I'm Happy! Brewing Milestone

[peas_and_corn]

Today I celebrate the fact that this year I have brewer more beer than I have made ever! In 2002 I made one batch that was terrible. last year I made 9, which includes 2 lagers that I left while going on holiday (and I kegged when I got home this year). After the two lagers, I have made 11 batches! yay! So I'm up to no. 21, with me really looking forward to batch no 22- my first AG! wish me luck!

 

[Trent]

Congrats P & C
Best of luck with the AG, I think you will find it is easier than it all sounds. What is it gonna be? Dont leave us in the dark about that!
All the best
Trent

 

[peas_and_corn]

Well, it'll be an easy one to get me started (plus it's one of my best recipes so far; I decided to improve on a favourite).

It's my honey beer. My old recipe was:

Morgan's wheat beer can
500g LDME
1kg Honey
Safale wheat beer yeast

It'll become

2kg Pale malt
2kg Wheat malt
1kg honey
<whatever I have left> Pride of Ringwood (60 mins)
<whatever I have left> Hallertau (haven't decided time yet)

What do you think? Small-ish grain profile, but the honey makes up a lot of fermentables. Also, what about my hop profile? Need changing, or sounds good?

 

[tangent]

i'd add another kilo of pale malt
also: try the liquid wheat yeasts in preference to the K97 <- it's not great IMO.

(and i'd drop the honey and change the POR but that's just me h34r: )

 

[Screwtop]

I would go for Perle instead of POR (hate that beer cloth smell). As it's your first I would stick with the grain bill and honey also dried yeast to keep it simple. Also keep the IBU's low for a wheatie.

Should be a great summer beer.

 

[tangent]

For a beginner, a packet of liquid yeast is as easy as a packet of dry.
Rip top off, pour/sprinkle. The liquid packet just has to swell first.
(No offense Screwtop - i'm about to try the Perle idea)

As far as a first AG, i think it's really important to learn how great an all-grain beer can taste. It's a damn site different to a can of extract. So that means for a change, not adding a syrup of any form. Or a packet of something else.
Your 1st AG should be the basics of grain, water, hops and yeast. Just to break those poor K&K brewers of their addiction to the screwtop lid and the can opener. Just to see what malted grain actually tastes like for a change.
The rest of the process is still the K&K basics of sanitation, fermentation, conditioning & carbonation.

 

[peas_and_corn]

Perle, eh? how much of that would you recommend?

I'm going to go for the liquid yeast as well, been wanting to try some for a while, so might as well go for that while I'm at it!

Tangent- that's what I've been thinking when I've thought about AG recently. At the beginning of the year the thought of going AG was a bit daunting, and I decided to just make partials with more and more grain in them- I noticed when I used less grain that the quality of the beer dropped, for example my current amber ale was made with a coopers can, and I really can taste that 'can' flavour.

 

[Screwtop]

P&C this is my next (still keeping it simple) aiming for 30 odd IBU and ABV 5.5

Batch Size: 23.00 L

5.00 kg Pale Malt
0.50 kg Vienna Malt
0.20 kg Wheat Malt
0.10 kg Crystal
35.00 gm Pearle 60min
25.00 gm Cascade 5min
25.00 gm Cascade (Dry Hop 5 days)
Rehydrated DCL Yeast #US-56 Dry Ale

 

[tangent]

that's a good looking recipe Screwtop
I reckon an IPA or APA is a good beer to start with because they're both incredibly drinkable even if the balance is a little off and it's not perfect yet.

 

[Nui]

Good work P & C!!

Im hanging out to try your honey brew! Both my fermentors are in use atm, so once they are done, i'll be giving it a go straight away!

Good luck for the AG!

Matt

 

[peas_and_corn]

Cheers everyone for your support, I wouldn't have believed last year that I would be AGing already, but because of everyone here giving me help and support, crazily enough I am!

If I go for the perle, how much should I add? At 60 mins?

 

[tangent]

use your software dude
perle is weird becaue it's a bit minty