Please Critique Next Recipe

[Sydneybrewer]

G'day homebrewers,

i just want you guys to critique my next recipe idea.
i was thinking of doing a lager due to the weather and i don't want to fork out for heating equipment yet

so the recipe i am going to go with is (want to keep it simple atm as this will be second brew)

2x 1.7kg light malt extract
30g Amarillo
S-23 yeast
23L ferment

to be bottled in coopers PET's with 2 carbonation drops.

now not sure whether or not to add 500g dextrose to raise the alcohol level up i would like it between 4-5%

my last brew was a coopers toucan lager with 1kg dextrose and kit yeast filled to 23l bottled in to coopers PETS. was a good brew after a few weeks in bottle but nothing great, but certainly a little too strong thinking maybe around 7-8%. basically i want something similar to the last brew but aiming for something a bit better and slightly weaker.

 

[Phoney]

How long are you planning on boiling the amarillo for?

ie: 60 mins will give you bittering, 20 mins will give you flavour and 5-10mins will give you aroma.


Also, S-23 is a lager yeast. Have you got adequate temperature control to keep your fermenter at 12-14C?

 

[Sydneybrewer]

i was going for 20 min boil of amarillo, and my garage where i will be keeping the fermenter is a constant 8 degrees atm can get even cooler of a night, so i can only really brew a lager atm without heating equipment.

 

[Supra-Jim]

Skip the dextrose and use some light dried malt instead if you want to boost the recipe a bit. Dex will increase the alc%, but also thin it out a bit. LDME will give a better result with a little bit of body added.

Cheers SJ

 

[Phoney]

Fair enough.

Cans of liquid malt extract are unhopped which means you will need bittering otherwise it will be too sweet.. I dont have beersmith here at work so I cant work out your exact figures, but I would be more inclined to boil say 20g for 60 mins and then 10g for the final 20min. Maybe even add some more for the final 5mins for aroma

 

[Supra-Jim]

+1 for phoneys recommendation regarding the hopping schedule, you will need bittering. My only question is why Amarillo? yes it is a lovely hop, but you're going to go closer to an American Pale Ale given your ingredients. If that's all you got, great go for it, however if you have the opportunity to grab something like some saaz or hallertauer, you might go closer to a (euro) lager tasting beer.

If Amarillo is all you have, maybe drop the 5min recommendation from phoney, lagers don't generally have a whole whack of hop aroma, it's a little more subtle.

Other than that, throw it all down and let us know how it goes. Good luck.

Cheers SJ

 

[Bribie G]

I've never used Amarillo but find that many of the US hops such as Chinook make great bittering hops and a bit of aroma lingers on as well even with a 60 minute boil. If you already have the Amarillo then try 20g for 60 mins and 10g for 15 mins.
With regard to your initial post above, I'll put on my flameproof suit and show you how to save a motza over the year on carbonation drops:



As it happens I got back from Woolies an hour ago, doing a bottling session today and these little boogers are each the equivalent of two carb drops and are a third of the price. I've used them on over sixty brews so far with excellent reliable results. And they miraculously fit exactly through top of any PET.

edit: only one cube per 750ml PET of course.

 

[Sydneybrewer]

Don't have the Amarillo yet a mate just recomended it for a good flavour will go with saaz if that's what you guys recomened like I said it's my second brew and have never used hops before

 

[Sydneybrewer]

And thanks for the tip bribie time for a trip to woolies I think

 

[Supra-Jim]

You're more than welcome to go with whatever you want (after all you've got to drink it!), and your mate's right, Amarillo is great. That said it is an american hop and best suited to APA's (just a recommendation, not a rule). If you're trying for more a euro lager feel, then a euro hop is the way to go.

Have a chat to your LHBS when you go to grab your ingredients. Also have a flick through a few of the lager recipes on the recipedb, and take note of the hopping schedules and hop types used.

Cheers SJ

 

[buttersd70]

Also have a flick through a few of the lager recipes on the recipedb, and take note of the hopping schedules and hop types used.

When looking for hop ideas in the db, look at all the lager recipes, even (or especially) the AG ones, even though your not at that point....

 

[thylacine]

G'day homebrewers,

i just want you guys to critique my next recipe idea.
i was thinking of doing a lager due to the weather and i don't want to fork out for heating equipment yet

so the recipe i am going to go with is (want to keep it simple atm as this will be second brew)

2x 1.7kg light malt extract
30g Amarillo
S-23 yeast
23L ferment

to be bottled in coopers PET's with 2 carbonation drops.

now not sure whether or not to add 500g dextrose to raise the alcohol level up i would like it between 4-5%

my last brew was a coopers toucan lager with 1kg dextrose and kit yeast filled to 23l bottled in to coopers PETS. was a good brew after a few weeks in bottle but nothing great, but certainly a little too strong thinking maybe around 7-8%. basically i want something similar to the last brew but aiming for something a bit better and slightly weaker.

S-23 info sheet: http://www.fermentis.com/FO/pdf/HB/EN/Saflager_S-23_HB.pdf
Note the recommended 12 degrees. Big W sells 500g Coopers Dried Malt. (e.g. rather than sugar or dex)

 

[Sydneybrewer]

thanks for the tips guys think i will stick with the Amarillo and take bribie's advice and boil 20 for 60mins and 10 for 15mins and see how it goes will let you know how it turns out in a few weeks from no, cheers

 

[discoloop]

now not sure whether or not to add 500g dextrose to raise the alcohol level up i would like it between 4-5%

With 3-3.4kg of extract you'll already be in your 4-5% ballpark.

Edit: Assuming a 23L batch.

 

[Sydneybrewer]

thanks disco

 

[RobboMC]

With 3-3.4kg of extract you'll already be in your 4-5% ballpark.

Edit: Assuming a 23L batch.

I'm not necessarily the final expert but I don't totally agree.

1.7 kg of DRY malt extract will give you 2.7%, but the cans of liquid contain significant amounts of water as
well as the usual unfermentables that promote flavour and body.

My measurements of OG after using 100% extract in brews show that 2 cans of liquid malt in 23 litres will give
4.3% abv. Yes discoloop you are correct, it IS in the 4-5% range so techniaclly you are right, but it's toward the bottom and I feel sydneybrewer will be happier if it's beefed up a bit with some dme, maybe 300g to give 4.7%.

Work on having a good recipe calculator, there's no faster route to good beer than being able to predict what your doing,
so yo can get what you aim for.

 

[Neill]

may i suggest this recipe:

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=35657

not too far off what you're doing anyway

 

[buttersd70]

3.4kg of lme in 23L gives 1045 OG. 3kg of lme (cos unhopped extract is usually 1.5kg, not 1.7 ) will give 1040 OG.
working on the (very) broad assumption of a 1010 fg, that equates to 4.6% and 3.9% respectively. Bottle carbonation will add 0.25-0.5% (very roughly, depending on priming rate).

edit: and on hypotheticals....if using 3kg, and you fluff your volume and get just 1L extra, making it 24L.....that will drop the OG to 1038, giving 3.6% for a 1010 finish. (not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not what you're after).