683 replies to this topic

[HVB]

I am hoping to end my brewing drought on New Year's day.  Time to try something different and I found this recipe I originally put together back in 2016 but never brewed.  No hyped hops... no whirlpool ... no biotransforms....no haze... no estry yeast.  Time to go a bit old school.  I have some 1450 that has been in the fridge for a bit. Plan to bring that back to life tonight and start 2019 off right.

 

[Big Nake]

That looks nice Drez.  Based on what you said there, I assume you're going to put the low-O2 stuff away for a bit and get back to what you were doing beforehand.  For me, I have 2782 and 2112 that have been rotated here over the past month or so.  I have one more recipe for each yeast... an American Lager with the 2782 and an "American Pub Lager" (SRM 10-12, moderately-hopped) with the 2112.  I think I'll do both of those beers with the full low-O2 process and that will make a total of EIGHT full low-O2, spunded beers (made recently) and then I think I'll take a short break and see how these beers come out as they mature a little bit.  I want to taste them at their peak and as they age and then I'm going to make a choice about staying with this or going back to what I was doing earlier this year (lower-O2).  Have fun tomorrow.  

[HVB]

That looks nice Drez.  Based on what you said there, I assume you're going to put the low-O2 stuff away for a bit and get back to what you were doing beforehand.  

No trifecta mix only brewtan B.  No Mash cap no lower boil etc.  I will CO2 purge the keg and potentially spund but I had done similar before.  I want to use this yeast for a porter or stout also and I have a bunch of lager yeast I want to get going.  I have several beers in mind want to start thinking about warmer weather beers so they have time to lager away before it gets hot here.  One of those will be Yeungling inspired ( go ahead and laugh) for an easy drinking beer for spring and summer.

[Big Nake]

No trifecta mix only brewtan B.  No Mash cap no lower boil etc.  I will CO2 purge the keg and potentially spund but I had done similar before.  I want to use this yeast for a porter or stout also and I have a bunch of lager yeast I want to get going.  I have several beers in mind want to start thinking about warmer weather beers so they have time to lager away before it gets hot here.  One of those will be Yeungling inspired ( go ahead and laugh) for an easy drinking beer for spring and summer.

I would never laugh at a Yuengling-style beer.  When it's fresh it's delicious and totally my kind of beer.  Yes, I've had some aged glasses of Yuengling that were not good but it's usually working for me.  Cheers.

[HVB]

I would never laugh at a Yuengling-style beer.  When it's fresh it's delicious and totally my kind of beer.  Yes, I've had some aged glasses of Yuengling that were not good but it's usually working for me.  Cheers.

The laugh is because a few years ago that is not a beer I would ever think if making or even really drinking .. times changes and people change I guess.

[Big Nake]

The laugh is because a few years ago that is not a beer I would ever think if making or even really drinking .. times changes and people change I guess.

Hey man, good beer is good beer.  It may not be the beer for ALL TIMES but I like it.  Also, with it being unavailable here I will usually drink it if I find myself in a state where it's distributed.  

[Bklmt2000]

I am hoping to end my brewing drought on New Year's day.  Time to try something different and I found this recipe I originally put together back in 2016 but never brewed.  No hyped hops... no whirlpool ... no biotransforms....no haze... no estry yeast.  Time to go a bit old school.  I have some 1450 that has been in the fridge for a bit. Plan to bring that back to life tonight and start 2019 off right.

 

 

No school like the old school. 

 

And to your point about Yuengling, ain't nothing wrong with making something easier drinking.  A nice change of pace, if nothing else. 

 

I have a batch that I kegged 3+ weeks ago and is lagering away as I type this, a lite lager that I brewed a a total of 3x this year (what Ken called my "Cincinnati pilsner").  Once it's carbed and cleared, it tastes strikingly similar to Miller High Life, altho this batch weighed in a bit higher at ~5.5%, which for me is a lighter-than-normal beer.

 

Not what I originally intended for this beer, but when I first brewed it this past summer, and it was hot as ballz out, that keg didn't last long at all, and it was nice to knock back a few in the heat and not get overly-buzzed.

[Big Nake]

No school like the old school. 

 

And to your point about Yuengling, ain't nothing wrong with making something easier drinking.  A nice change of pace, if nothing else. 

 

I have a batch that I kegged 3+ weeks ago and is lagering away as I type this, a lite lager that I brewed a a total of 3x this year (what Ken called my "Cincinnati pilsner").  Once it's carbed and cleared, it tastes strikingly similar to Miller High Life, altho this batch weighed in a bit higher at ~5.5%, which for me is a lighter-than-normal beer.

 

Not what I originally intended for this beer, but when I first brewed it this past summer, and it was hot as ballz out, that keg didn't last long at all, and it was nice to knock back a few in the heat and not get overly-buzzed.

I really like a beer like that especially when it's nice outside.  Even if you thought it tasted like a true American light lager, I'm just going to guess that it was better than that because you probably used better malt and fresher hops and I'm thinking that you used a nicer yeast with a better character (I know you like your 34/70) and that just HAS to be better than a macro-swill.  I can't tell you how many times I've been hanging in the backyard and buds, family members or neighbors will stop over, point to my glass and say, "Can I have one of those?!?!?".  Of course. 

[Bklmt2000]

Even if you thought it tasted like a true American light lager, I'm just going to guess that it was better than that because you probably used better malt and fresher hops and I'm thinking that you used a nicer yeast with a better character (I know you like your 34/70) and that just HAS to be better than a macro-swill. 

 

I will say, it did remind me (a lot) of a macro-swill beer, a la MHL, but it did have all of the things you mentioned above in play that made it more endearing than a store-bought macro: 

 

- fresher ingredients, no doubt about it, and better quality: Avangard pils for the base, a bit of Weyermann wheat for head retention, and a pinch of Briess C-40 for a hint of color and body, for ~5-6-ish SRM.  No rice or corn in this one. 

 

And all Liberty for the hop load (1.5 oz for 90 min, then 0.5 with 10 minutes left, for ~20 IBU's or so), that had been vac-sealed and stored well below 0°; they looked and smelled fresh as the day I bought them 2 years ago.

 

- more yeast character from my trusty 34/70 (didn't scream out German-style pils, per se, but there was a noticeable European-ish tilt on the flavor and aroma), which made it much more enjoyable to drink vs. whatever bland yeast the macros use

 

I really like a beer like that especially when it's nice outside. I can't tell you how many times I've been hanging in the backyard and buds, family members or neighbors will stop over, point to my glass and say, "Can I have one of those?!?!?".  Of course. 

 

Few higher compliments to me (and I'd suspect more than a few of our beer-forum bretheren) as a homebrewer than someone seeing what you're drinking, knowing you brewed it, and asking for one themselves.

 

The only potential downfall, tho, being an empty or nearly-empty keg.  "Sorry, folks, but [pointing at your glass] is the last one." 

[pkrone]

Gonna do a Czech dark tomorrow.   If I'm not over-served this evening...   

[Bklmt2000]

Looks like my next batch will be a bock-toberfest, hopefully to happen on 1/3.

 

This is a bin-cleaner batch, so I know I have enough grain for a straight-ahead O'fest, but depending on how much is left after that, the OG might get pushed into bock territory.

 

And a healthy slurry of 34/70 is awaiting a call to arms.

[Big Nake]

I filtered water and weighed out grains today for a brewday tomorrow morning.  There will probably be some work-related activity tomorrow but I don't think there will be a lot.  I'm going to make my American Lager with Barke Pils and 2782 and after looking at what I did in December I think I'll make this batch with my lower-O2 steps (allow it to ferment completely before transferring and then get it cold, gel it and force carb it) and I think I'll do that with the next 2112 batch as well.  That will give me the last six batches (spunded) to compare to these two latest batches so I can see what's what.  Something about these full low-O2 beers is still hitting my tastebuds in a strange way.  They're clear(ish), they're carbed, they're balanced but there is something about them that I'm not too sure about.  Cheers peeps.

[HVB]

 Almost time to run off to the kettle.

[positiveContact]

The laugh is because a few years ago that is not a beer I would ever think if making or even really drinking .. times changes and people change I guess.

 

what makes a beer yuengling like?  is it a lager made with US 2-row instead of german pils?  personally when I want easy drinking I make a helles.  that's kind of on the lower limit of what I like to have in terms of flavor intensity.  the taste of pretty much straight pils is great to me.

as for me I'm hoping to brew on friday.  just need to get my shit together in the next few days.

Edited by pickle_rick, 01 January 2019 - 12:57 PM.

[Bklmt2000]

what makes a beer yuengling like?  is it a lager made with US 2-row instead of german pils?  personally when I want easy drinking I make a helles.  that's kind of on the lower limit of what I like to have in terms of flavor intensity.  the taste of pretty much straight pils is great to me.

as for me I'm hoping to brew on friday.  just need to get my shit together in the next few days.

 

Yeungling uses both 2- and 6-row, along with corn grits and a smidge of caramel malt for the grist; Cluster and Cascade for the hops.  Not sure what yeast, but to my tastes, it's likely a US strain, not a Euro strain.

[Big Nake]

Yeungling uses both 2- and 6-row, along with corn grits and a smidge of caramel malt for the grist; Cluster and Cascade for the hops.  Not sure what yeast, but to my tastes, it's likely a US strain, not a Euro strain.

When I did some homework on it, Wyeast 2035 American Lager was mentioned many times.  It's a perfectly fine yeast but it's on the bland side as you might expect.  I think the "laugh" comment just stems from the idea that it's an old-school beer (oldest brewery in the US) and most homebrewers aren't into "American lagers" of any kind.  It's not hoppy, it's not strong, it's not unique (which is debatable), it doesn't have any new-style hops or anything.  But the idea of a balanced amber lager has always been solid to me.  I might make something in the spirit of it... amber-colored, maybe some corn, clean hops but not Cascade or Cluster, 5%, maybe 20-25 IBUs, etc.  I have this 2112 and could easily throw something together with Loral, Northern Brewer, Mt. Hood or something and make a similar beer.

 

Like so...

[Bklmt2000]

When I did some homework on it, Wyeast 2035 American Lager was mentioned many times.  It's a perfectly fine yeast but it's on the bland side as you might expect.  I think the "laugh" comment just stems from the idea that it's an old-school beer (oldest brewery in the US) and most homebrewers aren't into "American lagers" of any kind.  It's not hoppy, it's not strong, it's not unique (which is debatable), it doesn't have any new-style hops or anything.  But the idea of a balanced amber lager has always been solid to me.  I might make something in the spirit of it... amber-colored, maybe some corn, clean hops but not Cascade or Cluster, 5%, maybe 20-25 IBUs, etc.  I have this 2112 and could easily throw something together with Loral, Northern Brewer, Mt. Hood or something and make a similar beer.

 

IMO, every beer has a time/place/use that it's best at.  For me, Yeungling is a perfectly good beer on a hot summer day, a cookout, on the golf course, at a sporting even in person, etc.

 

Besides being fairly tasty for what it is, it's also pretty cheap for the flavor it does provide.  And I've been known to enjoy some Yeungling with wings on occasion; not a bad food and drink pairing, at all.

[Big Nake]

IMO, every beer has a time/place/use that it's best at.  For me, Yeungling is a perfectly good beer on a hot summer day, a cookout, on the golf course, at a sporting even in person, etc.

 

Besides being fairly tasty for what it is, it's also pretty cheap for the flavor it does provide.  And I've been known to enjoy some Yeungling with wings on occasion; not a bad food and drink pairing, at all.

I mentioned in a PH thread on this subject:  It can be good and it can be quite bad.  When I was in the keys this past spring, I was sitting outside at a place on the water in Islamorada with my FIL and I ordered a Yuengling.  He said, "Oh, good idea... make it two".  It was draft and it was in a 16oz clear plastic cup and it was great.  Fresh, clear, a good head on it.  We both commented on how good it was.  It was a sunny, 82° day which helped.  Later that week we were in Key West and I ordered a Yuengling draft and it was truly painful.  Watery, no head, sort of funky-tasting, estery, possibly kind of bubble-gummy... just really bad.  I'll guess it was an old keg and I'll also guess the bar had dirty lines.  It was nothing like the one I had earlier in the week.  

[positiveContact]

IMO, every beer has a time/place/use that it's best at.  For me, Yeungling is a perfectly good beer on a hot summer day, a cookout, on the golf course, at a sporting even in person, etc.

 

Besides being fairly tasty for what it is, it's also pretty cheap for the flavor it does provide.  And I've been known to enjoy some Yeungling with wings on occasion; not a bad food and drink pairing, at all.

 

I'm not sure I've ever had it somewhere that handled and served it properly.  it's always tasted a little "off" to me.  like oxidized almost.

[Bklmt2000]

I'm not sure I've ever had it somewhere that handled and served it properly.  it's always tasted a little "off" to me.  like oxidized almost.

 

Agreed, it's rare to find a bar/restaurant/etc, that serves it fresh and thru clean lines.  I can count on one hand (with a finger or 3 left) the # of times I've been served Yeungling on tap where it actually looked/tasted right.

 

In bottles/cans, and given the scenarios I posted earlier, sure, I'll take a Yuengling if offered and be grateful for it. But when it's served wrong (dirty lines, old keg, wrong temp, etc), it's not a good beer to drink.

 

And my first brewday of 2019 keeps getting pushed back (damn work/life commitments).  *shakes fist at the universe*

 

Tuesday, 1/8, appears to be the day.  Should be a decent day to brew; the weather people are calling for 50° and some rain.  I'll take it.