18 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

I've been brewing with 940 and there may still be a couple of batches to go with that but I'm going to smack a pack of 1056 and try to get a brewday in either Friday evening or Saturday morning.  A sort of citrusy pale ale that's good for summer, not overly bitter or hoppy but hopefully with some good character and featuring some hops that I haven't used before.  This Brewer's Friend site has some unusual ticks... I know I set the style to AMERICAN PALE ALE but apparently it didn't listen.  

 

[neddles]

Thats going to be delicious.

[Big Nake]

Thats going to be delicious.

I hope so.  I have these other hops I want to try as well so this 1056 may help me use those too:  Ella, Loral, Azacca and some others.  I have notes on the best way to use them so there will be more like this.  

[HVB]

I found Loral and Azacca to be meh.  They almost got axed in my clean out yesterday.  I may be in the minority though.

[Big Nake]

My notes say to use Azacca for bittering or later in the boil.  I don't actually have any notes on Loral but I see some Google results calling it "Super-Noble" and 'dual-purpose" so I would probably use it late.  I also have a note that says to bitter with Apollo and then drop the two ounces of Ella (16.9%!) into the 175° whirlpool which I'll probably do on another batch with this 1056.

[positiveContact]

the lemon drop will be nice for a beer like this.  almost getting into american wheat beer without the need to add a lemon wedge.

[Big Nake]

Yesterday I smacked the pack of 1056 which had a date of January 18, 2018.  I assumed it would take a couple days to show some life but it was rock hard within an hour which really surprised me.  I'll be trying to get this one in as quickly as possible.  

[jayb151]

You use the Caraveinne because that's what you have on hand? or do you find it adds something that a regular c20 wouldn't?

[Big Nake]

You use the Caraveinne because that's what you have on hand? or do you find it adds something that a regular c20 wouldn't?

I got a couple of recipes from local breweries including one from the brewer at Tighthead in Mundelein (who I've known for awhile) and it seemed like a lot of pale ale recipes were doing some pale ale malt, wheat and caravienne for whatever the reason.  I started doing it and I like the result.  I can't really say if C20 would be the same or what.  I've been getting ingredients at a place in Palatine and she has a lot of 'alternative grains' so her CaraVienne is actually called CaraRuby... but it's pretty much the same.  I think the added wheat was to knock down the maltiness a little bit and make the beer a little lighter-bodied and allow the hops to come across better but not sure about the crystal.  I may have gotten 3-4 recipes where the grist was like this.  

[cavman]

Summer Pale? Who needs any c-malt? Pils, and wheat or oats

[Big Nake]

Here's a beer with the same grist.  Seems pretty reasonable for a summer pale ale...

 

[jayb151]

Thanks for the info, and that beer looks fantastic!

[Big Nake]

These hops smelled really nice during the brewday yesterday and it's the first time using all of these hops.  The brewday was smooth and I was done in a little less than 4 hours.  I also did something else that was a first:  It's the first time making an ale and using the lager primary fridge as the fermentation chamber.  I typically use a swamp cooler for ales but I set the temp controller on the fridge to 60° and did it that way.I did that primarily because I'm using primaries with spigots and these things have a habit of leaking and I thought the spigot might allow the water from the swamp cooler into the primary.  I'll probably do this from now on so I can get rid of the giant 10-gallon plastic bucket in my beer bunker.    Cheers peeps.

[Poptop]

^^ I've become spoiled with my converted kegerator as my fermentation chamber. My inkbird thermostat has a 3 to 4 degree swing but I don't consider this an issue. But yes, the day I got rid of the swamp cooler was a good day.

[Big Nake]

^^ I've become spoiled with my converted kegerator as my fermentation chamber. My inkbird thermostat has a 3 to 4 degree swing but I don't consider this an issue. But yes, the day I got rid of the swamp cooler was a good day.

It's been working nicely.  I put a glass of water in the fridge just to check the temp occasionally and it's been between 60° and 62° the whole time... exactly what I would shoot for with the swamp cooler.  I wonder if this means I can get rid of all the frozen water bottles I have in the freezer.    The only issue is that in the past I might have an ale and a lager going at the same time... I guess I can't do that here but with some planning I should be able to navigate around that.

 

In other news, I put another recipe together over the weekend and I'm going to make a very similar beer.  Apollo to bitter and then Simcoe and El Dorado with a few minutes left in the boil and then Amarillo and Lemon Drop into the 170° WP.  It should have a nice, punchy-citrusy-dank-resiny finish.

[jayb151]

In other news, I put another recipe together over the weekend and I'm going to make a very similar beer.  Apollo to bitter and then Simcoe and El Dorado with a few minutes left in the boil and then Amarillo and Lemon Drop into the 170° WP.  It should have a nice, punchy-citrusy-dank-resiny finish.

 

Wow, when I started brewing I never thought you'd want that! lol

[Big Nake]

Wow, when I started brewing I never thought you'd want that! lol

LOL, indeed.  I like something like this from time-to-time but I don't really need a 7-8% beer and this will still only be a 40 IBU beer.  That I can drink.    Cheers, JB.  

[Big Nake]

Posting this here for reference...

 

[jayb151]

Looks Amazing! Great work as always Ken!