Morgan's Blue Mountain Lager Question

[solidghost]

I had justed brewed my morgan's blue mountain lager with lager malt extract. I don't know why but the wort looks very dark in colour. In fact, it looks darker than my australian pale ale, which is surprising because I had thought that the lager will be lighter than a pale ale.

I was wondering whether this is the problem with the morgan's kit or was it something else.

 

[matti]

Concentrated malts give a darker colour generally.
If you say it darker then the pale ale malt it could be that the last can is a wee bit old.
Malt goes darker with age.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Concentrated malts give a darker colour generally.
If you say it darker then the pale ale malt it could be that the last can is a wee bit old.
Malt goes darker with age.

"Lager" has more to do with the yeast used and the cold conditioning process involved than the colour of the wort. Don't think cos Fosters Lager is pale that all lagers should be pale. Otherwise we wouldn't have czech dark lagers. And I'm told Tooheys Old is fermented with a lager yeast.

Morgans BML is a darker colour malt that settles out well in the fermentation. My only complaints is that I found its a cloying flavour soon after bottling that need several months of good cool bottle conditioning to overcome.

 

[microbe]

I've always found that product dark for a supposed 'lager'. However it's one of my favourite and most repeated kits.

Aesthetics is over-rated.

Cheers,

microbe

 

[solidghost]

Thanks guys. I had always thought that this lager would be much golden then black. The pictures they show seems to indicate it as well.

 

[DKS]

I've always found that product dark for a supposed 'lager'. However it's one of my favourite and most repeated kits.

Aesthetics is over-rated.

Cheers,

microbe

Hi microbe, I made up a Blue Mt lager last week end. I used the supplied yeast, (type unknown), and added dry malt & powdered corn syrup. I havent heard a bad report yet on any Blue Mt recipe.Sounds like youve done a few Mind passing on your best?


Daz

 

[Daawl]

DKS the yeast with all morgans kits is the good old 514.

My fave blue mountains is simply mix with the brewcraft #40 australian lager converter.

I have just put one down with a #62 Czech converter. Ment to be good, time will tell.

I use s23 for both, for a better/true lager yeast

Daawl

 

[DKS]

DKS the yeast with all morgans kits is the good old 514.

My fave blue mountains is simply mix with the brewcraft #40 australian lager converter.

I have just put one down with a #62 Czech converter. Ment to be good, time will tell.

I use s23 for both, for a better/true lager yeast

Daawl

Good one, as i said i havent heard of a bad one yet, good luck with it.
The s23 is that the saflager? Ive been tryin to find a list of what product codes are what yeasts but its blood from a stone stuff. They ( Coopers Morgans etc etc)dont want to give too much away do they?
Any idea where to find out?

Thanks
Daz

 

[sponge]

That'll give you a fair idea on all the "Saf....." yeast you keep hearing about

http://www.fermentis.com/FO/EN/06-Ales/30-10_product_hb.asp

and yes, the s23 is the lager yeast

 

[Daawl]

Ive been tryin to find a list of what product codes are what yeasts but its blood from a stone stuff

right there with you.

The s23 is that the saflager?

Yes mate I get the Saflager 23 seperate from the kits.

I found out from a rep that they only use a version of 514 even in their "Lager yeasts" and that was almost by mistake and a bit of pestering.

just keep surching & pestering.

Daawl

Edit: too slow

 

[Armstrong]

... the yeast with all morgans kits is the good old 514.
Daawl

No it isn't ... most of the Morgan's Ales have 514 on them, but the Blue Mountains Lager has Maurivin 497

Check the specs out here if you are interested.

 

[Daawl]

No it isn't ... most of the Morgan's Ales have 514 on them, but the Blue Mountains Lager has Maurivin 497

Check the specs out here if you are interested.

Cool. I stand corrected. It must have been my misunderstanding from the rep.

Just downloaded & added to info directory.

 

[DKS]

Cool. I stand corrected. It must have been my misunderstanding from the rep.

Just downloaded & added to info directory.

Great stuff thanks for the info Ill get onto it asap.

 

[Armstrong]

It must have been my misunderstanding from the rep.

Totally understandable ... personally, I don't understand what Morgan's think sometimes ... they put a lager yeast on the Blue Mountains, but an ale yeast on the Saaz Pilsner ... go figure!

 

[microbe]

No it isn't ... most of the Morgan's Ales have 514 on them, but the Blue Mountains Lager has Maurivin 497

Check the specs out here if you are interested.

Is that a recent change? I've always thought that it was 514 too. That specs sheet says to brew from 15-30C so is it a true lager yeast? I would've thought you'd have to go lower still.

DKS - Sounds like pretty much what I do. Most frequently I put this one together with a Brew Booster from the LHBS (IIRC 500g LDME, 250g Maltodextrin, 250g Dextrose) and a Morgans? teabag (usually Hallertau) which goes in a coffee mug at the start with boiling water and into the fermenter before pitching the yeast. I'm only just contemplating using separate yeast having spent the last few brews getting used to the temperature I can brew at with my cooler. As FGZ says though, it does benefit from a long conditioning time - if you can be patient enough. Usually the last bottle I have is the best yet but that could just be my mind playing tricks on me h34r:

Cheers,

microbe

 

[solidghost]

How long do you usually condition them? And do you condition them in the fermenter or in the bottles?

 

[Fatgodzilla]

How long do you usually condition them? And do you condition them in the fermenter or in the bottles?

SG - you got kegs or bottles ? Can you store a cube in a fridge for eight weeks ?

Reasons for these questions (last ones first)

Cubism - nothing to do with Dali. If you can pour from fermenter to a cube or similiar airtight container that you can refrigerate for an extended period you have done a vulgar form of lagering. The beer should benefit from the extended cool rest (or at least this is the principle). By being in an airtight container will cold condition a beer quicker than if you bottle and refrigerate (don't know why). Whether this will actually improve kit beers I don't know either - I did it as much as to further settle the beer and allow more yeast sediment to settle.

If you use kegs, if you can keep the keg as long as possible and as cool as possible (which may be hard for you unless you have access to fridges) do the same thing, give them a long rest in cool / cold conditions.

If you bottle, you need to have the beers at room temp for the secondary carbonation. Do that then put the bottles away for several months, again somewhere as cool as you can. Don't know what's in beer kits that cause it, but a lot taste quite poor soon after bottling but improve significantly with age. The Morgans BML I've made really tasted too sweet (as if under attentuated) but six months later were a different breed. Strange.
Hope that helps a little.

 

[solidghost]

I had the exact same feeling too. It smells very sweet even after 1 week in the fermenter. I had thought that it wasn't fermenting but the gravity reading seems to tell me otherwise.
Anyways, keeping the beer for 6 months is beyond my self control. lol

 

[Fatgodzilla]

I had the exact same feeling too. It smells very sweet even after 1 week in the fermenter. I had thought that it wasn't fermenting but the gravity reading seems to tell me otherwise.
Anyways, keeping the beer for 6 months is beyond my self control. lol

Then put away a few for a few months in the future and see how much they improve with time. Best of luck.

 

[dc59]

Only brewed this guy once and didn't bother reading the label properly. Only afterwards did I notice the instructions not to boil the kit (which I of course did), I believe it is because they used some method of late hopping the kit I believe.

Anyone know why your not suppose to boil this particular kit. I checked with the east india pale ale kit and they make no mention of not boiling the kit so it might be limited to the BML kit.

Dave