strange-steve
Quantum Brewer
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2014
- Messages
- 6,027
- Reaction score
- 5,804
This is probably one of my favourite beers that I've made. I've had a pretty poor track record when it comes to adding flavours/fruit/spices to brews but this one turned out exactly as I hoped it would. It would make a great summer beer, it's light, fruity, and tangy and I'm rather pleased with it.
Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 21
Total Grain (kg): 3.9
Total Hops (g): 120
Original Gravity (OG): 1.045
Final Gravity (FG): 1.011
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.4 %
Colour (SRM): 3
Bitterness (IBU): <5
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 77
Boil Time (Minutes): 15
Grain Bill
----------------
2.4 kg Pale Malt (62%)
1.500 kg Wheat Malt (38%)
Hop Bill
----------------
20 g 3 Year Aged (<0.5% Alpha) See Method for Usage
100 g Sorachi Ace (13.8% Alpha) 5 Days Dry Hop
Method
----------------
Mash as normal at 66°C for 60 mins
Sparge until you have about 22-23L of sweet wort
After sparge bring to boil for 1 min to pasteurise
Cool the wort to 38°C
Pre-sour the wort to around 4.4 pH with lactic acid, this required about 10ml of lactic acid (this step isn't essential but it's strongly recommended to prevent growth of unwanted organisms during the souring)
Pitch the contents of 8 lactobacillus capsules, I used Swanson L. plantarum which I bought online. I also pitched the dregs from a bottle of lambic but this isn't necessary.
Place some sanitised cling film onto the top of the mash to reduce contact with the air, this will also help prevent unwanted bug growth. You could also purge with CO2 if you have it.
Maintain a temperature of 38°C, I made this in the Grainfather so it was very easy but it's possible to maintain mash temperature in other ways, I did it previosly in my fermentation fridge with just a 100W lightbulb as a heat source.
Monitor the pH every 8 hours or so and when it reaches about 3.5 pH (this took about 24 hours for me) move onto the next step. If you don't have a pH meter you could just use a taste test which I've done in the past however this may not be a good idea just in case something nasty has grown in there.
Next I added the aged hops then raised the temperature to 82°C for 15 mins to pasteurise (if you don't have aged hops then a small amount of low AA hops will work, it's not for bitterness but for the preservative quality)
Cool to 20°C then pitch 2 packs of dry yeast, I used CML US pale ale
After a week or so add the zest from 2 lemons and 2 limes to the fermenter along with the dry hops and leave for a few days before bottling.
Carbonate to ~2.8 vol CO2
---------------------
I've sent this to a few forum members, including the March competition where it came 3rd with a score of 40. Feedback so far:
@BeerCat - Nice level of sourness and strong floral flavour. Better than the examples I have tried in local craft boozer. Perhaps a bit under carbed compared but very drinkable. I am not really a sour expert so far I prefer yours. Had a gooseberry sour the other night which was not as good.
@brewhaha - Fantastic beer that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks!
Aroma - 10/12
Masses of lemon and lime with a yoghurty sourness - gave it a lemon meringue vibe!
Appearance - 3/3
Super pale and a touchy hazy but really inviting. Great fluffy white head.
Flavour - 16/20
Great level of sourness that combined well with the citrus fruits.
There's a biscuity malt flavour in the background which helps give this lemon meringue idea that I couldn't shake! Loved it!
Mouthfeel - 3/5
Nice light body with decent carbonation although I perhaps wanted a little more to accentuate the sour?
Overall - 8/10
This will be a stellar summer beer. Loads better than pretty much all commercial Berliners I've tried. I had this as the last beer on my first judging day and it was a perfect end!
Total 40/50
Recipe Specs
----------------
Batch Size (L): 21
Total Grain (kg): 3.9
Total Hops (g): 120
Original Gravity (OG): 1.045
Final Gravity (FG): 1.011
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.4 %
Colour (SRM): 3
Bitterness (IBU): <5
Brewhouse Efficiency (%): 77
Boil Time (Minutes): 15
Grain Bill
----------------
2.4 kg Pale Malt (62%)
1.500 kg Wheat Malt (38%)
Hop Bill
----------------
20 g 3 Year Aged (<0.5% Alpha) See Method for Usage
100 g Sorachi Ace (13.8% Alpha) 5 Days Dry Hop
Method
----------------
Mash as normal at 66°C for 60 mins
Sparge until you have about 22-23L of sweet wort
After sparge bring to boil for 1 min to pasteurise
Cool the wort to 38°C
Pre-sour the wort to around 4.4 pH with lactic acid, this required about 10ml of lactic acid (this step isn't essential but it's strongly recommended to prevent growth of unwanted organisms during the souring)
Pitch the contents of 8 lactobacillus capsules, I used Swanson L. plantarum which I bought online. I also pitched the dregs from a bottle of lambic but this isn't necessary.
Place some sanitised cling film onto the top of the mash to reduce contact with the air, this will also help prevent unwanted bug growth. You could also purge with CO2 if you have it.
Maintain a temperature of 38°C, I made this in the Grainfather so it was very easy but it's possible to maintain mash temperature in other ways, I did it previosly in my fermentation fridge with just a 100W lightbulb as a heat source.
Monitor the pH every 8 hours or so and when it reaches about 3.5 pH (this took about 24 hours for me) move onto the next step. If you don't have a pH meter you could just use a taste test which I've done in the past however this may not be a good idea just in case something nasty has grown in there.
Next I added the aged hops then raised the temperature to 82°C for 15 mins to pasteurise (if you don't have aged hops then a small amount of low AA hops will work, it's not for bitterness but for the preservative quality)
Cool to 20°C then pitch 2 packs of dry yeast, I used CML US pale ale
After a week or so add the zest from 2 lemons and 2 limes to the fermenter along with the dry hops and leave for a few days before bottling.
Carbonate to ~2.8 vol CO2
---------------------
I've sent this to a few forum members, including the March competition where it came 3rd with a score of 40. Feedback so far:
@BeerCat - Nice level of sourness and strong floral flavour. Better than the examples I have tried in local craft boozer. Perhaps a bit under carbed compared but very drinkable. I am not really a sour expert so far I prefer yours. Had a gooseberry sour the other night which was not as good.
@brewhaha - Fantastic beer that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thanks!
Aroma - 10/12
Masses of lemon and lime with a yoghurty sourness - gave it a lemon meringue vibe!
Appearance - 3/3
Super pale and a touchy hazy but really inviting. Great fluffy white head.
Flavour - 16/20
Great level of sourness that combined well with the citrus fruits.
There's a biscuity malt flavour in the background which helps give this lemon meringue idea that I couldn't shake! Loved it!
Mouthfeel - 3/5
Nice light body with decent carbonation although I perhaps wanted a little more to accentuate the sour?
Overall - 8/10
This will be a stellar summer beer. Loads better than pretty much all commercial Berliners I've tried. I had this as the last beer on my first judging day and it was a perfect end!
Total 40/50
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