RecipeDB - DrSmurto's Golden Ale

[under]

Firstly, its BIAB. For that grain bill (4.76Kg) I would mash in with 34.4L. End up with 23L into my cube. Mash 90min, boil for 75. Mash out 78.

 

[darrenp]

I made a 23 litre batch following Dr Smurto's recipe on Sunday as my first all grain.

Had made 3 batches using kits and was far from impressed with the process and the end product so was pretty keen to get into an all grain after spending a lot of time researching the process on this website.

Everything seems to be bubbling away pretty well and will stick with the 7 days primary and 7 days secondary. Stuffed up by taking an SG reading straight out of the primary. Now I'm looking at the nice wort stains on the outlet and no doubt there's some pretty good fermentation taking place in there as well. I reckon best bet now would be to siphon from primary into secondary when its time. How much should I leave behind? If I dont stir things up too much can I get away with just the sludge on the bottom?

Most importantly how long should I wait after bottling before trying? I've got a few swill drinking cynics ready to lay the boots in if this isn't up to scratch and I realise it will get better with age but don't want to wait too long.

What's the recommended method for priming this brew? Have used the Coopers lollies in my kit brews which is conveniant but with the amount of time and effort gone into this brew I want this step done as best I can. Thinking of batch priming but have read up on heaps of different ways this can be done. Just wondering how others bottling in stubbies have gone about priming or am I better off using long necks?

 

[davo4772]

Hello All,

Bottled this one a couple a weeks ago. BIAB, 15L batch.

I'm happy with it but turned out a little dry, that is, lacks maltiness.

What would cause this? My mash temp should have been 66 but I suspect my mash temp may have ended up being lower which would make the wort dryer?

I have one of those coffee thermometers which may not be as accurate as I hoped.

Cheers

David


edit: spelling.

 

[felten]

Another question if I may Doctor,
I'm not sure about the hop additions. Is it 20g at 60 min, 20g at 20 min and 20g at flameout? Or is it 20g at 20 min and 20g at flameout?
Thank You.

It depends on what you are using. If you're using a pre-bittered can then you won't need a 60m addition, you will need a 60m addition for a full extract batch though, which is what it says in on the recipe page.

Stuffed up by taking an SG reading straight out of the primary. Now I'm looking at the nice wort stains on the outlet and no doubt there's some pretty good fermentation taking place in there as well.
What's the recommended method for priming this brew? Have used the Coopers lollies in my kit brews which is conveniant but with the amount of time and effort gone into this brew I want this step done as best I can.

I'm not sure what you mean here, did you take a reading out of the tap or out of the fermenter lid? When I'm taking SG samples out of the tap I give it a spray with starsan afterwards, but just cleaning it up wouldn't hurt either.

If you're happy with the level of carbonation the carb drops give then I would just stick with them, if you aren't using all odd sized bottles then it shouldn't be a problem.
As for how long to wait, I would drink it straight after its fully carbonated. Hop aroma/flavour is going to be the first thing that fades over time.

 

[spudfarmerboy]

It depends on what you are using. If you're using a pre-bittered can then you won't need a 60m addition, you will need a 60m addition for a full extract batch though, which is what it says in on the recipe page.


Hello Felten, it will be all grain.

 

[raven19]

I reckon best bet now would be to siphon from primary into secondary when its time. How much should I leave behind? If I dont stir things up too much can I get away with just the sludge on the bottom?

Most importantly how long should I wait after bottling before trying? I've got a few swill drinking cynics ready to lay the boots in if this isn't up to scratch and I realise it will get better with age but don't want to wait too long.

What's the recommended method for priming this brew? Have used the Coopers lollies in my kit brews which is conveniant but with the amount of time and effort gone into this brew I want this step done as best I can. Thinking of batch priming but have read up on heaps of different ways this can be done. Just wondering how others bottling in stubbies have gone about priming or am I better off using long necks?

I would have a read of the beginner articles as per the links here: Linky

:icon_offtopic: Can you crash chill your brew once fermentation has finished? If so crash chill to around 1 degree - then rack to secondary after a week or so.

Leave the trub behind, bottle with about 70 - 90 grams of DME/sugar (check out the bulk priming calculators online - it really depends on how fizzy you want your beer).

Leave in the bottle for a month at least - and the longer you leave it the better it will be.

Does not matter which size bottles you use if bulk priming, but all the above is probably off topic as this is a recipe discussion thread.

 

[raven19]

I'm happy with it but turned out a little dry, that is, lacks maltiness.

What would cause this? My mash temp should have been 66 but I suspect my mash temp may have ended up being lower which would make the wort dryer?

Yep, lower temps would result in a thinner beer.

Time to make another batch I reckon! :icon_cheers:

 

[drsmurto]

Dr Smurto,
what temperature should this ale be drank at?
Cheers

Personally, i drink my ales at 6-8C, some even warmer. That and i carb my beers lower than what most commercial beer drinkers are used to.

Another question if I may Doctor,
I'm not sure about the hop additions. Is it 20g at 60 min, 20g at 20 min and 20g at flameout? Or is it 20g at 20 min and 20g at flameout?
Thank You.

If you are doing all grain, click on the link in my signature which leads to the beersmith file. If you dont have beersmsith PM me your email address and I'll send you a PDF version of the file - that offer is open to anyone.

The hop additions will depend on the AA% of the amarillo you are using. I generally aim for 30 IBU and tweak the 60 min addition accordingly. I keep the 20 and 0 min additions to 20g for a 20L batch. If you are no chilling then those familiar with that technique can offer their thoughts on adjusting the late additions. If you dont make adjustments the resulting IBU will be higher which will put the beer out of balance (it was designed with chilling in mind) and may even make it seem thinner due to the extra bitterness out-competing the malt.

As to the question relating to a thin body (David), the mash temp is crucial and you need a good quality, calibrated thermometer to measure the mash temp. So if you are finding the body too thin its likely you mashed a tad too low. 66-67 is where i mash this beer but i know my mash temp is 66-67 as i have a reliable thermometer.

Spend a few $ of one from one of the sponsors if you are prepared to put holes in your mash tun, if not get a lab grade thermometer which is what i use.


Darren - i take samples from the fermenter via the tap during fermentation. Its not an issue although to be on the safe side I'd be giving the tap a quick spray after drawing the sample with a no rinse sanitiser.

Priming wise i prime low(er) than commercial drinkers like. JSGA itself is primed lower than most commercial Australian beers. But, you can prime this as normal. The beer that got the gong a few years ago had been bottle conditioned for 2-3 months from memory and was carbed at a rate aiming for 2.0 volumes which is in the same ballpark as you would find in commercial bottled english ales. Its not overly spritzy but its not flat either. A happy medium IMO.

 

[midworld08]

Done 3x 45l batches of this, and it just does not seem to last long enough. Nice Job Dr Smurto. Easy recipe, great results, need a few more like this.

Cheers bug Ears
Colin

 

[Tom909]

Dr Smurto - how many grams of sugar would you recommend for bulk priming this one?

Thanks.

 

[drsmurto]

Dr Smurto - how many grams of sugar would you recommend for bulk priming this one?

Thanks.

I personally carb my beers lower than average so normally around 2 volumes of CO2. But i keg. I recall when brewing the kit version of this back a few years ago now i used to use 180g of dex in a 23L batch. According to beersmith that would be 2.8 volumes which is way too high for my taste - shows you how much my taste in beer has changed in 4 years.

Been a while since i bulk primed so i can only go on what beersmith tells me.

For 20L, aiming for 2 volumes of CO2, use 90g of dextrose. You might find this a little low so perhaps aim for 2.2 volumes which requires 110g of dex. (That is assuming a temp of up to 20C during ferment).

Cheers
DrSmurto

 

[Tom909]

Thanks Dr.

I was thinking around 120g as i normally use 150g and wanted something a little less fizzy. Ill give the 110g a go and see how it is - I'm sure ill brew this beer more than once!

 

[boriskane]

hi, sorry for the novice questions, just thought this would be a more appropriate thread than beginners because its the actual recipe thread.

about to throw the extract version down and was just curious as to what i should use for the 60min hop boil (ie how much extract-wheat or light lme?).

and would i be correct in assuming that i should steep the crystal and boil that for a period of time and then pour the contents into the fermenter? or pour contents into hop boil?

many thanks in advance!

 

[juzz1981]

Hi There,

Could the Amarillo hops be substituted with cascade or centennial or would this deter too much from the desired flavour?

 

[juzz1981]

hi, sorry for the novice questions, just thought this would be a more appropriate thread than beginners because its the actual recipe thread.

about to throw the extract version down and was just curious as to what i should use for the 60min hop boil (ie how much extract-wheat or light lme?).

and would i be correct in assuming that i should steep the crystal and boil that for a period of time and then pour the contents into the fermenter? or pour contents into hop boil?

many thanks in advance!

I would say to get add say 700g of LME to 7lts of water or thereabouts.
Pour your steepings into the hop boil.

 

[drsmurto]

Hi There,

Could the Amarillo hops be substituted with cascade or centennial or would this deter too much from the desired flavour?

Do it! I use this grain bill to play around with other hops, last non amarillo batch was galaxy but have done cascade/chinook/centennial and combos of them.

 

[BjornJ]

Do it! I use this grain bill to play around with other hops, last non amarillo batch was galaxy but have done cascade/chinook/centennial and combos of them.

Interesting, how did the Galaxy GA turn out?

I have made your recipe a couple of times now and really like it,
-with amarillo
-a little darker (roasted wheat) and Amarillo
-a little darker (roasted wheat) and Styrian Golding
-back to a little darker (roasted wheat) and Amarillo again this weekend.

The only beer I have had with Galaxy is the Stone & Wood Draught (as well as Brendan from the Northern Beaches' excellent clone).
Would be interesting to hear a little about this recipe with Galaxy and particularly how much late hopping you use with Galaxy.

thanks
Bjorn

 

[chadjaja]

I've just cleaned up after todays brew day and a combination of simcoe(bittering) Amarillo and will dry hop with Centennial!

I've made this with an all Cascade hop schedule and it turned out a top drop too.

 

[drsmurto]

Galaxy was sublime but i did make a few other changes

Rye instead of wheat
Caraaroma instead of caramunich.

A tad darker than the norm but oh so tasty.

Hop schedule for a 20L batch was

5.00 gm Galaxy [15.00 %] (60 min) Hops 9.7 IBU
20.00 gm Galaxy [15.00 %] (20 min) Hops 23.6 IBU
30.00 gm Galaxy [15.00 %] (0 min) Hops

 

[BjornJ]

thanks doc,
sounds like another good one to try out.

will put it on the mental to-do list