I wanna sleep with common people

[MickDundee]

...like brew

Today I'm brewing version 3 of my Common People Steam Beer (California Common). V1 was one of the best beers I've made but I felt it lacked something. V2 I messed about with the recipe too much and it came out like a pseudo lager. This time I think I've cracked it.

IBU 43
SRM 23
Target OG 1.050
Target FG 1.012

4kg extra pale malt
450g crystal
300g rye
250g Munich Dark

Hops - all Northern Brewer (as a Cali Common should be):
25g 60mins
20g 20mins
10g 10mins
20g flameout

Mash at 67
I'm considering no chill
Fermenting with CML California Common yeast

I'll either be having an extended mash or having a break between mash and boil because I foolishly arranged to meet someone for coffee at 11.

 

[Duxuk]

Leaving it mashing for longer should improve efficiency, hence OG. Will it matter if you end up with an extra bit of gravity? I overnight mash for convenience and get good efficiency but a dryer finish to the beer.

 

[MickDundee]

Hit my target mash temp bang on with no need for any extra boiling/cold water!

 

[MickDundee]

Leaving it mashing for longer should improve efficiency, hence OG. Will it matter if you end up with an extra bit of gravity? I overnight mash for convenience and get good efficiency but a dryer finish to the beer.

Yeah that was what I was originally thinking, then started my brewday an hour earlier than planned so I wasn't sure whether to just get my sparge out of the way and get rid of the grains so all I need to do when I get home is whack the boiler on and wait for t to boil

 

[MickDundee]

Left the boiler wrapped in a thermal blanket while I go out. It only lost half a degree in the hour and a half it's had so far so I'm hopeful it'll not be any lower than 65 when I get back.

 

[Covrich]

Sounds nice Mick!!

nice old simple steam beer..

 

[MickDundee]

Sounds nice Mick!!

nice old simple steam beer..

Despite my love of the hoppy beers, steam beer is probably my favourite style of beer. Anchor Steam was the beer that got me interested in craft beer, I was just a difficult to please lager/pale ale drinker before that.

 

[Covrich]

Despite my love of the hoppy beers, steam beer is probably my favourite style of beer. Anchor Steam was the beer that got me interested in craft beer, I was just a difficult to please lager/pale ale drinker before that.

I too love the hoppy beers but making my own Steams and AG Pilsners has given me a new appreciation for the simplier beers. Fresher and more subtle..

Never used the CML Cali yeast, hear its pretty malty which sounds about right.

 

[MickDundee]

I too love the hoppy beers but making my own Steams and AG Pilsners has given me a new appreciation for the simplier beers. Fresher and more subtle..

Never used the CML Cali yeast, hear its pretty malty which sounds about right.

I've never used it either, I used the MJ one for the other 2, but at less than half the price and the great reviews I thought CML was worth the risk.

I'm hoping the combo of the Munich and the rye will give it that spicy almost-metallic malty hit I get from Anchor Steam that I felt V1 lacked.

 

[Norfolk79]

My latest Cali common used the MJ yeast. Will be interested to hear how the CML version goes.

 

[MickDundee]

Boil started and 60mins hops in

 

[MickDundee]

Overshot my target SG just a tad. Is hard to see from the photo but I read it as 1.057. I only got 20L in the FV so I topped up to 23 with cold water which according to Brewers Friend will get me my target gravity.

My efficiency works out as 77% on that when I usually only get 65%.

 

[MickDundee]

It's been 28 hours and it's still not down to pitching temp, sitting at 24 at the mo so it looks like I'll be pitching the yeast in the morning.

 

[GerritT]

It's been 28 hours and it's still not down to pitching temp, sitting at 24 at the mo so it looks like I'll be pitching the yeast in the morning.

You're not actively cooling?

 

[MickDundee]

You're not actively cooling?

I did no chill. I don't do it all the time, just if I'm brewing something that isn't hoppy and I fancy an easy brew day

 

[MickDundee]

That yeast must generate a lot of its own heat! I pitched at 19.8C, my brew cupboard has an outside wall and it was 9C outside when I went to work this morning. When I checked on it at 7:30AM my Inkbird showed 21.6!

I was hoping to ferment at the lower end of the range but, due to a slow no chill and a hardworking yeast looks like I'm doing the upper. It might just need a little extra conditioning time.

 

[MickDundee]

It finished at 1.012, which means (after my dilution) I hit both my gravity targets bang on!

Bottling was a resounding success too! Less than 45mins (more like 35) to fill 2 MKs, 2 1L growers (thanks to my dad's best mate for giving me these), 14 500ml bottles and 4 330ml bottles. I probably could have squeezed a couple of extra bottles out but didn't have any sterilised.

 

[MickDundee]

Wowzer! That CML Cali Common yeast is a bit special. My plastic bottles are stiff so it's definitely carbonated, and the beer is just about crystal clear already.

I've sent one of the 2 plastic bottles for the September comp and shoved the other one in the fridge with a bottle of Anchor Steam Beer that I bought from Tesco last night so I'll do a side-by-side comparison tonight.

The rest have gone into the shed to condition and won't be touched until my IPA and golden ale minikegs are finished.

 

[MyQul]

Wowzer! That CML Cali Common yeast is a bit special. My plastic bottles are stuff so it's definitely carbonated, and the beer is just about crystal clear already.

I've sent one of the 2 plastic bottles for the September comp and shoved the other one in the fridge with a bottle of Anchor Steam Beer that I bought from Tesco last night so I'll do a side-by-side comparison tonight.

The rest have gone into the shed to condition and won't be touched until my IPA and golden ale minikegs are finished.

I've yet to try the CML CaliLager yeast. I like the MJ one so hopefully the CML one will be as good or even better

 

[MickDundee]

Wow. Only one week bottled and it's beautiful. A fair bit darker than I'd planned, so for V4 I might either use normal Munich instead of dark, or use a lighter crystal.

Otherwise it's pretty much exactly what I was hoping for!