I’m getting ready to order my second extract kit and i’m planning on the NB cream ale. My question is there is two types of yeasts to choose from the safale (sp) and the wyeast. I have no clue about the differences between them and would like to have some opinions on which one to use and why. Also I have read that people add honey at flame out and was wondering if honey is added how will that affect the final product and how much to add and also can it be the honey from those bears you get from the grocery store. Thanks.
I think the Wyeast (liquid ale yeast) would make the better beer. The Safale (I assume US-05) is very good and would be the easier of the two to use but I think the Wyeast would be better. The US-05 attenuates very good which means that you will have a relatively dry beer (the final gravity of the beer will be lower) and the Wyeast version might taste a little “fuller”. If you want to know the “why” part… I just think that liquid yeast produces a better beer. I have made nice beers with dry yeast and they are much, much better these days than they once were. All that said, I’m a liquid yeast brewer. For the honey, you could add almost any amount but I would say that 1-2 pounds are probably standard for a 5-gallon recipe where you’re just adding some honey. Honey is pretty much 100% fermentable so it will boost alchohol, slightly lighten the body of the beer and very little (if any) honey profile will be left in the beer because the yeast is going to metabolize it completely. Adding too much can alter the balance of your beer and make the beer “hot” where it may have to age for a bit before you serve it. Also, honey from the store is fine and there are a lot of types to choose from. Clover honey is common as is orange blossom… the latter seems to be preferred. Honeyheads will tell you about other styles as well. Cheers.
Ps. Honey can also dry a beer out so… a lot of honey + US-05 = a drier beer. Maybe ½ pound or 1 pound of honey + Wyeast 1056 = fuller, richer tasting beer.
Ken is right about the eefect of honey. The nb cream ale recipe has honey malt and that imparts a nice honey flavor so you wont need any more honey. its a simple but tasty recipe. Go for it!
:cheers:
I’ve made this beer twice now and it is a big favorite with even my friends who don’t think they like craft beer. I also have used the Wyeast option and had really good results.
All of the above people definitely know more than I do but to keep it cheap, I just went with the 05. It’s only been bottled for a week now but it’s got carbonation and it tastes great. I have nothing to compare it to (never made it with the Wyeast) so I can’t give you any more advice than, it will be good if you decide on the 05.
I’d also give you the same advice I got when I asked about honey with the Cream Ale kit… Why not just make it as it comes (which is what I did) and then order it later on down the road and then add honey to it. It’s always nice to see how the kit is going to come out on it’s own, then decide if you want to change it. At least then you’ll have a baseline to go by.
:cheers:
I just bottled my NB Cream Ale last night. And my test sample was pretty sweet. Does that sound normal(ish)?
After reading on here I’m a little worried that I should have left it on the yeast a bit longer. Though my 2 readings (only a day apart) were consistent but higher than I hoped. 1.014 without degassing.
Do I have potential bottle bombs on my hands?
(if so when should I check?)
I have them conditioning the warmest place I can right now which is about 65. I also didn’t have an extra soda bottle to check carbonation like I do on my brown ale.
I followed the NB instructions (no alterations) used 1 packet of Wyest 1056. Fermented 17 days at about 60-62 on the fermometer.
Also I racked my beer to the bottling bucket with the syrup in there. Then gave it a good non-splashing stir before bottling.
Probably RDWHAHB is my best advice (again).
Thanks.
I don’t know if bumps are frowned on around here. But I’ll try just once.
I am nervous about the bottle bombs, with my FG being a little high, but I am not sure if it’s that high.
I guess I bottled my cream ale about a month ago and I’m down to about 12 left. I didn’t add anything to the recipie followed it exactly and it turned out really good, it kind of reminds me of boddingtons pub ale. It did taste sweet at bottling time but after weeks in the bottles it was awesome. The one thing I learned from this is to relax be patient and everything will turn out ok.
I don’t think you have to worry about bombs. 17 days + two consistent readings leads me to believe you were finished. As long as you didn’t add too much priming sugar and mixed well, you just need to let those babies ride for a couple weeks to get carbonated.
i’ll just knock on wood and hope for the best.
Maybe in a few days I’ll try a bottle see how things are going. From digging around the forum, it sounds like I am in okay range on things maybe pushing it on FG. Not sure if the fermentation stalled on me or not. From the sugar calc. on the sight I might have been a bit high on the sugar. Something I’ll pay attention to more next round.
thanks all.
[quote=“ibeentired”]i’ll just knock on wood and hope for the best.
Maybe in a few days I’ll try a bottle see how things are going. From digging around the forum, it sounds like I am in okay range on things maybe pushing it on FG. Not sure if the fermentation stalled on me or not. From the sugar calc. on the sight I might have been a bit high on the sugar. Something I’ll pay attention to more next round.
thanks all.[/quote]
How much sugar did you use? Table sugar? What was the highest temperature that the beer saw before bottling?
5/8 cup in 2 cups water as the directions instructed for white sugar.
I would say at the height of fermentation it was in the mid-60s on the fermometer, dropping back down to 60/2 once things calmed down. I would say it was in the 62-64 range for bottling.
The one thing I didn’t do was check my final volume of beer left in my bucket.
[quote=“mvsawyer”][quote=“ibeentired”]i’ll just knock on wood and hope for the best.
Maybe in a few days I’ll try a bottle see how things are going. From digging around the forum, it sounds like I am in okay range on things maybe pushing it on FG. Not sure if the fermentation stalled on me or not. From the sugar calc. on the sight I might have been a bit high on the sugar. Something I’ll pay attention to more next round.
thanks all.[/quote]
How much sugar did you use? Table sugar? What was the highest temperature that the beer saw before bottling?[/quote]
I used the US-05 and my final was1.010 and it had a sweeter taste before bottling, but it was mighty tastey
Mine started at 1.060 three days later it was 1.012 using 1056 not bad Huh I love starters.
Why was it all the way up to 1.060?
I’ve used them both but use 05 more often because it’s just quicker and cheaper. I make the Cream Ale often. A great change to the recipe for something a little different is to substitute the hops. Here’s one that is tasty.
1 oz Chinook for 60 mins
1 oz Cascade 1 mins
I call that Sunshine Bar-B-Que. I think that is one of the best beers I’ve ever made. Simple, but so tasty.
Mine was an AG kit and my efficiency was higher then I thought it would be.
[quote=“ibeentired”]5/8 cup in 2 cups water as the directions instructed for white sugar.
I would say at the height of fermentation it was in the mid-60s on the fermometer, dropping back down to 60/2 once things calmed down. I would say it was in the 62-64 range for bottling.
The one thing I didn’t do was check my final volume of beer left in my bucket.[/quote]
If you got around 50 bottles (48-52) then you didn’t leave much in the bucket. I’ve safely carbonated my beer with 8 oz of sugar multiple times. You used approximately 5 oz. It may get you over for the “style” but I wouldn’t worry. Sounds like you’re going to have delicious beer in a couple of weeks.
:cheers:
I brew almost exclusively with US-05 and I love it. I also repitch with great results. I just kegged 10 gal of my Cream Ale. From 1.040 to 1.006, fermented at 62F for 14 days. The sample tasted great even though it was flat. I am brewing another 10 gal batch this coming weekend. We go through this beer quickly at my house!
If I brew this again I might give the US-05 a try. We’ll see how it turns out, looking forward to try it either way.
