Hello,
For all of those who have brewed the Norther Brewer American Cream Ale, I would like to know how long you fermented and what your results were. I have 10 gallons going now. Also would like to know if you used a secondary or not.
Hope to hear back.
Thank you.
I haven’t brewed their kit, but have brewed a number of cream ales/hoppy cream ales aka pub ales. I’m assuming their kit has a bit of corn and the rest 2-row, and uses US-05.
Ideally, for a clean, dry, crisp character, ferment it at around 60 degrees, then raise the temp to 65 once visible activity slows down and/or the temp of the fermenter drops and let it be for another week.
Racking to another vessel really isn’t necessary on any beer. If it is clarity you are after, after the fermentation (in about 2 weeks), crash cool it to 33* (if possible) prepare some gelatin (several threads on here as to how to do it), add to the beer, and let it be another 3 days. You can do all this while its still ‘on’ the yeast.
I brewed one yesterday and am going to use this schedule. I actually pitched @ 58* and am going to let it rise up to 60.
Thanks Pietro for the details. I should have mentioned I am at the mercy of my home thermostat and my carboys in the closet. Some day I hope to have the keezer set-up with temperature control. Good to know there is no need for the secondary. I have read that many times, but it is always interesting to get feedback as everyone has their own experiences. Maybe I will find your post again when I get to a higher level of brewing.
Thanks again.
[quote=“dvfsu123”]Thanks Pietro for the details. I should have mentioned I am at the mercy of my home thermostat and my carboys in the closet. Some day I hope to have the keezer set-up with temperature control. Good to know there is no need for the secondary. I have read that many times, but it is always interesting to get feedback as everyone has their own experiences. Maybe I will find your post again when I get to a higher level of brewing.
Thanks again.[/quote]
No worries on either account. Again, IDEALLY you want to be @ 60. Maybe try to find somewhere in the house (like a basement) that has an ambient temp of 60 for the first few days, then move it to somewhere in the mid-high 60’s. You will get a few more esters, but with a neutral ale yeast like US-05 they will be minimal and it will still be a good beer. If you don’t have a way to put a collar on those yeast making heat from all their baby-yeast-makin’, put the fermenter in a water bath to at least minimize SWINGS in temp (more thermal mass to change), which can be worse than the ‘wrong’ fermentation temp.
Cheers and enjoy!
