John Smiths

[Duncs]

o
I quite like San Miguel - it's OK, as it goes... There, I've said it.

me too :?

 

[Aleman]

Actually it's a challenge that a lot of brewers should set themselves . . . just how can you brew a beer that has such a low taste threshold . . . . Seriously this is a really hard thing to do any idiot can brew a pale ale with a shedful of hops as any flaws are masked, but a low gravity balanced ale . . . now that is a challenge!

The NCBA are thinking about a 2.8% bitter for the next Brewing Challenge at Saltaire Brewery . . . Much harder than their IPA challenge of last year

 

[Jeltz]

Funnily enough a lower ABV beer with reasonable body, is on my list of beers to attempt next year. I'll start a new thread about that rather than derail this one.

 

[morethanworts]

Actually it's a challenge that a lot of brewers should set themselves . . . just how can you brew a beer that has such a low taste threshold . . . . Seriously this is a really hard thing to do any idiot can brew a pale ale with a shedful of hops as any flaws are masked, but a low gravity balanced ale . . . now that is a challenge!

The NCBA are thinking about a 2.8% bitter for the next Brewing Challenge at Saltaire Brewery . . . Much harder than their IPA challenge of last year

This is dead right. I used to yearn to produce 5 gallons of a relatively tasteless, but pleasantly sparkly and refreshing beer. I think I am past that stage now (but only just, if I'm honest), save the odd bad batch.

I have certainly found that it's not all about avoiding off-tastes though - which was my main pursuit for a long time. The more effort you put into getting good flavours in, the more you 'get away with'. A 2.8% mild might be even harder.

 

[Sandimas]

I quite like San Miguel - it's OK, as it goes... There, I've said it.

+1

Think I know where some of you are coming from. I went to my stash back in the summer and realised it was full of big, bold beers, which I generally love (heavily-hopped APAs, stouts, old ales). But I just didn't fancy one that evening, wanted something cool and bland. So yes I too have some San Mig in the beer fridge, sandwiched in between my more exotic homebrews. :shock:

 

[johnnyboy1965]

Everyone seems to give the big breweries a hard time over their massed produced, tasteless crap and on the whole I agree, but sometimes I like a ice cold tin of tasteless crap. I know what Im going to get before I open the tin/bottle/or on draft. The question I often ask myself is "with all there resources, why dont they produce a better/more expensive beer quality, as a option for the consumer?".
I think Ive answered my own question here.

 

[calumscott]

a low gravity balanced ale . . . now that is a challenge!

Indeed it is. To be fair, with practised technique and process the actual brewing *should* be straightforward.

Designing a recipe for one, that's got to be the hard part. At least with big malt or hop profiles you can have a fair guess at what's going to dominate and can brew to your taste based on that.

Which is why I'm impressed with the things I've done from GWs book so far. His session ale recipes seem to be right on the money.

 

[Duxuk]

I usually go for over 1050 OG heavily hopped ales, but I've just brewed 23l of 1038 OG as a session ale. I hoped to make something close to Tetley cask bitter which was available in about half the pubs in Leeds in the early '80s. Couldn't find a good looking recipe by searching the forum but managed to cobble something together. I'm excited to see what I've made in a few weeks time...............at the risk of seeming snobbish, John Smiths is an inferior brew to Tetley. You could always taste the hops in the Leeds brewed bitter. The Warrington brewed version was less tasty.