2586 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

Looks nice Morty. I have some pale ales coming down the pipeline that should look a lot like that one.

 

I know it's not "Village Taphouse Clear" but it actually looks pretty nice in person.  It's def not a chill haze issue.  The other thing is it doesn't seem to have a giant head on it or anything - I'm not sure why.  It's what I would consider moderate/low carbonation but I'd still expect some head.  It just doesn't tend to generate much.

[Big Nake]

I know it's not "Village Taphouse Clear" but it actually looks pretty nice in person.  It's def not a chill haze issue.  The other thing is it doesn't seem to have a giant head on it or anything - I'm not sure why.  It's what I would consider moderate/low carbonation but I'd still expect some head.  It just doesn't tend to generate much.

I notice that when you're drinking a beer and it happens to look REALLY good and you snap a pic, the pic doesn't quite do it justice. The shot I posted of my red lager did not look nearly as good as it did in person but lighting, condensation, etc. is going to alter things.

[neddles]

I notice that when you're drinking a beer and it happens to look REALLY good and you snap a pic, the pic doesn't quite do it justice. The shot I posted of my red lager did not look nearly as good as it did in person but lighting, condensation, etc. is going to alter things.

Same with the pic I posted of my IPA. It's darker in the pic than in reality.

 

I know it's not "Village Taphouse Clear" but it actually looks pretty nice in person.  It's def not a chill haze issue.  The other thing is it doesn't seem to have a giant head on it or anything - I'm not sure why.  It's what I would consider moderate/low carbonation but I'd still expect some head.  It just doesn't tend to generate much.

When I have a low/moderate carved beer I typically have to pour with some vigor and then I get a nice head. Meaning that I let it drop a bit from the picnic tap to the glass. It needs some agitation to get the CO2 out. Think nitro pours... where all the nitrogen wants out of the beer quickly. Or, a better analogy might be that of a sparkler used on a beer engine.

 

Plus the haze is what I have come to expect in a nice hoppy beer with dry hop character, so it looks great to me!

Edited by nettles, 06 December 2014 - 10:01 AM.

[johnpreuss]

[Steve Urquell]

My Czech Pils, Světlé Ležák 12°. Been working on this recipe for years and finally have got it where I want it. Many malts/batches and 4 different yeasts to get it where I'm satisfied. It's really good.

[Big Nake]

My Czech Pils, Světlé Ležák 12°. Been working on this recipe for years and finally have got it where I want it. Many malts/batches and 4 different yeasts to get it where I'm satisfied. It's really good.

Looks yum. Care to share the recipe or have you already posted it?

[Steve Urquell]

Looks yum. Care to share the recipe or have you already posted it?

I've used Wy2124, W-34/70, and Mangrove Jack's M84. I like the MJ M84 the best but it does need to be a harvestWater is RO with: 3G/3G CaCl2 mash/BK, pH 5.42Mash schedule: (134 °F), 10 minutes; (144 °F) 20 minutes; (162 °F), 30 minutes.

[Big Nake]

So when you have a 7 gallon batch... how do you ferment it and then how do you package it? Is it kegged or bottled or what? On my last visit to the LHBS, they were out of standard 5-gallon plastic fermenters so I bought one of the short, wide 7.9 gallon jobbies for wine and I used it for the first time today. It would be good for 7 gallon batches but then I wouldn't know what to do about packaging it/serving it. Also, I can't use it on lagers because it won't fit in my lager primary fridge.

[Steve Urquell]

So when you have a 7 gallon batch... how do you ferment it and then how do you package it? Is it kegged or bottled or what? On my last visit to the LHBS, they were out of standard 5-gallon plastic fermenters so I bought one of the short, wide 7.9 gallon jobbies for wine and I used it for the first time today. It would be good for 7 gallon batches but then I wouldn't know what to do about packaging it/serving it. Also, I can't use it on lagers because it won't fit in my lager primary fridge.

I have 8 gallon buckets and 1 8gal vittles vault. All fit in my Haier wine fridge/ferm chamber. After fermentation losses I end up with a full keg and 10-15 bottles. I fill the keg first, then the bottles and then add 2.0g of sugar directly to a 12oz bottle or 3.5g to a 22oz. It's nice to have a few bottles left over after the keg blows. Plus I've been able to taste the difference in bottle conditioned beer directly next to kegged versions. Spoiler: kegged is better.

Edited by chils, 24 January 2015 - 05:15 PM.

[Big Nake]

I have 8 gallon buckets and 1 8gal vittles vault. All fit in my Haier wine fridge/ferm chamber. After fermentation losses I end up with a full keg and 10-15 bottles. I fill the keg first, then the bottles and then add 2.0g of sugar directly to a 12oz bottle or 3.5g to a 22oz. It's nice to have a few bottles left over after the keg blows. Plus I've been able to taste the difference in bottle conditioned beer directly next to kegged versions. Spoiler: kegged is better.

Yeah, that sounds good. When I first started kegging I had a three-gallon keg and would do the same thing... keg 3 gallons and then add about 2 ounces of priming sugar (boiled with water, cooled) to the other 2 gallons and bottle it. I agree that it's nice to have some leftover and also agree that the draft versions are almost always better. Your recipe looks good and I really like a beer like that with 2124. 34/70 is supposed to be the dry version of WLP830 (so I've heard) which I also like. What would you compare the M84 yeast to? Is it similar to 2000, 2001, 2278, 2124 or what? Cheers and nice work on that beer.

[Steve Urquell]

Yeah, that sounds good. When I first started kegging I had a three-gallon keg and would do the same thing... keg 3 gallons and then add about 2 ounces of priming sugar (boiled with water, cooled) to the other 2 gallons and bottle it. I agree that it's nice to have some leftover and also agree that the draft versions are almost always better. Your recipe looks good and I really like a beer like that with 2124. 34/70 is supposed to be the dry version of WLP830 (so I've heard) which I also like. What would you compare the M84 yeast to? Is it similar to 2000, 2001, 2278, 2124 or what? Cheers and nice work on that beer.

I don't know what the M84 would compare to. It has quite a bit of character and some esters and is not as clean as 2124. This makes it seem more like an authentic Czech pils from a brewpub would be--not super filtered/fined. Think American ale yeast vs English ale yeast. It attenuates to 72%.I forgot to add that I've used 2278(good) and S-23(not so good)

[Big Nake]

I don't know what the M84 would compare to. It has quite a bit of character and some esters and is not as clean as 2124. This makes it seem more like an authentic Czech pils from a brewpub would be--not super filtered/fined. Think American ale yeast vs English ale yeast. It attenuates to 72%.I forgot to add that I've used 2278(good) and S-23(not so good)

I was just looking at the M84 on the MJ site and it says it's high attenuating and high floccing. Is that right or no? Yeah, the 2278 is nice as is the 2000 and 2001. I have to say though that the 2124 is becoming my favorite yeast for "gold lagers" and on this last run of 2124, I made a helles and a version of Firestone-Walker Pivo Pils and I plan to make another Czech Lager with it next week. There is something about its character that I really like. Cheers.

[neddles]

Very nice looking pint. School me a little, no gypsum added to that RO… are these Czech lagers known for their soft hop profile? 

 

Also, as I think you know, I used that Floor Malted Pils in an APA recently. I tasted a sample yesterday…. rich honeyed sugar cookie/shortbread flavor is what I was getting. Is that your experience? 

[Big Nake]

Very nice looking pint. School me a little, no gypsum added to that RO… are these Czech lagers known for their soft hop profile?  Also, as I think you know, I used that Floor Malted Pils in an APA recently. I tasted a sample yesterday…. rich honeyed sugar cookie/shortbread flavor is what I was getting. Is that your experience?

Not answering for Chils but it seems like the German pilsners can have a bit of sulfate but the Czech versions are usually much softer. I add 3.5g of CaCl to my Czech Lager mashes but nothing to the sparge (except acid) or kettle. 6g of CaCl (Chils added 3 to the mash and 3 to the kettle) is quite a bit more than I have used but his batch *WAS* 7 gallons so maybe it's all good. The small 27ppm of sulfate I have in my water seems to be okay with these styles.

[Steve Urquell]

I was just looking at the M84 on the MJ site and it says it's high attenuating and high floccing. Is that right or no?

It's neither of those, lol. It is very hazy post ferm and needs to be gelled or lagered to drop out. It looks like hefe post-ferm and tastes like pineapple--scary till it drops out.  

Very nice looking pint. School me a little, no gypsum added to that RO… are these Czech lagers known for their soft hop profile?  Also, as I think you know, I used that Floor Malted Pils in an APA recently. I tasted a sample yesterday…. rich honeyed sugar cookie/shortbread flavor is what I was getting. Is that your experience?

Yes Czech lagers are best brewed with soft water. I like just enough CaCl2 to reach 50ppm of Ca+. I also get the honey character from this malt. It is very rich. Can't brag on it enough. I always used Pilsner Urquell to judge how my Czech pils was coming along and they never were as good until I started using this malt. This recipe with the Floor malt blows PU out of the water.My last hop addition is a whirlpool/175F addition. This beer has no lack of hop character from no gypsum addition. May be too much for some.

[Big Nake]

I have seen that my filtered tap water plus a good 3 to 3.5 grams of CaCl in the mash, proper pH and then either a balanced or even a more-aggressively hopped recipe will create a nice, crisp beer. Everything you ever heard about the chloride-to-sulfate ratio is blown out of the water when you have 80ppm of chloride and 20ppm or so of sulfate. Some might say that the softer water requires a bit more hops because you don't have that sulfate bite to help you. I have another "gold lager" coming up next week with 2124 and I might do a whirlpool addition on it. I probably should have done one on this Pivo Pils recipe but that one called for a dry hop with Saphir so I could always do that. Cheers.EDIT: Interesting on the M84. If I popped the lid on a Czech Lager and smelled pineapple, there might be some loud swearing going on.

[Steve Urquell]

I have seen that my filtered tap water plus a good 3 to 3.5 grams of CaCl in the mash, proper pH and then either a balanced or even a more-aggressively hopped recipe will create a nice, crisp beer. Everything you ever heard about the chloride-to-sulfate ratio is blown out of the water when you have 80ppm of chloride and 20ppm or so of sulfate. Some might say that the softer water requires a bit more hops because you don't have that sulfate bite to help you. I have another "gold lager" coming up next week with 2124 and I might do a whirlpool addition on it. I probably should have done one on this Pivo Pils recipe but that one called for a dry hop with Saphir so I could always do that. Cheers.EDIT: Interesting on the M84. If I popped the lid on a Czech Lager and smelled pineapple, there might be some loud swearing going on.

Completely my experience on the water/sulfate as well. I pretty much avoid water threads and this subject b/c people just need to experiment and decide what their tastebuds like. If you decide to experiment with M84, give me a holler first. It has its quirks.

[neddles]

Crazy head retention on a New Glarus Berliner Weisse

[Big Nake]

Dairy Queen Berliner?

[neddles]

Dairy Queen Berliner?

Yeah it was like a cap of meringue that just sat there forever and when I went to get a pic it started to tip over.