25 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

Last batch of the year. Second batch with some amount of low-O2 thinking (yeast + sugar in the water, SMB, BTB, transfer strike water to MT, stir less, mash cap, recirc 'quietly', a low boil, etc). I'm using the Crystal I got in the pound of hops from Hops Direct and this vac-sealer worked awesome... packed the hops up hard as a rock. The yeast is Omega West Coast and this is batch #4 on that yeast. The last ounce of Crystal will be added to the 175° whirlpool. I have about an hour before I start heating the mash water.

[pkrone]

That's gonna be tasty.

[Big Nake]

That's gonna be tasty.

I hope so.

Smooth brewday. Very nice looking wort and the new package of Crystal hops seem very, very good. Very fresh and I got some nice peppery & herbal character out of them. I feel like the weakest part of my low-O2 approach is recircing & running off and also stirring the mash and sparge. Then I'm stirring the wort to chill it and then splashing my way all throughout the transfer to primary. I will probably start a thread about my next logical steps towards lower-O2 beer. But first I'd like to taste this amber ale (made last week) and then the blonde. Cheers.

[neddles]

This looks quite nice. Pretty hoppy for a blonde too. I made a simple blonde a week or so ago. American 2-row, 1/2# of carahell, and 1/4# honey malt. A couple light additions of Mandarina Bavaria and 1450. Hoping it goes over well for the masses this week and next.

[Big Nake]

This looks quite nice. Pretty hoppy for a blonde too. I made a simple blonde a week or so ago. American 2-row, 1/2# of carahell, and 1/4# honey malt. A couple light additions of Mandarina Bavaria and 1450. Hoping it goes over well for the masses this week and next.

Blonde is such a wide-open category... anything goes. I like to keep it clean and sometimes I hop it lower and other times I make it more like a pale-colored APA. These Crystal hops shouldn't be too assertive. It might taste a bit hoppier than the 25 IBUs would imply but it should be good. I hope the masses like your version. The Mandarina Bavaria has treated me right every time I've used it. Cheers.

[HVB]

This looks quite nice. Pretty hoppy for a blonde too. I made a simple blonde a week or so ago. American 2-row, 1/2# of carahell, and 1/4# honey malt. A couple light additions of Mandarina Bavaria and 1450. Hoping it goes over well for the masses this week and next.

How did this come out?  I have not used Mandarina Bavaria but have a pound of it in the freezer and want a simple beer to do a test run on some system changes.  This is looking good to me. 

Edited by drez77, 24 January 2018 - 11:35 AM.

[Poptop]

Yea Ken, how about feedback and a Purdy pic.

I'm currently working up a SMaSH highlighting Vienna and Mandarina Bavaria. Last time I used it with US05 and the MB shined nicely. I might take the Bayern lager approach with this one.

[Big Nake]

Okay, so this was a beer I made in December with some Low-O2 ideas on the front end but the fermentation finished up during the holidays and when I was on vacation so I knew that the last part of the process would not be Low-O2. I sanitized the keg with iodophor and pushed it out using CO2 but then I just did an open-transfer and force-carbed it (both are a low-O2 no-no) but I figured it would give me a look into SOME of the low-O2 processes. Also, I intentionally did not fine it because adding a gel solution is also not Low-O2. The resulting beer was cloudy but delicious.





The measures that I took on this batch make the hops REALLY pop. They are very clear and evident in the flavor of the beer and it's quite a change from how I might ordinarily perceive hops like this. That picture was taken last week and the keg has been in the fridge so my hope is that the beer is naturally clearing. Mandarina Bavaria would be great here, no question. But every time I have used them they have just tasted very clean and German to me... no fruit, no citrus, etc. YMMV but I'm a fan, for sure.

[neddles]

How did this come out?  I have not used Mandarina Bavaria but have a pound of it in the freezer and want a simple beer to do a test run on some system changes.  This is looking good to me. 

 

Its a nice beer. Very easy drinking. 1/4# honey malt is an accent note like I wanted. Like others, I did not get much unique from this batch of Mandarina. (15g at 10min and again 1 min.) I think these were from a small 2oz. bag I got from Rite Brew. My only complaint about it is that it is one of those 30 min boil beers I was unable to clear. Used gel and biofine to no avail. There's nothing about it that should make it hard to clear IME.

[HVB]

Its a nice beer. Very easy drinking. 1/4# honey malt is an accent note like I wanted. Like others, I did not get much unique from this batch of Mandarina. (15g at 10min and again 1 min.) I think these were from a small 2oz. bag I got from Rite Brew. My only complaint about it is that it is one of those 30 min boil beers I was unable to clear. Used gel and biofine to no avail. There's nothing about it that should make it hard to clear IME.

Thanks.  I plan to go with 1 oz at 15,0.5 oz at 5 and an ounce in a low temp WP.  I plan to try and add a few of the LoDO suggestions to this batch but I will be doing a 30 minute boil.  Should know if a few weeks how it comes out.

[Poptop]

Its a nice beer. Very easy drinking. 1/4# honey malt is an accent note like I wanted. Like others, I did not get much unique from this batch of Mandarina. (15g at 10min and again 1 min.) I think these were from a small 2oz. bag I got from Rite Brew. My only complaint about it is that it is one of those 30 min boil beers I was unable to clear. Used gel and biofine to no avail. There's nothing about it that should make it hard to clear IME.

Maybe the shortened boil was the thorn in my Kolsch that still hasn't cleared with both Knox and Biofine......

[HVB]

Maybe the shortened boil was the thorn in my Kolsch that still hasn't cleared with both Knox and Biofine......

I am interested in these reports  as I have not had that issue on any beer but one, that was a lager that took a while to clear but did after some time.

[Big Nake]

I have also not had ANY clarity issues lately. That may change with some of these new processes but I'm not going to panic. Yet.

[Poptop]

I am interested in these reports  as I have not had that issue on any beer but one, that was a lager that took a while to clear but did after some time.

Just thinking it might be the yeast at hand which was Omega Kolsch II. I dunno. It's only happened twice in my 92 beers and both were Kolsch..... frustrating as heckfire

[HVB]

I think this is what I will go with, see what happens!

 

[Poptop]

Looks great! Nice and easy for having a few.

[HVB]

I think this is what I will go with, see what happens!

 

Stuck in my head now to do this with 2565.  I have a pack, a bit old, that I may see if I can get going in time.

[jayb151]

Hey, so that beer looks delicious! But I'm kind of wondering, when you think of blonde ale, what commercial examples come up? I feel like blonde is kind of all over the place and is almost a catch all for "the lightest beer a brewery makes."

 

Thoughts?

[HVB]

Hey, so that beer looks delicious! But I'm kind of wondering, when you think of blonde ale, what commercial examples come up? I feel like blonde is kind of all over the place and is almost a catch all for "the lightest beer a brewery makes."

 

Thoughts?

For me it would be this http://www.mayflower...eer/golden-ale/

[neddles]

For me it would be this http://www.mayflower...eer/golden-ale/

 

Looks good. Both your recipe and the Mayflower.