is this just a bad idea?

[wilsoa1111]

hi,
although i can do a full mash brew im finding the issues with delivery, staling and time required annoying yet too cheap for extract this is the result:
Its my first go at making a recipe from scratch but here goes...im after a cream ale kinda thing that lager drinkers would be keen on while maintaining a ridiculus lvl of simplicity,speed and cheapness... as such i have concieved of a partial extract "beer" minus the expensive extract-yep its a mostly sugar brew :sick: ...but maintaining body and head with double normal lvls of crystal and carapils and sweetness with lactose so maybe... :whistle: would also be gd for beginners or busy pros with excess spec malt kicking about.

firstly yeast choice: i like the cheap muntons but at my flats temps (22) its giving rather "english" notes which dont appeal to some-as such and consistent with the style and temp will be using a half packet of s-05 ( ach - the expense :? ) if i ever figure out how to keep them suitably chilled muntons /s-04 would be quicker (to flocculate) and maybe a tad sweeter without giving all the estery fun
recipe: for 9l (2x 5l tesco water bottles then 2ndary in 2x djs)
5g admiral hops 60mins:
5g saaz flameout
5g saaz in secondary or fermentor/7 day dry hop

Cara-Pils/Dextrine 0.165g
Caramel/Crystal Malt 0.165g
Lyle's Golden Syrup 0.250kg
Dememera Sugar (billingtons) 0.3kg
Sugar, Table (Sucrose) 0.2kg
Milk Sugar (Lactose) 100g-gonna use 50g initally then will see what f.g and taste is like by 1 wk of fermenting...
2g gelatin to fine (unless yeast manages to clear like muntons) if using will be adding then leaving before adding hops (keeps hoppy goodness i think)

anyway was gonna steep the grain in a bag in a big pot while i get the water up to temp keeping it at 60-80 degrees c for about half an hour with the initial admiral hops in adding sugars when it gets a bit too hot. then boil for 30 mins adding hops and the like, then chillin in the sink and transfer to water bottles and topping up leaving a couple of inches for foam action. hydrating yeast for a few mins then adding in and hope for the best. then when its going putting it somewhere cooler-18 degrees or less to try to minimise the dreaded cider tastes?

beersmith reckons a gd fit for style 4.9% just a touch out on the colour as for flavour...we shall see

if anyone has any tweaks, suggestions or better yet past experience im interested?

 

[oz11]

I can't see that this will have any body or mouthfeel to it. All your going to end up with is a coloured sugary solution? Pale or base malt (extract or grain) gives you unfermentable sugars as well as fermentables which gives the final beer body, texture, flavour and there's a reason it usually comprises the majority of the grain bill.

 

[wilsoa1111]

thanks for the reply and:
Indeed... and i suspect you may be right... :cry:
(but worst case its a hoppy tenents substitute right :lol: ) , however i am intruigued to see if it can compare to at least an extract kit (1.5kg light extract and 1kg of often nasty granulatedsugar - if not a worse ratio) for 20l. i am using 333g of real specialist malt in 9l twice the normal amount of spec malt for even a balanced beer let alone a cream ale- (malt that is usuable in partial mashes releasing mainly the deficient sugars and proteins -not relant on mashing? ) that will contribute plenty of body and head and lactose will ensure a lvl of sweetness- as will the mixed sugars-
not to be quipish but what is beer other than a coloured sugary solution? i just churned out some mighty fine ginger beer using only granulated sugar and a couple of odds and ends and its easy a match in body compared to cheapass lagers due to the ale yeast.

im not after the best beer here, thats for long weekends, im after a semi scientific play with beer :ugeek: with a hopefully potable outcome...im thinking of putting "impure student ale" on the bottles\toxic waste barrels as it flys in the face of the german purity law :!:

 

[oz11]

As I understand it, and I could be wrong as I've never done a partial mash, you include a base malt in the mash which provides the diastatic power to convert the starches in the dark malts to usuable sugars. Without a base malt you will not get any conversion and will not end up with any fermentables?

 

[wilsoa1111]

hi sorry to bring up this idea again but...

just tasted the first offerings from my experimentation and...yes it tastes bad-well it would be nice definately getting hops, caramel, sweetness and body but theres the god aweful taste of bandaids/medicinal stuff going on... also its the appearance of tanniny dishwater-maybe it will age well :nah:

probable cause is some improper rinsing (i do like a bit of household bleach) and or the sodium bicarb i added to mellow the buggers after the horrific sourness (probably caused by most of the citric acid packet falling in) or maybe even some yeast related issue???

anyway wont be repeating this expt anytime soon as got me a proper order off rob coming so will be back to making the good stuff but i reckon its still a goer (maybe)if u happen to have a proper yeast cake (removes nutrient issues) and dont try to belgian the sugars using citric acid...

i do now have something to offer the already drunk and tastebudless tennent drinker though :lol: