Everyone Should Make This

[Neill]

About 6 weeks ago i made this:

2 x 1.5kg Coopers LME tins (pale)
500g Dextrose
20g Centennial @ 30 min
40g Amarillo @ 20 min
40g Amarillo @ 10 min

Total 31 IBU

OG 1058

Pitch Nottingham (would probably work well with US-05 too) and keep the temps under 20 degrees.

FG 1013

I just tasted one of these and this is one of the most awesome beers i've ever made. It is unbelievably fruity - the Centennial addition takes it to another level from an all-amarillo beer, which i have also done before. It's like someone has squeezed a passionfruit into your beer and then topped it up with watermelon or something. I'm no good at describing flavours but this is a cracker of a combination of hops. I urge all extract/KnB brewers out there to give this a go! :icon_chickcheers:

Cheers,

Neill

 

[roverfj1200]

How many litres did you make it up to and what was the boil volume

Cheers

 

[bum]

Looks good. Not sure you're selling it to those who are not yet already converts to the Amarillo cause, though. I'll chuck that one on the list for summer. Throw her up on the DB.

 

[Fourstar]

It is unbelievably fruity - the Centennial addition takes it to another level from an all-amarillo beer, which i have also done before. It's like someone has squeezed a passionfruit into your beer and then topped it up with watermelon or something.

All i can use to describe centennial is lemon sherberty/sour lollies/citrusy orange punch

in other words.... awesome!

 

[Bribie G]

What you have actually made is a more robust version of a Coopers Toucan lager. The toucan Coopers lager version is a kickarse kit brew but because you have made it a bit stronger and used some better hops then you have improved on it immensely. Also it's a fairly hop driven beer so should balance out nicely.

disclaimer: I'm an AG brewer but like to make toucans (just bottled a Coopers stout, 1kg dex, 1kg LDME aroma hops MoFo headbanger and it's lubberly) so nothing wrong with toucans as a style, that demonstrates what the kit makers could actually offer us if they wanted to :icon_cheers:

 

[Neill]

Doesn't taste anything like a toucan IMHO. Isohops =/ fresh amarillo/centennial

there's a fabulous aroma on this one too. I wouldn't touch the hop additions at all, do it just as i have described above, it seems to have hit a "sweet spot" with this combination of hops in those quantities.

roverfj1200; made up to 23 litres (standard batch volume) and for the boil i just used 6L with about 1/3 of one of the LME tins added (600g in 6L is about right for gravity to utilise the hops properly)

 

[Bribie G]

That's what I meant, you have bypassed the isohop that they put in the kits and have put some real hops in so have ended up with the toucan that God would drink

 

[lczaban]

Good work Neill - might have to put this on the "to-brew" list...

 

[Neill]

Highly recommended! I've been doing these hop experiments lately with 3kg of LME, some dex and nottingham to basically get a taste of what each hop is providing in the flavour department. I had previously done an all-amarillo which was awesome, then i did an all-centennial which was great as well, but i had some of each left over so i combined them. It appears that i have magically struck one of those hop combinations that just works - like B-Saaz and Cascade for little creatures bright ale, they just seem to complement each other beautifully.

Give it a crack and let me know how you go!

 

[Scruffy]

Happy drinking!!


Psst, no-one mention Nelson Sauvin...ok?

 

[Neill]

actually i have some nelson leftover as well as some B-Saaz

Thinking of doing a boil

20g B-Saaz 40 min
20g B-Saaz 10 min
20g Nelson 10 min

i did an all-nelson brew with 40g of late additions only and it was way too strong - has mellowed a lot now but it tasted like white wine initially!

 

[WarmBeer]

Neill,

Chuck it in the RecipeDB, so we can find it when we want to make one for ourselves.

Cheers.

 

[Renegade]

Good on ya, Neill - experimentation is the spice of life. And Amarillo is a great hop. If you do this again, you could replace one of the cans with the Coopers (unhopped) Wheat. And add some steeped crystal liqor.

Psst, no-one mention Nelson Sauvin...ok?

:icon_offtopic: I must ! Does anyone else find the NS to be a bit on the 'chemical perfume' side ?

 

[Sydneybrewer]

sounds like a nice drop will have to try this out

 

[thanme]

Thanks Neill!!

I'm about to do my first brew and it's going to somewhat resemble that. Nice to know it works well.
Mines going to be all Amarillo though, because I'm trying to learn what different hops are like.

 

[Neill]

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&recipe=867

I called it the Centenarillo ale. I want a few of you extract guys to make this and report back!

Feel free to steep some Crystal (about 200g) into this as well if you want more body and sweetness. I will do that next time i think. Will definately make this one again.

 

[doon]

I reckon this might just be my next brew, might do it soon to wasnt planning on one anytime soon but stuff it sounds good!

 

[Mcstretch]

I reckon this might just be my next brew, might do it soon to wasnt planning on one anytime soon but stuff it sounds good!

I think I'll also give this one a go next week. Just need to order in some goods first.

 

[Nick JD]

Neill - I think your base recipe:

2 x 1.5kg Coopers LME tins (pale)
500g Dextrose

With any combo of hops will give a fantastic beer. I haven't been able to break this beast yet. And I've tried some hideous combos of hops.

It all leads me to believe that making beer with actual hops makes delicious beer. Doesn't matter much which hops ... just as long as they are green and delicious.

Although, may I add one little consideration: adding steeped carapils (3-400g) gives a graininess and "thickness" that makes one have to scrub the head remnants off the glasses the next day.

I'm going to order centennial and amarillo now. Can I suggest you order Southern Cross?

 

[Neill]

Yeah you're spot on nick - it's the base i use for most of my ales now. Good head retention and clarity, i have started steeping crystal into it now to give a bit more body and that improves it even more. With a few spec grains in this it comes out close to the "feel" of an AG beer, not quite but pretty close.

I just bottled a Hallertau bomb with this base which had 60g of late additions of hallertau only. Hoping it's a good one!

Next try is nelson and B-Saaz.

Then onto another go at a LCBA (last one had nowhere near enough hops, it needs a full 80g of B-saaz and cascade i think. Either that or the US05 scrubbed all the hop flavours out.