Biab... split Wort Challenge....

[Yabezag]

Hi All
Am tight for time and still improving my BIAB technique (20-25l batch). I am hoping to find a recipe from which I can drive two different but drinkable pints ... I would like one of them to be a standard English session bitter... and the other is to be as different as possible but from the same "mother Wort"... So I only have Hops and yeast to play with in the FVs... Any ideas on the base recipe and what whackiness to attempt in the FVs - both would be at 18-20deg C?
My early thoughts are for a session ale plus something closer to an "american Amber Ale" which would be more hop-forwaerd... but open to ideas!

 

[Slid]

You could try using a Belgian yeast - that would be different alright. Adding some steeped crystal to the Belgian would make for a more malt forward beer.

 

[robbym123]

I would give a Saison yeast a go. In fact I have just done something similar; half kolsch : half Saison. The Kolsch is bottled and drinking, the Saison will be bottled tomorrow. I did up the hops quite a bit ( 500g motueka in 100l) vs. a true to style kolsch, but apart from that I didn't mess with the Saison, it is amazingly different, really shows what the yeast can do!.

 

[Yabezag]

Thanks Guys! Will go and research the Belgian/kolsch yeasts and their preferred fermentation temps. Any variations on the grain bill for the base wort? I was going to start with 90%maris otter and 10%crystal...

 

[GerritT]

Thanks Guys! Will go and research the Belgian/kolsch yeasts and their preferred fermentation temps. Any variations on the grain bill for the base wort? I was going to start with 90%maris otter and 10%crystal...

You could go 100% MO, and stir in different dry malt extracts after the split. Bit more expensive, bit more different too. Plus the crystal (if I'm not mistaken) excludes some brews that aren't done with crystal.