BeerCats beers

[BeerCat]

I cant find my old thread so have started a new one. Been brewing a lot of lagers and haven't done a corn lager lately.

Mexican lager lockdown v10
28l batch
25 IBU
SRM 3
ABV 4.5
OG 1044
FG 1006

4.3kg crisp pils
500g flaked corn
150g acid malt

RO water 0.2g of chloride per liter. About 50ppm
mash 60m @62c
40m @68c
10m @75c

35g saaz FWH 4.7AA 19.47 IBU
35g Mittlefruh @15m 5.61 IBU
35g Mittlefruh @0m

I pitched a 2l starter which i made from lots of 6 month old MJ Bohemian slurry. Made from the same wort and pitched just after high krausen. No problem with pitching the whole lot and more beer.
Fermenting at 10c for a week then up to 18c before crashing. This yeast is 18months old and have lost count of the times i have used it.

 

[BeerCat]

Some of the golden stuff.

 

[samale]

Hi @BeerCat just seen Steve's review of your raw ale sour. I would be interested in seeing how you went about this. I have done a few raw ales, I got into it after reading your posts on the kviek thread. Next up will be a raw stout.

 

[BeerCat]

@samale I do a 50/50 of wheat malt and pilsner. Ferment with kveik and sour post fermentation. I use omega labs lacto blend, make a 1l starter 3 days before and pitch the whole lot (actually reserve a little for the next batch) 24 hours or later after the yeast. Treat the lacto as you would a yeast starter but don't decant. 25 to 30c is fine. Dry hop when happy with the level of souring. You can also add a hop tea and add fruit.

 

[samale]

@samale I do a 50/50 of wheat malt and pilsner. Ferment with kveik and sour post fermentation. I use omega labs lacto blend, make a 1l starter 3 days before and pitch the whole lot (actually reserve a little for the next batch) 24 hours or later after the yeast. Treat the lacto as you would a yeast starter but don't decant. 25 to 30c is fine. Dry hop when happy with the level of souring. You can also add a hop tea and add fruit.

That sounds interesting, what abv do you aim for. Any sours I have tried are all low which sort of puts me off. Can you go higher

 

[Clint]

You better well find it...what if I lose the Tribute recipe?

 

[BeerCat]

That sounds interesting, what abv do you aim for. Any sours I have tried are all low which sort of puts me off. Can you go higher

I go for around 1040, also i tend to mash low, around 62c. You can go higher abv but i like my beers around 4%.

 

[BeerCat]

Drinking these at the moment. Amber lager and choc coconut stout.

Started this yesterday, no boil pale ale

OG 1040
3.5kg pilsner
500g wheat malt
500g flaked oats
150g acid malt

40g eldorado and citra steeped at 75c.
I think there is a little bitterness but i will make a 15IBU tea tomorrow and dry hop. Ferment with kveik, not sure what yet. The hops from CML smell great. Doing arice IPL with them next.

 

[BeerCat]

Made my first English bitter. 4% Chevalier and extra dark crystal, fuggles and boadicia and 1335 yeast. Amazed at how fruity it is, not sure if thats the hops or yeast. Not fully carbed yet and served through a stout tap.

 

[BeerCat]

The best pellicle i have managed so far. Its a sour red about 3 weeks into fermentation.

 

[BeerCat]

Brewed today.
Chocolate Coconut Vanilla Stout
No boil No chill

27l
OG 1051
FG 1016?

4.5kg pilsner
500g flaked barley
500g rolled oats
500g roast barley
250g pale chocolate
250g crystal medium
250g crystal dark

Mashed at 67c for 120 minutes, 15 minute mashout at 75c. Put in cube to chill and reviving some wyeast 1084 for pitching tomorrow (hopefully) with a hop tea and nutrient.
Will be adding 800g of coconut and 150g of cacoa nibs after fermentation slows.

 

[samale]

Brewed today.
Chocolate Coconut Vanilla Stout
No boil No chill

27l
OG 1051
FG 1016?

4.5kg pilsner
500g flaked barley
500g rolled oats
500g roast barley
250g pale chocolate
250g crystal medium
250g crystal dark

Mashed at 67c for 120 minutes, 15 minute mashout at 75c. Put in cube to chill and reviving some wyeast 1084 for pitching tomorrow (hopefully) with a hop tea and nutrient.
Will be adding 800g of coconut and 150g of cacoa nibs after fermentation slows.

How are you adding the coconut. I added 600 grams of fresh coconut grated then roasted to a porter. It's very hard to get the flavour with out making the beer too oily. My second attempt wasn't great. I am considering using coconut flavouring the next time.

 

[BeerCat]

How are you adding the coconut. I added 600 grams of fresh coconut grated then roasted to a porter. It's very hard to get the flavour with out making the beer too oily. My second attempt wasn't great. I am considering using coconut flavouring the next time.

I think they are called chips. Like carrot peelings. Toasted at 100c until browned and put in bags. The nibs i roast myself for 15m to increase flavour and sterilise. No issues with oil but one of the reasons for not boiling. Increased head retention. Must be less oil in the chips.
The main problem is the coconut fades fast but generally it will be gone within a month of brewing. There is no conditioning time in the keg for me. Probably one of my favourite types of stout. Just found out my supplier sells 70/30 mix as well so may look into getting some.

 

[samale]

I think they are called chips. Like carrot peelings. Toasted at 100c until browned and put in bags. The nibs i roast myself for 15m to increase flavour and sterilise. No issues with oil but one of the reasons for not boiling. Increased head retention. Must be less oil in the chips.
The main problem is the coconut fades fast but generally it will be gone within a month of brewing. There is no conditioning time in the keg for me. Probably one of my favourite types of stout. Just found out my supplier sells 70/30 mix as well so may look into getting some.

That would be my experience as well. The first porter had great flavour but basically fell of a cliff after 5 weeks. To the point were you couldn't pick out any coconut flavour.
Out of interest is all you beer raw, no boil

 

[BeerCat]

That would be my experience as well. The first porter had great flavour but basically fell of a cliff after 5 weeks. To the point were you couldn't pick out any coconut flavour.
Out of interest is all you beer raw, no boil

Most of it apart from lagers and its all no chill now. A lot of beers that i like benefit from not boiling imo. Certainly stouts and pale beers, not so keen on raw brown beers as they can look murky although i do have some sour reds on the go. Have you not tried it yet?
My mate does coconut stouts as well and complains about the same issue. I bought some Amoretti puree but did not mix in the keg and was actually really oily. It might need fermenting, cant find anyone who has used it. Tastes great and smells like shampoo but was artificial tasting in the beer and killed the head. I was thinking a pina colada sour.

 

[BeerCat]

Best sour i have made so far and ready in 2 months. Very hard to stop drinking. Going to make sure this is available all the time. Its a lot more complex that a lacto/sacc fermentation and well worth trying out.


25l batch
OG 1040
FG 1000
ABV 5.25%
SRM 3

3kg maris otter
500g pilsner
1kg wheat
150g acid malt

Mashed for a few hours at 65c, raised to 75c for a 30m mashout and transfered to a no chill cube.

I made a 1.5l starter with WLP650 brettanomyces bruxellensis and pitched a liter of it. WLP644 Sacharomyces bruxellensis Trois which i decanted and 2ml glucoamylase. After around 3 days i pitched a1l lacto starter. By 2 weeks it had finished fermenting and was stable at 1000. No off flavours so i left it 6 weeks and added some oak chips. Dry hopped a week later packaged it. 20 bottles with more of the same brett for carbonation and the rest kegged.
I feremented this in a bucket without the best seal as you can see from the pellicle. Did not affect the beer at all, there is no oxidisation or off flavours. Beer has cleared really well even without boiling or finings due to the low final gravity. No chill haze even.

 

[uDicko]

Noticed a couple of long mashes on your recipes, does the recipe benefit from this and what are you seeing? Better efficiency?

 

[BeerCat]

Its partly for efficiency as i do a full volume mash and to make a highly highly fermentable wort. The long mashout is for pasteurisation as the wort is not boiled.

 

[BeerCat]

Doing a fast brett sour later today.

No BOIL, No chill
Around 5% ABV
OG 1039
FG 1000
25l batch

1.2kg Crisp German pilsner
1kg Crisp Chevalier
1kg Crisp wheat
500g torrified wheat
500g flaked oats
150g acid malt

mash at 65c for 90m
mashout at 75c for 15m, run the wort

1l wlp648 brett starter
1l lacto starter

I wanted to use all Chevalier for a change but don't have enough so split the base malt. Only a kg of wheat left as well so i added some torrified. Oats are for a bit of body. I made a brett and lacto starter about 4 days ago. First i will pitch all the brett WLP648, some sacc( not sure what yet) and 3ml of glucoamylase.
Going to add the lacto after about 3 days. Fermentation should finish in 2 to 3 weeks.