Recipe Alteration Question

Northern Brewer General
1

I’m working on making a “house brew” for my work to use for our Beerstorming Friday sessions. Gonna get custom labels designed and everything!

Anyways, I was looking at this kit here:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/spec ... n-kit.html

The grain bill calls for:
– 7.5 lbs. Rahr 2-row
– 0.5 lbs Briess Carapils
– 0.25 lbs flaked barley
– 0.25 lbs flaked maize

And the Hop Bill Calls for:
– 0.5 oz Cluster (45 min)
– 0.25 oz Cluster (15 min)

I was thinking about replacing the flaked barley and maize with flaked oats instead. For the hops, I want a nice citrus hop - Cascade maybe? A full ounce right at 30 minutes?

Thoughts?

2

I think this depends what you want, but I’m not sure why you wouldn’t just leave the flaked maize and flaked barley intact. Oats give beer an oily almost diacetyl-y slickness. If quaffability/appeal to non-craft beer maniacs is what you are after, I might consider keeping the maize, which adds a light sweetness and drinkability. Its not really in amounts that you would taste either though.

Re: the cascade hops, I would skip a 30 minute addition and add that full ounce at 20 or later, or maybe even a FWH (which is similar to a 20minute addition). I would also go Saaz over Cluster. Cleaner flavor/aroma. So saaz @ bittering, cascade late and another charge of saaz late.

btw, I would love for my work to have Friday beerstorming sessions. Forsaken conservative banking industry!

3

At 4 oz. each for the flaked barley and maize, it’s not gonna make a lot of difference. Why do you want to switch? What are you looking for?

4

I’m just curious as to whether or not you’ve made this kit before? If so why the desire to switch out the flaked barley/maize for oats?

5

I guess what im going for is a more citrusy cream ale, hence the flaked oats for the creamy texture and the cascade for the citrus notes.

This definitely is geared towards non craft beer drinkers.

6

Yet another of my “step back, Pietros about to rant” topics, but cream ales shouldn’t be creamy.

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php

When/if I meet Gordon Strong, most on this forum could picture me shaking him and telling him the bjcp and brewers association needs to bury and/or funeral pyre the moniker “cream ale” because it sucks as a name and is misleading. They could also probably picture the resulting restraining order.

If you want a crisp, quaffable, approachable ale, try doing jamils classic am pils with us-05 or kolsch yeast of your choice fermented low and slow for 5 days (60ish) ramp it up to68 for 5 days, dry hop with some saaz or your cascades if you want, and watch 5 gallons disappear.

Or, ignore my rant and brew the kit :slight_smile:

7

I didn’t realize that about cream ales. My favorite cream ale has a bit of a creamy texture to it…almost like a very light, subtly cream soda flavor.

8

The definition of a cream ale is a light, crisp beer. Not creamy at all.

9

…yeahhhhh I feel like thats why the name ‘cream ale’ kinda sucks as much as it does. I think it is really misleading, puts ‘cream’ front of mind, and people get it confused with cream soda/vanilla which really have nothing to do with the style. I hop mine really aggressively and call it an “American Pub Ale” (not much of an improvement in the style name, but an improvement nonetheless IMO!)

Cream ale is basically just the ale equivalent of American lager. All ingredients the same, only difference is an ale yeast, which can give you some faint esters and a little fuller body (maybe this is what you are perceiving as ‘creamy’?).

Anyway, if I am being an annoying preachy style nazi, please ignore me and/or feel free to tell me so. I think your recipe looks good as is, especially for a nice afternoon work drinkin’ beer (God that sounds awesome right now), but as above, I’m not sure you need the flaked barley, oats, or maize for that matter. I would suggest going one of two ways if it were me (which its not):

Option 1: Snappy, crisp lawnmower-ish beer, approachable to BMC converts:
-50% 2-row
-25% 6-row
-25% flaked maize
to about 1.050-55 OG

-Saaz (or Cluster, but bear in mind, Cluster are a bit intense) to 25 ish IBU, the majority from late hop additions. Dry hop with an ounce optional
US-05 or Kolsch yeast, fermented at 60* for 5 days, ramped to 68* for 5 days

Option 2: Light, refreshing, hop-forward citrusy Am. Pale Ale, highlighting cascade (preferably…could maybe go Centennial)- more of a take on your recipe above :
-80% 2-row
-10% Victory or Biscuit
-10% Carapils
to 1.050-55 OG
Cascade to about 30-35 IBU, mainly from late additions (maybe .5-.75oz @ 60 minute, the rest 20 min and after)
US-05/equivalent, fermented at 64-66
dry hop with cascade

Good luck!

10

pietro option 2 looks tasty. damn you, now I got to go get a beer. :cheers:

11

I can say from experience that it IS in fact, tasty!

Don’t discount #1 though. I can put those suckers away. My wife and I stayed up until 1am on a schoolnight talking about a job opportunity I have and I was drinking those like i was at a high school kegger (though savoring every sip).

Enjoy your brew…

12

Pietro, thanks for all the great feedback! I’ll do some more digging later tonight and put my final recipe together and post it back here. Then I’ll post the label designs that our designer is putting together once those are done.

I love my job. :cheers:

13

I dislike the name Cream Ale too. I usually brew a few batches a year, when I serve it to people I call it Plain Ale. I like to use a little 6-row sometimes to get a little grainy flavor.

14

[quote=“stompwampa”]

I love my job. :cheers: [/quote]

You are a lucky man, and in the minority!

Always walking a fine line between giving an opinion and getting preachy or uber-opinionated. Hopefully I was helpful and not obnoxious!

15

Not trying to throw a curveball, but if you’re looking for a Cascade-forward pale ale you can’t go wrong with Nearly Nirvana:
http://beerdujour.com/Recipes/ChrisFrey/Nearly_Nirvana_-_the_Original_Big_Brew_2000_Recipe.html

It’s a SNPA clone and makes a great “house” beer to have on tap all the time.

16

Meh, I appreciate the insight! As far as I’m concerned, beer talk is happy talk!

[quote=“Shadetree”]Not trying to throw a curveball, but if you’re looking for a Cascade-forward pale ale you can’t go wrong with Nearly Nirvana:
http://beerdujour.com/Recipes/ChrisFrey/Nearly_Nirvana_-_the_Original_Big_Brew_2000_Recipe.html

It’s a SNPA clone and makes a great “house” beer to have on tap all the time.[/quote]

Is it pretty unoffensive for non craft beer drinkers?

What I’m making needs to be easy to drink. That’s why I was going towards a citrusy cream ale or lighter pale ale.

17

[quote=“Shadetree”]Not trying to throw a curveball, but if you’re looking for a Cascade-forward pale ale you can’t go wrong with Nearly Nirvana:
http://beerdujour.com/Recipes/ChrisFrey/Nearly_Nirvana_-_the_Original_Big_Brew_2000_Recipe.html

It’s a SNPA clone and makes a great “house” beer to have on tap all the time.[/quote]

Yep, one of my all time faves. But a bit more hops and body than a cream ale.

18

[quote=“Denny”]Yep, one of my all time faves. But a bit more hops and body than a cream ale.[/quote]+1 SNPA is a gateway beer to the bigger styles, so your BMC drinkers will be able to handle it while your homebrew buddies will be appreciative of the session beer. You could cut the final Cascade addition in half, maybe the DH too, if you’re worried it’ll be too hoppy, but I think you’ll be fine with the recipe as-is. Be sure to read the comments at the very bottom of the page about malt and hop changes.

19

So here’s what I settled on. Ultimately, I think I just need to try something and see how it pans out. I don’t think there’s anything here that would raise any red flags. In the end, I’ll get a light, easy to drink, flavorful ale - hopefully with some citrus notes and light hop flavors.

10 Gallon Batch
1.050 OG
18 IBU
3.1 SRM
4.9 ABV

Mash in at 152 for 60minutes

-8.5 LB 2-Row
-4 LB 6-Row
-3.5 LB Flaked Corn
-1 LB Wheat Malt

.5oz Saaz, 45min
1oz Cascade, 20min
1oz Cascade, 15min
.5oz Saaz, 5min

Ferment at 62 with US-05

20

This is gonna be one of the few times I disagree with ya. I think it would be too challenging for your average BMC drinker. I’d love to be wrong.