Stella Artois

[HoppingMad]

The recipes I've seen for Stella clones are czech saaz all the way - no hallertau, but could be an interesting one to tinker with. I might put it on my 'things to do' list. Nice one.

Hopper.

 

[technocat]

Yeah I am still playing around with it probably needs to be a little dryer. Someone mentioned Maize (corn) which I have read about along the way somewhere, might try adding some corn syrup next time up, see if that will introduce a little dryness Also I have been mashing in at 65C which I didn't mention. I am a real fan of Stella, (made in Belgium) not the BUL made by CUB, for all the sledging it seems to get from the POM's in the old dart.

 

[Bribie G]

I understand that, like many Belgian and Dutch supermarket beers such as Hollandia, they are now using a bit of maize in it as well. Maybe sub 300g flaked maize for some of the malt. I'm not sure if they do that in the Aus BUL, Thirsty Boy may be able to confirm if he reads this thread.

edit: I'm old enough to remember when it was introduced in the UK and it was a spectacular drop compared to the pissy lagers available at the time. BUL by Whitbread, the original marketing slogan was "Stella's for the Fellas" and can be fairly accused of kicking off the Lager Lout culture. Imagine trying to use that slogan in today's politically correct world !!

 

[Fourstar]

Yeah I am still playing around with it probably needs to be a little dryer. Someone mentioned Maize (corn) which I have read about along the way somewhere, might try adding some corn syrup next time up, see if that will introduce a little dryness Also I have been mashing in at 65C which I didn't mention.

Get yourself a bag of kibbled maize from the local asian grocer, usually comes in a 1 kilo bag. simply dump it into a pot with 3X its volume in water and boil until a porridge consistency. then mash in at sacch temp if you are using <30% corn. if its more you may need to extend the mash time to 90 mins or do a protien rest. Simple.

Personally, i would use rice in place of corn in this beer thou. I dont know why but i love using adjunct like corn and rice in my beer. So far i have done 2 cream ales, a CAP and a Cream ale that become a rice lager. All great beers which have been welcomed by my megaswill friends. Also rice is a really good way to get the FG down without imparting any aromas or flavour.

 

[samhighley]

I'm old enough to remember when it was introduced in the UK and it was a spectacular drop

And it was the beer of choice for Gary and Tony in Men Behaving Badly. Nuff said.

 

[buttersd70]

aternatively, if you want it drier...heres a whacky thought....mash low. As in low. try 63, or 62, or even go to 60.....
I'd be looking at my mash schedule before looking at using adjuncts.
If you were mashing at 65 and said you wanted more body, the first thing that comes to mind is not to add half a kilo of maltodextrin....it's to mash hotter, 68,69 or even 70C. Yet when people want it drier, they immediately reach for the dextrose/sucrose/maize.....I don't understand that.

not saying these adjuncts have no use in brewing; no, not at all. Just wondering why it seems they're the first choice, compared to the easy option (on a HB scale) of changing mash temp (I understand that many big breweries are hesitant to change their temps due to the pita of the scale of it....but thats a different situation all together from HBing).

 

[Bribie G]

I concur. My Yorkshire Bitters were turning out quite sweet and chewy at 67 degrees and with my latest Bitter, Ruddles inspired, I wanted it drier so mashed at 64. Tried an early one and it's far less sweet and lets the hops shine through.

:icon_offtopic: I used adjuncts for the first time this week with a BIAB rice lager 4kg Galaxy, 1kg raw weight rice cooked soft. Far from getting a slow or stuck drain, the bag actually drained far quicker and more thoroughly than my all malt mashes and after hanging and squeezing it yielded the driest spent grain I've ever had. Instant rice hulls ???

 

[Fourstar]

aternatively, if you want it drier...heres a whacky thought....mash low. As in low. try 63, or 62, or even go to 60.....
I'd be looking at my mash schedule before looking at using adjuncts.

Well with a lower mash temp butters you need todo a longer mash to complete conversion. Yet when using rice and corn you need to stew them so this would balance it out time wise anyway. Maybe a reduction of dextrins in the beer as well by using adjunct? With malt you are getting dextrins and fermentables. with adjunct you are getting just fermentables? Correct me on this if im wrong.

With using corn, my main use is if im doing a CAP for the corn aromas as the style requests.

Either way, i do low temp mashes for drier beers, higher temp mashes for bigger mouthfeel as well as use adjunct where i see fit. I also seem to find when using adjunct the 'dryness' of the beer is substantially greater than that of one mashed low (64 deg)

Just looking in beersmith, my app attenuation of beers with adjunct is on avg 79-80%. with low temp mashes (64-65 deg) its around 74%

It may be a placebo? Who knows. :lol:

 

[technocat]

Butters: the reason for hitting 65C I have only brewed this recipe once and had a foot each side of the fence. I take on board what you guys are saying and still yet to buy my first bag of Pils for the winter brewing. Still getting through the last of MO and JWM pale and looking forward to some lagers for a change. Definitely keep this line open on Stella as it is of a big interest to me. Watch this space

PS: I have heard that many breweries use corn as it is a cheaper grain than barley and if you are buying it by the ton + then it makes sense. Not sure whether it affects the quality but then it is all about dollars and cents.


Cheers

 

[Bribie G]

Adjuncts were used extensively from the end of the 19th century because all-barley beers were getting persistent hazes from the high protein barleys produced by the new science of industrial artificial fertilizers. UK breweries favoured maize (corn) and in the USA they used rice. Also in the USA they used a lot of six row barley which is high protein.

According to my UK Real Ale book, adjuncts in UK ales are rare nowadays since modern malts were developed, but they use a lot in their lagers such as Carling Black Label and of Course Stella.



As far as rice goes, since the rice crisis apparently it costs the US breweries more to buy in the rice than their malt so it's more of a style thing today rather than price.

Not so at the retail level where rice sells a million times more than home brew malt, so $1.20 a kilo is a good deal if you want to make an adjunct beer like my US clone attempt.

 

[muckanic]

I regard DMS as a signature of authentic continental pilseners. Seriously. That means, apart from the right malt, the right yeast and the right fermentation technique. Corn could help convey the general impression.

 

[Adamt]

If you're used to drinking it in the bottle, you're going to need to skunk it (mildly) to achieve the same flavour.

 

[Bribie G]

Muckanic: Yes, in the right context. I had a Stella last night as part of a 'sampler pack' currently on sale at Liquorland and to my personal tastebuds the Stella beat the crapper out of all the others, including a German Import, as far as being a true Pilsener style despite being BUL.

Funny that some DMS in a brew and home brewers are running around panicking and yet on that website above they are raving about the mouth-watering corn aroma.... :icon_chickcheers: Amazing what a bit of spin can do.

 

[gava]

Just came across this little gem. Phillip to bad you didn't check the joining dates as you would have found I have been on this forum a tad over a year longer than you. However I am not here to nit pick and have come up with a recipe not unlike Stella and had a little help from Tazman and T/L who IMO knows his stuff in the art of homebrewing.

Recipe type All grain This beer is hop driven but comes through well. A Stella Clone pretty damn close.
Batch size 19L
Boil Volume 23L
Mash Effic. 72%
Total Grain 4.25Kg
Total Hops 115gr.

3.5Kg Belgium/Weyerman Pils mash
0.5Kg Belgium cara-pils mash
0.25Kg German wheat mash
0.50gr Hallertau Mitellfruh @ 90min
0.50gr Czech Saaz @ 15min
0.15gr Czeck Saaz @ 00min

Wyeast Budvar 2000

OG 1047 FG 1014
Bitterness 53.6 IBU
ABV 4.3%

im trying to put this into Beersmith.. once I've finished the hops seems very small amounts.. or have I put it in wrong?

 

[InCider]

Righto, a simple no would have been fine.. I've only tasted it lately and I didn't mind it..

so again. does anyone have a AG recipe of the new "crap" version of it?

Uri Gellers are the only beers my wife ever drinks....

 

[gava]

Uri Gellers are the only beers my wife ever drinks....

AWESOME!!! I'll take a note just in case its on the test............................and noted!

 

[Bribie G]

On topic again, according to Protz Stella is:

The wort is boiled with Czech Saaz along with some German Northern Brewer and Tettnanger, as well as Styrians. The Saaz dominate, giving the finished beer - 30 IBU - an aromatic, slightly spicy aroma.

Might give it a blast when the weather cools off a bit more :icon_drunk:

 

[gava]

On topic again, according to Protz Stella is:

The wort is boiled with Czech Saaz along with some German Northern Brewer and Tettnanger, as well as Styrians. The Saaz dominate, giving the finished beer - 30 IBU - an aromatic, slightly spicy aroma.

Might give it a blast when the weather cools off a bit more :icon_drunk:

Im new to AG and not sure what to look out for when it comes to hop size etc.. would the recipe in this thread work or are the hop size to small?? when I put it in beersmitht he IBU is really low.. do you know of other recipe for a stella clone?

 

[gava]

Im going to give a "becks" type of beer a go ready for some warmer weather coming..

Im trying to use what I have in stock.. Im new to grains etc so here is what I have.. Will this recipe be a nice light "becks" like brew?

---Recipe Start--
BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Becks
Brewer: Gavins Brewhouse
Asst Brewer:
Style: Premium American Lager
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 34.67 L
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 3.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 59.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.81 kg Pilsner, Malt Craft Export (Joe White) (1.Grain 82.35 %
0.82 kg Wheat Malt, Malt Craft (Joe White) (1.8 SRGrain 17.65 %
60.53 gm Hallertau Tradition [6.00 %] (90 min) Hops 45.1 IBU
60.53 gm Saaz [4.00 %] (15 min) Hops 14.0 IBU
18.16 gm Saaz [4.00 %] (0 min) Hops -
1 Pkgs Budvar Lager (Wyeast Labs #2000) [Starter Yeast-Lager


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 4.63 kg
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
75 min Mash In Add 12.08 L of water at 74.5 C 65.6 C
10 min Mash Out Add 7.73 L of water at 94.9 C 75.6 C
--recipe end--

 

[Bongchitis]

im trying to put this into Beersmith.. once I've finished the hops seems very small amounts.. or have I put it in wrong?

The decimal places shouldn't be there. It should read 50g @ 90 min, 50g @ 15 min and 15g @ 0 min I reckon.