New Brew, more grain

[Pilchard]

I have progressed in the last 3 weeks form kit and malt to kit grain and malt and this last one followed a recipe for kit grain and malt but used aromatic hops and more than the recipe asked for the grain bill is near doubled at 400g and I used dark crystal

I have been tasting at end ferment and an coming back to dry hopping, bulk priming etc which I used in the past. The next one may be all grain. I still have a 10 year old esky set up for running the tun. At the moment I am having a love of ultra hopped pales. I looked at the proper recipe for stone and wood pacific today and the hop additions are well under whT I have been using in the beers I have done lately. I love the heavy florals and hops, not bitter but on the nose late additions.

Am I wasting my time with a stone and wood clone, it's been a while since my last taste. Or should I just brew to my hop flavour?

Put one down today with a can of draught
1kg light malt
1.7kg tin coopers draught
500gm dex
400gm dark crystal 60 mins 75degs
Amarillo @40
Citra @20
Amarillo @0
Citra @0
All 15 gram additions

Hope this one works, similar to my last except I will dry hop it with 15g of citra and Amarillo at 7 days bottle 7 days after.

I have a hard on for Amarillo but the citra seems to compliment it some in smell, I hope also in brewing.

Cheers

 

[menoetes]

Hi Pilchard,

The S&W Pacific Ale is an awesome beer and one I love. It's a single hopped beer using only Galaxy hops with a very light malt base which really lets the flavor of the hops shine through.You might find your brew is bitter-er and darker than the real thing with the caramel tones you'll get from the crystal playing a solid role in the taste too. Your early hop additions on top of the tins bitterness could be putting you in the pale/bitter ale ballpark where S&W is more of a lager/pilser style beer in bitterness value.

I've got a super easy stone and wood clone recipe which I love. I've made it a bunch of times and my friends think it's pretty damn close to the real thing. I've posted it a few places before but here it is again...

1 x Coopers Euro Lager kit
250g Carapils grains - cracked
1 kg of dry light malt (I use wheat malt myself)
250g Dextrose
30g of Galaxy @ 5 min
15g of Galaxy - dry hopped
US-05 or similar

It's light, pale and refreshing with that big galaxy hop flavor hit and smell. Give it a shot, you might be surprised. I generally have another batch of this on the go in one of my fermenters when I'm finishing up the last few bottles of the last batch...

 

[pat86]

Hey pilchard, tbh I like stone & wood but wouldn't call it ultra hoppy at all I think it's pretty low ibus.

This looks pretty close to my one I posted although off the top of my head, a bit more malt body and a bit less hops.

The amount of dark crystal is probably a bit too high, though this depends on your tastes of course, but I'd probably recommend 150-300g otherwise it could come out a bit sweet. Kits and extracts for me seem to ferment out less than grain or at least have a different feel, so you might find a higher fg which will not let your hops shine as much.

I'm waiting to see if mine is unbalanced but my taste from the fermentor the other day was good. After brewing Ian's spreadsheet actually gave me about 58 ibu, although I think in reality my beers come out a bit less bitter than estimated but who knows. Interested to hear your one comes out - it sounds good!

 

[gsouth82]

If your interested in an extract only brew of Pacific Ale then give this one a go, its easy and tasty:

Ingredients

• 
  1.50 kg Coopers Liquid Light Extract
  
• 
  1.50 kg Coopers Liquid Wheat Malt Extract
  
• 
  45g Galaxy
  
• 
  US05 Yeast
  

Method

1. 
   Boil 520g of malt in 5L of water
   

1. 
   10g Galaxy @ 20mins
   

15g Galaxy @ 10mins
20g Galaxy @ 0mins

1. 
   Chill boil down.
   
2. 
   Add the rest of the malt, and unstrained wort into the fermenter. Top to 20 liters.
   

1. 
   Pitch yeast
   

1. 
   Ferment at 18 degrees
   
   

 

[menoetes]

That's a solid looking extract recipe Gsouth, I reckon your hop schedule looks right on the money though I seen some recipes where they bitter it with cascade...

No dry hopping for that passionfruit nose though? Not steeping any grains for taste and mouth-feel either?

 

[gsouth82]

Its a great recipe menoetes. I havent played with it tbh because its great as it is. I cant take credit for it tho its stolen from antoher site (its called Earle's Stone and Wood recipe).
I havent dry hopped it because a ) it doesnt really need it when made to 20L and b ) i've read that dry hopping with galaxy can leave some 'grassiness'.
I havent bittered it either because its not very bitter from the brewery. Galaxy is quite high in alpha acids so you get a little bit through the 20 minute addition. The above hop schedule will put it around 20-25 IBUs which is plenty for pacific ale.
I'd recommend giving it a go as is and then playing with it to suit your taste.

 

[Pilchard]

Hey guys.

There are so many recipes here I have started a scrap book of sorts with these two making the top 3.

There goes my next month of brewing. I might have to get another fermenter next week so I can have 3 on the go.

Just need to find the time to swill a few.

Cheers

 

[Pilchard]

menoetes, got your recipe down tonight as well as another

Can of coopers aussie pale 1.7
2kg ale malt Meu au
400g biscuite
60 mins @65
Sparged 4l @65

Stirling 16g @ 0
60 min boil

Have another similar here to do same can with subs of
400 light crystal
And Nelson.
All else same as above.

I picked up an AG kit for stone and wood as well, if you want the original recipe I have it here.

No gravitates on this one yet I will post up when mash is done etc. I may be able to sparge a bit more but pot size is limited atm. I'll correct as the night progresses.

Cheers

 

[menoetes]

Nice work Pilchard, you won't regret using that recipe. For such a simple recipe it's got a big taste and an excellent body. It makes a quick and easy bottle filler that hasn't failed to please me and my friends every time.

Am I right in assuming that your Pale ale recipe is a partial? It sure looks like it... are you using Bribie G's simple method or do you have more advanced methods/equipment than I?

In fact, (you've got me all kinds of curious now) what was your final volume and OG on it?

I've only tried two true partial brews and come up short on my OG each time... :unsure:

Sterling hops too eh, I've not brewed with them before being more of a fruity/floral hops kinda guy but I can see how they would work well in a Pale or even a darker beer. Keep us posted on how they work out.

 

[Pilchard]

Yes a partial biab as I only have small pots atm, I had to use 3 for the final boil. Used a paint strainer bag, a lot easier than cheese cloth.

OG 1.042 @ 22l so hit my mark with this one. I found it easier with the larger grain bill to hold a steady temp I assume through the grain insulating itself. It's good to know I can run a mash after work and not be doing it till dawn.

 

[Pilchard]

Tasting notes from 1 week bottled,

Not carbonated enough obviously but... Hold a slight head and lace the glass.

The biscuits and Stirling is better bodied not sure I like the hops, may have done better with galaxy for this one, the malt and biscuits is prevalent and the biscuits is nice on the tongue. Earthy arrowroot flavours. Read biscuits as biscuite malt, auto correct is a pittance. This I hope will be better with actual ageing, both recipes came from Marks home brew, which I have dealt with for various reasons for over a decade. Be it brewing advice or just some keg fittings for a party.

The Nelson Savon I very much like its clean and crisp with enough hops to be an easy drinker. The hops are not over powering from the malt. It's a good one. Try it.

It's the first time I have used specialty grains and like the flavour but will need to fix the hops. As I take another slug on it I find it too something, it's not my usual dry hopped beers, it is tasty but not something I will reproduce. I will use biscuite again just not that hop. It is hard to find hops you like and can use as a noob. Many of the last brews were hop testing exercises and with the help of a good brewer the learning curve comes on quickly.

 

[menoetes]

Yeah, the learning curve can be pretty steep and you're moving along it faster than I have. It's good to keep trying new hops, even if you decided that you don't like their flavor at least you know it now. I had a similar experience with an aussie hop called Ella. Maybe later you'll find a another hop to mix it with and they'll temper out well together.

Biscuit malt is quite nice too, I read that it is used in Belgium style beers though I enjoy it in IPAs in smaller quantities than you used. I'd be worried that using to much might make a beer a bit 'bready' (like some Belgium styles are).

By the way, have you tried that Stone & Wood clone yet?

 

[Pilchard]

I have your recipe bottled as well as an 11L AG, tried the AG last night, very tasty, a lot of malt carried through, looks to have needed a little more hops. The recipe you gave me tasted great at bottling. I'll be digging one out this week and giving it a test run.

Cheers