Geordie Mild - making something summery out of it?

[TheKench]

Hello chaps and chapesses,

I have a geordie mild kit lying around and was wondering how much variation I would get if I vary the sugar used? I'd like something to turn it into something towards the lighter end of the scale. What would happen if I used Light DME as the fermentable? What about a bit of honey? I don't know how much variety you can get with one can kits but I fancy experimenting.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[RobWalker]

Hmm...it's a difficult one because toasty malts arn't associated with summer much - but maybe the advantage is that geordie kits arn't huge on flavour anyway, so probably easily modifyable.

More dme would shy off some of the bitterness and add more body so maybe not ideal, how much body and bitterness there is there I don't know. Golden Syrup is used in San Miguel and honey in countless summer brews, so I'd definitely go for either of them.

Personally I'd leave the excess DME out or use a 50/50 mix of DME and honey/golden syrup. Dry hop with some goldings for a grassy floral aroma, then serve it cool...it'd be acceptable at least.

It's much more difficult to lighten a beer than darken it, it's like mixing paint! hahah.

 

[TheKench]

Thanks for that. The way I figured it, I don't expect to be able to make the perfect summer thirst quenched from a kit that is not designed for it at all, but I'd like to bias it towards that end of the scale if at all possible. Either way, I think 50/50 light DME and honey will get me in the right ballpark!

Dry hopping is also a decent idea - what is the best way to do that? Whack it in the primary 24 hours before kegging? And how much hops for a 5 gallon batch? It's not something I've done before.

Thanks again!

 

[RobWalker]

Most people dry hop for about a week. 5 days would suffice, a lot of people do it in secondary but if you get a muslin bag, sterilize and dangle it into primary after fermentation while you let it clear out a bit, you'd easily get away with it.

 

[TheKench]

Sorry to resurrect, but what quantity of hops is good for dry hopping? And any particular variety?

 

[RobWalker]

Aromatic varieties are better. East Kent Goldings and Styrian Goldings are great for summer ales. American "C" hops are good too - cascade, centennial, etc. not sure about quantity!