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Advice on a light quaffing ale

roughage

Apprentice
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Nov 3, 2015
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Location
New Zealand
Hi all, I'm new to Beersmith and a relatively new BIAB brewer. I'm wanting to make something really light and drinkable, as an alternative to the hop-heavy APA I currently have conditioning. I started with a Kolsch style, but due to budget constraints (liquid yeasts are hugely expensive in NZ!) I'll probably be using US-05.

The recipe I've come up with has the following (sorry about the metric!)
4.2KG Pilsner malt 89.4%
0.5KG Munich malt 10.6%
Single hop addition of 35gm Motueka (6.6%AA) as first wort hop for total of 27 IBU.
Yeast: US-05

Est Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %
Bitterness: 27.0 IBUs
Est Color: 7.3 EBC

Fairly low temp single step mash as I want it quite dry.

Does this sound like it'll be tasty? I'm just concerned it'll come out very 'thin' and would appreciate any feedback.

Cheers.
 
I've been on a session ale kick lately, and I think my brews have been coming out quite good.

A general template for what I've been doing for a five gallon batch (5.5 actually, since I anticipate losing .5 gallons when I rack it) goes as follows (sorry about the non-metric):

7# base grain (pale, Munich, a mix, no pilsner - I find it makes an ale with a tinny flavor)

1# mixed crystal malt (regular crystal, special B, or whatever floats your boat)

Mash at 150-153F. Go tool low and it comes out watery (thin). Something this delicate needs a bit of body.

3-5 HBUs worth of hops for 60 minutes (HBU or Home Brewing Units are calculated unscientifically as follows - 1 oz 10%AA hops in a 5 gallon batch equals 10 HBUs, .5 oz 6%AA hops in a 5 gallon batch equals 3 HBUs, you get the picture, and if not google it)

.5 oz flavor hops for 15 minutes.

I aim for a SG around 1.038 to 1.042. Last Sunday's batch hit 1.037. The one before that that I am drinking hit 1.040. Adjust your amounts of grain based upon your efficiency.

Safale US-05 yeast, mid to high 60s (F).

Mine have fermented out to 1.008 or so.

Makes for an unremarkable but pleasant beer that you can drink a lot of without getting stupid.

Enjoy!
 
Hey thanks a lot for that. Yep the "drinking a lot" bit is what I'm after as we're heading into summer here. Interesting what you say about pilsner malt. I'm yet to try it so I might switch that out for pale instead based on your advice. The 1/7 crystal proportions seem like a fairly high percentage - assume that is to ensure decent body? I was considering a late hop addition but discounted it, probably because I was thinking more along Kolsch lines, but considering I'll be pretty off-style anyway I guess it doesn't matter too much. Thanks again.
 
The 1/7 crystal proportions seem like a fairly high percentage - assume that is to ensure decent body?

Yeah. Otherwise it comes out really watery. Maybe a whole pound of crystal was pushing it. Half to a pound. I used close to a pound in my last batch. Like I said, it's a template, not a recipe. 

 
Interesting what you say about pilsner malt.

I did a string of SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) brews where for the next batch I'd change one ingredient. That way I got to compare and learn how the ingredients affected the beer. It was a lot of fun.  At one point the ingredient I changed was the malt, and the one I changed it to was pilsner. Wasn't worth repeating.  It was very thin and watery, and almost tasted like metal. Same mash temp as the others (I believe my target was 148), but it didn't leave hardly any body behind. Then again, that's what you want when you're making a light pilsner. I've got twenty pounds of pilsner malt downstairs waiting for the basement to get down into the low 50s. Then I can use it to make a light pilsner with carapils, some 6-row, corn, and a pinch Noble hops.  Brew on!
 
One more tidbit from my SMaSH string. I found that Noble hops don't make good bitters, but they do make for some good session ales. A little is good. A lot, not so much.
 
Great stuff, appreciate that. Hopefully brewing over the weekend so I'll report back with results.
 
I have grown to appreciate light ales.  In December of last year, I got my keezer going.  I had been a higher alcohol type brewer (7%+) for the most part.  When I got the keezer going, the first four kegs in it were all 7.8% or higher.  I drink mostly beer from the keezer at home and I found that only having big beers in it was not the best mix, especially when I host parties or brew days at my house.  It leads to over-indulging, which is not good, when your guests have to drive home afterwards.  My recipe decisions have changed over the last 10 months because of this. 

For example, now out of 5 consecutive brewing sessions, I'll brew one at about 10%, 1 at about 7%, 1 at about 5% and 2 at under 4%.  This creates a nice spread of options in my keezer.  Of course, I'll throw in the occasional experimental recipe and the occasional sour, but those are usually bottled.  I have 30 gallons (20 gallons of sours, my annual Christmas Ale, which is a clone of Great Lakes Brewings Christmas Ale and a Butternut Chocolate Porter, which is Michael Tonsmieres recipe from his brewing blog), currently in my fermenters and they are all destined for bottles.

So basically, I keep three easier drinking quaffable beers in my keezer, of which two are sessions, a 7% type of beer and one "BIG" beer.

 
I went and got my notes for the batch that is bubbling away right now. Lost the notes for the one I am drinking. They are similar. Should be good.

The last of my Pale and Munich, roughly equal parts, adding up to between a quarter and a half pound more than six. Almost the seven in the template. I added crystal (50L) to seven and a half. After that three and three quarters Special B (300L), and finally four ounces Cararoma (130L).  That's about a pound of crystal, right? Mashed at 153F. Then a half ounce of English Kent Golding (6.3%) for an hour, and a quarter ounce for ten minutes. Safale US-05. Haven't tried it yet. Wish I hadn't lost the PostIt for the one I'm drinking. It is really good.
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
Wish I hadn't lost the PostIt for the one I'm drinking. It is really good.

Dude, you take all your notes from a brew session on a PostIt?!  You must write really small!!  ;)
 
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