured the recipe had enough base malt also. I have not brewed a California Common before and like the overall idea, is there anything you would do differently in the recipe? I am substituting the yeast for wyeast California lager 2112 which should be fine. Would you bin this recipe and try something else for the first crack? I've just heard the Anchor is a popular brew.

 

[vortex]

I looked at that recipe after having a MG Steam Ale and wanting to brew a steam beer; I was baffled by the amylase being added in ferment - yet they also added carapils. Doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Lurks]

Hey Mini,

I quite like WY2112, I used fermented around 17C. Very crisp beer, the whole profile works nicely with northern brewer.

I've been refining two Common recipes, one is more of an Anchor Steam style and the other is lighter variant using a citrus-y hop for finishing. The light one:

4kg Pilsner malt
1kg Vienna Malt
400g Caramel Malt - 60L
250g Carapils

Northern Brewer 60m ~25IBU
Northern Brewer 15m ~5IBU
Cascade 15m ~ 10IBU
Cascade 0m

The Anchor-style:

4.5kg Maris Otter
250g Biscuit Malt
200g Caramel Malt 120L
150g Special Roast
120g Caramel Malt 70L
120g Carapils

Similar NB single-hop regime like your recipe.

The last few I switched from WY2112 to Wy2124 because I fretted about keeping the temperature down and I heard tales of 2124 being good somewhat warmer. I've only just sampled the first one and, while it's hard to tell while it's young, there's a hint it might actually come out better.

That said WY2112 is brilliant for bottle conditioning, it's something of a super floccer. I found the beer really benefits from some cold conditioning though, despite floccing out nicely. I'm only really in the position to recommend 2112. It's a very well behaved consistent yeast and it's made the best beers I've made so far.

I can't quite put my finger on one thing I like about the style because I mix and match hops and switch between light and dark malty variants. The whole malty backbone with Northern Brewer and lager yeasts, it just seems to work.

That said, I've got a mad experiment in the fermenter now, Malty variant, Pride of Ringwood and Cascade, WY2124 fermented at 20...

 

[chefeffect]

Great thanks for all the info, will diffidently be playing around with this style for a bit. The recipes look great too :icon_drool2: