Looking For Inspiration

[Cero]

Hi All -

A mate and I currently have a range of brews: a few largers, ginger beer, a pale ale and a porter. I am looking for inspiration on what to put down before it heats up .

We are not all that experienced (I've never made any mash-type recipes)... but would be prepared to give it a go with some instruction from you fine folk :blink:.

Can anyone point me to two good recipes ?

Cheers -
Cero.

 

[Jovial_Monk]

Since the heat IS here, look to darker brews, not pale ales etc

A nice robust porter could be brewed from a can of Morgan's amber Ale, a kilo of dried malt (dissolved in 5L cold water & brought to a simmer) a 1.5k can of Coopers light LME and say 500g chocolate malt and 50g roast barley. Steep the dark grains (crushed) in 3 times their weight in water at about 60C for 20 mins, strain into the pan of simmering wort, skim any scum on the surface of the combined wort then turn the heat up to a strong, vigorous boil and add some Goldings hop pellets (amounts and IBUs gone out of my head but an OG 1060 Porter can take 30IBUs, even more, try like 20g Golding pellets boiled vigorously for 60 mins, add 15g fuggles pellets for the last 15 minutes of the one hour boil. Shortly before the end of the boil transfer 2L of wort to a smaller pan, and, off heat, add the contents of the can of liquid malt extract, stir to dissolve then add back in several small lots to your boil

Cool, strain off the hops into the fermenter, add the Amber Ale, pitch yeast, etc etc







Jovial Monk

 

[Cero]

Hi Jovial -

Thanks for that (might try it after our other porter (a TCB WetPak) is finished!)... Are there any lighter "dark" beers?

Why are these better in the warmer weather?

Cheers -
Cero.

 

[Wasabi]

Cero,

How about a wheat beer?

I made this Dark Wheat Beer from a recipe the HBS guy gave me, and I reckon it's one of my best ever! (Though I think he stole it from Morgans Web Site)

1.7KG MORGANS GOLDEN SHEAF WHEAT
2KG MORGANS CHOCOLATE MALT MASTER BLEND

SAAZ 45 MINS (yeah I know thats tantamount to sacrilage)
SAAZ 15 MINS
HALLERTAU 2 MINS

1 SACHET OF SAF-WHEAT

Add 500gms of Sheaf Wheat to 4 litres of boiling water
Boil Saaz Hops for 45 mins
Boil Saaz Hops 2 fr 15 mins on a simmer
Steep Hallertau for 2 mins
Add remaining ingredients, stir well and add to fermenter
Top up to 23 litres
Add pre hydrated yeast (When cool enough)

SG: 1.074 (I think my Hyrometer was having an off day....)
FG: 1.012

NOTES
Racked to secondary at 9 days (1/4/03)
Gravity already at 1012
Stayed in Secondary for 25 days


I love Wheat beer and I just don't think there is enough of it in Oz.

 

[PostModern]

A second vote for wheat. I put on a Bavarian Weizen (see recipes forum) then pitched a "pseudo dunkelweizen" (only 25% wheat malt, plus some extract, crystal and caramel and choc malt) on the yeast cake. These beers mature quickly too, so should be in their prime by Christmas/New Year. I recommend "SafWheat" K-97 for a cheap wheat yeast.

 

[Batz]

Must give a wheat a try , have'nt done one yet

 

[Jovial_Monk]

A lighter dark beer could be a nut brown

One reason for brewing darker beers in summer: if the wworst happens and a touch of autolysis (vegemite taste) happens it is drowned by the dark malts

Dark malts will help hide other problems too







Jovial Monk

 

[PostModern]

Good tip there, JM.

It's for that and another reason I'm brewing dark belgian ales this summer. I have a spot in my house that's stay around 20 degrees on all but the hotest of days, but climbs a little higher if the temp stays in the 30's for a few days in a row. I've picked Belgian dark ales because the roasty taste and the characteristic spiciness of the yeast is best accentuated with a warm fermentation. Also, dark heavy beers benefit from aging, so I should have a nice stock of winter warmers ready for the next cold snap

 

[RegBadgery]

Not a recipe, but a recommendation for a bung fridge. A bung fridge offers insulation from the heat - swapping frozen water bottles in and out keeps the temperature in the ale brewing range.

cheers
reg